Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi

Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi (born 10 February 1956) is the current ruler of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates.

Saud was born in Dubai on 10 February 1956.

He completed both his primary and secondary education in Ras Al Khaimah and then attended the American University of Beirut (AUB) in July 1973 to pursue his studies in economics.

When the Lebanese civil war broke out in Beirut in 1975, Saud transferred to the University of Michigan, where he received a bachelor's degree in economics and political science.

He became the chief of the ruler’s Emiri court in 1979, the head of the Municipal Council in 1986, and the Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of the Emirate in June 2003.

On his return to Ras Al Khaimah in 1979, Saud was appointed Chief of the Ruler's Court to assist his father, Saqr, in the administration of the sheikhdom.

In 1986, Saud became the Chairman of the Ras Al Khaimah Municipal Council.

In 1989, he recruited the Swiss-Lebanese engineer Khater Massaad, who helped Saud develop comprehensive industrialization plans for Ras Al Khaimah, the most important being the establishment of RAK Ceramics.

The company was formed when Saud and Massaad recognized the potential of exploiting the abundant raw materials in Ras Al Khaimah for use in the production of ceramics.

With Massaad as CEO, RAK Ceramics tile and sanitary ware production facilities were created from scratch 15 kilometers southwest of the town of Ras Al Khaimah, at Al Jazira Al Hamra.

Relying since its creation in 1991 on inexpensive Asian labor, the company became the largest producer in the world over a period of about 20 years.

Saud's reform initiatives improved the emirate GDP per capita from AED 35,000 in 2001 to an estimated AED 104,680 in 2018.

Saud became Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah when his father dismissed his elder half-brother, Khalid bin Saqr Al Qasimi on 14 June 2003 for his hostility towards the US-led 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Abu Dhabi, the lead emirate of the UAE, sanctioned the dismissal and demonstrated support for Saud by sending armored vehicles to Ras Al Khaimah.

In 2005, RAK Government and the World Bank organised a conference called 'Live and Invest in Ras Al Khaimah' to present before investors the vast potential that the emirate holds for investment.

The university opened in 2006 with just 22 students but by 2018, it had more than 1,300 students from almost 50 countries.

The Ras Al Khaimah Centre for Advanced Materials (RAK- CAM) was founded under the patronage of Saud in late 2007.

RAK-CAM is intended to engage in advanced materials science research in the Middle East addressing issues in areas such as alternative energy sources, construction, water purification and environmental preservation.

It holds an annual workshop in Ras Al Khaimah called International Workshop on Advanced Materials (IWAM), which brings together scientists and academics to discuss advanced materials.

Saud has also sponsored the building of Ras Al Khaimah Medical and Health Sciences University (RAKMHSU) to train future generations of doctors, nurses and pharmacists for the UAE as a whole, helping to address the chronic shortage of nurses in the UAE.

The University of Bolton set up its first Middle East campus in the emirate in 2008 and the University of Stirling, UK, established a campus in Ras Al Khaimah in 2018.

Northwood University, in Michigan, US, has also set up an international campus in Ras Al Khaimah.

He created the Saqr Overseas Scholarship Program, as part of Al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research, that was founded in 2009, to encourage and enable local men and women to pursue higher education at international universities, in particular universities in the UK, US, Canada and Australia.

This program has since expanded to include domestic universities, with the Scholarships Office providing academic advisory and support for those seeking careers that meet the strategic needs of Ras Al Khaimah.

The Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Charitable Educational Foundation offers scholarships to top students from low-income families into the nursing course at RAK Medical and Health Sciences University.

Additionally, the American University of Ras Al Khaimah (AURAK) was established to facilitate access to higher education in the emirate.

AURAK has international accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).

In addition to that, the university has accreditation of eight engineering programs by ABET, the School of Business’ final preparations for its AACSB accreditation visit, and 3+2 options that enable undergraduates to complete a master’s degree at prominent US universities.

AURAK is the first university in the UAE to obtain the QS 5 Stars Plus rating.

Then, he officially became the ruler of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah in 2010 after his father’s death.

He is the fourth son of Saqr bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, his predecessor as the Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah and UAE Supreme Council Member, who died on 27 October 2010.

On 27 October 2010, upon the death of his father, who ruled Ras Al Khaimah for 62 years, Saud officially became the Ruler, according to a statement from the seven-member federation of the United Arab Emirates.

Saud has received several awards, including an honorary doctorate from the University of Bolton, UK, in 2010; an honorary fellowship of the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research in India, in 2013; and an honorary doctorate degree in economics from Incheon National University, South Korea, in 2018.

The award from the University of Bolton was given in recognition of his role in supporting education in the emirate and for attracting leading academic institutions from around the world to Ras Al Khaimah.

As of 31 December 2012, Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi personally continues to be the largest individual shareholder (39.88 percent of total shares), while the Government of Ras Al Khaimah benefits from a 4.98 percent stake in RAK Ceramics.

In 2014, Ras Al Khaimah Ceramics declared that its founding stakeholder, Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, had agreed to sell 250 million shares of the company.

Soon after Saud's accession as Crown Prince, the RAK Government asked the World Bank to conduct a study on the foreign investment avenues available to the emirate and formulated a comprehensive master plan for development.

Also among the initiatives, Saud established the Aman Shelter for Women and Children, which was created in 2017.

In November 2018, he was named Visionary Leader of the Year at the Arabian Business Awards in Dubai.

Saud has focused attention on improving education and healthcare.