Reglab Committee

Her Excellency Maryam Al Hammadi, Minister of State and Secretary General of the UAE Cabinet, is responsible for the mandate of supporting the work of the UAE Cabinet and the Ministerial Development Council by preparing the agendas, organizing the meetings, and follow up on the implementation of the decisions issued with ministries and federal entities. H.E. chairs the “Federal Legislations Committee” and the “Regulation Lab Committee” in the UAE government. H.E. oversees the development and update of the federal legislations and government policies and follow up on their implementation in collaboration with the federal and local government entities. H.E. orchestrated the biggest legislative transformation agenda that resulted in updating 80% of UAE federal legislations over the past few years.

Within her previous responsibilities at the Prime Minister’s Office in the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs, H.E. Maryam Al Hammadi developed and supervised the implementation of the National Agenda of UAE Vision 2021, and developed the Federal Government Performance Management System “Adaa” to monitor the implementation of federal entities' strategies, government services and initiatives. H.E. served as the General Coordinator of the Sheikh Khalifa Government Excellence Program (SKGEP), whereby she managed all the award categories under the umbrella of Mohammed bin Rashid Government Excellence Award. She is currently the Secretary General of the Arab Government Excellence Program that is executed in partnership with the League of Arab States.

For over 35 years, H.E Maryam Al Hammadi has held numerous positions in both the public and private sectors in areas pertaining to government development, strategic planning, performance management, government excellence, services and operations management and restructuring. H.E. Al Hammadi holds a Master’s degree in Total Quality Management (TQM), and a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering.

Khalfan Belhoul is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Dubai Future Foundation
(DFF). Belhoul brings more than a decade of experience as a driving force in transforming businesses and organizations that contribute to Dubai's strategy of economic diversification.

As CEO, Belhoul leads the DFF strategy across its five strategic business units that
include imagining and understanding the future, disseminating future knowledge,
building future capacity, designing, accelerating the future, and seeing and experiencing the future. Under his supervision, Dubai Future Foundation continuously works towards achieving its vision and goals of placing Dubai as a leading city of the future, and a hub for innovation and technology.

In his current role, Belhoul’ s focus is to ensure Dubai Future Foundation acts as a catalyst in prompting change and promoting innovation. This is implemented by bringing together individuals, organizations, and government entities to turn their visions into realities, and achieve sustainable and effective business operations. Under Belhoul’s supervision, DFF is home to several initiatives that also provide the environment and resources needed to promote disruptive, positive change through prototyping, accelerating and knowledge sharing.
 

Prior to his role at DFF, Belhoul served as the Vice President of Strategy at Dubai Holding, where he was responsible for formulating Dubai Holding’s strategic direction and enhancing its investments and its role in the diversification of Dubai’s non-oil economy. Earlier in his career, Belhoul played a key role in setting up the Belhoul Investment Office, responsible for launching a sophisticated asset allocation strategy spanning private equity, alternative investments, real estate and conventional assets.

Belhoul holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Management Information Systems, and a Master’s degree in E-Commerce, both from Boston University in the United States of America (U.S.A). He was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Middlesex University Dubai, in recognition of his distinguished efforts in foresight and future design.

Khalfan Belhoul currently holds various memberships across several entities in the UAE; these include:

• Vice Chairman of Dubai Sports Council
• Chairman of Young Arab Leaders
• Member of Dubai Media Council
• Board Member of Emirates Development Bank (EDB)
• Board Member of Dubai International Financial Centre Authority (DIFC)
• Board Member at Board of Governors of the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University
• Board Member at Rashid and Latifa Schools Establishments
• Member of Chapter Zero UAE Advisory Board
• Member of the UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators Advisory Council
• Member of the Higher Committee of Future Technology and Digital Economy
• Member of the Global Future Council on Autonomous Systems - WEF

Ahmed Saeed bin Meshar is a distinguished UAE legal expert and seasoned legislator, serving as the Secretary General of the Supreme Legislation Committee in the Emirate of Dubai (SLC) since its inception in 2014. Additionally, Bin Meshar holds the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Dubai International Marine Sports Club.

Over the course of his illustrious career, spanning more than two decades, Bin Meshar has excelled in various pivotal roles, amassing a wealth of expertise in the legal and legislative arenas. Bin Meshar’s journey commenced as a Senior Legal Researcher at the Government of Dubai Legal Advisor's Office at H.H. the Dubai Ruler’s Court in 2006. He subsequently advanced to the position of Director of the Legislation Directorate at the Government of Dubai Legal Affairs Department (LAD), where he participated in drafting and reviewing hundreds of local legislative instruments issued by the Government of Dubai. He was also assigned as the acting Director of the Government Contracts and Agreements Directorate within LAD and was instrumental in developing procedures for drafting and reviewing government contracts. Bin Meshar later served as the Legal Advisor to the Office of His Highness the Crown Prince of Dubai in 2009. In 2014, Bin Meshar was appointed as the Director of Legal Affairs at the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA)., a position he held until his appointment as the SLC Secretary General pursuant to a Resolution of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of the Executive Council of the Emirate of Dubai.

Bin Meshar continues to make distinguished contributions to the development of the legislation-making process in the Emirate, providing legal opinions that support decision-makers. He also participates in reviewing federal legislation referred to the Dubai Government for input and is an active member of the federal committees formed to review federal legislation in his current tenure as the SLC Secretary General.

Throughout his distinguished career, Bin Meshar has managed to earn the trust of the UAE wise leadership, thanks to his loyalty and unwavering dedication to serving the interests of his homeland. He is also respected by his peers and colleagues for his integrity, work ethic, pleasant demeanor and exceptional leadership skills. 

Bin Meshar earned his Bachelor of Laws and Police Sciences degree from the Dubai Police Academy in 2002. He later pursued a Master's degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Kent, UK, graduating in 2006. Currently, he is diligently working towards achieving his Doctorate degree in Private Law from the Dubai Police Academy. This underscores his unwavering commitment to enriching his academic and professional expertise in the legal domain, mastering new skills, and remaining abreast of the finest global practices. Bin Meshar’s endeavors are fueled by a profound passion for legislation and a steadfast dedication to advancing legislative work in the Emirate of Dubai and the United Arab Emirates.

His Excellency Shahab Issa Abu Shahab is the Director General of Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), the entity mandated to steer Abu Dhabi’s research and development priorities. In this role, he manages the Council’s strategic direction and contributes to the development of an integrated R&D framework that contributes to Abu Dhabi’s transition toward a knowledge-based economy. He also leads collaboration efforts with prominent international entities.

He contributes to advancing STEM-focused programs that foster local capabilities and increase youth participation in the R&D ecosystem which is a strategic pillar for ATRC.

Prior to joining ATRC, he was the Chief Strategy Officer at the Tawazun Economic Council. Earlier in his career, he worked at Mubadala Development Company (now Mubadala Investment Company), where he was involved in various sectors, including aerospace, healthcare, and technology. At Mubadala Aerospace, he contributed to the development of its aerospace program and the formation of Strata Manufacturing, among other projects.

His Excellency Khalid Al Harmoodi has been appointed Assistant General Secretary for Cabinet Affairs Support in the General Secretariat of the Cabinet, UAE, since July 2022. 

His duties include assisting the UAE Cabinet Secretary General in preparing and organizing the Cabinet meetings, providing all the administrative and logistics support needed, participating in preparing federal resolutions and decisions issued to ministries and federal entities, and developing the Cabinet’s systems, programs, and guides. 

He also heads the Public Policy team, overseeing the formulation and advancement of national policy projects in collaboration with federal entities.

Al Harmoodi holds an MBA from the University of Wollongong in Dubai and a Bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications Engineering from Khalifa University. In addition, he is a graduate of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Center for Leadership Development. Khalid has a vast experience for over 30 years, where he participated in various leading projects related to Government Strategy & Performance, Corporate Excellence, Human Resources Management and Customers Relations. He has advanced skills at the corporate and government level, having led many government projects and participated in varied government initiatives, among which are: the World Government Summit, the UAE Annual Government Meetings, the development of the UAE Performance Management System (Adaa)- now known as the Proactive Government Performance System- and the UAE National Agenda indicators.

Dr. Al Zarooni has over 27 years of expertise in quality infrastructure, standards development, technical regulation, testing, and conformity assessments. She has chaired numerous national and regional technical committees and is widely recognized for her leadership in shaping regulatory frameworks.

Throughout her career, Dr. Al Zarooni has been instrumental in advancing the UAE’s quality infrastructure to facilitate trade. Her work has focused on aligning national industry practices with international standards, promoting competitiveness, and enabling sustainable economic growth.

Her broad experience spans the development of standards and technical regulations, testing, conformity assessment, and accreditation. Her efforts have contributed significantly to enhancing consumer health and safety, environmental protection, quality of life, and business innovation.

Dr. Abdulrahman Almuaini is a leading figure in the UAE’s intellectual property landscape. He holds a PhD in Copyright Law Enforcement from the University of Aberdeen and serves as Assistant Undersecretary for the Intellectual Property Sector at the Ministry of Economy. 

He is a certified IP expert by the Ministry of Justice and Dubai Courts and serves as a faculty member at Dubai Police Academy, the Institute of Judicial Studies, and the Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government.

Dr. Almuaini leads the UAE’s IP negotiations in free trade agreements and represents the country in regional and international forums. He has played a key role in drafting national IP legislation and has published extensively on IP crime. His academic and policy contributions have established him as a national reference in the field.