Obaid Al-Ketbi

His Excellency Dr. Obaid Al-Hiri Salem Al-Ketbi (born on 10 June 1957) was an Emirati political leader and held a position of Abu Dhabi's Head of the Supply Authority in the Armed Forces and was appointed with the rank of Minister. At the same time, he was appointed Deputy Commander-in-Chief with the rank of Major General in Abu Dhabi Police. After that he was appointed Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates residing in Australia, then appointed Assistant Minister of Military Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Obaid has a high degree of qualifications, skills, and experience of more than 37 years in the military field, security, administration, diplomatic affairs and business administration, and he also has good communication and motivational skills, as he is a fair and serious leader, Actively and enthusiastically participated in many sports, including marathons and cycling competitions.
==Early life and education==
Dr. Obaid Alketbi was born in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates, 1957. In 1959, he moved with his father to Sharjah. Where his father was serving in the Workers Coast Forces (Trucial Forces) and his father participated in the Green Mountain War in Oman in the year 1958 and in 1964 during the rule of Sheikh Shakhbout bin Zayed Al Nahyan, his father moved to the Emirate of Abu Dhabi where he was asked to join as a trainer in the Abu Dhabi Police Force, where He rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel and retired in 1985. his primary school education is Al Falahiah School (Eastern) in Abu Dhabi in 1962, after that he moved to Mohammed Bin Al Qasim School in Abu Dhabi in 1964 and joined Zayed II Military College in 1976 and graduated in 1977.
===Academic Qualifications===
He has a Ph.D in International Transfer and Anchorage of Foreign Technology in UAE - Case study of Ship Building Industry, from University of London, London, UK. Also he has MSc in Strategic National Resource Management from National Defence University, Washington D.C., USA and MBA in Business Administration from South-eastern University, Washington DC, USA.
=== Courses ===
Golden Commander 	UK 	2008
Diploma from Industrial College for Armed Forces (ICAF) 	USA	2002
Management of Security Assistance (Executive Session of Foreign Affairs)	USA	1992
U.S. Military Command and General Staff Course 	USA	1988
==Ministry of Interior/Abu Dhabi Police==
Member 	Executive Council of the Government of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi	2008 to 2014
Deputy Commander-in-Chief	Ministry of Interior, Abu Dhabi Police/GHQ, Abu Dhabi 	2008 to 2014
==Major Positions in UAE Military / Armed Forces==
Position 	Military Unit 	Year
Chief of Logistics Staff	Logistics Staff, UAE Armed Forces 	2006 to 2008
Chairman 	Quality Management Committee of the UAE Armed Forces 	2003 - 2005
Chairman 	Board of Directors, The Armed Forces Officers’ Club, Abu Dhabi	1996 to 2001
Head of Supply Section 	Air Defence Command, UAE Armed Forces 	1986 to 1986
==Government (Federal and Abu Dhabi Emirate)==
After joining UAE Military he served as several positions. He was Chairman of the Crises & Disasters Management Standing Committee, Abu Dhabi, he was chairman of Board of Directors, Al Taif-Mubadalla Services Company LLC, Abu Dhabi, Chairman of Executive Board, “IDEX” - International Defence Exhibition & Conference, Abu Dhabi and official spokesman since 1993-2015. Also he served as a member of Board of Directors, The Emirates Foundation for Youth Welfare, Abu Dhabi.
==Military Life==
On April 16, 1976, he joined the Zayed second Military College as a candidate, where he graduated in December 1977 with the rank of second lieutenant and joined the UAE Air Defense Force and he served in the military sector until the last position of head of the supply authority in the armed forces, and was appointed with the rank of minister. At the same time, he was appointed deputy commander-in-chief with the rank of major general in Abu Dhabi Police until 2014. Then he moved to the diplomatic corps, where he was appointed ambassador extraordinary to the United Arab Emirates, residing in Australia and non-resident at Pacific countries, Vanuatu, Samoa, and the Solomon Islands, then appointed Assistant Minister for Military Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2019 to 2020.
Dr. Obaid Al Ketbi has took many military courses, including:
(Air Defense Course at the Air Defense Institute, Egypt, 1954) (A Course for Company Leaders, United Arab Emirates, 1984) (An International Military Diplomacy Course in London, United Kingdom, 1998) (Advanced Course in Military and Civil Strategic Leadership, United States of America, (2002) (Commander Golden, UK 2008).
===International Military Operations===
Position 	International Military Operation 	Year
Commander 	UAE Armed Forces Humanitarian Aid Operations in Iraq War 	2003
Coordinator	UAE Armed Forces De-Mining Operations in Lebanon 	2001
Commander 	UAE Armed Forces Humanitarian Aid Forces in Albania/Kosovo	1999
== Acknowledgement for Achievement/service ==
Received several letters of acknowledgement in recognition of his Services to the Country and Humanity; some of the major ones were from:
# HH Gen. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, "Project F-16 Block 60”.
# The General Command of the Armed Forces, the leadership of the Air Force and Air Defense on “Project Apache Helicopters”.
# Dubai International Conference for Peace in the second session of 2012.
# The workshop “Golden commander for crisis management.”
# Albanian Armed Forces, "Relief and support to the Refugees of Kosovo”.
==Works and Achievements==
Business life:
===DR. O===
DR. O Group was founded by him in February 2019 to provide a regional platform for international and local brands and initiatives that share the principles of quality, health and authenticity and aim to improve lives. The DR. O group includes Bin Farhood Group and brands including Belvas Belgian Chocolate, Urban Walk and Sehati.
===1185 museum===
 
Obaid Al Ketbi owns a personal exhibition in his home in the capital, Abu Dhabi, and there are more than 16,000 unique and rare pieces in the heart of the museum.
Such as the sword of the Lord of the Rings, which was not made of it but a few and Dr. Obaid owns the last piece No. 15 and keeps the old coins and cards of the United Arab Emirates.
===Hobbies===
He believes in the philosophy that "a healthy mind resides in a healthy body”, so he is a strong supporter of activities that build a healthy mind and a healthy body. His hobbies include, among others, the following:
Marathons – Participation in the following marathons in the UAE – Cycling – Shooting – Reading – Mountaineering – Passion embodying his life’s journey in the museum’s collections.
==Public Honours Conferred==
Received several medals, decorations, and awards in recognition of his achievements and Services; some of the major ones include:
# The Federal Personality Award 2013 (UAE)
# Medal of the Commander-in-Chief (UAE)
# Medal of Peacekeepers to Kosovo (UAE)
# Insignia and Medal of NATO (NATO)
===Sports===
* 2009 New York Marathon
* 2010 Loyalty to the Leader Marathon
* 2014 Wadi Bih (Run)
* 2015 Sports Diplomacy - Australia
* 2017 Australian Marathon
* 2021 Guinness Book of World Records
He won the Guinness World Records award for the largest medal in the world bearing the name of the ALFURSAN. The weight of the medal exceeds 68.5 kilograms, and it comes with an area of 2.56 square meters, and is 160 centimetres long, 160 centimetres wide, and 7.4 centimetres deep. In 2008, Obaid Al Ketbi founded Alfursan team, and the team includes more than 40 athletes participate in various local sporting events and activities.
Category:1957 births
Category:Emirati people
Category:National Defense University alumni
Category:Southeast University alumni
Category:Emirati politicians