Reem Al-Hashimy was appointed UAE Minister of State in 2008 and was appointed the UAE's Minister of State for International Cooperation in 2016. She was also the minister responsible for the delivery of Expo 2020 Dubai, which ran from October 2021 to March 2022 following a one-year delay due to the Covid pandemic. In addition to her cabinet role, she serves as CEO of Expo City Dubai Authority, Chair for Dubai Cares - a philanthropic organisation which aims to improve access to education in developing countries - and Chair of Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi. She holds a Bachelor's degree in International Relations and French from Tufts University, a Master's degree from Harvard, and a PhD from Tsinghua University. When Ground Shifts is her debut book.