Finnish entrepreneurs win sheikh’s trust after bold Davos approach

Two 26-year-old Finnish entrepreneurs have become close contacts of a sheikh from the ruling family of Ajman after approaching him at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Yle reports. They have since founded an association with Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Ali Al Nuaimi to promote exchanges between Finland and the United Arab Emirates.

In mid-August, Al Nuaimi visited Helsinki and chose to stay at the home of Juho Nisula, rather than in a hotel. Nisula said he spent much of the evening before the visit cleaning his home.

Nisula and his business partner, Kaius Karjalainen, both 26, first met the sheikh in January 2025 at an event connected to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

From a bathroom floor to the economic forum

The young entrepreneurs had travelled from Helsinki after receiving an invitation from an acquaintance to help organise an international event held alongside the forum. Because accommodation in Davos is in extremely high demand during the forum, hotel rooms can cost tens of thousands of euros for the week.

Travelling at their own expense, Nisula and Karjalainen slept on the floor of the event venue’s bathroom throughout the trip.

During the forum, they listened to speeches by several internationally recognised experts. One of the speakers was Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Ali Al Nuaimi, who ended his speech by calling for young people with global potential to come forward.

Nisula and Karjalainen noticed that they were the only young people in an otherwise considerably older audience. They made their way through the crowd and security guards to speak to the sheikh.

They told him they were exactly the kind of young people he had called for in his speech, and that it was now time for him to act on his words.

Their enthusiasm, courage and sincerity amused the sheikh but also impressed him. The three exchanged contact details and agreed to continue their discussions.

A sheikh focused on environmental protection

Known as the Green Sheikh, Abdulaziz bin Ali Al Nuaimi is a member of Ajman’s ruling family and serves as an environmental adviser to the Ajman government.

He is qualified as a chemical and petroleum engineer and holds a doctorate from Griffith University in Australia in ecosystems and clean production. He has also studied environmental science and management and is an alumnus of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

Al Nuaimi is an author, international speaker and mentor. He founded the Green Sheikh Academy in 2018 to focus on sustainable development, the environment and the training of future leaders.

He is particularly known for promoting sustainable development, environmental protection, corporate responsibility and environmental awareness, as well as encouraging young people and communities to work on environmental issues.

“We are coming to Finland. Organise a programme.”

About six months after their trip to Switzerland, Karjalainen and Nisula invited the sheikh to an online meeting via WhatsApp. He immediately declined, saying instead that he wanted to meet them in person.

“We are coming to Finland from 10 to 14 August 2025. Organise a programme,” the sheikh told them, according to Yle.

The entrepreneurs were surprised that the nephew of Ajman’s ruler wanted to come to Finland specifically to meet them. They had no experience organising visits of this kind, so they first contacted the Finnish and Emirati embassies for advice.

According to Karjalainen, the embassy’s first instruction was to address the member of the ruling family correctly as “His Highness”.

In October, the two entrepreneurs met Ajman’s ruler, an encounter they described as a significant sign of trust.

The association they founded with Al Nuaimi is working to build cooperation between Finland and the United Arab Emirates. Its first exchange programme is due to begin in February.