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About Us

Wealth is not the wealth of money-rather, it is the wealth of men, as they are the true force in which we take pride, the trees in whose shade we rest. The firm conviction in this truth is what has enables us to direct all efforts towards building the human being and harnessing the resources God has blessed us with to serve the sons of this homeland, so that they can rise to the responsibilities laid upon their shoulders, and so that they can assist us our brethren.”
H.H. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
Founder of the United Arab Emirates
About Us

Innovation and creativity combined with a spirit of giving to help build peaceful prosperity.

Sandooq Al Watan is a private sector, not-for-profit, philanthropic organization with a significant endowment approaching AED one billion.

We use this endowment to invest in programs and initiatives aimed at addressing three big challenges currently faced by the people of the United Arab Emirates.

We provide funding and support for initiatives that contribute to the economic and social development of the United Arab Emirates and that increase the participation of Emiratis, particularly young Emiratis in the private, social and creative sectors of the economy.

We support creative people, innovative organizations, and impactful enterprises to help prepare Emiratis for increased economic and social participation in the emerging knowledge economy as the United Arab Emirates pivots away from hydrocarbon dependence.

We are focused on empowering Emiratis to help solve wicked problems and confront big challenges that currently lack impactful solutions.

We choose to invest in initiatives that are expected to have the biggest impact. 

Members

OUR BOARD

H.E. Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan

Chairman

H.E. Dr. Khalil Mohammed Sharif Foulathi

Board Member

H.E. Dr. Amina Abdulwahid Al Rostamani

Board Member

H.E. Ahmad Than Almatrooshi

Board Member

H.E. Dr. Ali Saeed Bin Harmal Al Dhaheri

Board Member

H.E. Dr. Hawaa Saeed Al Dahhak Al Mansouri

Board Member

H.E. Saeed Sultan bin Rashed Al Dhaheri

Board Member

H.E. Talal Shafiq Abdullah
Al Theyabi

Board Member

H.E. Mohamed Taj Al-Deen
Al Qadhi

Board Member

Contact Info

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Grant Request

H.E. Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan

Chairman of the Board of Directors at Sandooq Al Watan

His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan
Cabinet Member and Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence

His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan is the Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence in the new Cabinet announced in October 2017.

His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak joined the Federal Government in 1990 and held a number of government portfolios including Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and held the position of Minister of Education, and Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development.

His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak was also Chancellor of United Arab Emirates University from 1983 to 2013; Chancellor of Higher Colleges of Technology from 1988 to 2013; and President of Zayed University from 1998 to 2013 .

H.E. Dr. Khalil Mohammed Sharif Foulathi

Member of the Board of Directors at Sandooq Al Watan

H.E. Dr. Khalil Mohammed Sharif Foulathi
Member of the Board of Directors at Sandooq Al Watan

His Excellency Foulathi is an Advisor to His Highness, the Managing Director, a Member of the Board of ADIA and Senior Deputy Chairman of the Investment Committee.

H.E. Foulathi joined ADIA in 1985 and has held various positions in ADIA including Directorship of the London Office , Executive Director of Evaluation and Follow-Up Division, Executive Director of Real Estate Department, and Executive Director of Fixed Income and Treasury Department.

Prior to ADIA, H.E. Foulathi served as Director General in the Private Office of the late H.H. Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates.

H.E. Foulathi has held various positions outside ADIA, which included his services as the Chairman of the Board of the Central Bank of the UAE (2008-2012), and Vice Chairman of Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce.

H.E. Dr. Amina Abdulwahid Al Rostamani

Member of the Board of Directors at Sandooq Al Watan

Dr. Amina Al Rustamani, Executive Board Member, Shareholder and Director at AW Rostamani Group, she is the Chief Operating Officer of the Group, overseeing Group HR, Group IT and Group Strategy Functions. She also oversees the Group Properties division, being the Chief Executive Officer of AWR Properties. In addition, Dr. Amina is a Non-Executive Board member at HSBC Bank Middle East Limited, Non-Executive Board Member at Al Jalila Foundation and Non-Executive Board member at Sandooq Al Watan.

In her previous career life, Dr. Amina worked as Group CEO of TECOM Group, a member of Dubai Holding and strategic business enabler that contributes to the realization of Dubai’s economic aspirations through the creation of 11 business communities across 7 vibrant industry sector-focused business communities dedicated to information technology, design, media, education, sciences, wholesale and manufacturing, she had also championed the development of Dubai Design District (d3), a pioneering, purpose built creative destination for the Middle East’s growing design industry   She previously held the position of Chairperson of the Dubai Design and Fashion Council. She was also a Non-Executive Board members at the National Media Council, Dubai Media Incorporated, Dubai Healthcare City Authority (DHCA), Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (Empower), Noor Bank and  Committee Member at the National Election Committee – Federal National Council UAE.

Dr. Amina holds degrees at both the Bachelor and Master levels, as wellas a Doctorate in Engineering from George Washington University, WashingtonD.C. She is an acknowledged authority on wireless technologies, and hercontributions have been published in several leading publications and journals.

H.E. Hadi Mohammad Taher Badri

Member of the Board of Directors at Sandooq Al Watan

Hadi Badri is CEO International at Emaar Properties and Chairman of the Board of NAMSHI

Hadi serves as a Board Director of Emaar India, ROVE Hotels and Sandooq Al Watan

Hadi joined Emaar Properties in 2015. During his tenure, Hadi has served as Chief Strategy Officer, Acting Head of HR and Acting Chief Digital Officer

Prior to Emaar, Hadi was a management consultant at Bain & Company and a private equity professional at Dubai International Capital (DIC) and The Carlyle Group in Washington DC, USA

Hadi started his career at The Executive Office of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum

Hadi served as a Global Shaper at the World Economic Forum and holds a BA, Magna Cum Laude Honors in Economics from Tufts University in Massachusetts, USA

H.E. Dr. Ali Saeed Bin Harmal Al Dhaheri

Member of the Board of Directors at Sandooq Al Watan

H.E. Dr. Ali Saeed Bin Harmal Al Dhaheri
Member of the Board of Directors at Sandooq Al Watan 

An Emirati businessman, born in 1974, Dr. Aldhaheri has over two decades of experience in business and a proven track record of success. Upon completing his MBA with distinction from the American University in Washington DC, Al Dhaheri put his knowledge to work in founding, launching, and managing several successful business entities across a number of different sectors: IT, finance, education, tourism, and real estate. Recently, in keeping with his philosophy of continual learning, Dr. Ali completed his PhD studies with Durham University. His thesis, entitled “The Relationship between the Levels of Cultural Intelligence and the Ability to Adapt Leadership Style Amongst the Leaders in Abu Dhabi Educational Sector”, led to valuable research findings that are applicable to the region and the first of its kind.

Not only a start-up visionary, Aldhaheri also has the skills to step in and lead change to achieve sustainable growth in large organizations. He has been involved at a high level with government tourism and development strategy, MICE and education management, to name a few.

Dr. Aldhaheri currently holds a number of key positions, such as Chairman & Founder of Abu Dhabi University, CEO of Abu Dhabi University Holding Company, Chairman of Al Khawarizmi Holding Company, Chairman of Liwa Education, Chairman of the board of directors for National Takaful – Watania, and Chairman of Magna Investments. Previously he served as Managing Director of Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Company, as well as, a member of the board for London ExCel, a member of the board for the UAE Red Crescent, and a member of the Executive Committee for Emirates Foundation,. He also holds various committee positions for private and government entities alike.

H.E. Dr. Hawaa Saeed Al Dahhak Al Mansouri

Member of the Board of Directors at Sandooq Al Watan

H.E. Dr. Hawaa Saeed Al Dahhak Al Mansouri
Member of the Board of Directors at Sandooq Al Watan 

Dr Hawaa Al Mansouri is one of the first of a new generation of Emiratis to specialise in a career in medicine. She was awarded the prestigious Presidential Scholarship to study in the U.S in 1999 and became the first non-American woman to graduate from George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences. She has extensive experience in the field of population genetics and a keen interest in linking basic science bench work to solving clinical issues, with additional, valuable experience in the care of patients at National Institutes of Health (NIH), a leading research institute. Since completing her endocrinology training in the U.S, she has become a leading figure in the regional study and practice of endocrinology and diabetes.

She is an innovator and entrepreneur, contributing not only to new schools of thought in her areas of specialism, but is also the inventor of an ultrasound-compatible FDA-approved guide wire introducer for peripheral access, the Sonostik, which will soon be in production in the United Arab Emirates. She was presented at the 2014 UAE. Government Summit by H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan as an example of success in education and innovation. For her innovative efforts, she received the prestigious “Firsts in the UAE” award, granted by H.H Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Since then she has presented and acted as Master of Ceremonies at events such as the World Government Summit.

Dr Hawaa was appointed Deputy Medical Director at Imperial College London Diabetes Centre in 2016, the region’s leading one-stop-shop for diabetes treatment, research, awareness and professional education, and focuses on lifestyle practices as an effective measurement tool for managing, preventing and even reversing diabetes for her patients at the clinic.

H.E. Saeed Sultan bin Rashed Al Dhaheri

Member of the Board of Directors at Sandooq Al Watan

H.E. Saeed is a business man and owner of a group of companies, such as Potential Real Estate, Potential Recruitment, Potential Trading, Freiburg Contracting, Delta Design and few other companies.

H.E. Saeed is also the executive director of projects at Sultan Bin Rashed Al Dhaheri Group. His current responsibilities at SBR Group include: Supervision of design and Execution of residential and commercial projects, Management of real estate assets, Board Representation of SBR Group in many of its subsidiary companies.

H.E. Saeed is also a board member in many companies, such as Zayed University, Potential Group of Companies, Pasco Paving, and Freiburg Contracting, Plaxit , Intermetal & Hili Mall.

H.E. Saeed holds a Bachelor Degree in Civil Engineering from the American University of Sharjah, Executive MBA from Zayed University 2010, and Harvard Business School Alumni 2011.

H.E. Talal Shafiq Abdullah Al Theyabi

Member of the Board of Directors at Sandooq Al Watan

Talal is the Chief Executive Officer at Aldar having previously held the position of Chief Development Officer and Executive Director of Asset Management since the merger with Sorouh in 2013. He held several senior positions at Aldar and currently serves on the boards of several companies including Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management, Al Jazira Capital, Aldar Academies, Aldar Etihad Investment Properties and Aldar Hotels & Hospitality. Talal is a graduate of Electrical Engineering (Honors) from the University of Melbourne, Australia.
 

H.E. Mohamed Taj Al-Deen Al Qadhi

Member of the Board of Directors at Sandooq Al Watan

Mohamed Taj Al Deen Al Qadi boasts extensive experience in strategic affairs, education, community work and human capital development and is currently the Executive Director of Strategy and Foresight at Abu Dhabi Executive Office.  Prior to his role at the Executive Council, Mohamed Al Qadhi held the position of Director-General at Sandooq Al Watan from 2016 to 2020.

Al Qadi has a vast experience in strategic affairs, human capital development and nonprofit organizations. He held several senior positions in government and charity organisations, including Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee at the ‘Al Bayt Mitwahid’ organisation and Project Manager at the  Office of Strategic affairs in Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Court.

Al Qadhi holds a Master’s Degree in Public Policy with Distinction from the University of Oxford, a Bachelor of Science in Politics and International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from the Cass Business School at the City University in London.