Khalid Abdul Rahim

With a string of inspiring projects under his belt, it is the £100 million construction of the Bahrain Formula 1 circuit in 2004 that Khalid counts as his most impressive.

Talking us through the formation lap of his career, he said: “The project was 10 times larger than anything I had done before. In fact, people said it was too big for me to take on, that I would fail. I took this as a challenge. I find nothing more motivating.”

Leaving your comfort zone to achieve the unexpected

Despite the complexity of the project, Khalid decided to study for a master's degree in Construction Management at GCU simultaneously, to help him better understand the theory behind the process he knew well.

The project was the brainchild of the Crown Prince of Bahrain, who had sought advice from another GCU honorary graduate, Sir Jackie Stewart, on how to promote the circuit.

Khalid said: “The brief stated the project had to be completed by May 2004.

“It had to be ready for the first race of the season. The penalty for being late was £30 million. So when F1 suddenly told me they now wanted the circuit ready for April instead of May, I was faced with a crisis.

Recollecting, he said: “His Highness asked me outright, ‘can it be achieved, yes or no?’”

Late nights of scheduling, planning and productivity followed, all of the things Khalid had learned while studying his master's degree. Applying his learned theory, he was able to go back to the Crown Prince to deliver a confident ‘yes’. Needless to say, he went on to deliver and it is a success he credits to GCU.

As a token of gratitude, Khalid has been a generous contributor to the University for the past decade or so. His donations have helped fund prizes, study trips and even an Arabic language and culture course for students planning to study in Dubai.