Still moving, not finished
My name is Jamal Akim Joseph. I'm British, raised in Harrow, and my parents' heritage runs through Cuba, Jamaica and Saint Lucia, with Nubian and Sudanese heritage as well. I'm currently based in Dubai. The path here hasn't followed one straight line, and I don't think it should have. Each chapter below shaped a specific part of how I think about people, discipline, risk and leadership now.
From there I specialised in land and building sales, working with one of Dubai's fastest-growing developers and several boutique developers I can't name publicly due to NDAs. In off-plan, my results with Emaar and DAMAC have consistently ranked among the top in those portfolios.
My story
Where the standards started
Family, discipline, and an early drive to build something of my own. Nothing here was handed to me easily.
Hertfordshire, and the national title
Played for Hertfordshire, then the University of Hertfordshire, where we won the national championship. Show up prepared, repeat the unglamorous work, perform when it matters.
Structure under pressure
Lance Corporal, HM Forces, serving as a reservist. Discipline, planning and accountability under pressure, lessons that still shape how I lead.
haart Estate Agents
Several years across Chelsea, Kensington, Fulham and Battersea, from sales consultant to regional sales manager. Where I learned how deals actually get put together.
How I learned to read people
Recruitment consultant, then portfolio manager at deVere Acuma in Abu Dhabi. Same discipline, applied to people's actual wealth, is where the move to the UAE started.
A new market, and what comes next
Into Dubai real estate at Lootah Real Estate Development, then leadership roles at Kaizen Asset Management and Dubai Dunes Properties. Focus now spans all seven emirates, plus Oman, Saudi Arabia, London and Manchester.
What I help with
The core of the work is UAE property, buying, selling and advising, across all seven emirates. Alongside that, coverage in Oman and Saudi Arabia, property services in London and Manchester, a few adjacent services, and a genuinely international client base.
DUBAI · ABU DHABI · SHARJAH · AJMAN · RAK · FUJAIRAH · UAQ
Also active in Oman · Saudi Arabia · London · Manchester
Property
- Buying agent services
- Seller agent services
- Building lot sales
- Commercial property buying & sales
- Warehouse property sales
- Hotel sales
- Luxury property buying & sales
- Beach property rentals & sales, including Emaar Beachfront
- Property rentals
- Appraisals
International & relocation
- Relocation services: the property side of a move to the UAE, working alongside your own tax, legal and immigration advisers, not a substitute for them
- Citizenship-by-investment advisory: guidance on second-passport programmes tied to property investment, with final approval always sitting with the relevant government
- Private investment consultancy: advisory-first conversations before any recommendation
- UK property: buyer introductions in London and Manchester alongside the core Dubai business
Client base
- British & international diaspora investor services
- Caribbean & West Indian investor services
- African diaspora investor services
Trusted partners
- Mortgage & financing: Jamal works directly with GCC Mortgages, a RERA-registered, DED-licensed Dubai mortgage brokerage, often collaborating directly with the company's founder, Bilal Mazar, on high-profile client cases, other times referring clients to them. In 2026, Bilal financed one of Dubai's largest residential mortgage deals of the year, tied to the sale of a five-bedroom Signature Villa on Palm Jumeirah, one of the world's most sought-after residential addresses, as reported by The Deal Report
Frequently asked
Who is Jamal Akim?
Jamal Akim Joseph is a British real estate advisor and entrepreneur based in Dubai, raised in Harrow, with Cuban, Jamaican and Saint Lucian heritage, plus Nubian and Sudanese roots.
What is Jamal Akim's background?
Before real estate, Jamal played American football at national and international level, including for the UAE national team, and in the UK for Hertfordshire and the University of Hertfordshire, served as a reservist in HM Forces, and worked in recruitment and financial services, including as a portfolio manager at deVere Acuma in Abu Dhabi. His property career started at haart Estate Agents in London, then moved into Dubai real estate at Lootah Real Estate Development, followed by leadership roles at Kaizen Asset Management and Dubai Dunes Properties.
What areas does Jamal Akim cover?
Jamal works across all seven emirates of the UAE (Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain), with additional coverage in Oman and Saudi Arabia, and property services in London and Manchester, covering ready and off-plan residential, commercial and retail property.
What is Jamal Akim's approach to property investment?
Jamal evaluates every property the same way: what it costs, what it actually makes, what could go wrong, and how you get out, before any recommendation. That framework is laid out in full in his case studies and the KISS method.
What is Jamal Akim's track record?
Jamal has AED 1.88 billion in sales value to his name, and was the top broker across the UAE in the first quarter of 2021. He went on to specialise in land and building sales, working with one of Dubai's fastest-growing developers and several boutique developers he can't name publicly due to NDAs. In off-plan, his results with Emaar and DAMAC have consistently ranked among the top in those portfolios.