25 Leadership and Capability Leaders in the UAE

Last updated: 20 August 2026 — The UAE's largest employers are increasingly formalising leadership, talent and capability functions as markets, technology and workforce expectations shift. A directory of 25 senior executives highlights roles across banking, aviation, energy, technology, logistics, real estate, education, hospitality, retail, government and professional services. The list includes Homaid Al Shimmari at Mubadala, Dr Nadia Bastaki at Etihad Airways, Yousuf Bin Lahej Al Falasi and Amira Al Falasi at Emirates Group, and Eman Abdulrazzaq at Emirates NBD, among others, signalling how major firms are aligning human capital with organisational strategy and national priorities.

"Mubadala identifies Homaid Al Shimmari as responsible for career growth, talent acquisition, learning and development, performance and Emiratisation," the directory notes, underlining how integrated people agendas are becoming across large UAE employers.

The profiles collected show a deliberate broadening of traditional HR portfolios into roles that pair people strategy with business and national objectives. At Mubadala, Homaid Al Shimmari serves as Deputy Group CEO and Chief Corporate & Human Capital Officer, a title that explicitly links investment scale with workforce capability. In aviation, Dr Nadia Bastaki is listed as Chief People & Corporate Affairs Officer at Etihad Airways, a role that joins people leadership with government and corporate affairs. Emirates Group features multiple senior leaders: Yousuf Bin Lahej Al Falasi is Vice President, Emiratisation and Government Partnerships, while Amira Al Falasi is Senior Vice President, HR Emirates Group Training & Development—positions that reflect both national talent priorities and the operational importance of training in customer-facing businesses.

Banking is well represented: Eman Abdulrazzaq is Group Chief Human Resources Officer at Emirates NBD, with the bank's Ruwad programme described as a two-year leadership development journey. Farida Mohammad Rafi is Chief Human Resources Officer at Emirates Islamic, where employee experience is tied to culture and leadership. Bushra Al Shehhi at Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank is Group Chief Human Resources Officer and Chairman of Kawader, connecting Emiratisation initiatives to executive development pipelines.

Several organisations are reframing people functions with expanded language. Mashreq's Hamda Al Shamali is Chief People and Intellectual Capital Officer; e&'s Ali Al Mansoori is Group Chief People & Culture Officer; and du's Fatima Al Afeefi is named Chief People & Impact Officer (Acting). Global and regional platforms also appear: DP World's Smaël Auam is Group Chief People Officer, while Marwan Al Jassmi serves as Executive Vice President, People & Sustainability for DP World GCC—merging human capital with sustainability priorities.

• Bayan Al Hosani — Group Chief People and Communications Officer, Aldar
• Shorouk Al Redha — Chief People Officer, Aldar Education (joined April 2024)
• Shaloo Kakkar Kulkarni — Chief People Officer, Masdar

These appointments and titles illustrate how leadership development in the UAE is treated as multi-dimensional: covering succession, learning, organisational design, Emiratisation and the everyday habits that shape decision-making. Several roles explicitly combine communications, sustainability or intellectual capital with people leadership, suggesting employers are aiming to embed culture and capability into business transformation rather than running them as standalone HR services.

Outlook: as senior roles continue to evolve, the directory advises checking employer announcements before time-sensitive introductions, a reminder that people agendas remain dynamic. With national talent programmes, sector-specific training and cross-functional titles on the rise, expect further integration of leadership, capability and organisational strategy across UAE corporates through 2026 and beyond.