Middle East Online

Dubai, May 10: Cecilia Ciganer-Albeniz, ex-wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, is expected to move to Dubai as her new husband has been chosen to lead an event management firm in the Gulf city state.

Richard Attias, whom she married in New York in March after her divorce from Sarkozy, has been appointed chief executive officer of the newly-founded Dubai Event Management Corporation, DEMC said on Monday.

The Moroccan-born Frenchman is "moving with his family to run the show from Dubai," a source close to the government-owned company said, requesting anonymity.

Before joining DEMC, Attias served as board chairman of Publicis Events Worldwide. His expertise in the industry includes organising the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

The booming emirate of Dubai, one of the seven members of the oil-rich United Arab Emirates, has transformed itself into a regional centre for major business events and conferences.