All posts by Abdullah Zafar

Our Message

Converting our ambitions into an everyday reality

Our foundation is embarking on a strategy to facilitate vital medical treatment, provide scholarships to exceptional students and fund groundbreaking research. This may sound very ambitious, but that is because the UAE is a very ambitious nation.

Our strategy for converting these ambitions into a reality revolves around dedicating specific areas of focus for each year. This is because the medical field is so broad that we cannot conceivably tackle all the major challenges at once.

We will go the extra mile to facilitate treatment for those who need it most. On the academic side, we are confident that our country has the inventive and inquisitive young minds who can become tomorrow’s medical pioneers. Now it is a question of discovering and nurturing these talents through scholarships and other motivations. In research, we intend to both initiate and reward outstanding research that could yield tangible benefits in our everyday lives.

The ever-evolving nature of the medical field means we cannot at any stage declare: “Mission Accomplished”. However, we hope to do justice to the support we receive, and together we will celebrate each milestone as it comes.

Dr Raja Easa Saleh Al Gurg
Chairperson of the Board of Directors
Member of the Board of Trustees

Our Message

A young Foundation with infinite potential

As a young Foundation, we are inspired by our young nation whose achievements have surpassed the world’s expectations in an impressively short time. Our operations are in sync with the UAE Vision 2021, as outlined by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

The UAE’s vision revolves around the theme ‘United in Ambition and Determination’. Similarly, unity is at the heart of all our Foundation’s pursuits: unity between the public and private sectors; donors uniting under their shared generosity; our partnerships with fellow humanitarian organisations; collaborations with the academic and scientific communities; as well as showing solidarity with patients and the wider society.

By championing homegrown solutions for current and anticipated health challenges, we aim to make the UAE the global backbone of medical progress.

HH Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum
Chairperson of the Board of Trustees

Board of Trustees

Dr Raja Easa Saleh Al Gurg

Dr Raja Easa Saleh Al Gurg is a Member of the Board of Trustees and Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Al Jalila Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation established by royal decree. Al Jalila Foundation aims to promote the UAE as a centre of excellence in the field of medical education and research and to position Dubai at the forefront of medical innovation.

Dr Al Gurg, the Managing Director of the Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group (ESAG), is a well known businesswoman in the region who has carved a niche for herself in her support and encouragement of Arab women entrepreneurs. She has achieved laurels for her stellar leadership of the group under the tutelage of her father, the Chairman. Her counsel and valuable insights have significantly contributed to the growth and expansion of the organisation.

A graduate of Kuwait University with a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature (1977), Dr Al Gurg has enhanced her repertoire of skills by attending advanced courses in Management, Sales and Marketing, Human Resources and Personality Development.

She is the Managing Director of the Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group, a family business encompassing 23 divisions that deal in trading, manufacturing, retail, franchise and real estate. She joined the group in 1989 as a member of the Board of Directors. At present she looks after the day-to-day operations and expansion of the business.

“At first I never thought I wanted to go into business. But when I took a role in my father’s company, I had to prove that I could be successful regardless of the fact that I am a woman or chosen by my father. It is crucial that all women push their own boundaries and have the will to succeed.”

Additionally, Dr Al Gurg is the President of Dubai Business Women Council, a Board member of the Dubai Chamber Of Commerce & Industry (DCCI) and Dubai Women’s Association. She holds memberships at the Dubai Economic Council, Arab International Women’s Forum, National Advisory Council and College of Business Sciences.

She represents the UAE at many international conferences and round-tables as a key-note speaker and is also part of the Government of Dubai’s official delegation for various trade and commerce meetings. Named by Forbes International as the 4th most powerful Arab businesswoman in 2006, Ms Al Gurg has earned several plaudits and awards in recent years. These include the Stevie Award for for Women in Business in 2011 and the ‘World of Difference Award’ from the International Alliance for Women (TIAW) in 2009. Ms Al Gurg was also selected as the figure of the month, ‘The mother of pearl amongst businesswomen,’ by the Al Waref Institute for Humanitarian Studies in Washington in 2010. In 2012, Dr Al Gurg was selected by Forbes Middle East as the No. 1 Arab woman managing family business.

Dr Al Gurg invests a significant amount of her time and energy in several philanthropic, social and charitable activities, notably with the Easa Saleh Al Gurg Charity Foundation. The Foundation assists in establishing and supporting charity housing projects, orphanages, elderly homes, day-care centres, academic institutes, scientific research centres, public libraries besides providing study and research grants to students.

Dr Al Gurg has achieved many distinguished awards throughout her career. Her most notable awards comprise of the following: 

  • Forbes Middle East Most Influential Arab Women in Family Business 2012.
  • Stevie Award for Women in Business in October 2011.
  • Awarded by Union GCC Chambers 2010 for supporting and participating in the activities of Union Committees. Awarded by Al Waref Institute for Humanitarian Studies in Washington as the figure of the month of September 2010, the Mother of Pearl among Businesswomen.
  • World of Difference Award. One of the 100 recipients from around the world who was presented by TIAW at Toronto, Canada on 19th October 2009. Voted “4th Strongest Arab Business Women” By Forbes International Magazine in April 2006.
  • Women of the Year 2003” – Awarded by Datamatix.
  • “Certificate of Appreciation” Presented by H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid at the World Bank/IMF Conference.
  • “Certificate of Appreciation” Presented at the UAE – Germany Economic Partnership Forum, 2005.
  • “Certificate of Appreciation” Presented at the UAE – Italy Economic Partnership Forum, 2005.
  • “Certificate of Appreciation” Presented at the Dubai – Osaka Economic Partnership Forum 2005.

Her professional affiliations are diverse and multi-faceted and comprise of the following:

  • Deputy Chairperson of the Board of Directors, Dubai Healthcare City Authority
  • Board Member, Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry.
  • Member, of the Dubai Economic Council, Government of Dubai.
  • President, Dubai Chambers of Commerce & Industry Business Women Committee.
  • Ex-President, Federation of the UAE Chambers of Commerce & Industry Business Women Committee.
  • Ex-Member, Board of Trustees of TANMIA. Locals Employment Agency.
  • Member, Board of Directors of Dubai Women Association.
  • Member, Board of Trustees, Arab International Women Forum.
  • Board Member of German Emirati Joint Council for Industry & Commerce.
  • Member, Board of Trustees of Hamdan Bin Mohammed e-University.
  • Honorary Member of Jordan Business Council in Dubai.
  • Member, Board of Trustees of Dubai University.
  • Board Member of UAE-UK Business Joint Council.