Image: Modon Holding
Abu Dhabi-based Modon Holding has made a strategic investment in Wellington Lifestyle Partners (WLP), joining the company’s group of existing investors.
Modon said the investment will back the long-term development of Wellington International equestrian showgrounds in Florida and support plans for a major ultra-luxury real estate project comprising high-end residences, a boutique hotel, a commercial marketplace and a championship golf course.
The move marks Modon’s first direct investment in an equestrian-led development in the United States and aligns with its strategy to expand its global footprint in high-value destination developments.
Highlights of the Modon-WLP deal
The deal places Modon alongside WLP’s current investors and operators to advance a portfolio of sport and lifestyle assets, including Wellington International, The Wanderers Club, and The Wellington, a private residential club community of 253 homes scheduled to open in 2028 with a golf course designed by David McLay Kidd.
Plans also include a lifestyle Marketplace with a luxury hotel, residences, retail, offices and dining. The projects form part of a long-term masterplan to reinforce Wellington’s position as a global centre for equestrian sport and luxury living.
The investment includes a licence agreement allowing Modon to use the Wellington International brand and intellectual property across strategic markets for future developments.
Under the agreement, Modon will also become a premier sponsor of the Winter Equestrian Festival and the Adequan Global Dressage Festival, the world’s largest and longest-running hunter/jumper and dressage competitions, attracting more than 250,000 spectators and exhibitors annually.
“This strategic investment reflects Modon’s ambition to invest alongside world-class partners that share our vision for excellence in destination development,” Modon chairman Jassem Mohamed Bu Ataba Al Zaabi said. “By extending our reach to the US, we are furthering Modon’s role in delivering sustainable destinations that embody quality, innovation and cultural connection.”
Group chief executive Bill O’Regan said the partnership fits Modon’s focus on integrated lifestyle destinations across community, sport and hospitality, adding that Wellington International offers global recognition and operational expertise complementary to Modon’s projects at Hudayriyat Island, Ras El Hekma and La Zagaleta.
Mark Bellissimo, founder of Wellington Lifestyle Partners, said Modon’s arrival alongside NEXUS and equestrian Murray Kessler as CEO of Wellington International forms an “exceptional blend of expertise” that will help accelerate plans to elevate Wellington’s equestrian lifestyle offer.
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