Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, has announced the new members of the Cabinet via Twitter.
Here are the nine new members:
Shamma Al Mazrui: Minister of Youth Affairs
Ms Al Mazrui earned her master’s of public policy with distinction from the University of Oxford and was the first UAE Rhodes Scholar. She holds a diploma of coursework on multi-sector partnerships at New York University, and has a bachelor’s degree in arts and economics from New York University Abu Dhabi.
She now works at one of Abu Dhabi’s Sovereign Wealth Funds, and previously was a public policy analyst with the UAE Mission to the UN. She has also worked as a Ministry Policy Analyst with the Prime Minister’s Office.
Last year, she received the Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Distinction Award and the Coutts Future Leader 2015 Award. She also was a co-founder and member of the NYU Abu Dhabi Al Nahda Institute.
Noura Al Kaabi: Minister of State for FNC Affairs
Ms Al Kaabi is chief executive of the Media Zone Authority Abu Dhabi and twofour54, as well as a Federal National Council member from Abu Dhabi who served on the council’s financial and economic affairs committee.
She is also Chairwoman of Emirates Media Measurement Company and an advisory member of Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation. She is a member of committees for the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, Abu Dhabi Media Company (which publishes The National), Image Nation Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Sports Council, UAE University and others entities.
She was the first UAE national to rank on Foreign Policy magazine’s list of Top 100 Global Thinkers, and was named in 2014 as one of Forbes Middle East’s 30 Most Influential Women in Government. She was awarded Business Woman of the Year at the Gulf Business Industry Awards.
Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi: Minister for Climate Change and Environment
Dr Al-Zeyoudi is the UAE Permanent Representative to the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena). He has been director at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ energy and climate change directorate since 2010.
He is Vice Chairman of the Zayed Future Energy Prize and a member of its review and selection committees. He holds a PhD in strategy, programme and project management from SKEMA Business School in Lille, France. He also has a master’s degree in project management from the British University in Dubai, a master’s in business administration from the New York Institute of Technology in Abu Dhabi, and a bachelor’s of science in petroleum engineering from the University of Tulsa in the US.
Dr Al-Zeyoudi also is a member of the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi.
Najla Mohammed Al Awar: Minister of Social Development
Ms Al Awar is secretary general of the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs, supervising the Cabinet’s General Secretariat, which supports decision making and implementation. She supervises government initiatives and programmes, revision of government policies, and coordination to organise Cabinet retreats addressing vital issues to the government. She also played a vital role in setting of the General Secretariat Bureau of Legal Affairs, which drafts Cabinet decrees and laws, prepares legal studies and provides the Federal Government with legal support.
She also was involved in the establishment of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid’s Executive office and the establishment of the Secretariat of the Executive Council of Dubai. She is also on the boards of the General Authority for Pensions and Social Security, the National Election Committee and the Higher Committee for the National Curricula.
Ms Al Awar holds a bachelor’s degree of science in information technology from UAE University and has management administration training from the London Business School.
Mohammed Al Bowardi: Minister of State for Defence Affairs
Mr Al Bowardi is undersecretary of the Ministry of Defence. He is also Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Technology Development Committee, Vice Chairman of Dolphin Energy, and board member of Tawazun Holding.
He served as Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council executive committee and board member. He is also a member of the Abu Dhabi University board of trustees.
He is managing director of the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi, and Deputy Chairman of the Mohammed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund and the International Fund for Houbara Conservation.
He has a bachelor’s of science in political science and history from Lewis & Clark College in the US.
Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi: Minister of State for Tolerance
Sheikha Lubna led the UAE into an unprecedented amount of philanthropy during her post as Minister of International Cooperation and Development, with a total contribution of Dh18.36 billion of developmental foreign aid in 2014.
In 2004, Sheikha Lubna became the first woman in the UAE’s history to assume a cabinet position when she was appointed as Minister of Foreign Trade.
She is the President of Zayed University.
Ohood Al Roumi: Minister of State for Happiness
Ms Al Roumi is director general of of the Prime Minister’s Office, overseeing projects and initiatives such as the UAE Vision 2021, the National Agenda, the Mohammed bin Rashid Policy Majlis, the UAE Government Leaders Programme and others.
The UN Foundation recently selected Ms Al Roumi as the first Arab member of the Global Entrepreneurship Council. She is also a board member of the Dubai Museum of the Future Foundation and was selected as a Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum in 2012.
Ms Al Roumi has an executive master’s degree in business administration from the University of Sharjah and a bachelor’s in economics from the UAE University College of Business and Economics. She is also a graduate from the Mohammed bin Rashid Programme for Leadership Development.
Dr Ahmad Belhoul: Minister of State for Higher Education Affairs
Dr Belhoul is chief executive of Masdar and was former vice president at Mubadala, where he managed investments and stakeholder relationships in metals and mining. Prior to that, he was an adviser with McKinsey & Company, a consultancy.
He earned a master’s degree in telecommunications engineering from the University of Melbourne and a PhD from Monash University.
Jameela Salem Al Muhairi: Minister of State for Public Education Affairs
Ms Al Muhairi has 20 years of experience in education management, and wa chief of the Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau at the Knowedge and Human Development Authority, Dubai’s education regulator. Her aim is to develop the education system in the UAE and help parents find appropriate schools for their children.
She studied management at UAE University in Al Ain and has also worked for the Ministry of Education, and later as director for Dubai Knowledge Village.
Ms Al Muhairi was also previously executive director for the private education sector at Dubai Education Council. She is currently a member of the Dubai Education Council and Dubai Cares, a philanthropic organisation.
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