The Insider in Charge of Abu Dhabi’s $330 Billion Deal Machine (1)

At a glitzy event on a recent fall evening in New York, dozens of Wall Street executives and billionaires gathered to celebrate a Middle Eastern deal-maker who’s been a leading force in Abu Dhabi’s decades-long efforts to transform itself into a global financial powerhouse.

They were there to fete Khaldoon Al Mubarak, who has helmed Mubadala Investment Co. since 2002. In that time, he’s overseen the $330 billion wealth fund’s evolution from a domestically-focused investor to one now leading the way on deals across artificial intelligence and data centers to finance, entertainment and health care.

Along the way, he’s ...