ASF President

In 2006, His Excellency Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi was appointed Minister of Cabinet Affairs of the UAE Government, in addition to his capacity as Deputy Chairman of the Ministerial ‎Development Council (MDC).

His duties include overseeing the development and implementation of the federal government strategy, aligning efforts to achieve the objectives of the UAE National Agenda and ensuring the highest level of government performance and efficiency across all sectors.

Between February 2016 and July 2020, Future Foresight was added to Al Gergawi’s ministerial portfolio, where he was mandated to develop the UAE’s Future Foresight Strategy aiming to promote government readiness for the future.

In addition to his ministerial duties, His Excellency holds several leading positions, including: ‎Chairman of the Executive Office of Dubai; Chairman of the World Governments Summit (WGS); Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Managing Director of the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF); Secretary General of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI); Chairman of the Museum of the Future and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Great Arab Minds.

His Excellency has chaired the Arab Strategy Forum since its inception in 2003. He has overseen its transformation into a think tank that provides research and strategic insights concerning the state of the Arab world and the global landscape at the beginning of each year. The forum offers a platform for exchanging ideas and expertise, and highlights the most significant future shifts in the fields of politics and economics.

At the international level, Al Gergawi is member of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Leadership Council, supervising the long-term strategy of the Forum and its various platforms. He also Co-Chairs the Global Future Councils launched in collaboration between the UAE government and the WEF. In 2018, Al Gergawi was chosen to be a member of the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation, aiming to lay the foundations for enabling governments address the challenges of the rapid technological advancements.

Al Gergawi was tasked with establishing excellence programs to enhance the efficiency of both the public and private sectors. He oversaw the creation of the Dubai Quality Award in 1994, the Dubai Government Excellence Program in 1997, and the Mohammed bin Rashid Government Excellence Award in 2009 at the federal level. Additionally, he heads the Board of Trustees of the Arab Government Excellence Award (AGEAward), which was launched in collaboration with the Arab Administrative Development Organization of the Arab League.

In the business sector, Al Gergawi founded Dubai Holding and chaired its board until 2017. By then, the company’s assets had reached a value of AED 130 billion, distributed across 13 countries and encompassing strategic economic sectors such as technology, advanced sciences, telecommunications, healthcare, media, tourism, real estate, education, and more. Additionally, he worked on establishing specialized commercial zones including Dubai International Financial Centre; Dubai Internet City; Dubai Media City; Dubai Production City; Dubai Studio City; Dubai Healthcare City; Dubai Humanitarian City; and Dubai Design District; Dubai Academic City; Dubai Industrial City; Dubai Knowledge Park; Dubai Outsource City and Dubai Science Park among others. He also served as Chairman of the Board for the Dubai Investment and Development Authority.

Over the past years, he has held prominent positions in various sectors, including: Secretary General of the Executive Council of Dubai, Chairman of the Emirates Competitiveness Council, Vice Chairman of the Emirates Investment Authority, Founding Chairman of the Young Arab Leaders (YAL), Managing Director of Dubai Media Incorporated (DMI).

In the academic field, Al Gergawi has served as a member of a number of national and international higher education institutions, including the Board of Directors of the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU); the Board of Trustees of Abu Dhabi University (ADU), and the Supreme Council of the UAE National Defence College (NDC). He was the Founding President of the Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government (MBRSG) and also served as a member of the International Advisory Board of the American University of Beirut (AUB).

As the Secretary General of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, Al Gergawi oversees numerous developmental and humanitarian projects spanning over 105 countries worldwide, serving nearly 100 million people annually. These initiatives cover a range of areas including humanitarian and relief aid, the promotion of knowledge and education, the improvement of healthcare and disease prevention, the encouragement of innovation and leadership, and the empowerment of communities. Notable projects and initiatives he has implemented include the One Billion Meals campaign; the Emirates Food Bank; Noor Dubai; Suqia UAE; Dubai Cares; the Arab Reading Challenge; the Hope Makers initiative and the Digital School, in addition to the Museum of the Future Great Arab Minds; Arab Strategy Forum and the Mohammed bin Rashid Center for Leadership Development.

In the social field, Al Gergawi has supervised a number of social initiatives such as establishing the Dubai Autism Center (DAC) and the UAE Disabled Sports Federation. In addition, he represented his country as a member of the UAE national volleyball team in international competitions.

Al Gergawi has received numerous honours, awards, and academic recognitions. Among the most notable are an honorary doctorate in government administration from Georgetown University, an honorary doctorate in government administration and future strategies from ESCP Business School in Paris, and an Honorary Fellowship of the London Business School (LBS). In addition to the Order of Friendship bestowed by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev; the Moroccan Royal Order of Merit from His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco, and the American Business Award. In 2017, Al Gergawi was named the Federal Personality of the Year by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates.

Al Gergawi holds a bachelor’s degree from the United States of America.