His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum approved the restructuring of the Board of Directors of Etihad Credit Insurance under the chairmanship of Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, the Emirates News Agency reported. The decision places the Minister of Foreign Trade at the helm of the federal export credit agency as part of efforts to bolster institutions that support trade expansion and economic diversification across the UAE. Al Zeyoudi brings extensive experience in shaping international economic partnerships to the role following his prior leadership in climate and energy policy.
The restructured board includes Ahmed Al Naqbi as chief executive officer of Emirates Development Bank along with Khalil Fadel Al Mansoori, acting director general of the Abu Dhabi Exports Office. Additional members encompass Mohamed Ali Al Kamali, chief executive of trade and industry at the Abu Dhabi Investment Office, and Mohammed Sharaf, executive director of operations and investment attraction at Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Nuaimi, director general of Ajman’s Department of Ports and Customs, also joins the board according to the approved list.
Further members named in the Emirates News Agency announcement are Sheikh Omar bin Saqr Al Qasimi, chief executive officer of Ras Al Khaimah’s Investment and Development Office, and Mariam Abdulla Al Matroushi, deputy director general of Fujairah’s Finance Department. The board also features private sector representatives including Mohamed Al Marzooqi, chief executive officer of HSBC Bank in the UAE, Omer Elamin, chief executive officer of Orient Insurance Company, and Rola Abu Manneh, chief executive officer of Standard Chartered Bank for the UAE, Middle East and Pakistan. Bart Pattyn, an independent non-executive director at Argenta Bank and Insurance who chairs its audit and risk committee, completes the membership.
Etihad Credit Insurance, established in 2018 as the UAE’s official export credit agency, maintains a mandate to provide trade credit insurance, financing support and risk protection for Emirati businesses entering international markets. Figures published on the company’s website show more than 15 billion dirhams in insured turnover alongside support for exports across 30 trade sectors and partnerships with over 50 ecosystem players. The agency has also built a global business database covering more than 600 million companies while collecting in excess of 621 million dirhams in debt according to the same data.
Al Zeyoudi has served as Minister of Foreign Trade since 2020 and previously held the climate change and environment portfolio, where he contributed to international policy frameworks on energy and sustainability, a World Economic Forum profile noted. His appointment aligns with the UAE’s push to expand non-oil foreign trade, which has seen ECI support surge in recent years as the sector grows. The new board is expected to help the agency meet its objectives in facilitating safer export transactions for UAE companies.
Etihad Credit Insurance convened the first meeting of its newly formed board shortly after the approval, the agency stated on social media. Previous ECI annual reports indicated the company had extended billions of dollars in non-oil export support to dozens of countries across multiple sectors by the early 2020s. The restructuring arrives as the UAE continues to strengthen its trade infrastructure to reduce reliance on oil revenues.
