Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi | Biography & Facts

Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi info, education, career..

Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi is an Emirati politician who is the Minister of Cabinet Affairs of the United Arab Emirates and the Chairman of the Executive Office in Dubai.

Early life of Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi

Mohammad Al Gergawi was born in Dubai in 1963. He completed his primary and secondary school education in the emirate and attained a bachelor’s degree from the United States.

His positions: Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi

In 1994, he held the position of Secretary General of Dubai Quality Award.
In 1997, he held the position of Deputy Director at the Department of Economic Development (DED) Dubai and was appointed as Secretary General of Dubai Government Excellence Program.
In 1999, he was appointed as President of Dubai Internet City by HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
In 2000, he was appointed as Director General of Dubai Technology, E-Commerce and Media Free Zone Authority by HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
In 2000, he was appointed as Head of the Executive Office in Dubai by HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
In 2002, he was appointed as Chairman of the Board of Directors, Dubai Developmentand Investment Authority (DDIA), by HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
On March 3, 2003, he was appointed as Secretary General of the Executive Council of the Emirate of Dubai by HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
In 2003, he held the position of Managing Director of Dubai Media Incorporated (DMI).
In 2004, he was appointed as Chairman of Dubai Holding company by HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
On February 10, 2006, HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, issued a Federal Decree on the formation of the UAE Cabinet; he was appointed as Minister of Cabinet Affairs.
In February 2006, He was appointed as Deputy Chairman of the Ministerial Development Council by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
On September 10, 2006, he was appointed as Head of the Executive Office by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
On November 13, 2007, he was appointed as Deputy Chairman of the Emirates Investment Authority by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
On May 20, 2008, he held the position of Co-Chair of the Global Agenda Councils established in collaboration between the UAE government and the World Economic Forum.
On September 11, 2012, he was appointed as Chairman of the World Government Summit (WGS) by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
On August 8, 2015, he was appointed by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum as Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Managing Director of Dubai Future Museum Foundation, later known as Dubai Future Foundation.
On December 27, 2015, he was appointed by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to the role of Secretary General of The Mohammed Bin Rashid Global Initiatives (MBRGI).
On February 10, 2016, HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, approved the new UAE Cabinet, upon which the Future portfolio was added to his ministerial functions.
On July 12, 2018, he was selected as member of the High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation by the United Nations Secretary-General.
On May 25, 2019, he held the position of the Chairman of the Arab League’s Board of Trustees of the Arab Government Excellence Award.
On July 5, 2020, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum announced the new UAE Cabinet and he was appointed as Minister of Cabinet Affairs.
On January 4, 2022, Al Gergawi was appointed as Chairman of the Museum of the Future.

Listen: A conversation between Mohammad Al Gergawi and the motivational speaker Tony Robbins

Political career of Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi

Early Career

Al Gergawi’s career started in 1987, when he joined the United Nations Development Office in Dubai Municipality. In 1989 he was appointed Deputy Manager for revenue at the finance department. In 1993, Al Gergawi joined Dubai’s Department of Economic Development as Director of the Department of Finance and Administration.

Al Gergawi led the launch of the Dubai Quality Award in 1994. He maintained his position as the Director of the Department of Finance and Administration from 1993 to 1995. In 1996, Al Gergawi oversaw the launch and management of the Dubai Shopping Festival and the Dubai Summer Surprises, aiming to boost the tourism and retail sectors during the low summer season. He was the Managing Director for both initiatives, held under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, at the time Crown Prince of Dubai.

Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi and Jeff Bezos

Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi and Jeff Bezos in 2016

Dubai Internet City

Mohammad Al Gergawi was appointed the founding Director General of Dubai Internet City in 1999 and Dubai Media City in 2000, which were later to become part of the Dubai Technology, E-Commerce and Media Free Zone Authority. The cluster was to expand to employ some 35,000 people in its own right and grow to become TECOM, the multi-cluster operating company that houses some 5,600 companies ranging from start-ups to multinational corporations with a total workforce of over 90,000.

He was appointed to the board of the Dubai e-Commerce Council in 2000 and in 2001 became a board member of Emirates Media Incorporated.

Al Gergawi was assigned to establish Dubai Media Incorporated as Managing Director and chaired the organizing committee of the Dubai Media Forum, as well as founding Dubai Media City and launching the educational zone, Dubai Knowledge Village, which today, together with Dubai International Academic City, encompasses 25,000 students and 400 academic programmes.

In 2002, he was tasked with the planning and launch of further cluster developments, including the financial services free zone, Dubai International Financial Centre. Al Gergawi also oversaw the launch of the Mohammed bin Rashid Establishment for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises, focused on supporting young entrepreneurs and driving entrepreneurs in Dubai. From 2002 until 2005, Al Gergawi chaired the Board of Dubai’s Investment Development Agency (Dubai FDI).

In 2003 Al Gergawi became Managing Director of Dubai Media Incorporated, which brought together all of the government’s many media enterprises, including broadcast TV, radio, newspapers, magazines and media production capabilities.

The Executive Office (TEO)

Mohammed Abdullah Al Gergawi and the Chinese President Xi Jinping in July 2018

In 2000, Al Gergawi was appointed Chairman of The Executive Office of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who was at the time Crown Prince of Dubai. Since its inception, The Executive Office has been a strategic think-tank and has been the incubator of a number of forward-looking initiatives intended to create spin-offs with economic and strategic value for Dubai.

In 2003, Al Gergawi managed the foundation of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Programme for Leadership Development as well as the Dubai Strategy Forum, which was to become the Arab Strategy Forum in 2006. A number of key regional events are managed by TEO, including the Global Entrepreneurship Summit and the Arab Social Media Forum.

In October 2013, Al Gergawi was appointed Chair of the executive committee of the Dubai Smart City Initiative.

Dubai Holding

Dubai Holding was founded in 2004 and Al Gergawi was appointed its Chief Executive Officer. Al Gergawi managed the company from its embryonic stages – it started in a rented office with used furniture and a small loan – through to its maturation as a global holding company with over $35 billion in assets under management and operations spanning 20 countries.

Directly employing some 20,000 people, Dubai Holding under Al Gergawi saw the launch of free zone operator TECOM Group, the Dubai Properties Group and Emirates Integrated Telecommunications (Du). Dubai Holding plays an influential role in delivering on Dubai’s economic diversification strategy with initiatives such as Tourism Vision 2020, Dubai Smart City, Dubai Innovation Strategy and the Dubai Industrial Strategy.

Dubai Holding companies include the Dubai Group, Dubai Properties, Sama Dubai, Dubiotech, Jumeirah International, Dubai International Capital, Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City, Dubai Knowledge Village, Dubai Industrial City and Dubailand.

Ministerial positions

Secretary General of Dubai Executive Council

In 2003, Al Gergawi became the first Secretary-General of the Executive Council of the Government of Dubai. Led by Sheikh Mohammed, the Council led the implementation of Dubai’s economic development strategy and development plan. Al Gergawi worked on evolving policies and key performance indicators for Dubai Government entities and managing ongoing and new projects in the emirate.

Minister of Cabinet Affairs

On the 11 February 2006, The President of the United Arab Emirates, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, issued a presidential decree appointing the new cabinet of the United Arab Emirates. The cabinet included Al Gergawi as Minister of Cabinet Affairs, with responsibility for the development of the UAE’s Federal Government Strategy and overseeing its overall delivery and performance. The portfolio of ‘the future’ was added to Al Gergawi’s position in 2016.

Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi and former UK Prime Minister David Cameron in December 2016

Mohammad Al Gergawi and UK Prime Minister David Cameron in December 2016

During 2008, the Prime Minister’s Office, part of the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs, launched the UAE Government Leadership Programme. In 2010, the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs launched the UAE Vision 2021 and the UAE Strategy Cycle 2011-2013, both focusing on setting a strategy and targets for the UAE to become one of the best countries in the world by 2021.

In 2013, the UAE government launched the Government Summit, later to become the World Government Summit, a global annual event headed by Gergawi, which shares best practice and innovation in government. The World Government Summit has evolved from a local government gathering to a global governmental gathering that brings together more than 130 governments and top leaders and experts to help shape the governments of tomorrow.

During the same year he managed the rollout of the UAE M-Government Initiative, with the aim of migrating all government services to a mobile platform within two years.

Al Gergawi was appointed Managing Director of the Dubai Future Foundation in 2015. DFF is intended to form a platform, together with the Dubai Future Agenda as a roadmap, to shape the future goals and strategy of Dubai’s key economic drivers, public policy and public/private participation. He undertook the creation of the Global Future Councils in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, which he co-chairs with Professor Klaus Schwab.

In 2016, Al Gergawi was mandated to set up the Dubai Future Accelerators, a programme designed to bring together startups from around the world and have them work alongside Dubai government entities to co-create solutions to global challenges and then share them with the world.

The inaugural round of Accelerators saw 65% of the 30 companies, many startups, in the programme cutting deals to create prototypes or pilots with seven government entities with a total value of over $33 million.

In July 2018, he was named to a 20-person United Nations advisory panel on digital technology, providing counsel and guidance to UN Secretary General António Guterres.

Between April 2018 to July 2020, he led, under the directives of the leadership, the government development and modernization portfolio between the UAE government and the governments of Uzbekistan, Egypt, Jordan and the United Nations Development Program. He also supervised the development of the Emirates Blockchain Strategy 2021, the National Strategy for Advanced Innovation in 2018, and Government Design Initiative 2019.

Since February 2020, he has holds the position of Deputy Chairman of the 50-year Development Plan Committee which is tasked to set a complete concept for the comprehensive development plan for the UAE and the time frame for its implementation. Moreover, he was charged to form the Federal Government Services Continuity Committee in March 2020.

Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi and Hillary Clinton in 2011

Mohammad Al Gergawi and Hillary Clinton, United States Secretary of State, in 2011

Strategic projects in Dubai

He managed the inception of strategic projects in Dubai such as Dubai Future Foundation, Dubai International Financial Centre, Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City, Dubai Health Care city, and the Arab Journalism Award.

Business sector contributions

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum entrusted him to establish a number of economic enterprises to activate and develop the business sector in Dubai and the UAE and support the economic diversification strategy, including:

Dubai Development and Investment and Authority

The company was established in April 2002 to attract national and foreign investments and international projects to Dubai , and ِAl Gergawi was appointed as Chairman of its Board of Directors. Through the company, he led the foundation of many projects, including Dubai Healthcare City in 2002, the International Investment Summit 2003 (IIS), and Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for Young Business Leaders in 2002^[8], which later became Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for Small and Medium Enterprises Development. He also led the foundation of the Dubai Mercantile Exchange “DME” ^[10], the region’s first commodity futures exchange in the Arab world, and Dubai Industrial City in 2004.^[11] He chaired the company’s board of directors until 2005.

Dubai International Financial Centre

He oversaw the establishment of Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) in 2002 to implement Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s ambitious vision to make the UAE a major and global centre for financial services and to strengthen the UAE’s position on the global economic and financial map. Today, DIFC’s total Wealth and Asset Management industry is worth USD$424 billion with over 2,500 registered firms and 25,000 professionals.

Dubai Holding

He was assigned by Ruler of Dubai to establish Dubai Holding in 2004 to manage a range of large of companies, projects and development initiatives that were launched in the late nineties. The company, which started its operations with a loan of $ 200 million from HSBC Bank, has become a giant economic entity, creating new economic sectors and constructing business clusters in Dubai.

It manages a number of companies focused on investments, financial services, real estate, specialized business parks, telecommunications and hospitality, namely: Jumeirah Group, Dubai Properties, Tecom Group, Dubai Asset Management, Dubai Retail, Emirates Integrated Telecommunications “du”, and the Arab Media Group (AMG). In 2017, he announced the end of his mission in Dubai Holding to dedicate his full time and effort to his duties in the government. At that time, the value of the company’s assets reached AED 130 billion with offices in 21 countries.

Other roles:

Mohammad Al Gergawi is currently Deputy Chairman of the Emirates Investment Authority, the Sovereign Wealth Fund of the Federal Government of the United Arab Emirates. Also, under the directives of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, he led the establishment of Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre in 2013.^[17]

Mohammad Al Gergawi and Abdel Fattah El-Sisi President of Egypt

Mohammad Al Gergawi and Abdel Fattah El-Sisi President of Egypt

Higher education contributions

In the academic field, Al Gergawi has served as a member at a number of national and international higher education institutions, including the Board of Directors of the UAE University, Board of Trustees of Abu Dhabi University, Supreme Council of the National Defense College, and the International Advisory Board of the American University of Beirut. In addition, H.E. is an Honorary Fellow of London Business School, and Founding President of the Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government.

Media contributions

By late 1990’s, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum directed Al Gergawi to transform Dubai into a global media centre. Hence a series of media projects were launched under his supervision, including: Dubai Media City, the Arab Journalism Award, the Dubai Press Club, the Arab Media Forum and the ‏Dubai Media Incorporated. He was appointed as Vice President of the Federal National Media Council, where he was aligning efforts and managing the implementation of a number of initiatives and plans aimed at developing the local media sector.

Within Dubai Holding, he led efforts to establish the Arab Media Group “AMG”, the Arab Radio Network, Emarat Al Youm newspaper, Dubai Studio City and Dubai Production City. In 2014, he supervised the establishment of the Arab Social Media Award, which was launched under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, in addition to heading the Organizing Committee of the Arab Social Media Influencers Summit. In culmination of a highly successful march in developing the media sector, the Council of Arab Information Ministers chose Dubai to become the Capital of Arab Media for 2020.

Social development contributions

Al Gergawi has made great strides in elevating the level of social and community services in the UAE. Al Gergawi was a member of the National Team of the UAE for Volleyball and represented the UAE in many tournaments. He played a crucial part in the inception of the Dubai Autism Center, and chaired Al Ahli Sports Club. In addition, he is one of the founders of the UAE Disabled Sports Federation.

Regional contributions

As an enthusiastic regional activist, Al Gergawi became the Founding Chairman of the Young Arab Leaders in 2004. In addition, he managed the launch of the Middle East Thought Leadership Programme “Middle East Exchange” with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In addition, he chairs the Board of Trustees of the Arab Government Excellence Award, and heads the UAE delegation at the Ministerial Committee meetings tasked with Following-up the Implementation of the Gulf Cooperation Council, GCC, Joint Work Decisions.

Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi and Ahmed Aboul Gheit Secretary-General of the Arab League in April 2018

Mohammad Al Gergawi and Ahmed Aboul Gheit Secretary-General of the Arab League in April 2018

Global contributions

Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi is member of the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Leadership Council concerned with supervising the long-term strategy of the Forum and its various platforms, in addition to presiding over the meetings of the Global Agenda and co-chairing the Global Future Councils, with Professor Klaus Schwab, launched in collaboration between the UAE government and the World Economic Forum. In 2018, the United Nations chose him to join the “International Higher Committee for Digital Cooperation” of the UN Secretary-General António Guterres, a panel of independent experts advising the United Nations’ Secretary-General on technological developments and technology-related issues. He also chaired the session “World Economic Forum on Growth”, held in China in 2007. Moreover, he was instrumental in the India Economic Summit in 2005 as Co-Chairman.

Awards & recognition

In the UAE, the wider region and the world at large, Al Gergawi has been the recipient of numerous honors and recognitions. These include the Moroccan Royal Order of Merit, which was bestowed upon him by King Mohammad VI of Morocco in 2005; and the American Business Award from the American Business Council in 2000, among others. In 2014, Al Gergawi was awarded the ‘Key to Dubai’ at the RE Con Awards, for his contribution to the development of Dubai. In 2017, Al Gergawi received the Federal Personality Award from His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

In recognition of his role in developing the methodologies of government management and enhancing their implementation, he has been awarded an honorary doctorate in government management and future strategies by the ESCP Business School in Paris.