New faces in Cabinet have proven track records

Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi The Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs, who was born in 1963, has held many positions including that of Secretary-General of Dubai Executive Council, Executive Chairman of Dubai Holding, Chairman of Dubai Development and Investment Authority and Managing Director at Dubai Media Corporate. He supervised the launch and implementation of many strategic projects in Dubai, the most important of which are Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City, the Knowledge Village, Dubai Land, Dubai Medical City, Dubai Press Club and Shaikh Mohammad Arab Management Award. He has been decorated with the Royal Moroccan Order and the American Business Award as well as other awards. He studied Business Management in Michigan, USA, and is married with three children.

Mohammad Hussain Al Sha'ali The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs was born in 1950 and holds a BA degree in Administration and Economy from the Arab University in Beirut. After completing his degree, he began work at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 1982 to 1985 he was Director of the Arabian Nation department of the ministry. From 1986 to 1987 he was the UAE's Ambassador at the Security Council. Between 1987 and 1992 he was the UAE's Ambassador to the United Nations and a non-resident Ambassador to Canada.

Mariam Mohammad Khalfan Al Roumi Appointed as Minister of Social Affairs, she was born in 1957 and holds a BA in English Literature from the UAE University. She has held many positions in the educational, academic and social fields, such being on the Board of Directors for Dubai Health Care City (DHCC). She was Undersecretary in the Ministry of Labour of Social Affairs from 1999 until her new appointment.

Dr Hanif Hassan The new Minister of Education holds a BA in Islamic studies from the UAE University and additionally has a master's degree in Islamic Sharia. In 1991 he earned a PhD from Umm Al Qura in Saudi Arabia and since September 2005 has been a member and Director-General of the Abu Dhabi Education Council. He has served as Vice-Chancellor of Zayed University and Chairman of the Committee for Degree Equivalency at the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in the UAE. In December 2005 he was appointed as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Al Maktoum Foundation. He is a member of the UAE Emiratisation Council and Director-General of the Abu Dhabi Education Council. He holds a Doctorate in Islamic Sharia and was a visiting scholar at the Harvard School of Law in Boston, Massachusetts in 1996. For two years, Dr Hanif Hassan served as Associate Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the UAE University. For four years, he was a member of the Executive Committee for Scholarships of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in the UAE. He has been active in professional associations, serving as Head of the Delegation participating in the 9th meeting of the OIC Standing Committee of Scientific and Technological Cooperation. He represented the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research on missions to the British Isles.

Dr Anwar Mohammad Gargash The Minister of State for National Council Affairs was Professor of Political Science at the UAE University until 1995. He is a member of Dubai Economic Council and a board member of Emirates Media Group. He has a BA in Political Science from George Washington DC University, a master's degree and a PhD from Cambridge University.

Humaid Mohammad Obaid Al Qutami The Minister of Health was born in 1959 and holds a Master's from Western Michigan University in the US. He has held many positions, among them Chairman of Sharjah Prize for Voluntary Work and Director-General of the Emirates Institute for Banking and Financial Studies. He has played an important role in the nationalisation strategy of the UAE. He is a founder of the Accountants and Auditors Association, the Consumer Protection Society and the Human Rights Society in the UAE.

Dr Mohammad Saeed Al Kindi Appointed as Minister of Environment and Water, he was born in 1955 and is married with six children. He has BA and Master's degrees in Political Science and a PhD in Public Administration from the University of California. Dr Al Kindi joined the Foreign Ministry in 1984. He was a member of the UAE's permanent delegation at the United Nations from 1986 to 1995. Between 1995 and 1997 he was charge d'affaires in the UAE Embassy in Indonesia. He is a member of the consultative committee of the GCC's Supreme Council and has worked as the director of the office of the Ruler of Fujairah.

Abdul Rahman Mohammad Al Owais The Minister of Culture, Youth and Social Development was born in Sharjah in 1967 and is married with three children. He graduated from the UAE University in 1989 in Accounting and IT. Since 2001 he has been a board member of Emirates Media Corporation and since 1992 he has been a board member of the Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Society. In 2004 he became a board member of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry. HHe is a board member of Emirates Property Bank and also works in the private sector and has cultural interests such as Arabic calligraphy and modern Arabic art.