By the time a city builds the world’s tallest tower, commands the skies with the world’s largest airline, and positions itself as a global nerve centre of commerce, technology, and lifestyle, most would consider the job done. But Dubai isn’t most cities. And few understand that better than Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates, who has spent four decades watching the city grow into what it is today. Now, he’s hinting that the story is far from over.In a candid conversation with British broadcaster Piers Morgan, Sir Timothy Charles Clark, the man who has steered Emirates Airline since 2003, suggested that Dubai’s next act could eclipse even the Burj Khalifa. “I daresay there are other things that are going to come along that are bigger and more beautiful than Burj Khalifa – we don’t know,” Clark said with a telling smile, suggesting that Dubai’s growth trajectory is far from slowing down. At 75, Clark’s perspective is unique. He’s not merely a witness to Dubai’s metamorphosis over the last four decades, he’s been embedded in it. From his early days helping establish Emirates airline to guiding it into global dominance, his journey has mirrored the city’s.Much of Clark’s reflection with Morgan centred not just on what Dubai has achieved, but how, and why. Behind the glass and steel is a clear strategy, shaped by the leadership’s decision to think far beyond it’s limited fossil fuel reserves. “If you look at the GDP and the broad basis of the economy and the multiple segments, whether it be media, tech, aviation, hospitality, or banking, it is all here,” Clark said.He continued, “Somebody had to think that this really, if I am going to make it work, not only must I put the place on the map geographically with some iconic things, but I’ve also got to make the city come into a critical mass where it is going to develop wealth for the government, but it must work for all the citizens of Dubai as well.”In those words, Clark made it clear: Dubai’s transformation has never been about spectacle alone. The intent was always to generate tangible, inclusive economic value, and do so at scale.The Dubai Media Office, which shared excerpts of the interview on X (formerly Twitter), highlighted just how much ground Dubai has covered in a remarkably short time. Reflecting on the early days of Emirates, Clark admitted he couldn’t have foreseen the full extent of Dubai’s trajectory. “From the early 90s, the city has been on steroids,” he said, a telling phrase for a place that moved from ambition to execution with relentless velocity. That momentum, however, wasn’t chaotic. It was deliberate. “What the ruler said, no, we must put our money in this city and use that money to develop this city, that was part of the model,” Clark shared. Dubai’s leadership chose reinvestment as its engine, ensuring that wealth generated by the city was reinvested into its development, a move that underpinned its evolution from desert port to world city.Piers Morgan, known for pressing his subjects, noted the sheer scale of Dubai’s ambition, to be “the biggest and best in the world as fast as possible.” Clark didn’t flinch. That drive, he said, is part of the city’s operating DNA. But he was quick to stress that none of it has been accidental. The city’s growth has been “guided and steered,” ensuring Dubai didn’t become, in Clark’s words, “a sprawling and undirected metropolis.”The hints at what’s next, something potentially “bigger and more beautiful than Burj Khalifa”, aren’t just hype. They’re a glimpse into a city still unfolding. With Clark’s insight, it’s clear that Dubai’s future, much like its past, is shaped by more than just bold ideas. It’s powered by an unshakable commitment to execution, vision, and reinvention, again and again.
