Sheikh Hamdan appoints tech industry leaders to Dubai Future Academy

The founders of Aramex and Souq are joined by diplomats and ambassadors

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, stands outside the 3D printed building on the Emirates Towers premises which houses Dubai Future Academy. Wam

The Crown Prince of Dubai has appointed technology leaders, diplomats and top academics to the board of Dubai Future Academy.

The founders of Souq.com, Aramex and Wamda Capital are among the new board of trustees.

It will advise the academy, part of the Dubai Future Foundation, which aims to empower the country's leaders to shape the future.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Dubai Future Foundation, announced the members on Tuesday.

The academy is housed in Dubai's 3D-printed office close to Emirates Towers.

Appointed to the board is:

- Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Sciences

- Dr Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of State for Higher Education and Advanced Skills

- Omar Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence

- Abdulaziz Al Jaziri, deputy CEO of Dubai Future Foundation

- Ronaldo Mouchawar, Souq.com co-founder and Amazon's Mena vice president

- Joseph Aoun, president of Northeastern University in Boston

- Sebastian Thrun, chairman and co-founder of Udacity and professor of computer science at Stanford University

- Tom Fletcher former British ambassador and writer

- Omar Saif Ghobash, former Emirati ambassador to Russia and France and writer

- Dr Khawla Al Kaabi, executive president for innovation at UAE University

- Fadi Ghandour, founder of Aramex International and Wamda Capital

-  Dr Yassir Jarrar, adviser at Mohammed bin Rashid Centre for Government Innovation.