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Dr. Nawal Al-Hosany is the Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), a role she has held since its inception in 2018. Prior to this, she served as the Executive Director of Sustainability at Masdar from 2008 to 2017, overseeing the company’s renewable energy initiatives. During this time, she also directed the Zayed Future Energy Prize (now the Zayed Sustainability Prize) from 2011 to 2018, promoting global innovation in sustainable energy.
Dr. Al-Hosany has made significant contributions to the UAE’s renewable energy and sustainability agenda, including serving as Deputy Director General at the Emirates Diplomatic Academy (now Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy) from 2017 to 2018. She currently holds various leadership positions in public, private, and academic sectors, both in the UAE and globally. She is a key member of the COP28 UAE Advisory Committee, guiding climate action efforts for the UAE presidency. Her advisory roles extend to organizations like the Momentum for Change initiative of the UNFCCC, National Geographic, and the Payne Institute at the Colorado School of Mines.
Dr. Al-Hosany’s advocacy for sustainable development extends to her role as Vice Chair for the Global Council of the SDGs, and she has previously served on the board of Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) and Khalifa University. Throughout her career, she has received numerous accolades, including an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Keele University, the Arab Woman Award, and the Emirates Business Women Award.
A trailblazer in both her professional and personal endeavors, Dr. Al-Hosany is one of the first two Emirati women to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. She is also the host of On Renewables, a podcast that features leaders in climate, sustainability, and energy. Dr. Al-Hosany holds a Ph.D. from Newcastle University and a degree from the UAE University’s Faculty of Engineering. Her contributions to sustainability and energy have positioned her as a leading figure in global climate action.
