Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi

Sheikha Bodour leads several Sharjah, UAE, regional, and global institutions and initiatives to foster socio-economic development, support cultural industries and heritage, and catalyze multi-stakeholder partnerships for sustainable development. With a career that spans public service, business, and community organizations, she bridges the interests of public, private, and nonprofit stakeholders to address the most pressing challenges of today and build for the future.

In January 2023, Sheikha Bodour was appointed Chairperson of the Board of Trustees and President of American University of Sharjah to align the institution with Sharjah's socio-economic, workforce, and innovation priorities. She is working to achieve excellence in teaching, research, and public service to develop global citizen graduates who become future leaders in their communities, the United Arab Emirates, and the world.

Sheikha Bodour is forging deeper university-industry R&D and commercialization collaboration as Chairperson of the Board and President of the Sharjah Research, Technology, and Innovation Park (SPARK). She oversees SPARK’s $150 million push to position Sharjah as a global leader in emerging technology fields.

As Chairperson of the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority, Sheikha Bodour has mobilized more than $25 billion in foreign direct investment and created more than 45,000 jobs. Her work as Chairperson of Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa) is accelerating the development of Sharjah's entrepreneurship ecosystem and has supported over 450 startups, including over 180 incubated ventures that have raised over $297 million in funding.

Sheikha Bodour was appointed Chairperson of Sharjah Book Authority in May 2023 to solidify Sharjah's status as an emerging global publishing hub. Sharjah Book Authority manages the Sharjah International Book Fair, the world's largest book fair, and operates Sharjah Publishing City, the world's first free trade zone for publishing.

Sheikha Bodour established the Emirates Publishers Association, UAE Board on Books for Young People and Knowledge Without Borders to boost the growth of the UAE's $300+ million publishing sector. She founded Kalimat Publishing Group, a global, multi-imprint publishing group recognized for its innovation in Arabic publishing and its contribution to literature, literacy, and cultural exchange, with licensing and distribution in more than 15 countries. She also chaired the Sharjah World Book Capital 2019 Committee and led the establishment of the House of Wisdom, a landmark cultural centre and modern library symbolizing Sharjah's commitment to knowledge and innovation. She also led efforts to establish the Emirates Reprographic Rights Management Association, the first of its kind in the Arab world.

A UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Education and Book Culture, Sheikha Bodour served as the International Publishers Association's second-ever female and first-ever Arab President since the influential global association's founding in 1896. She also founded PublisHer, a 1,000+ member global community of female publishing leaders addressing publishing's diversity and inclusion challenges. In addition to her leadership roles, she is also an accomplished author, having recently won a prestigious award at the BolognaRagazzi Awards 2025 for her book The House of Wisdom, becoming the first woman from her region to win this award. Her latest book, Let Them Know She Is Here: Searching for the Queen of Mleiha, reclaims the legacies and narratives of women rulers across the Arab region, weaving together ancestry, landscape, and cultural memory.

Her leadership in advancing culture, heritage, and education has earned international recognition. In 2024, she was appointed Ambassador for the Faya Palaeolandscape, where she guided its successful inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List as the first desert Paleolithic site to be recognized globally. In 2025, the University of Leicester awarded her its first-ever Honorary Professorship, one of the institution's highest distinctions, honoring her contributions to cultural development, publishing, and women's empowerment worldwide.

Sheikha Bodour is taking action on the world's most pressing challenges through her involvement in international organizations. She has leveraged these global platforms to catalyze action on youth education and employment, female entrepreneurship, small and medium-size enterprise development, expanding funding for the cultural industries, and climate change.