President Appoints Hassan Zareer as Minister of Finance and Public Enterprises

President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has appointed Hassan Zareer as the Minister of Finance and Public Enterprises, following the resignation of former Finance Minister Moosa Zameer on Sunday morning.

Zareer, a seasoned finance and taxation professional with more than two decades of experience in public finance, revenue administration, corporate governance and financial management, takes over one of the government's most critical portfolios.

Prior to his appointment, Zareer served as Commissioner General of Taxation at the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA), where he led the country's tax administration and played a key role in strengthening revenue collection, tax compliance and institutional reforms. He also serves as Co-Chair of the Asia Initiative of the Global Forum on Tax Transparency under the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), representing the Maldives in international tax governance and transparency initiatives.

Throughout his career, Zareer has held several senior leadership positions in government institutions, state-owned enterprises and the private sector, building extensive expertise in taxation, public finance, compliance, financial governance and enterprise oversight.

During his tenure at MIRA, he previously served as Deputy Commissioner General of Taxation and Deputy Chairperson of the Authority's Board. He was closely involved in tax administration reforms, audit oversight, tax policy development, automation initiatives, licensing frameworks for tax professionals and negotiations relating to double taxation avoidance agreements.

His public sector experience also includes senior roles at the Ministry of Finance and Treasury, where he contributed to major public finance reform initiatives, including the implementation of public accounting systems, government cash management mechanisms, financial forecasting and the preparation of state accounts.

Zareer has also worked in the oversight of state-owned enterprises, having served as Assistant Director at the former Public Enterprises Monitoring and Evaluation Board, where he was involved in assessing SOE performance, reviewing budgets and advising on public enterprise governance.

In the private sector, he held senior executive positions at Villa Shipping and Trading Company Pvt Ltd, including Director of Finance, Group Shared Financial Services and Group Chief Compliance Officer. His responsibilities included financial management, project financing, risk management, compliance, taxation and strategic investment evaluation.

Widely recognised for his governance and leadership experience, Zareer has served on the boards of several major institutions, including Bank of Maldives Plc, Solarelle Insurance, Maldives Tourism Development Corporation, Maldives Post Limited, Maldives National Oil Company and State Electric Company Limited. He has also represented the Maldives in regional financial and development forums, including the SAARC Development Fund and the SAARC Financial Experts Group.

Zareer holds a Master of Science in Finance and a Bachelor of Accounting from the International Islamic University Malaysia. He is a Fellow Chartered Management Accountant and Chartered Global Management Accountant of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), United Kingdom, and a Certified Practising Accountant of CPA Australia.

His appointment brings extensive experience in fiscal management, taxation, financial governance and public enterprise oversight to the Ministry of Finance and Public Enterprises as the government continues its efforts to strengthen economic management and public sector performance.