Sheikh Mohammed praises COP28 chief Sultan Al Jaber after being named on Time 100 list

He is the UAE's minister of industry and advanced technology, the CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc), and co-founder of renewable-energy firm Masdar. In recent months, the world is getting to know him as the face of COP28.

Now, Dr Sultan Al Jaber has been named among Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the climate sector.

It was a recognition that earned him praise from none other than His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime MInister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

"Proud of his international achievements... and his accelerating activity in this vital sector," Sheikh Mohammed wrote on the social media platform X.

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The Dubai Ruler added that he is "proud of all the achievements of the people of the Emirates in all sectors".

Who is Sultan Al Jaber?

Besides working as a minister, Al Jaber has been serving as Special Envoy for Climate Change for two terms, actively participating in over 10 COPs, including the historic Paris COP21 in 2015.

He is the first CEO to ever serve as COP president, having played a key role in shaping the country’s clean energy path.

To the world, Al Jaber has long been one of the most influential figure in the oil and gas industry as he heads the Adnoc Group.

But beyond running Adnoc, he is also the founding CEO of renewable-energy company Masdar. He has overseen its mandate to accelerate the adoption of renewables within the UAE, across the region, and globally.

To date, Masdar has made substantial contributions to the UAE’s renewable energy targets, playing a key role in expanding the country’s portfolio with clean energy investments in over 40 countries, including several developing countries in Africa and Asia and in vulnerable island states.

As an industry leader and COP28 chief, Al Jaber has been urging other oil companies to commit to decarbonising their operations.

“If it wasn’t for what I’ve been able to do, and demonstrate to everybody in this industry, I wouldn’t be in a position to ­convince them,” he told Time magazine in an interview.