Saud bin Saqr al Qasimi

Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr al Qasimi is the crown prince of Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates, he has held the position of crown prince since 2003

Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, is the fourth son of His Highness Sheikh Saqr bin Mohamed Al Qasimi. Born in Dubai on February 10, 1956, Sheikh Saud completed both his primary and secondary education in Ras Al Khaimah.

At the age of 17, Sheikh Saud was sent abroad by his father to the prestigious American University of Beirut (AUB) to pursue his studies in economics. The break out of civil war in Lebanon in 1975, however, made it impossible for him to complete his degree at the AUB and he transferred to the University of Michigan, where he completed his studies.

On his return to Ras Al Khaimah in 1979, Sheikh Saud was appointed as Chief of the Ruler's Court to assist his father, HH Sheikh Saqr, in the administration of the Government of Ras Al Khaimah. In 1986 he became the Chairman of the Ras Al Khaimah Municipal Council, in which he implemented reforms to improve the governance infrastructure of the Emirate. On June 14, 2003, Sheikh Saud was appointed by his father as the Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah.

Since his appointment in 2003, Sheikh Saud has implemented vast organizational and economic reforms to ensure the success of local businesses while simultaneously attracting a steady flow of foreign investment. Committed to realizing the latent potential of Ras Al Khaimah, he has focused on improving the sectors in which the Emirate has a comparative advantage, such as tourism, real estate, and manufacturing.

Drawing from the experience of his private sector successes, such as the rejuvenation of Gulf Pharmaceutical Industries (i.e., Julfar Pharmaceuticals) and the creation of the world's largest ceramics manufacturer, RAK Ceramics, Sheikh Saud's economic insight and business savvy have helped bring about unprecedented development and growth across the emirate. The affects of his reforms resulted in a dramatic jump of GDP per capita in Ras Al Khaimah from AED 35,000 to AED 52,000 in the years between 2001 and 2006. In 2006, Sheikh Saud established the Ras Al Khaimah Investment Authority (RAKIA) to implement and manage Ras Al Khaimah's vigorous developmental and infrastructural overhaul. RAKIA is among a myriad of semi-governmental organizations, including RAK Properties, Rakeen, and the Investment and Development Office, which have been instrumental in attracting quality investors to Ras Al Khaimah and maintaining the integrity of the government. In January 2008, Standard and Poor and Fitch announced that the Government of Ras Al Khaimah was awarded an A rating, thereby publicly confirming the strong economic position that the Emirate's government enjoys.

In addition to running a sound government, Sheikh Saud has also been deeply concerned with the social development of the Emirate, focusing special attention on improving education and healthcare. Viewing education as an important part of Ras Al Khaimah's sustainable development, he created the Sheikh Saqr bin Mohammad Al Qasimi Scholarship Award to encourage and enable local men and women to pursue higher education at first class international universities. Additionally, 2005 saw the opening of George Mason University's first international campus in Ras Al Khaimah, making it possible for youth throughout the region to obtain an American college degree without leaving the Emirate. Sheikh Saud has also sponsored the building of the Ras Al Khaimah University of Medical and Health Sciences to train future generations of doctors, nurses and pharmacists for the UAE as a whole. In 2007, Sheikh Saud opened the doors of RAK Hospital, a joint Swiss-UAE venture and the first full service private hospital in the Emirate.

Sheikh Saud is well regarded and admired as a hard working, tireless leader dedicated to his ambitious vision of making Ras Al Khaimah a world class destination.