Steve Sell

How a vision inspired by experience, strengthened by collaboration and built on trust helped connect the Middle East's growing retail community.

Long before the Middle East's malls became destinations in their own right, Steve Sell saw an opportunity to build something less visible but equally important: a community for the people shaping them.

Sell had helped found the Ontario Shopping Centre Association and served as president of the British Columbia Shopping Centre Association. Working on Deira City Centre at Majid Al Futtaim, he believed the region's fast-growing industry needed a similar forum. He took the idea to his boss, Peter Arbuckle, who championed it. In 1994, that vision helped give rise to the Middle East Council of Shopping Centres.

The first hurdle was trust. Some owners were reluctant to share operational information with peers. But as the benefits of exchanging knowledge became clear, membership grew rapidly. What began as an effort to connect shopping centre professionals evolved into a broader platform for the industry.

For Sell, welcoming retailers and suppliers as full members was a defining step. Their perspectives strengthened the conversations and partnerships that would help the Council remain relevant as malls evolved from places to shop into places to experience.

Now in his eighties and retired, Sell follows the Council's success with pride. He expects profound changes in how centres operate and lease space, yet remains confident that the organization will continue to guide its members.

His story offers an enduring lesson: progress accelerates when industry leaders choose to share knowledge rather than guard it.