Chairman of the Year

H.E. Rashed Lahej Al Mansoori serves as the Director General of Abu Dhabi Customs and is widely recognized as one of the region’s leading public sector innovators in digital government and trade facilitation.
Since his appointment in 2017, His Excellency has led a comprehensive transformation of Abu Dhabi Customs, positioning the organization as one of the world’s most advanced and innovative customs administrations. Through a visionary leadership approach that combines strategic foresight, technological innovation, and human-centric governance, he has modernized customs operations to enable faster trade flows while strengthening regulatory oversight and national security.
Under his leadership, Abu Dhabi Customs has implemented an ambitious digital transformation agenda integrating artificial intelligence, blockchain, predictive analytics, automation, and automation into core customs operations. These initiatives directly support the UAE’s national priorities for digital government, economic diversification, and global trade competitiveness.
H.E. Al Mansoori champions an innovation-driven culture where technology, data, and people operate as an integrated ecosystem. Through strategic collaboration with international organizations, technology leaders, and academic institutions, he has cultivated a future-ready customs workforce capable of navigating the complexities of global trade.
His long-term vision is to establish a globally interconnected digital trade ecosystem where customs processes become predictive, intelligent, and largely invisible for compliant traders, strengthening Abu Dhabi’s position as a global logistics gateway connecting Asia, Europe, and Africa.