20 Learning and Development Leaders across the UAE
20 Learning and Development Leaders across the UAE
Learning and development in public services is never only about a course calendar. It is about the skills, systems and leadership habits that help people serve communities well.
Across the UAE, leaders are connecting talent, future skills, digital change, leadership programmes and human capital strategy. The strongest examples make development part of the work itself.
Here are 20 learning and development leaders whose public work offers useful ideas for anyone building capability in a government, health, education, transport or public-service organisation.
Undersecretary, Department of Government Enablement, Abu Dhabi
Ibrahim Nassir is the Undersecretary at Abu Dhabi’s Department of Government Enablement. His remit includes human capital development and learning initiatives for government employees and leaders.
His role shows how learning can sit close to the operating system of government, where capability building is connected to the needs of leaders and the workforce.
Director General, Government Talent, Department of Government Enablement, Abu Dhabi
Mariam Mohamed AlMusharrekh is Director General, Government Talent, at the Department of Government Enablement. Her work spans integrated talent strategies, future-ready leadership, workforce strategy, Emiratisation and organisational development.
For learning teams, that is a useful reminder that development works best when it is joined up with talent planning, leadership and the shape of the organisation.
Director General, Department of Government Enablement, Abu Dhabi
Dr Yasir Al Naqbi is a Director General at the Department of Government Enablement. His profile connects his work with leadership development, the UAE Government Leaders initiative and the UAE Capabilities initiative.
That combination puts leadership learning in its proper context: as a way to build the judgement, skills and confidence that public institutions need for the future.
Chairman, Department of Government Enablement, Abu Dhabi
Ahmed Tamim Hisham Al Kuttab is Chairman of the Department of Government Enablement. The department’s mandate includes human capital development and learning initiatives for government employees and leaders.
His place on this list reflects an important leadership lesson: learning becomes more powerful when it is treated as part of the institution’s core mission, not as a side programme.
Director General, Department of Government Enablement, Abu Dhabi
Ruba Youssef Al Hassan is a Director General at the Department of Government Enablement. Her profile highlights strategic alignment, innovation and forward-looking policy work across government transformation.
Those are the conditions in which learning can move beyond course attendance and become part of how teams adapt, make decisions and improve public services.
Director General, Department of Government Enablement, Abu Dhabi
Wesam Lootah is a Director General at the Department of Government Enablement, working on digital transformation across Abu Dhabi Government. His previous work includes Dubai Municipality and Dubai Smart Government.
Digital change is also a learning challenge. People need the skills, habits and confidence to use new systems well, which makes transformation and development inseparable.
Director General, Department of Government Enablement, Abu Dhabi
Dr Mohamed Abdelhameed Al Askar is a Director General at the Department of Government Enablement. He oversees work connected with TAMM and Abu Dhabi’s digital agenda.
His portfolio shows how public-service learning often happens through better platforms and services, because every system change asks people to learn a clearer way of working.
Director General, Department of Government Enablement, Abu Dhabi
Saeed Abdulwahid Al Mulla is a Director General at the Department of Government Enablement. His work includes redesigning government interactions across more than 300 services.
That is a helpful view of capability building: it is not confined to classrooms. It also means making the work itself simpler, clearer and easier to do well.
Director General, Dubai Government Human Resources Department
Abdullah Ali Bin Zayed Al Falasi is Director General of Dubai Government Human Resources Department. A 2025 partnership with Digital Dubai included capacity building and human resources development.
The partnership points to a practical truth for L&D leaders: strong development work is often built with the wider system, not delivered by one team in isolation.
CEO, Future Resources Sector, Dubai Government Human Resources Department
Muna Buhumaid is CEO of the Future Resources Sector at Dubai Government Human Resources Department. She was named in a programme that trained 100 HR professionals in talent intelligence.
Her work is a good example of capability building at scale: helping the people function itself become more confident, informed and ready for the next set of workforce questions.
Director General, Ajman Human Resources Department
Rashed Abdulrahman Sultan Bin Jebran Al Suwaidi is Director General of Ajman Human Resources Department. The Jahezah platform equips Ajman government employees with future skills and supports the direction of Ajman 2030.
The example shows how a learning platform can connect future skills to a real public-sector workforce, rather than leaving development as an abstract promise.
Director, Sharjah Training and Development Centre, Government of Sharjah
Amal Abdullah Al Ali is Director of the Sharjah Training and Development Centre. In 2026, the centre’s strategic business leadership programme supported investment in human capital and future leaders.
Her work highlights the value of programmes that help public-sector leaders practise the skills they will need, not simply understand them in theory.
Executive Director, Human Resources and Development, Roads and Transport Authority, Dubai
Athari Mohamed is Executive Director, Human Resources and Development, at Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority. RTA’s 2026 human capital work included an integrated talent management model, learning and development, and quality of working life.
That is what mature L&D looks like in practice: connected to talent, employee experience and the measures that show whether the organisation is getting better.
Executive Director, Customs Inspection Division, Dubai Customs
Mohammed Al Ghaffari is Executive Director of the Customs Inspection Division at Dubai Customs. In 2026, he spoke about trade continuity and about helping students connect learning, skills and future career choices.
His example widens the L&D lens. Public capability includes helping people understand the work, the skills behind it and the opportunities those skills can create.
Director, Human Resources, Dubai Municipality
Azza Al Marzooqi is Director of Human Resources at Dubai Municipality. At Ru’ya 2025, she spoke about youth, future talent, scholarship and training initiatives.
Her work shows the link between development today and the talent pipeline an organisation hopes to build tomorrow.
CEO, Dubai Health, and President, MBRU, Dubai Health
Dr Amer Ahmad Sharif is CEO of Dubai Health and President of Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences. Dubai Health launched a leadership academy with a 14-month systems leadership programme for 200 participants.
His work brings together health, education and leadership. It is a strong reminder that useful development programmes are designed around the real work leaders must do.
Director, Human Resources Division, Abu Dhabi Customs
Dr Ebrahim AlKhajeh is Director of the Human Resources Division at Abu Dhabi Customs. The organisation’s 2025 awards included recognition for HR technology and learning and development excellence, alongside AI training.
That combination captures where L&D is heading: practical development, supported by better technology and focused on the skills the organisation will need next.
Acting Director General, Corporate Enablement and Community Services, Department of Health, Abu Dhabi
Khalaf Helal Al Mazrouei is Acting Director General of Corporate Enablement and Community Services at Abu Dhabi’s Department of Health. His profile includes more than 15 years in the public sector and leadership across planning, policy, operations and support services, including HR.
His role shows why learning leaders benefit from understanding the wider operating system: capability grows through the policies, processes and support that make good work possible.
Director General, Abu Dhabi Human Resources Authority
Amal Nasser Al Jabri is Director General of Abu Dhabi Human Resources Authority. Her work has been linked with Mawaheb, a talent hub focused on upskilling and reskilling.
The emphasis on reskilling is a useful signal for every L&D team: the future of work is not just about finding new talent, but helping current people grow into what comes next.
Director General, Fujairah Government Excellence Program
Dr Sulaiman Al-Kaabi is Director General of the Fujairah Government Excellence Program. The programme supports the Fujairah Plan 2026 and the development of a stronger government model.
His work reinforces the link between excellence and learning: organisations improve when people have clear standards, useful feedback and the support to meet them.
What these leaders have in common
The most useful pattern is that learning is connected to a bigger purpose. It supports better services, stronger leaders, future skills, digital transformation and a workforce that can keep adapting.
It is also practical. These leaders are working through platforms, talent systems, leadership programmes, academies, reskilling initiatives and the everyday processes that shape how people perform.
For an L&D team, the question is simple: what capability does your organisation need next, and where in the work can people practise it?
A simple way to use this list
Choose one example that resembles your organisation. Notice what the leader is trying to change, who needs to learn, and what part of the system must support that learning.
Then turn the insight into one small experiment. It might be a leadership practice, a future-skills sprint, a better manager conversation or a clearer link between development and service outcomes.
Frequently asked questions
What does a learning and development leader do in public services?
They help people and organisations build the skills, leadership habits and systems needed to deliver better public outcomes. The work can include talent strategy, leadership development, workforce planning, digital adoption and reskilling.
Why does public-sector learning matter?
Public services operate in changing conditions and affect many people. Strong development helps employees make better decisions, use new systems well and keep improving the service experience.
How can I start improving learning in my organisation?
Start with one important capability and one real piece of work. Give people a chance to practise the skill in context, then use feedback to improve the next version.
Conclusion
The UAE examples in this list show that learning and development is most powerful when it is close to the organisation’s real challenges. It helps leaders prepare for change, gives teams the tools to do better work and turns strategy into everyday behaviour.
Related reading
Read how to build a learning culture and what great leaders do differently.
About the Author
Jonno White is a Brisbane-based leadership consultant, keynote speaker and Certified Working Genius Facilitator, and the author of Step Up or Step Out. He works with schools, corporates and nonprofits around the world.
If you would like help turning leadership and learning ideas into practical action, email jonno@consultclarity.org.