His Excellency Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi was appointed UAE Minister of Sports in July 2024. He oversees the process of devising development strategies and plans for the country’s sports sector, aiming to boost its global competitiveness, nurture national talents and build a healthy society that adopts sports as a way of life. His Excellency Dr. Al Falasi is also the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the UAE Space Agency. He oversees the Agency’s mandate of guiding the space sector, ensuring its contribution to the national economy. Additionally, His Excellency is Chancellor of the Higher Colleges of Technology, the Deputy Chairman of the Emirates Development Bank, and the First Deputy President of the UAE National Olympic Committee. Prior to his current role, His Excellency Dr. Al Falasi was the UAE Minister of Education from 2022 to 2024, Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and SMEs in 2021, and Minister of State for Higher Education from 2016 to 2020. His Excellency has also been the Chairman of the General Authority of Sports, the Chairman of the Federal Authority for Human Resources, the CEO of Masdar Company, and the Executive Director of Strategy and Tourism Sector Development at Dubai Tourism. During his career, His Excellency Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi was a Consultant for the management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, an Assistant Professor at Khalifa University, in addition to a number of other executive and administrative positions in the public and private sectors. His Excellency Dr. Al Falasi holds a PhD from Monash University, a master’s degree from the University of Melbourne in Australia, and a bachelor’s degree in communication engineering from Khalifa University in the UAE.

Dr. Alayyan has over 20 years’ experience in planning, project management and capacity development, managing several government programs, projects and initiatives. Prior to joining HCT, he served as the Vice President of Rabdan Academy, contributing to the establishment of the Academy in 2010 as an independent educational institution under the Abu Dhabi Executive Council. Rabdan Academy was established as a national center for the qualification and development of Emiratis in the sectors of defense, security, safety & emergencies, crises and disaster management. Dr. Alayyan has also served in several key posts in major governmental entities, including the Critical Infrastructure & Coastal Protection Authority, the Tawazun Economic Council and Khalifa University. The new HCT President and CEO holds a PhD in Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering from Curtin University in Australia, a Master of Science in Electrical, Electronics and Communication Engineering from the University of Melbourne, Australia and a Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical, Electronic and Communications Engineering Technology from Khalifa University.

Mr. Jasim Alhammadi has been appointed as HCT’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), effective from August 1, 2022. He has over 21 years’ progressive experience in the Finance and Accounting fields, including over 9 years’ international experience in the government and private sectors. Prior to his current role, Mr. Jasim was the COO of the Center of Excellence for Research & Training (CERT), HCT’s commercial arm, where he played a vital role in enabling CERT to achieve its strategic objectives by developing and implementing operational strategies, policies and procedures. Mr. Jasim has previously served as an Executive Director of Support Services at the General Pension & Social Security Authority, where he provided high-quality support services to all stakeholders. He has also held the position of the Director of Support Services at the Emirates College for Advanced Education (ECAE), where he contributed towards building an excellent academic environment. He started his career at Etisalat, progressing to the position of Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Jasim holds an MBA from Abu Dhabi School of Management, UAE.

Dr. Verburgh holds a PhD from the Nijmegen Institute for Cognition and Information (NICI) at Radboud University, Netherlands, an MSc in Applied Psychology from the University of Wales, and an M.Phil. from Radboud University. Dr. Verburgh has broad management experience as a board member of the Association of Universities of Applied Science in the Netherlands and other academic, vocational, and industry entities.

Ms. Sumaya holds a Master’s Degree in Information Technology, specialized in Cyber Security from Zayed University. Other education achievements include postgraduate Diploma in Organizational Leadership attained from Saïd Business School and Bachelor in Information Systems obtained from Zayed University. Ms. Sumaya is a strategist leader with more than sixteen years of experience. She worked as Executive Director (Dean) at Abu Dhabi School of Government where she played pivotal role in implementing holistic L&D framework across Abu Dhabi Government. Contributed to the execution of Abu Dhabi Government foundational strategies and advocated for the organizational change agenda focusing on strategy, systems, culture and people in order to become a customer centric and result oriented organization.