ABOUT THE UAE: Biographies

Her Highness Sheikha Lubna bint Khaled Al Qasimi, Minister of Economy

Her Highness Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi is the Minister of Economy and Planning for the United Arab Emirates, and the first woman to ever hold a cabinet position in the Emirates. Since her November 2004 appointment, HH Sheikha Lubna has been responsible for managing the rapid development of the Emirates’ booming economy and for planning for the nation’s unprecedented economic growth. In recent years, the Emirates economy has grown at an average of almost 9% annually, and has become the fastest growing economy in the Middle East as well as a global hub for trade and commerce.

Before joining the Cabinet, HH Sheikha Lubna had already established herself as one of the most dynamic and successful business leaders in the Middle East as the Chief Executive Officer of Tejari, the Middle East's premier electronic business-to-business marketplace that has revolutionized e-commerce in the region.

After honoring HH Sheikha Lubna with the Distinguished Government Employee Award in 1999, HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum appointed her as the head of Tejari at the launch of the company in 2000.

Prior to managing Tejari, HH Sheikha Lubna was the senior manager of the information systems department at the Dubai Ports Authority (DPA), a position she held for more than seven years. Before joining DPA, HH Sheikha Lubna acted as the Dubai branch manager for the General Information Authority, the organization responsible for automating the federal government of the United Arab Emirates. She has more than 15 years of information technology management experience in the Middle East region.

In 2001, HH Sheikha Lubna headed the Dubai e-government executive team responsible for instituting e-government initiatives throughout the public sector. HH Sheikha Lubna holds a Bachelor of Science degree from California State University of Chico, and an executive MBA from the American University of Sharjah.

Forbes.com recognized HH Sheikha Lubna as one of the women to watch in the Middle East, and she was also recognized in May 2005 by Women News in New York as one of 21 leaders of the twenty-first century.

HH Sheikha Lubna volunteers extensively with the Friends of Cancer Patients Society and serves on the Board of Directors for the Dubai Autism Center among many non-profit board memberships both at home and abroad. HH Sheikha Lubna has received worldwide recognition for her leadership including IT Woman of the Year from Datamatix (2001), the Entrepreneurship Award from Great Britain's House of Lords (2004) and the Premio Minerva International Award for her outstanding contribution in politics and economics (2005), among others.