Al Jalila Foundation sets up three panels for governance

Dubai. Three new committees have been formed to govern the Al Jalila Foundation, a non-profitable entity aimed at improving health-care services in the UAE.

The committees — Scientific Advisory, Fund Management and Audit, Risk and Compliance, comprise scientific experts and respected community leaders.

The announcement on Tuesday also said that the new governance structure is built around ethics, transparency and expertise.

The Foundation focuses on providing medical scholarships, funding medical research as well as treatment. This year, it aims to raise Dh100 million through public and private donations.

The new committees will work towards the Foundation’s goals.

The Scientific Advisory Committee is chaired by internationally respected Professor Sehamuddin Galadari, who brings extensive experience from UAE University, Emirates Foundation, Dubai Harvard Foundation for Medical Research, the Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences and numerous other positions in the UAE, UK, US and South Korea.

The Fund Management Committee, which will look into funding, is chaired by Raja Eisa Al Gurg, member of the board of trustees and chairperson of the Board of Directors of Al Jalila Foundation.

The Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee - with global firm Deloitte as the Foundation’s external auditors – will be led by Amjid Javaid, governance and compliance expert.

In a media statement, Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Al Jalila Foundation, said, “The UAE epitomises the principles of integrity, prudence and collective input, therefore our Foundation strives to emulate these principles of responsible governance. We will utilise the experience of acclaimed experts whose areas of expertise range from the scientific, academic, financial, administrative, philanthropic and other fields.”

Reiterating the Foundation’s commitment to transparency, Al Gurg said: “Our status as a not-for-profit organisation makes us deeply accountable to our donors, prospective beneficiaries and the various stakeholders with whom we collaborate.”

Dr Abdul Kareem Sultan Al Olama, CEO of Al Jalila Foundation, added that the committees will not merely play a monitoring role but also an advisory role: “As any scientific researcher will testify, it is absolutely crucial to have an unbiased and balanced perspective. The experts’ guidance will give us the reassurance to excel in our operations, knowing that we are anchored in sound governance and principles,” he said,

Donors and participants can get more information by contacting Al Jalila Foundation on info@aljalilafoundation.ae or 800-ALJALILA.