Her Excellency Ohood bint Khalfan Al Roumi is the Minister of State for Government Development and the Future in the UAE Government, a ministerial portfolio created in 2020 with the aim of advancing government development and enhancing the UAE’s readiness for future challenges and opportunities.
H.E. Al Roumi is also the Chairwoman of the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources, the federal entity responsible for the growth and development of UAE federal government human resources. In addition to her Ministerial work, H.E. is Chairwoman of the Higher Committee for Government Digital Transformation, and Vice Chair of the World Governments Summit Organization. She is a member of several boards, including the Emirates Competitiveness Council, the Frontline Heroes Office, the Dubai Future Foundation, and the Arab Government Excellence Award.
As part of her government portfolio, H.E. Al Roumi is focused on developing government talent, and enhancing government employees with future skills by launching the largest transformational initiative for the new generation of employees. As part of her Ministerial role in leading the future portfolio, H.E. works to institutionalize designing the future in federal government entities to enhance their readiness for future trends. At the global level, she oversees the "Future Possibilities Index", the first index of its kind globally that utilizes future opportunities in drawing government priorities, and provides a source of scientific data for decision and policy makers around the world.
H.E. Al Roumi leads the UAE government efforts in developing and governing the digital transformation of the federal government, and enhancing digital readiness, competitiveness and coordination between digital projects and systems across government to enhance the efficiency of digital infrastructure and assets. H.E. also supervises the coordination of efforts between government entities to accelerate and maximize the impact of digital transformation.
H.E. Al Roumi served as Secretary General of the “Preparation for the Next 50” Committee, and supervised devising developmental plans and designing the UAE’s future for the next fifty years, through a network of national working teams. She also led efforts to develop the "UAE Centennial 2071", a comprehensive and long-term vision spanning five decades which constitutes a roadmap for government action with the aim of enhancing the country's reputation and soft power.
H.E. Al Roumi headed the executive team to launch the first Government Summit in 2013, which has developed over ten years to become a global influential platform convening world leaders, decision makers, experts and futurists.
In 2016, H.E. Al Roumi held the position of Minister of State for Happiness and Wellbeing, the first ministerial position of its kind in the world introduced by the UAE government. She led efforts to develop the National Strategy for Wellbeing 2031, and launched a number of national initiatives, including the establishment of the Digital Wellbeing Council, and the development of the National Wellbeing Index, the National Policy for Residential Communities, the Workplace Wellbeing Program, the National Charter for Happiness and Wellbeing, and the National Wellbeing Survey. H.E.'s efforts also resulted in the formulation of global partnerships, including the launch of the Global Coalition for Happiness and Wellbeing and the Global Council for Happiness and Wellbeing to disseminate the concept of happiness as a basis and goal for development and relations between nations.
H.E. Al Roumi served as the Director General of the Prime Minister’s Office at the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs since its establishment until 2020, where she oversaw multiple strategic programs and initiatives, including the coordination and follow up on executing “UAE Vision 2021”. H.E. also oversaw UAE government strategy and innovation, government service development programs, as well as Sheikh Khalifa Government Excellence Program, Government Performance Management System “Ada’a”, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Centre For Government Innovation and the UAE Government Leaders Program.
Prior to her role at the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs, H.E. Al Roumi held several leadership positions within the UAE federal government and the Government of Dubai. She was the Director of Economic Policy at the Executive Office of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. She also led several teams to develop multiple government strategies, such as the Dubai Economic Development Plan as well as the Federal Government strategy. She was also Director of Business Research at the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
H.E. Al Roumi was also appointed at the United Nations as a member of the UN Foundation Global Entrepreneurship Council (GEC) in 2015, making her the first Arab member to hold that position. She also made the Young Global Leaders (YGL) list with World Economic Forum (WEF) in 2012. H.E. was also listed among the World’s Greatest Leaders in 2017 by Fortune magazine in recognition of her accomplishments, making her the only Arab figure on the list. In 2021, the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Agile Governance recognized H.E. on the 50 Agile List among the world’s most influential people leading agile governance to achieve radical transformations.
H.E. Al Roumi holds an Executive Master’s Degree in Business Administration (EMBA) from the University of Sharjah and a Bachelor’s in Economics from the College of Business and Economics, United Arab Emirates University. She is also a graduate from the Mohammed Bin Rashid Program for Leadership Development.