H.E. Sheikha Lubna Bint Khalid Al Qasimi
Foreign Trade
UAE
Minister for Foreign Trade
United Arab Emirates
Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi has been one of the most easily recognisable government officials of the United Arab Emirates, primarily because of her numerous groundbreaking achievements in both the public and private sectors. Her global prominence was highlighted recently when she was named among the 2009 Forbes List of the 100 Most Powerful Women in the World.
As one of the country's pioneering women professionals in the field of computer engineering, Sheikha Lubna's extensive experience in handling several technical responsibilities ultimately led her to a coveted post at Dubai Ports Authority. Sheikha Lubna was named CEO of Tejari, which she guided to become the premier electronic business-to-business marketplace for emerging markets and where she now serves as a board member.
In her relatively new role as a high-ranking government official, Sheikha Lubna spearheaded the UAE's Ministry of Economy during one of the country's most economically prosperous periods in history. Additionally, Sheikha Lubna's appointment in November 2004 to manage what was then the UAE's newly merged economy and planning portfolio was a historic event for the UAE as she became the first woman ever in the country to assume a cabinet position.
Moreover, Sheikha Lubna was also appointed Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the UAE's Securities & Commodities Authority, serving from 2004 until 2008. Following her historic tenure as Minister of Economy, Sheikha Lubna was appointed in February 2008 to another highly sensitive post as Minister for Foreign Trade.
Her leadership abilities once again tapped to the direct growth of new Government entity, the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) founded in Dec 2009. ENEC, the UAE's atomic energy agency, is part of the country's Nuclear Energy Programme Implementation Organisation (NEPIO), a supervisory established up under the recommendation of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to oversee the construction of nuclear plants. Sheikha Lubna has been appointed as ENEC's Deputy Board Chairman.
Sheikha Lubna was conferred several honors in her career, including the prestigious Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur, the Italian President Gold Medal, the "Grande Ufficiale" (Grand Official) of the Order of the Star of the Italian Solidarity of the Italian Republic, the Italian 'Stella Re' prize,. Sheikha Lubna was welcomed as an Honorary Member of the American Business Council in Dubai in 2001.