NEP 4.0
Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and ADNOC Managing Director and Group CEO, has over twenty-five years’ experience across the energy, industrial, investment and advanced technology sectors and has played a leading role in the UAE’s energy and economic growth and diversification.
Dr Al Jaber is a member of the UAE Federal Cabinet, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, overseeing efforts to increase the industrial development, diversification and competitiveness of the UAE, help drive economic growth and promote in-country value, while embedding advanced technology at the center of the nation’s industrial base.
In 2016 Dr Al Jaber was appointed Group CEO of ADNOC. At the direction of the UAE Leadership, he has led a rapid and comprehensive transformation through domestic and international expansion, strengthened financial performance and fostering a more commercial mindset, as well as an enhanced long-term sustainability strategy. During his tenure, Dr Al Jaber has guided ADNOC through a number of strategic firsts, including entering the global capital markets for the first time, completing the first ever IPO of an ADNOC business in 2017 and attracting significant FDI from strategic and private equity investors. The company’s global growth accelerated further in 2024 with the establishment of XRG, ADNOC’s international energy investment company, with a unique architecture that operates across the entire energy value chain. Throughout ADNOC’s transformation, Dr Al Jaber has prioritized digital transformation and adoption of breakthrough technologies including AI, to ensure ADNOC stays ahead of global energy demand, remains a key contributor to the UAE’s economy, and builds on its position as one of the most advanced, progressive and efficient oil and gas producers in the world.
Prior to taking on the leadership position at ADNOC, Dr Al Jaber was the Chief Executive Officer of the Energy platform at Mubadala, the Abu Dhabi government's strategic investment arm. In 2006, at the direction of the UAE leadership, he established Masdar, and served nine years as its CEO, guiding its global contribution to clean technology and sustainable development. In 2009 he led Masdar's efforts in the UAE's successful bid to host the headquarters of the "International Renewable Energy Agency" (IRENA). He continues to serve as Chairman of Masdar, guiding the company’s strategic direction toward becoming one of the world’s largest renewable energy companies with the goal of growing its portfolio to at least 100GW by 2030.
In November 2023, Dr Al Jaber was appointed COP28 UAE President, where he led the efforts to achieve consensus among almost 200 countries to achieve a landmark response to the Global Stock Take, named ‘The UAE Consensus.’ The historic agreement delivered a package of ambitious and balanced outcomes across the entire climate agenda.
Dr Al Jaber also holds several leadership roles and advisory positions across a diversified portfolio of investments. In 2024, he was appointed the chairman of Presight, the region’s leading big data analytics company powered by generative artificial intelligence (AI). From 2019 until 2024, Dr Al Jaber served as the founding chairman of the board of trustees of the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) the first graduate level, research-based AI University in the world, established in 2019 to contribute to the UAE’s homegrown AI ecosystem.
In December 2023, Dr Al Jaber was appointed Chairman of Alterra, the world’s largest private climate investment fund, valued at US$30bn. In July 2020, he was appointed Chairman of Emirates Development Bank, a key partner in providing financial services for the sustainable economic and social development of the UAE. In December 2020, he was appointed as a board member to the Abu Dhabi Supreme Council for Financial and Economic Affairs, formed to enhance the competitiveness and sustainability of Abu Dhabi’s financial and economic systems. He is a member of the Mubadala Investment Company board of directors, a member of the First Abu Dhabi (FAB) Bank board of directors the Chairman of FAB Misr and a member of the Emirates Global Aluminium board of directors.
Dr Al Jaber is Chairman of IMI, a privately-owned, global media group with operations across 19 countries. The group's portfolio includes Sky News Arabia, The National, Al-Ain News, CNN Business Arabic, and a minority stake in Euronews. Additionally, through Redbird IMI, a joint venture with Redbird Capital Partners, the group invest in leading media, sports, and entertainment brands worldwide.
Dr Al Jaber previously served as Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Ports Company from 2009-2019. Over this decade, AD Ports became a thriving business, turning a profit two years ahead of the approved business plan. During his tenure, Dr Al Jaber helped establish Khalifa Port, Abu Dhabi’s flagship, fastest growing deep-water port as well as Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (KIZAD), Abu Dhabi’s first integrated trade, industrial and logistics free zone.
Dr Al Jaber was appointed to the UAE cabinet in 2013, where he served as a Minister of State of the United Arab Emirates until July 2020. Combining extensive experience in both the public and private sector, he was responsible for overseeing, developing and enhancing strategic geopolitical, social and economic partnerships with several nations.
Dr Al Jaber has previously served on the United Nations Secretary General’s High-Level Group on Sustainable Energy for All. He received the United Nations "Champion of the Earth" award in 2012, given to outstanding visionaries and leaders in the fields of policy, science and entrepreneurship. In 2013 he was appointed an honorary Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. In 2019, he received a lifetime achievement award from his Excellency the prime minister of India, Narendra Modi, for his contributions to energy security, building bridges to emerging Asian economies and for reshaping traditional energy business models. In 2021, he was named Energy Executive of the Year by Energy Intelligence for his contribution to transforming the energy industry as the world navigates the energy transition.
In 2024, Dr Al Jaber received the Order of the Union from His Highness Sheikh Mohamed, President of the United Arab Emirates, for his role in leading the team that delivered the UAE Consensus. And in the same year he received the ‘CERAWeek Leadership Award for Building Global Consensus towards a Sustainable Energy Future’ for his role in bringing Parties together to deliver the UAE Consensus. Dr Al Jaber received a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from the University of Southern California in 1997. He received a Master of Science in Business Administration (MBA) from California State University, Los Angeles in 2001, and he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Economics by Coventry University in 2007.