Haj Saeed Lootah was an accomplished entrepreneur, businessman, philanthropist, and visionary community leader. In 1975, Haj Saeed set up the first commercial Islamic bank in the world: Dubai Islamic Bank. He built his own construction company into a business empire that has holdings in almost all economic sectors. He maintained high ethical and Islamic standards throughout all his companies. He was granted honorary degrees from universities in the USA and Russia. Haj Saeed was also presented with EFICA Lifetime Achievement Award for contribution to Islamic banking.