His Excellency Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi is the United Arab Emirates’ Minister of Foreign Trade. He is responsible for leading the development of the non-oil foreign trade, including the expansion of global trade partnerships, the increase of national exports, and the consolidation of the UAE’s status as an international trade hub.
H.E. Al Zeyoudi leads the UAE’s efforts to secure Comprehensive Economic Partnerships Agreements (CEPAs) with strategic allies around the world, a program that supports the UAE’s ambitions to boost non-oil trade to AED4 trillion by 2031. Serving as Chair of the Higher Committee of the CEPA Negotiations, he has overseen the conclusion of more than 30 bilateral trade deals, beginning with the UAE-India CEPA in May 2022, the first ever bilateral trade deal signed by the UAE.
Driven by the new opportunities created by the CEPA program, the United Arab Emirates has set new non-oil foreign trade milestones in each of the last four years, achieving its target six years ahead of schedule.
H.E. Al Zeyoudi’s leadership on global trade facilitation was recognized in February 2024 when he Chaired 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Abu Dhabi, during which he was instrumental in ensuring the successful delivery of the Abu Dhabi Declaration, a package of agreements that advanced the cause of open, rules-based trade.
In his role as Minister of Foreign Trade, H.E. Al Zeyoudi works to promote the UAE’s position as a prime destination for business and investment at regional and global levels. He currently serves as Chair of the UAE International Investor Council and, in 2022, launched the NextGen FDI program, which has attracted a multitude of cutting-edge companies to the UAE and helped accelerate the UAE’s economic diversification agenda. In 2024, the UAE welcomed US$45.6 billion in FDI, which ranked 10th in the world.
In parallel, His Excellency is Minister in Charge of Talent Attraction and Retention, in which he ensures the best global talents have the pathways, incentives and opportunities to contribute to the UAE’s long-term economic objectives. He also serves as Vice Chairman of Etihad Credit Insurance’s Board of Directors and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy and of the National Competitiveness Committee.
Prior to his appointment as Minister of Foreign Trade in June 2025, H.E. Dr Thani held the position of Minister of State for Foreign Trade (2020-2025) and, before that, served as the UAE’s Minister of Climate Change and Environment, a role he held between (2016-2020). His Excellency also served as the Director of the Department of Energy and Climate Change at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was appointed as the UAE’s Permanent Representative to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) as extraordinary Ambassador.
His contribution to the UAE’s climate agenda is maintained through his role on the Supreme Committee for the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28), the decision-making body of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and as a Member of the Jury of the Zayed Sustainability Prize. Other notable roles include serving as the Chairman of Board of The Emirates Drug Establishment.
His Excellency’s career began as a Petroleum Engineer at Abu Dhabi Offshore Company (ADMA). He then moved to Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar), where he led the development of renewable energy technologies and solutions and, in 2009, played a key role in the UAE's successful diplomatic campaign to host the headquarters of IRENA in Abu Dhabi.
He was named a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader in 2020 and received the award for Excellence from the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf in 2015. H.E. Al Zeyoudi holds a BASc in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Tulsa, an MBA from the New York Institute of Technology, an MA in Project Management from the British University in Dubai, and a PhD in Strategy, Program and Project Management from Skema Business School in France.
