Hend Al Otaiba | |
|---|---|
| UAE Ambassador to France | |
| In office August 2021 –September 2024 | |
| President | Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan |
| Preceded by | Ali Al-Ahmad |
| Succeeded by | Fahad Saeed Al Raqbani |
| Personal details | |
| Spouse | Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi |
| Relations | Yousef Al Otaiba (brother) |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent | Mana Al Otaiba |
Hend Mana Saeed Al Otaiba is an Emirati government official who served as the ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to France from 2019 to 2024. [1] [2]
Al Otaiba obtained her undergraduate degree in London,where she studied psychology. [3] She later received a master's degree in marketing,management and communications from the Paris Sorbonne Abu Dhabi in 2011 and also holds a master's degree in security studies from the UAE National Defense College. [4] [5] She is a board member of the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy. [2] [3]
From 2012 and 2017,Al Otaiba was the Director of Strategic Communications at the state-run media organization Abu Dhabi Media. [6] Her first appointment was in the Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC),where she worked in communications from 2008 to 2012. [7] [8] During her time at the TDIC she oversaw cultural programmes and also worked with the French on the Louvre Abu Dhabi. [9] [10]
In 2019,she was appointed as the first director of the strategic communications department at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. [11] [12] [13] She also served as the Foreign Ministry's spokesperson. [14] [15] [16] She joined the UAE's foreign ministry in April 2017 as an advisor to Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan,the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Co-operation of the UAE. [17]
Al Otaiba was appointed as UAE’s ambassador to France in July 2021. [18] [19] She was succeeded in France by Fahad Saeed Al Raqbani,who was previously the UAE Ambassador to Canada. [20]
Al Otaiba is married to Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi current ambassador of the UAE to UNESCO and they have two sons. [21] She's a fluent speaker of French. [2] Her father,Mana Al Otaiba,is the former UAE minister of petroleum and mineral resources and her brother,Yousef Al Otaiba,is the current ambassador of the UAE in the United States. [22]