H.E. Dr Abdulnasser Jamal Alshaali, PhD

His Excellency Dr. Abdulnasser Alshaali was appointed by Federal Decree No. 42 of 2026 dated March 30, 2026, as the Ambassador of the UAE to the Republic of Singapore. He previously served as the Ambassador of the UAE to the Republic of India, and non-resident Ambassador of the UAE to the Kingdom of Bhutan.

During his tenure as Ambassador to India, Alshaali advanced the
long-standing relationship between the two countries, building on the
UAE-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), enhancing regional cooperation, and strengthening people-to-people ties. He also fostered greater collaboration among investors, entrepreneurs, start-ups, and small and medium-sized enterprises, supporting innovation and cross-border partnerships while expanding bilateral cooperation into new sectors. Bilateral trade reached USD 100 billion in 2025, driven by increased investment and enhanced engagement among business communities on both sides. Prior to his appointment as Ambassador, he served as Assistant Minister for Economic and Trade Affairs (ETA) from January 2020 until September 2022. Alshaali led efforts to advance the UAE’s economic, trade, and financial interests internationally, and facilitate foreign investment growth.

He previously served as Director of the ETA Department from March 2019 until January 2020, and as Director of the Policy Planning Department (PPD) from December 2016 to February 2019. In this role, Alshaali oversaw the continuous and periodic review of the UAE’s foreign policy, drafting of numerous policy papers, as well as convening high-level policy dialogues internally and externally. He started his career at the Ministry in March 2013 as an Economist in the Office of the Foreign Minister. Prior to joining the Ministry, he worked at Emirates Airline.

Throughout his professional career, Alshaali was awarded with several honours, including the President’s First Class Order of Zayed II as
Ambassador, the Foreign Minister's Medal for the Distinguished Leader as
Assistant Minister, the Foreign Minister's Medal for the Distinguished Director during his time in Policy Planning, the Foreign Minister's Award for the Distinguished Employee, and the Knowledge Day Award by the Crown Prince of Ajman.

He previously served on the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy Board of Trustees, and continues to serve as an adjunct faculty member, teaching “The Geopolitics of Food Security” at the Master’s level. His other board memberships included the Zayed University Council and the National Media Council.

Alshaali holds a PhD in Economics from the Australian National University for his thesis: ‘Re-Conceptualising Comparative Advantage and Food Sovereignty: An Unconventional Approach to Global Food Security’. He also holds a Master’s in Business Management from Paris Sorbonne University for a thesis that conceptualises a methodology to quantify bilateral relations between countries. Prior to this, he completed a Master’s of Business Administration from Murdoch University and a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from the American University of Sharjah. He was born in Dubai on October 11, 1988. Alshaali is a keen traveller and a devoted student of economics and food security. His interests include fishing, football, and playing chess. He is married and has three children: Saoud, Lamya and Mohammed