Hamdan bin Mohammed appoints two CEOs at Dubai Environment and Climate Change Authority

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, in his capacity as Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, has appointed two senior executives to lead newly designated sectors within the Dubai Environment and Climate Change Authority (DECCA). Executive Council Resolution No. (55) of 2026 transfers Adel Abdullah Mohammed Al Karani from Dubai Municipality to serve as Chief Executive Officer of the Biodiversity Sector, while Resolution No. (56) of 2026 seconds Abdullah Yousuf Abdullah Al Marzouqi from Dubai Police to the role of Chief Executive Officer of the Corporate Support Sector. The resolutions were issued on 10 September 2026 and take effect from their date of issuance.

"Executive Council Resolution No. (55) of 2026" and "Resolution No. (56) of 2026" formalize the appointments and stipulate that the decisions will be published in the Official Gazette.

Context and details of the appointments

The appointments reflect an administrative reshuffle that moves senior talent from established Dubai institutions into focused roles within the environmental authority. Adel Abdullah Mohammed Al Karani’s transfer from Dubai Municipality places a municipal governance figure at the helm of the Biodiversity Sector, a unit tasked with conservation, species protection and the integration of biodiversity considerations across urban planning and development.

• Name: Adel Abdullah Mohammed Al Karani — appointed CEO, Biodiversity Sector (DECCA)
• Name: Abdullah Yousuf Abdullah Al Marzouqi — seconded from Dubai Police and appointed CEO, Corporate Support Sector (DECCA)
• Authority: Appointments enacted by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in his capacity as Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai
• Legal instruments: Executive Council Resolution No. (55) of 2026 and Resolution No. (56) of 2026
• Effective: Resolutions are effective from date of issuance; to be published in the Official Gazette

Abdullah Yousuf Abdullah Al Marzouqi’s secondment from Dubai Police to lead Corporate Support indicates a focus on strengthening institutional capacity, governance, and internal services at the Dubai Environment and Climate Change Authority. The Corporate Support Sector typically oversees administrative functions including finance, human resources, legal affairs and information technology — areas that are central to implementing strategic environmental programmes.

Outlook

With these executive moves now formalized, DECCA gains leaders with operational experience drawn from two of Dubai’s major public bodies. The transfer of Adel Al Karani from Dubai Municipality to head Biodiversity signals an intent to link urban development and biodiversity management more closely, while the appointment of Abdullah Al Marzouqi to Corporate Support aims to bolster the authority’s internal systems as it implements environmental and climate initiatives.

Both resolutions being published in the Official Gazette will make the appointments official and transparent under UAE administrative law. The coming months will show how the new CEOs translate municipal and security-sector experience into sector-specific results for biodiversity conservation and organisational readiness at the Dubai Environment and Climate Change Authority.