Haris Mohamed appointed Managing Director of MTDC

Haris Mohamed has been appointed Managing Director of the Maldives Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), according to an official appointment notice by Privatization & Corporatization Board (PCB).

The notice states that Haris Mohamed was appointed as Managing Director and as a member of the MTDC Board of Directors on 28 July 2026.

The appointment follows the dismissal of former Managing Director Ahmed Niyaz last week. PCB announced Haris's appointment to the MTDC board on Tuesday.

Career background

Haris Mohamed has held a mix of government, aviation, and tourism industry roles over more than two decades, according to his LinkedIn profile.

He most recently served as Minister of State for Tourism at the Ministry of Tourism from January to April 2024. This role placed him inside the same ministry that oversees MTDC before his appointment as the company's Managing Director.

Earlier, he was Managing Director of Click Travels from May 2019 to May 2021. Before that, he served as Director of Marketing at Kihaa Maldives, a resort operated by Coral Island Resorts, from January to April 2019, according to his LinkedIn profile.

From October 2015 to November 2018, Haris served as Acting Managing Director of the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC), now known as Visit Maldives Corporation. Before that role, he was General Manager of Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) for eight months, from March to October 2015.

Education

Haris holds a Master of Business Administration from the Australian Institute of Business, completed between January 2014 and May 2015.

He also holds a Doctor of Business Administration in Marketing from Aldersgate College, completed between July 2017 and October 2020, according to his LinkedIn profile. Corporate Maldives additionally reported that Haris is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and the Chartered Management Institute.

About MTDC

MTDC was established under former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom to support the development of the tourism sector. The state-owned company currently operates a limited number of projects and has faced longstanding challenges in generating strong returns.

Wider context

The appointment comes amid broader changes across state-owned enterprises in the Maldives. The PCB has recently appointed new board members to several government companies. It has also directed these companies to complete workforce reductions within three months.