Rolf Draak

Rolf Draak, Chairman, World Trade Center Nice/Sophia Antipolis

As director of a leading development group, Mr. Draak became fascinated by the potential of the World Trade Centers concept and philosophy.

It was this group which in 1980 took the initiative to develop and build phase 1 of the World Trade Center in Amsterdam.

Upon completion of this project in 1985, he took the position of C.E.O. of WTC Amsterdam, a position he held until 1996. As a result of a well-developed business plan and management strategy, WTC Amsterdam has become one of the more successful members of the World Trade Centers Association (WTCA).

In 1992, Rolf Draak was elected on the Board of the WTCA and became an active member of the WTCA family, offering guidance and sharing experience with many other WTCs. He has served as Vice Chairman on the Board for many years, and is presently serving as Chairman of the Committee on Planning and Finance, and as Vice Chairman of the Committee on Facilities.

Rolf Draak wants to put his knowledge to work on future WTC developments, and has completed many feasibility studies and marketing strategies for various WTC projects around the globe. He has been helping many members to prepare WTC applications and start-up strategies including those in Almere, Belfast, Curacao, Aruba, Heerlen-Aachen, Leeuwarden, Schiphol-Airport and Tbilisi.

Among others, he has taken the role of leading the development team for the project of WTC Barcelona, which also has become a very successful WTC operation. He has also taken the initiative to develop, build and operate WTC Nice / Sophia Antipolis in France.

Rolf Draak's greatest ambition is to develop a stronger relationship between the countries of the European Community and the countries on the African Continent. In this context he has taken the initiative to develop a twin WTC project in the very south of Spain, Malaga, and in Morocco, Tangier, thus creating a vitual bridge over the Strait of Gibraltar, and enhancing stability, peace and understanding between the cultures of that region.

Rolf Draak holds a graduate degree in Civil Engineering (1964). Prior to joining WTC Amsterdam, he spent over 20 years working in many foreign countries, where he gained a wealth of international business experience and respect and understanding of other cultures.

He has lived in Mexico, Spain, France, former Czechoslovakia, the Middle-East, West Africa and South America and he has a working knowledge of several languages.

WORLD TRADE CENTER NICE / SOPHIA ANTIPOLIS.
Rolf Draak is Co-investor, Chairman and C.E.O. of WTC Nice.
World Trade Center Nice is located in Europe's greatest international Business and Science park, named Sophia Antipolis, an area located between the cities of Nice and Cannes.

Because of strong development regulations, the authorities do not allow for high-rise buildings and consequently the WTC Nice was developed under a campus model. It consists of 3 adjacent buildings; WTCN-1: 150,000 sq.ft of offices; WTCN-2: 70,000 sq.ft of business center, meeting facilities, a 100 bedroom hotel (Media Garden Hotel), and start-up facilities; and WTCN-3, ( CICA), 250,000 sq.ft ,which is the Convention Center, and Center of Permanent Education.

WTCN is working in very close relationship with local authorities and Chamber of Commerce to foster the international community.

Presently, WTCN has taken the initiative to develop, in close cooperation with local stakeholders, the construction of an Airport World Trade Center at the airport of Nice. It is expected to start the design of this important project early 2009. Nice Airport is France's second largest airport, after Paris, and this new Center will be an important gathering place for international business partners.