His Excellency
Sameh Abdulla Juma Karam Al Qubaisi
Director General of Economic Affairs, Department of Economic Development
Abu Dhabi
His Excellency Sameh Al Qubaisi is the Director General of Economic Affairs at the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED). In this role, Al Qubaisi leads the teams responsible for delivering Abu Dhabi’s economic strategy. More specifically, he oversees SME policymaking, logistics and trade facilitation, the Competitiveness Office of Abu Dhabi, the Industrial Development Bureau, and the Abu Dhabi Residents Office.
Sameh Al Qubaisi is a senior government executive with extensive experience in economic policymaking. With a background in global banking and finance, hehas already led various high-impact strategic projects aimed at enhancing Abu Dhabi’s economy, capital markets, livability, ease of doing business, and investments attraction.
Before taking on his responsibilities at ADDED, Sameh Al Qubaisi was the Executive Director of Business Enterprise at the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) where he was primarily responsible for investments and Public Private Partnerships. He played a key role in scaling up ADIO’s coverage, capabilities, and offerings.
Prior to joining the Government of Abu Dhabi, heled a 15-year career in global banking and finance. His long-standing expertise in wholesale banking, risk management and global markets plays a crucial role in his efforts towards achieving macro-economic diversification initiatives.
Al Qubaisi spent over 10years at the National Bank of Abu Dhabi NBAD (now First Abu Dhabi Bank FAB), with his most recent roles as CEO of its Northeast Asia operations, as well as Managing Director for its Whole sale Business-Asia based out of Hong Kong. Before that, he was the Managing Director of Global Markets Coverage at NBAD, a business he built from the ground up. He also held various leading roles at CAPM Investments, Finance House, Standard Chartered Bank, HSBC, and National Bank of Dubai.
Sameh Al Qubaisi holds a B.A. in International Relations and two minors in Political Science and Economics from Rollins College, USA.
