Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi

Sheikha Lubna holds the distinction of being the first woman to hold a ministerial post in the United Arab Emirates. A member of Sharjah’s ruling family, she was appointed minister of economy in 2004 before becoming minister of foreign trade in 2008. She now serves as minister of international cooperation and development and head of the UAE Committee of Humanitarian Aid. In the roles, which she has held from 2013 and 2014 respectively, she has led the country to become one of the largest global foreign aid contributors per capita. In 2014, she was appointed president of Zayed University and last year became the first Emirati, and only the second person from a GCC country, to receive the Clinton Global Citizen Award.