Public Services News

Amna Omar Almandoos Honored with 2026 Global Recognition Award for Leadership in Public Financial Transformation

A Senior UAE Financial Executive has been named a recipient of a 2026 Global Recognition Award for her work modernizing federal revenue systems, marking a significant milestone in a career spent changing how government institutions manage public funds. Amna Almandoos received the honor in the Leadership Category following an evaluation of her portfolio using the Rasch model. This linear measurement scale allows judges to compare applicants with differing accomplishments on equal footing, since it accounts for variation like achievements while still producing a fair ranking. Her selection reflects nearly two decades of executive-level financial governance experience at institutions, including the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP), where her record shows a consistent pattern of institutional change rather than isolated achievement. Judges cited her ability to replace manual, error-prone financial processes with automated, auditable systems that withstand scrutiny, placing her ahead of a competitive national field of applicants. Her nomination stood apart because it demonstrated sustained impact across multiple institutions rather than a single moment of success, and the judging panel weighed this consistency heavily in their final assessment. The recognition, therefore, centres less on any individual project and more on the broader discipline she brought to public financial administration over nearly two decades. A Career Built on Firsts For over 19 years, Almandoos has been a driving force in the UAE’s public finance and banking sectors. From her early days as a Retail Banking Officer at Dubai Islamic Bank to her current role as a Financial Resources Assistant Expert & Head of Revenue Section at the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP), her career has been defined by a relentless focus on advancing the continuous evolution of government financial systems. Her diverse experience—spanning local government at the Ajman Department of Finance and federal operations at MOHAP—has provided her with a unique vantage point on fiscal management. Every role she has held has been a deliberate step toward a singular objective: advancing automated, auditable financial systems that strengthen operational efficiency, transparency, and financial governance. Her most significant achievement is the design and implementation of the UAE’s First fully automated daily revenue reconciliation system for MOHAP. This pioneering project enhanced operational efficiency, strengthened the accuracy and consistency of daily revenue reconciliation, and accelerated the Ministry’s financial processing capabilities. Following this success, she spearheaded the “Easy Payment Initiative,” making MOHAP the First Federal entity to launch a flexible payment solution developed in partnership with major local banks in the UAE, expanding payment options and providing citizens with greater flexibility and convenience when settling government service fees. A Reputation Built on Impact Even before her recent global honors, Almandoos had already garnered widespread acclaim among her regional peers. In 2025, she received the prestigious Sharjah Award for Public Finance and was named the “Distinguished Arab Financial Department Head” in recognition of her pivotal contributions to fiscal governance. Furthermore, she was awarded the Expo 2020 Dubai Medal by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum—an honor bestowed in recognition of her outstanding volunteer service at one of the most significant global exhibitions in the region’s history. These accolades are a testament to her results-oriented philosophy, which prioritizes tangible impact over mere formality, further solidifying her position as a role model for government finance leaders in the Gulf. Her current initiative involves integrating with UAEPay, a new payment channel, building on the same approach that shaped her previous work, but taking into account a more complex regulatory environment. Her colleagues describe her decision-making process as consistently linked to measurable results rather than mere symbolic gestures, a reputation she has earned across numerous organizations. “Amna Almandoos represents the kind of leadership that turns bureaucratic friction into functioning infrastructure, and that is precisely the standard this award was built to recognize,” said Alex Sterling, a spokesperson for Global Recognition Awards. Final Words Almandoos’s case for this honor rests less on titles and more on the tangible changes within the systems she has managed. Under her guidance, a federal entity now reconciles revenue automatically. Citizens now benefit from expanded, more flexible payment channels introduced under her leadership, and her research on financial leadership adds analytical rigor to a career defined by execution. Few professionals in public finance combine such sustained institutional patience with the technical ambition required to register four separate intellectual property innovations. The judges’ focus on leadership was not incidental, given that her innovations required navigating ministry approvals, banking partnerships, and regulatory frameworks simultaneously, and this coordination demanded skills that extend well beyond technical finance work. Almandoos’s inclusion among the 2026 Global Recognition Award recipients reflects a body of work that has already changed how the federal government manages its own finances, and her continued leadership on projects such as the UAEPay integration suggests this influence will only grow. Her career shows that meaningful institutional change often begins with a single individual willing to challenge established processes and replace them with something more durable. About Global Recognition Awards Global Recognition Awards is an international organization that recognizes exceptional companies and individuals who have made significant contributions to their industries.