His Highness became the Ruler of Sharjah and its dependencies and a member of the Supreme Council in 1972. He is the 15th Ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah in a chain of Al Qasimi rulers since the year 1630. He served as the UAE Minister of Education from 1971-72. As the Ruler of Sharjah, His Highness has led the social, economic and cultural development of the emirate. In addition, His Highness has devoted considerable effort and resources to promote intercultural interactions and dialogues among the peoples of the world. He is known throughout the region as a firm believer in the significance of the role arts and culture play in bridging the minds and souls of the people of the world. Toward this aim, he initiated the touring Sharjah Cultural Festivals, which bring aspects of Arab and Islamic arts and culture to the cities around the world.

His Highness has placed great emphasis on nurturing civic awareness, participation and social responsibilities and has encouraged the establishment of many non-governmental organizations to promote social interactions between the communities and the government. He established the Sharjah Consultative Council to involve the people of Sharjah in the development and review of projects at all levels within the Emirate of Sharjah. He also established municipal councils in the cities and towns of the Emirate of Sharjah to decentralize the consultations between the communities and the different levels of government. He has actively promoted the establishment and development of numerous organizations, museums, institutes and associations fostering culture, the arts and science, academia, cultural and national heritage conservation, commerce, industry and agriculture.

In addition to serving as President of American University of Sharjah, His Highness is also President of the University of Sharjah. He has been a Visiting Professor at Exeter University, UK; Visiting Professor at Cairo University, Egypt; and Professor of Modern History of the Gulf at the University of Sharjah.

His Highness holds a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Engineering from Cairo University, Egypt; a Doctor of Philosophy with Distinction in History from the University of Exeter, UK; and a Doctor of Philosophy in Political Geography from Durham University, UK. He is the recipient of numerous honorary degrees from universities around the world, including an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from the American University in Cairo, Egypt; an Honorary Doctorate in Arts from University of Sheffield, UK; an Honorary Doctorate in Philosophy from the University of Tübingen, Germany; an Honorary Doctorate from the Armenian Academy of Science, Armenia; an Honorary Doctorate in Administration from McMaster University, Canada; an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Edinburgh, UK; an Honorary Doctorate in Philosophy in Education from International Islamic University of Malaysia; an Honorary Doctorate in History from the Eastern Studies Institute, Academy of Russian Studies, Russia; an Honorary Doctorate in Arabic and Islamic Studies from Exeter University, UK.

He has served as Honorary President of various organizations and associations including the Union of Arab Universities; the Arab Theater Institute; the Society of Arab Astronomy and Space Sciences; the Islamic International Organization for the History of Sciences; the Egyptian Association for the Study of History; the Council of World University Service (WUS); the Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services; as well as Honorary Member of the Centre of Middle East and Islamic Studies at the University of Durham, and the Union of Writers of Egypt.

His Highness is the recipient of numerous awards and medals including The Sheikh Zayed Book Award’s Cultural Personality of the Year 2010; the Gold Medal from the Union of Arab Universities; Jordan; the Gold Medal from Yerevan University, Armenia; the Human Rights Medal and the Avicenna Gold Medal from UNESCO; the Gold Medal from the Arab League Education Science and Culture Organization (ALESCO), Tunis; the Gold Medal from the Islamic Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), Morocco; the Gold Medal from the Research Centre for Islamic History Art and Culture, Institute of Research in Islamic History, Arts and Culture, Turkey; Distinguished Personality of the Year Award by the Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Award for 2008; the Princess Fatima Ismail Distinguished Award from Cairo University; the Distinction Trophy from the International Arab Theatre Organization; Founding Member of the University of Exeter’s College of Benefactors from Exeter University, UK; Member of the Companion of the Guild of Cambridge Benefactors from Cambridge University; Order of Merit from the Republic of Senegal; Distinguished Personality of the Year from Al Qareen 10th Cultural Festival, Kuwait; Honorary Member of the National Geographic Society, USA; Republic Order in Arts of the class of a Knight, Republic of France; the Distinction Award from the King Faisal International Islamic Award, Saudi Arabia; Honorary Fellowship from the Centre for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, University of Durham, UK; and the Academic Excellence Award from the Sheikh Rashid Al-Maktoum Award, UAE; among others.

His Highness has authored a number of important scholarly texts as well as plays, which have been translated in English, German, French, Spanish, Russian, Urdu, Persian among other languages. Some of these include Muscat and other Forts on the Shoreline of the Gulf of Oman; Sharjah Air Station between the East and West; The Genesis of the Scout Movement in Sharjah; Deep-Seated Malice; A Memorandum for Historians on the innocence of Ibn Majid; Power Struggles and Trade in the Gulf (1620-1820); The Gulf in Historic Maps (1478- 1861); The Rebel Prince; The Gulf in Historic Maps (1493-1931); The White Sheikh; The Journals of David Seton in the Gulf, 1800-1809; John Malcolm and the British Commercial Base in the Gulf 1800; British Occupation of Aden; Division of the Omani Empire (1856-1862); The Myth of Arab Piracy in the Gulf; Samson; Nimrod; Alexander the Great; The Reality, Identical Copy of the Original; The Case; and The Return of Holako; among many others.

Please visit his website.

Mr. Hussain Al Mahmoudi serves a dual role as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the American University of Sharjah Enterprises (AUSE) and SRTI Park. Both these entities were established through royal decree by the Ruler of Sharjah, who also directly appointed Mr. Hussain to these responsibilities in order to create collaborative long-term relationships between industry, academia and the public sector, fostering an ecosystem of enterprise and innovation.

Previously, Mr. Hussain served as the Director General of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a Member of the UAE Chamber Federation, and GCC Chambers for 8 years. He was responsible for the overall management and operations of the Chamber including the provision of services to its members. In this role, he launched several strategic economic initiatives for Sharjah such as the SME Act, Sharjah Export Centre, Sharjah Commercial Arbitration Centre, and the Sharjah Business Forum.

Mr. Hussain has held leadership roles at leading regional and international companies such as the Royal Dutch Shell Group, Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC), and several Dubai Holding entities. He currently serves as honorary board member of both, the Tatweer Forum and of Maastricht University in the Netherlands, and as chairman of the Emirates Business Council for Sustainable Development. He also serves as a board member of the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa). Mr. Hussain possesses an MBA from the American University of Sharjah and a BA in Economics and Communications from Seattle Pacific University in the US.

Chairman and CEO, Crescent Petroleum Company, Sharjah, UAE The Crescent Group includes Crescent Petroleum, the oldest private oil and gas company in the Middle East, and Crescent Enterprises, the non-energy division of the Group, which together operate a variety of regional and international commercial ventures, including container shipping, port logistics, real estate, power generation and private equity.

The Crescent Group includes Crescent Petroleum, the oldest private oil and gas company in the Middle East, and Crescent Enterprises, the non-energy division of the Group, which together operate a variety of regional and international commercial ventures, including container shipping, port logistics, real estate, power generation and private equity. Mr Jafar is also Chairman of the Board of Dana Gas (PJSC), the leading publicly listed Middle East natural gas company, in which Crescent Petroleum is the largest shareholder. The Crescent Group is now in its fifth decade playing a pioneering role in the energy and other core sectors in the UAE and across Middle East.

Mr. Charles Cotton is a Director of Cambridge Enterprise, the University of Cambridge arm responsible for spin-outs, licensing and consulting, where he is also a member of the Investment Committee.

Mr. Cotton’s professional career spans the automotive and high-technology industries. Today, his primary interests are global hi-tech businesses and the development of technology clusters. Mr. Cotton founded and chairs Cambridge Phenomenon Ltd., working to advance the Cambridge technology cluster. He is Chairman of Cambridge-based Neul Ltd., a leading provider of solutions for machine-to-machine communications. Mr. Cotton is also a Director of Solarflare Inc. and XMOS Ltd.

Chairman, RTS Investments Group, Dubai, UAE Mr. Riad Tawfik Al Sadek is a distinguished name in the Middle Eastern construction industry. A graduate of the American University of Beirut, Mr. Sadek, together with Mr. Khalaf Habtoor, founded Al Habtoor Engineering Enterprises in 1970.

Mr. Riad Tawfik Al Sadek is a distinguished name in the Middle Eastern construction industry. A graduate of the American University of Beirut, Mr. Sadek, together with Mr. Khalaf Habtoor, founded Al Habtoor Engineering Enterprises in 1970.

From a workforce of less than 100 and two projects worth AED 120,000, the company has grown to become one of the leading construction companies in the MENA region with a workforce in excess of 25,000 and work in hand worth over AED 18 billion.

Kevin Mitchell currently serves as Acting Chancellor. Professor Mitchell teaches in the areas of beginning design, architecture, interior design and history/theory. In addition to engaging in design activity, his research interests include the relationship between design and broader social, cultural and economic contexts, and the tensions that characterize attempts to reconcile place-specific approaches to architecture with the globalizing forces that affect the Gulf region.

Emirates Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA). SCA is the regulatory body of the financial markets in UAE. It supervises and regulates Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, the Dubai Financial Market , and Dubai Gold and Commodities Exchange.

• 2003 – 2015 – Chief Executive Officer of the Securities & Commodities Authority
• 2009 – 2015 – Chairman of Trustees of SCA training center in association with the British Securities and Investment Institute 'SII'
• 2007 – 2010 – First Secretary General of the “Union of Arab Securities Commissions”
• 2000 – 2011 – Board member of the Emirates Industrial Bank
• 1999 – 2003 – Assistant Undersecretary for International Economic Affairs atthe Ministry of Economy and commerce. Head of UAE delegation to the World Trade organization WTO – Geneva.
• 1995 – 1999 – Founder, first Director General of the 'Hamriyyah Industrial Free Zone'
• 1992 – 1995 – Director of Department of Investment at the General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council – Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
• 1982 – 1992 – Served in the national and international banking sector, as well as in investment companies. They include the following:
  • Islamic Investment company of the Gulf – Regional Manager (36 branches).
  • National bank of Abu Dhabi – Branch Manager
  • City Bank – Head of Department

Academic & Profession Qualifications:

• B.A in Business Administration and Political Science – UAE University, 1982.
• Executive courses in International Banking, Economics, Investment, Banking and Management – USA
• Honorary Fellow – Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment (CISI), London.
• Selected by MEED Magazine among the six Most Influential Leaders in the Middle East regulatory bodies.
• Represented the UAE as Head of Delegation at a number of international economic and financial market events.