Eng. Mohammed S. Bataineh

Chairman – The American Chamber of Commerce in Jordan

Chairman – AmCham MENA Regional Council

Jordan

Mohammed Bataineh holds a degree in Architecture from the

University of Texas.

After working with Bechtel Corporation and Jafar Tukan Architects

& Engineers in Amman, Mr. Bataineh founded his own company in 1982

and has been responsible for procuring, planning, managing and in

some cases executing a variety of projects including multipurpose

developments in the Middle East, the Far East and Europe.

In 1995 he led an international team of top developers and investors

and produced a master economic development plan for the Jordan Rift

Valley multi-modal industrial corridor from the Gulf of Aqaba to the

Dead Sea.

In 2000 Mr. Bataineh became part of a team assembled by order of His

Majesty King Abdullah II to come up with a vision and plan for

developing the Aqaba region. The plan formed the basis of the Aqaba

Special Economic Zone (ASEZ) - an integrated development project

adopted today.

Mr. Bataineh is a principal in the Yatagan Consortium which takes a lead

on projects focused on the critical nexus of sustainable food, energy,

and water in Jordan and the region.

As Chairman and CEO of AgriJordan, Mr. Bataineh headed the initiative

that aims to create a paradigm shift in the agricultural industry in Jordan

by pioneering the application of best practices that optimize water

consumption, achieve higher yields and higher exportable quality of

agriculture produce, and create local employment opportunities, using

multi-span greenhouses, net-houses and an on-site grading and packing

facilities. The company has started the roll-out phase forming strategic

partnerships and alliances with farmers to create the necessary shift in

the agricultural sector in Jordan.

Mr. Bataineh is a member of several business and professional

organizations and is a founding member and current Chairman of the

American Chamber of Commerce in Jordan, the Jordan Education for

Employment (EFE) and is the honorary Chairman for the Awj Autism

Center. He also previously served on several boards including Bank al

Etihad, and the Jordan Investment Commission.

Keynote Speaker

Mr. Tarek Tawfik

President - The American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt

Egypt

Tarek Tawfik has a direct responsibility overseeing the Land

Reclamation, Farming, Food Processing and Poultry divisions in the

Americana Group in Egypt and as such is the Vice Chairman and

Managing Director, International Company for Agricultural Production

& Processing; Chairman of the Cairo Poultry Group, and Chairman of

the Egyptian Co. for Starch & Glucose.

Tawfik is a board member of the Export Development Agency

(Ministry of Trade and Industry). He is a member of the board of the

General Authority for Investments and Free Zones (GAFI), a board

member of the Egyptian Countryside Development Company, and a

board member of Export Support Council.

He is also involved in numerous organizations and currently serves

as Vice Chairman of the Federation of Egyptian Industries, Vice

Chairman of the Egyptian Center for Economic Studies, Chairman of

the Egyptian Franchise Development Association (EFDA) and

Chairman of the Egyptian Dutch Business Club.

Tawfik is also a member of the Egypt-U.S. Business Council, the

Egyptian-Austrian Business Council, Egyptian Exporters Association,

German Chamber Advisory Board, the Egyptian Kuwaiti Business

Council, the American University in Cairo’s Business School Advisory

Board, and IRADA, a regulatory reform initiative.

Tawfik holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering - Cairo

University, a master’s of engineering from California Polytechnic

State University (Pomona), and an MBA degree from San Francisco

State University.

Keynote Speaker

Mr. Khush Choksy

Senior Vice President - Middle East and Turkey Affairs, U.S. Chamber of

Commerce

USA

Khush Choksy is senior vice president for Middle East and Turkey

Affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He directs the development

and implementation of policies and programs that promote U.S. trade

and investment with markets in the region. Choksy leads a team of

program and policy experts who work closely with Chamber member

companies and government leaders to broaden commercial

relationships between the United States and the Middle East region.

Previously, Choksy was the Chamber’s vice president for the Middle

East, where he expanded the membership of the U.S.-Egypt Business

Council, relaunched the U.S.-Bahrain Business Council, and

implemented a strategic plan to expand the Chamber’s scope and

impact in the region. He also served as Acting President of the U.S.-

India Business Council and played an important role in integrating this

Council into the U.S. Chamber.

He also worked in India where he oversaw pioneering U.S. government

and World Bank-funded efforts to help liberalize India’s economy. His

work in India led to policy reforms that enabled foreign companies to

invest in Indian firms through stronger capital markets and intellectual

property protection.

Choksy’s thought leadership includes presentations at international

forums on business reform and U.S. trade and financial sector

investment in emerging markets.

Choksy received his M.B.A. in strategic management from the

Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and his B.A., magna

cum laude, from Hamilton College. He lives with his wife and daughter

in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

Keynote Speaker

Ms. Sarah E. Kemp

Acting Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, U.S

Department of Commerce

USA

Sarah E. Kemp currently serves as the acting Deputy Under Secretary

for International Trade in Washington, D.C. In this role, she oversees

the daily operations of the International Trade Administration (ITA),

which has an annual budget of $483 million with approximately 2,100

trade and investment professionals—based in more than 100 U.S. cities

and 70 markets around the world. She previously served as the Deputy

Director General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service. In that

role, Sarah served as the chief operating officer of the U.S.

government’s premier export promotion agency, managing its domestic

and overseas trade offices.

Prior to that assignment, Sarah was the Minister Counselor for

Commercial Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, overseeing the U.S.

Department of Commerce’s trade promotion and trade policy activities

in its operations in Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenyang

and Wuhan. As Commercial Counselor, Sarah serves as a key adviser to

the Ambassador on commercial affairs, and as an exceptional

interlocutor for the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) with Chinese

trade entities. Advising U.S. CEOs --from Fortune 500 companies to

SMEs on China business strategy, she leads a team of 150 staff,

promoting U.S exports, industry standards and assisting with anti-

subsidy / countervailing duty cases, intellectual property protection, and

export controls.

Prior to Beijing, Ms. Kemp was Commercial Counselor for the U.S.

Commercial Service in Vietnam, Deputy Senior Commercial Officer at

the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, Deputy Chief Commercial Consul for the

U.S. Commercial Service’s operations in Hong Kong where she oversaw

the Macau portfolio. Her first overseas assignment was in Bangkok,

Thailand. Ms. Kemp joined the Department of Commerce in 1992 as a

Presidential Management Intern, and during her tenure in D.C. helped

draft the first National Export Strategy and focused on U.S.- ASEAN

trade promotion and policy. Previously, Ms. Kemp worked for the Center

for Chinese Legal Studies at Columbia Law School and the America-

China Society in New York.

Sarah received her Master of Business Administration degree from the

Chinese University of Hong Kong (2006), her Master of Public

Administration degree from Columbia University (1992), and her

Bachelor of Arts in Psychological Anthropology from Hamilton College

(1988).

Keynote Speaker

H.E. Eng. Mothanna Gharaibeh

Minister of Information and Communications Technology

Jordan

H.E. Eng. Mothanna Gharaibeh, Minister of Information

Telecommunication & Information Technology

Gharaibeh was the youngest business leader for Ericsson in the

country and in the region and one of the youngest globally,

where he headed Jordan’s offices of Ericsson international

company for communication systems and solutions, and has

overlooked several projects for digitization and communication

infrastructure. Gharaibeh is a member of Jordans’s Information

and Communications Technology Association int@J board of

directors, Adel Centre for Legal Aid board of directors, as well as

the board of directors of ”Jordan Progress” platform, he is also

a board member of Justice Center for Legal Aid (JCLA), and

Tajalla for Music and Arts Advisory and in Jordan progress

platform.

Gharaibeh has completed several programs in international

universities including Harvard and Aspen Institute. He is now

the minister of Ministry of Telecommunication and Information

Technology. He graduated from Yarmouk University in 2003

with a degree in telecommunication engineering.

Keynote Speaker

Session1:

Business Environment:

Keys to Unlocking the Potential of MENA Marketplace

H.E. Mr. Marwan Jumaa

Chairman – Oasis 500

Jordan

Marwan Juma is the founder and Chairman of the Board of Kinz for

Information Technology, the country’s leading corporate data provider

and dot.jo, one of Jordan’s top web application providers. Juma also

served as the country’s Minister of Information of Communications and

Information Technology from Dec 2009 till Feb 2011. Prior to his

government service, Juma was the Chief Executive Officer of Xpress

Telecommunications, one of Jordan’s leading mobile operators. Prior to

his tenure at Xpress, Juma was the Chief Executive Officer of Batelco

Jordan, the country’s second fixed line operator and a leading data

communication provider.

Today Juma chairs Oasis500, the region’s leading IT fund and accelerator, as well Urdon Shop,

specializing in the promotion of local heritage products. In addition, Juma serves on several boards

including King Abdullah II Fund for Development, King Abdullah II Center for Excellence, the Jordan

Education Initiative, JEI, Princess Sumaya University for Technology, the recently established public

broadcast TV station, Capital Investments and Jordan International Insurance. In addition, Juma

serves on the board of DAI, a US firm working in the global development arena.

Juma also served on the “National Agenda’s” Royal Steering Committee entrusted with developing

the country’s ten-year strategy for the years 2006 to 2015. In addition, he is a founding contributor

to Jordan’s national initiative for establishing Jordan’s IT Industry, known as the “REACH Initiative”.

The REACH Initiative is a five-year action plan to advance Jordan’s nascent IT sector, and strengthen

its position to compete in local, regional, and global markets.

Holder of a Masters in Management from North Carolina State University, and two Bachelor degrees

in Business Management and Economics from the same school, Marwan has been an active player in

Jordan’s Information Technology sector since 1990. Upon completing his studies, he joined Ideal

Group, (the Apple Computer and Compaq distributor in Jordan), and moved up the ranks to become

Vice President. In 1995, he took over as the General Manager of NETS, Jordan’s first email and

second Internet Service Provider. Six years later, NETS, and a second data provider, Firstnet, and

Bahrain Telecom, a regional leading telecom provider completed the first IT merger in Jordan and

formed Batelco Jordan.

Moderator

H.E. Mr. Karim Kawar

President – Kawar Group

Jordan

H.E. Karim Kawar is the president of Kawar Group,

entrepreneur, former diplomat and angel investor. Served as

Jordan’s Ambassador to the US 2002-2007. Chairman of

IrisGuard, Kawar Energy, Shams Ma’an and NatHealth. Serves

as a director of the Jordan Ahli Bank, United Insurance, Jordan

Wood Industries Company (JWICO) and Optimiza. Founder of

ten companies in the field of information and communication

technologies (ICT). Co-founder and director of Oasis500.

Currently leads REACH 2025 initiative to build Jordan’s digital

economy. The architect of the REACH Initiative, Jordan’s

blueprint for a knowledge economy, Founder and Chairman of

the Information Technology Association of Jordan, Former

President of the Jordan Computer Society, founding member of

several business associations and NGOs, including AmCham and

the Jordan Intellectual Property Association.

H.E. is the founding chairman of EDAMA for energy, water and environment. Led the EDAMA

Initiative: Jordan’s blueprint for a green economy.

Appointed by Royal Decree to the Economic Consultative Council by His Majesty King Abdullah II.

Former chairman of the board of trustees of King’s Academy, former trustee of the King Abdullah II

Fund for Development, Jordan River Foundation, headed by Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah,

the American University of Madaba and Princess Summaya University for Technology.

Ambassador Kawar is a Member of the Global Agenda Council; Young Global Leader; Global Leader

for Tomorrow of the World Economic Forum; Eisenhower Fellow; Member of the World Presidents’

Organization (YPO/WPO); Co-founder and President of Bridges of Understanding Foundation.

Graduated from Boston College in 1987 with a BSc in Management, Finance and Computer Science.

Speaker

Mr. Nasser Al Osabia

Managing Partner - Global Advocacy & Legal Counsel

UAE

Nasser Al Osaiba is the Managing Partner of the Abu Dhabi office of Global

Advocacy and Legal Counsel. Practicing for over 20 years, Nasser has

extensive experience in advising clients on banking and finance related

matters and dispute resolution in the United Arab Emirates.

Nasser received his Shari’ah and Law degree from the School of Law at the

UAE University in Al Ain in 1998 and an LLM in Commercial Law from

Melbourne University, Australia in 2011. He previously served as Head of

the Legal Department of the National Bank of Umm Al Qwain and is

experienced in advising clients on all legal aspects of banking, Islamic

finance, project finance, UAE debt capital markets and international

lending transactions.

Nasser’s clients include local, regional and international banks, developers, government institutions

and private entities. An experienced litigator, Nasser is licensed to appear before all courts of the

UAE, including the Federal Supreme Court and the DIFC Courts and advises on a wide range of

disputes. He has particular expertise in the field of construction – acting in disputes as well as

advising clients on tender and project documentation and drafting and reviewing contracts.

Nasser sits on the Board of Directors and is the Co-Chair of the Legal Affairs Committee of the

American Business Group of Abu Dhabi (AmCham) and serves as a board member and treasurer of

the Emirates Human Rights Association. He is also a member of the Umm Al Qwain Rent Dispute

Committee and heads the partnership team for the UAE Lawyers Association.

Nasser has published a number of articles and provides legal commentary and opinions in

newspapers and magazines. He is regularly invited to speak as an expert at conferences and

contribute to panel discussions.

Speaker

Mr. Fares Ghandour

Partner - Wamda Capital

Jordan

Ms. Maha Bahou

CEO – JO-PACC

Jordan

Maha Bahou has been Executive Manager of the Payment Systems,

Domestic Banking Operations and Financial Inclusion Department of

the Central Bank of Jordan since July 2011. Overall she has been

with the Jordanian Central Bank for 30 years, working in different

positions. She gained most of her experience in the Treasury

Department at the Central Bank of Jordan.

She holds a master degree in Banking and Finance, and a bachelor

degree in Economics and Business Administration.

In 2010/2011 Ms. Bahou spent one year as a senior consultant at Philadelphia Consulting Group in

Libya. She also has experience as lecturer at the University of Jordan and as trainer in cooperation

with Philadelphia Consulting, the Institute of Banking Studies, the Central Bank of Jordan and

different NGO’s. She holds a leadership and strategic management certificate from The Royal Military

Academy of Sandhurst,

UK. In addition, Ms. Bahou is a certified mentor by the King Abdullah Centre for Excellence Award,

a certified assessor by the European Foundation for Quality Management, and she has been awarded

by King Abdullah II as the Distinguished Government Leader for the year 2016.

In March 2014, Ms. Bahou joined the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Digital Financial Services

(DFS) Platform Enablers group in support of financial inclusion for the poor, with a purpose to shape

the delivery of effective digital financial services through a robust, open and low cost platform.

In 2016, she completed the “Leadership in Financial Inclusion” one-year program from Fletcher

School- Tufts University – Boston. In 2017, Ms. Bahou became a board member at CGAP-

Consultative Group for Assisting the Poor/ The World Bank Washington D.C

In 2018, she became a board member at Karandaaz Pakistan June 3rd, 2018 she became the CEO

of Jo-PACC/ Jordan Payments & Clearing Company to operate, and develop Digital Financial Services

in the Kingdom of Jordan.

Ms. Bahou is a strong believer that FinTech is a main driver for Digital Financial Inclusion and

Sustainable Development.

Speaker

Dr. Ayman Ismail

Founding Director of the AUC Venture Lab

Egypt

Dr. Ayman Ismail Ayman Ismail is the Jameel Endowed Chair of

Entrepreneurship at the American University in Cairo School of Business

and the Founding Director of the AUC Venture Lab. He received his PhD

in International Economic Development from

MIT. Previously he was a consultant with McKinsey & Company's

Business Technology Office in New York, a research fellow at Harvard

Kennedy School, and a co-founder and Managing Partner at Enovio

Consulting. He is a World Economic Forum (WEF) Young Global Leader

(YGL); a cofounder, angel investor and board member in several fast-

growing startups in FinTech, microfinance, logistics and digital media

Mr. Rami Al-Qawasmi

Founder and CEO - Mawdoo3.com Ltd

Jordan

Rami Al-Qawasmi, founder and CEO of Mawdoo3.com Ltd, the biggest

website in the world that provides digital content in the Arabic Language.

Rami holds a bachelor`s degree in Economics from Sussex University in

the United Kingdom, returned to Jordan after graduation to start his

business journey.

Rami has professional negotiation skills, and a well-demonstrated history

of working in the internal industry, established many different businesses,

in his 29 years, he has developed over 10 startups, by starting the business

or running a seed business. Fond of sport and outdoor activities, and shows

a big interest in all business and internet related ventures.

Speaker

Speaker

Session2:

Innovating Finance: Global Strategies Tailored to MENA’s Startup Community

Mr. Sharief Fahmy

Managing Partner - Burgeon Ventures LLC

UAE

Sharief Fahmy is a U.S. citizen, born in Troy, New York and raised in

Cedar Falls, Iowa. He has lived in Abu Dhabi since 2008. Sharief

currently serves as CEO of Middle East General Enterprises (MGE), a

Private Holding Company that provides business and investment

solutions to the international business community in an array of

specialties including Logistics, Services, Oil and Gas, Healthcare,

Aerospace and Defense.

Prior to joining MGE, Sharief was CEO of Fairs & Exhibitions (F&E),

one of the world’s most accomplished event organizers delivering

world-class products, including the internationally - acclaimed Dubai

Airshow. Retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel, Sharief completed with

honors a 23-year public service career, where he served in the U.S.

Government on U.S. Air Force Base Level tours, Joint Strategic Level

tours at the Pentagon, the White House, Presidential Airlift “Air Force

One,” U.S. Central Command, and lastly as a diplomat at the U.S.

Embassy Abu Dhabi.

Sharief holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Maryland, a Master’s in Public

Administration from Troy State University and a Master’s in Human Resource Management from

National Louis University. An active member of AmCham Abu Dhabi for nine years, has served as

Chairman the past year. Sharief also leads the U.S.-U.A.E. Public Affairs Committee.

Moderator

H.E. Mr. Ziad Fariz

Governor - Central Bank of Jordan

Jordan

By Royal Decree, H.E. Dr. Ziad Fariz was appointed as Governor of

the Central Bank of Jordan on January 10th, 2012. Prior to that, H.E.

Dr. Fariz held the position of Chairman of First Investment Group.

Between August 2007 and February 2009, H.E. held the position of

Chairman of the Board of Capital Bank, and served as Deputy Prime

Minister and Minister of Finance during the period from November

28th, 2005 until September 2nd, 2007. Between 2001 and November

27th, 2005, H.E. was Chief Executive Officer of the Arab Banking

Corporation in Jordan. Prior to that, he served as Governor of the

Central Bank of Jordan between 1996 until the end of the year 2000.

In 1995, H.E. worked on establishing the Capital Bank, where he later

became Chairman of its Board of Directors.

Previously, he served as Minister of Planning and International Cooperation from June 20th, 1991

until June 8th, 1994 and during the period December 6th, 1989 until June 20th, 1991 he was

appointed as Minister of Industry and Trade. In 1984, he was appointed as Secretary General of the

Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation until April 1989, when he was appointed as

Minister until December 6th, 1989. H.E. started his professional career at the Central Bank of Jordan

in 1966 as an Economic Researcher at the External Trade Division of the Research Department.

After completing his Ph.D. in 1978, he rejoined the Central Bank of Jordan as an Economic

Consultant and then as an Executive Director for both the Research and the Investment and Foreign

Operations Departments. H.E. Dr. Fariz holds a Ph.D. degree in Economics from Keele University,

UK and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Baghdad, Iraq. He is also a Member of the board

of various educational, cultural and banking institutions.

Speaker

Mr. Amr El Abd

CEO – Egypt Ventures

Egypt

Amr El Abd has more than 16 years of experience as an entrepreneur

and director of fast growth companies. His fields of experience span new

venture creation, business development, investment, training and

consultancy, and startup acceleration. Mr. El Abd has co-founded and

held senior managerial positions with several ventures ranging from

technology, logistics, training and consultancy, to venture capital

investments.

Mr. El Abd founded Entrepreneurs Business Forum-Egypt (EBF), the first NGO to support and

empower entrepreneurs in Egypt in 2004 and has been an active member of the entrepreneurship

ecosystem since then. He has developed many programs for entrepreneurship policy requirement

working on creating a supportive environment for new venture creation. Mr. El Abd has a BSc in

Economics from Georgetown University, USA

Speaker

Mr. Mohab Murrar

General Manager - Innovative Startups & SMEs Fund

Jordan

In the past 20+ years, Mohab held several entrepreneurial and executive

positions at startups and leading national and international companies in

the US, Jordan and MENA. While in the US, his focus and passion for tech

& consulting enabled him to work with several leading organizations

including America Online, Tetra Tech, Inc. and Booz Allen & Hamilton.

After returning to Jordan, Mohab established and launched multiple tech

startups in Jordan and the MENA region, led organizations in the software

development, outsourcing, technology and consulting fields, and formed

partnerships and collaborations with leading multinational corporations.

Moreover, Mohab has launched, worked with and managed startups

through all stages of entrepreneurship from starting and launching

companies, growing teams, designing and building products and

services, expanding regionally and internationally, to spinoffs,

acquisitions and exits.

Mohab’s experience spans industries as diverse as banking, insurance, government, education, real

estate, environmental, manufacturing, information and communication technologies.

Throughout his career, Mohab also worked with global venture capital and private equity firms to

raise capital for various companies and projects in the technology, manufacturing, real estate and

education sectors.

Prior to joining the Innovative Startups & SMEs Fund as its CEO, Mohab was CEO of the King Hussein

Business Park then managing partner with a US venture capital firm.

Mohab holds an MBA and a Master of Science in Technology Management and is a George Mason

University Alumni.

Speaker

Mr. Emile Cubeisy

Managing Partner - Badia Impact Fund

Jordan

Emile Cubeisy is Managing Partner of Badia Impact Fund, Silicon

Badia’s Venture Capital fund dedicated to investment in early-

stage start-ups in the technology sector, with a geographic focus

on Jordan and the Middle East that provides support, networks,

and capital for entrepreneurs to achieve global impact. Actively

engaged in developing the Jordanian ecosystem, Emile was

selected as a member of the Young Global Leaders by the World

Economic Forum in 2006.

He is a Fellow of the Middle East Leadership Initiative of the

Aspen Institute and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership

Network. He graduated from the University of Southern

California and completed the Senior Executive Program at the

Harvard Business School.

Speaker

Session 3:

How to Build a Resilient Business in the MENA Region

H.E. Mr. Fareedon Hartoqa

Secretary General of Jordan Investment Commission

Jordan

Mr. Fareedon Hartoqa is currently the Secretary General of Jordan

Investment Commission, the government entity responsible for

investment promotion and export development.

Prior to this, Mr. Hartoqa worked with USAID funded project Jordan

Competitiveness Program (JCP) as Export Development Manager for the

ICT sector, helping Jordanian ICT companies find new export markets and

new partners.

From 2004 to 2015, Mr. Hartoqa worked with U.S. Commercial Service at

the American Embassy in Amman, Jordan. He was responsible for

enhancing bilateral trade and business relationships between Jordan and

the U.S. He also worked for two years in the same position at the U.S.

Consulate in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.

Mr. Hartoqa also worked in Ahli Commercial Bank for two years in the departments of Marketing &

Customer Service and Retail Credit, and then he joined Insurance Company is Saudi Arabia as

Marketing Executive for two years.

Mr. Hartoqa graduated from Jordan University and holds B.A. in Political Science & Economics, and

M.A. in Political Science; he is fluent in Arabic & English.

Moderator

Mr. Rasem Kamal

Founder and Managing Partner - Kamal & Associates Attorneys and Counselors

at Law

Palestine

Rasem Kamal is the managing partner of Kamal & Associates - Attorneys

and Counselors-at-Law (Kamal & Associates). Since he founded the law

office in 2007, Mr. Kamal has been the leading attorney at Kamal &

Associates, and has been providing legal services to dozens of Palestinian,

regional and international clients coming from government agencies, the

private sector, civil society organizations, donor-funded projects, as well as

private individuals.

Mr. Kamal has also co-authored and participated in the drafting (as well as

advocacy) efforts of numerous other laws and by-laws in Palestine,

including, among others, Palestinian Telecom Regulatory Commission Law

(2009), Competition Draft Law (2009), Companies Law Draft Amendment

(2008), Microfinance Companies Licensing Draft Regulations (2008),

Consumer Protection Draft By-laws (2009), Commercial Agents Law

Amendment (2009).

Before starting his own law office, Mr. Kamal worked for the Palestine Investment Fund as a Program

Manager (2006-2007). Between 2003-2006, Mr. Kamal worked for the United States Agency for

International Development (USAID) West Bank and Gaza Mission, during which he managed and led

USAID’s rule of law portfolio in the West Bank and Gaza. Mr. Kamal was the lead specialist within

USAID on U.S. Government assistance to the Palestinian judiciary, public prosecution, Ministry of

Justice, as well as the informal justice sector.

Mr. Kamal is a holder of a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the Northwestern

University in Chicago (2016), a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree from the University of San Francisco

in California, U.S. (where he was enrolled in his graduate studies as a Fulbright Scholar) (2000), as

well as a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree from the University of Jordan in Amman (1998). He also

teaches law at Birzeit University School of Law between (2017 – present); (2007-2009). Mr. Kamal

is also an accredited legal translator by the Ministry of Justice. Since 2015, he has been serving as

a member of the BOD of the Palestinian Deposit Insurance Corporation (PDIC).

Speaker

Dr. Hiba Zarouor

Head of Intellectual Property Department - Hikmah Pharmaceuticals

Jordan

Hiba Zarour is the Head of Intellectual Property Department for Hikma

Group of companies. Hikma is a multinational Pharmaceutical company.

Hiba holds a BSc. degree in Pharmacy from the University of Jordan, a

Master of Law in Intellectual Property and a Juris Doctor degree from

Franklin Pierce Law Center, one of the top ten Intellectual Property schools

in the United States where she graduated Magna Cum Laude (with high

honors). Hiba is licensed to practice law in the US. She is a member of the

New York Bar and the Massachusetts Bar associations in addition to the

Jordanian Pharmaceutical Association. Hiba is also certified in “Executing

Strategy in Strategy Focused Organizations using the Balanced Scorecard”.

Before leaving to the United States to obtain her post graduate degrees;

Hiba held a number of managerial positions in the Marketing and

Regulatory Affairs departments at Hikma Pharmaceuticals, Jordan. In

2005, upon obtaining her legal degree and successfully passing the Bar

exams, Hiba rejoined Hikma at the corporate level to become Hikma’s

Intellectual Property Counsel. In 2009, Hiba became responsible for the

corporate contracts for the US and EU jurisdictions, in addition to her job

as head of the intellectual property department at Hikma Pharmaceuticals,

PLC.

Hiba is active in the area of Intellectual Property; she is a member of a

special advocacy group for intellectual property at the Jordanian

Association of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and a member of the Trade

Committee of the International Generic and Biosimilars Pharmaceutical

Association (IGBA). She participates as a speaker on intellectual property

in many conferences locally and abroad.

From October 2016- February 2018, in addition to her job at the

Intellectual Property Department Hiba was also asked to head Hikma R&D

on an interim basis. Her main task was to restructure the department to

prepare Hikma for the challenges of innovation and the changing world of

pharmaceuticals.

Speaker

Mr. Ibrahim Faza

Project Director - ShamalStart

Jordan

Ibrahim Faza is entrepreneur, fund manager and technical expert with 20

years’ international experience of conceptualizing ideas, seizing

opportunities, leading successful business and entrepreneurship

initiatives.

Currently, he is managing an EU funded, Euro 6M project to support

Innovation and Entrepreneurship in north of Jordan (ShamalStart).

Previously he was the founding Manager of Seed Fund program at King

Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST), where he managed

an annual $ 2M investment aiming to help moving innovative ideas from

KAUST labs toward market.

Earlier Mr. Faza joined DAMAMAX group as Technology Manager. Prior to

that, Mr. Faza served as Technical Manager at Huawei and as a Sales

Engineer at Siemens AG. Ibrahim founded and led two startups in the field

of mobile payment and social news in Jordan and UAE

Dr. Mohammad Al-Jafari

Managing Director, Intellectual Property Commercialization Office (IPCO), iPark

Jordan

I am an experienced professional with more than 15 years of

experience in innovation, commercialization, strategy, investment,

corporate finance, and research.

I have experienced the entire lifecycle of enterprise and academic

innovation and commercialization, and have played a hands-on role in

all stages of corporate development including conceptualization,

development, prototyping, business/financial modeling, IP protection,

incorporation, technology investment, capital calls,

commercialization, and unlocking value.

Speaker

Speaker

Session 4:

Policies and Strategies that Encourage Spinouts: The US Model

Mr. Peter C. Mehravari

IP Attaché for the Middle East and North Africa, U.S. Embassy - Kuwait, U.S.

Department of Commerce

Peter Mehravari serves as the U.S. intellectual property (IP) attaché

for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Based in

Kuwait, Mr. Mehravari works as the principal officer within U.S.

embassies and consulates throughout the region on matters related

to the protection and enforcement of IP rights. His duties include

assisting U.S. companies doing business in the region; advocating

for effective IP policies; advising ambassadors, embassy staff, and

other U.S. government officials on foreign governments’ IP

practices; educating foreign government officials, students,

entrepreneurs, and business representatives on IP matters; and

conducting public awareness programs.

Mr. Mehravari was previously a patent attorney in the USPTO’s Office of Policy and International

Affairs (OPIA), where he advised the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and

Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on domestic and international IP issues, including

treaty obligations. As a member of the office’s Patent Team, he helped formulate U.S. domestic and

international policy regarding protection and enforcement of IP, consulted with foreign governments

and U. S. government agencies on IP laws and legal regimes, and led technical assistance and

capacity-building programs and conferences with foreign governments seeking to develop or improve

their IP laws and regulations. Some of Mr. Mehravari’s work included advising foreign governments

on IP office best practices, developing IP policy for emerging technologies, advising on U.S. IP

legislative reforms, enhancing patent quality and decreasing patent backlogs in foreign IP offices,

and assisting efforts to establish and lead the ID5 (the Industrial Design Forum).

Mr. Mehravari holds a B.S. in electrical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a

J.D. from Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School.

Moderator

The Honorable Charles Frank Bolden Jr. (USMC-Ret.)

Department of State’s Science Envoy for Space

USA

Recently retired from service as the 12th Administrator of the National

Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). At NASA, Bolden oversaw

the safe transition from 30 years of Space Shuttle missions to a new era

of exploration focused on full utilization of the International Space Station

and space and aeronautics technology development.

As a Science Envoy for Space, Gen. Bolden will promote American

leadership in space exploration and emphasize the importance of

commercial opportunities.

At NASA, Bolden led the agency in developing a Space Launch System

rocket and Orion spacecraft that will carry astronauts to deep space

destinations, such as an asteroid and Mars. He also established a new

Space Technology Mission Directorate to develop cutting-edge

technologies for the missions of tomorrow. During Bolden's tenure, the

agency's support of commercial space transportation systems for reaching

Low-Earth orbit have enabled successful commercial cargo resupply of the

space station and significant progress toward returning the capability for

American companies to launch astronauts from American soil by 2017.

Bolden has also supported NASA's contributions toward development of

developing cleaner, faster, and quieter airplanes. The agency's dynamic

science activities under Bolden include an unprecedented landing on Mars

with the Curiosity rover, launch of a spacecraft to Jupiter, enhancing the

nation's fleet of Earth-observing satellites, and continued progress toward

the 2018 launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, the successor to

the Hubble Space Telescope.

Bolden's 34-year career with the Marine Corps also included 14 years as

a member of NASA's Astronaut Office. After joining the office in 1980, he

traveled to orbit four times aboard the space shuttle between 1986 and

1994, commanding two of the missions and piloting two others. His flights

included deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope and the first joint

U.S.-Russian shuttle mission, which featured a cosmonaut as a member

of his crew.

Prior to his nomination as NASA administrator, Bolden was Chief Executive

Officer of JACK and PANTHER LLC, a small business enterprise providing

leadership, military, and aerospace consulting, as well as motivational

speaking.

Born Aug. 19, 1946, in Columbia, S.C., Bolden graduated from C. A.

Johnson High School in 1964 and received an appointment to the U.S.

Naval Academy. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical

science in 1968 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the

Marine Corps. After completing flight training in 1970, he became a Naval

Aviator. Bolden flew more than 100 combat missions in North and South

Speaker

Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, while stationed in Namphong, Thailand

between 1972 - 1973.

Bolden earned a Master of Science degree in systems management from

the University of Southern California in 1977. In 1978, he was assigned

to the Naval Test Pilot School at Patuxent River, Md., and completed his

training in 1979. While working at the Naval Air Test Center's Systems

Engineering and Strike Aircraft Test Directorates, he tested a variety of

ground attack aircraft until his selection as an astronaut candidate in

1980.

Ms. Nour G. Jarrar

CEO – Citibank N.A. Jordan

Jordan

Nour Jarrar is the CEO of Citi Jordan since January 2018. She is an

experienced banker with substantial experience across Corporate

Banking, Trade Finance, Structured and Corporate Finance,

Strategic Development and Planning and Financial Institutions

Management.

Nour joined Citi from Bank ABC in Jordan where she was most

recently Head of the Wholesale Banking Group. Her career with

Bank ABC dates back to 2006, and during that time she has held a

number of increasingly senior positions including Head of Global

Trade Finance for MENA. Prior to joining Bank ABC, she worked in

the Economic Development Division of the Royal Hashemite Court

in Jordan and in Jordan’s Housing Bank for Trade Finance.

Nour has an MA in Finance and Investment from the University of

Nottingham in the UK and a BA in Finance from the University of

Jordan.

Nour is a member of the board of directors of Association of Banks

in Jordan and a board member in the American Chamber of

Commerce in Jordan

Speaker

Mr. Hussein Malhas

Country Manager – Microsoft Jordan PSC

Jordan

Very dynamic leader, entrepreneurial business development &

operational management strategist with 15+ year record of

achievement and demonstrated success driving multimillion-dollar

business growth in highly competitive Telecommunication market.

With an Engineering background, profound expertise on Telecom

Operators businesses including GSM, Broadband and VOIP, Cloud

computing, Channels and distribution processes, focused &

tenacious in building new business, securing customer loyalty and

forging strong relationships with external business stakeholders

and internal employees. Major Achievements conducted where in

Mobilecom (orange), Zain, and Umniah (Batelco) including parallel

initiatives.

Previously he was the general manager of Abu Khader Automotive

and director of Sales and Customer Care at Zain. Malhas has a

bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering, University of

Toledo.

Mr. Hashem El-Dandarawy

Chairman – Team4Security, Egypt

Member of AmCham Egypt Board

Hashem El Dandarawy is a businessman whose mission is to advance

innovation in Egypt’s security sector. El Dandarawy is the founder of

TEAM 4, a security company active in Egypt and across the region.

TEAM 4 started off as a service provider focused on specialized K-9

services. It has since augmented its service range by launching a full

suite of security services.

TEAM 4 is operating from the UAE, England, the Czech Republic and

the Netherlands, addressing security challenges through Cyber,

Biometrics and Physical Security Solutions.

El Dandarawy studied business and international commercial law at

the American University in Cairo (AUC) and at the Sorbonne, and holds

a bachelor’s degree in business administration from AUC.

Speaker

Speaker

El Dandarawy continues to support his alma mater by serving as a

member of the Board of the School of Continuing Education.

Beyond advancing Egypt’s security sector and developing a canine-

based security center of excellence, El Dandarawy’s personal mission

is the social and cultural development of Upper Egypt. He established

the NGO Dandara Cultural Centers, an organization that comprises 64

centers across Upper Egypt, serving 350,000 members by improving

access to education and fostering women’s empowerment. He has

been the elected Head of Upper Egypt’s Tribal Dispute Council for

years and is a board member of the American Chamber of Commerce

in Egypt.

Session 5:

ICT Innovation for SMEs

H.E. Eng. Mothanna Gharaibeh

Minister of Information and Communications Technology

Jordan

H.E. Eng. Mothanna Gharaibeh

Minister of Information Telecommunication & Information

Technology

Gharaibeh was the youngest business leader for Ericsson in the

country and in the region and one of the youngest globally,

where he headed Jordan’s offices of Ericsson international

company for communication systems and solutions, and has

overlooked several projects for digitization and communication

infrastructure. Gharaibeh is a member of Jordans’s Information

and Communications Technology Association int@J board of

directors, Adel Centre for Legal Aid board of directors, as well

as the board of directors of ” Jordan Progress ” platform, he is

also a board member of Justice Center for Legal Aid (JCLA), and

Tajalla for Music and Arts Advisory and in Jordan progress

platform.

Gharaibeh has completed several programs in international

universities including Harvard and Aspen Institute. He is now

the minister of Ministry of Telecommunication and Information

Technology. He graduated from Yarmouk University in 2003

with a degree in telecommunication engineering.

Moderator

Dr. Sherif Kamel

Dean, School of Business – The American University in Cairo

Egypt

Sherif Kamel is professor of management and dean of the school of

business at The American University in Cairo. He served as senior advisor

for strategic planning to the president of the university (2017) and vice

president of the university for information management (2016). During

his first spell as dean (2009-2014), the school achieved triple crown

accreditation, introduced the Executive MBA, the master of science in

finance, established the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and

the university accelerator; the Venture Lab. He helped raise close to 10

million US dollars in gifts, scholarships and sponsorships. He was

associate dean for executive education (2008-2009) and director of

executive education (2002-2008).

Before joining the university, he led the training and professional development institute of the

Cabinet of Egypt Information and Decision Support Center (1989-1992) and the Regional

Information Technology Institute (1992-2001). Kamel is an Eisenhower Fellow. He is a board

member of the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt and the Egypt U.S. Business Council. He

was a board member of the Egyptian American Enterprise Fund (2013-2016), the World Bank

Knowledge Advisory Commission (2012-2014) and a founding member of the Internet Society of

Egypt (1996).

Speaker

Mr. Danny Tawil

Founder & CEO – Vynets

Lebanon

Danny Tawil, Founder and CEO of Vynets; a software development house

utilizing virtual reality technology for developing business applications.

Mr. Tawil holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering from the

University of Central Florida, and a Master’s Degree in Business

Administration from the University of North Carolina. He also completed

several executive education programs in the US, most notably in Change

Management at Harvard University, in Strategic Management at Stanford

University, in Strategic Innovation Management at MIT, and in Strategic

Sales Management at University of Chicago

Mr. Tawil’s is currently leading the work at Vynets by deploying innovative virtual reality business

applications to transform business models and work processes; enabling customers to positively

drive business performance and disrupt competition while creating a sustainable competitive

advantage. Mr. Tawil is also a professor at American University of Beirut (AUB), coaching his MBA

students on the strategic topic of Digital Transformation, while in parallel mentoring a group of MBA

students at Ecole Superieure Des Affaires (ESA) as part of the International Consultancy Project

(ICP) that is an integral part of the pedagogical dynamic of the program.

Mr. Tawil’s previous work experience at FINE Hygienic Holding as Group Chief Operating Officer

(COO) involved overseeing full P&L responsibility for the $700 Million Tissue organization with 4,200

employees across the entire MENA region; providing dynamic, focused and decisive leadership

within emerging and competitive markets. Mr. Tawil main strengths are his strategic thinking

coupled with a competitive mindset that enables him to identify opportunities within the challenging

MENA’s external environment and moves fast to translate them into sustainable growth, while his

main achievement has been his development of human resources, which is the main driver for his

career growth from an operations engineer back in 1995 to the current position of CEO.

Mr. Tawil established the “Resilience Middle East” association in 2012 helping people in dealing with

personal losses and how to bounce back from such situations to become stronger. He is also a

member of the Virtual Reality Augmented Reality Association, and a member of the American

Lebanese Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Tawil enjoys sports; he was on the Junior Tennis Davis Cup

team for Lebanon in 1988-89, and continues to practice the game along with hiking, swimming and

skiing.

Speaker

Ms. Soumaya El Sherbini

Co-Founder – RIGHTFOOT

Egypt

Somaya El Sherbini has spent the last 12+ years as a Human Resource

Practitioner. She started her HR career at Microsoft, working with

different teams, organizations and geographies in Egypt, regionally

(specifically in Saudi Arabia) and then at an area level (focusing on the

Middle East and Africa). El Sherbini spent her 18-year tenure at

Microsoft focused on employer branding, next-generation talent

programs and talent management. El Sherbini found her passion in

focusing on developing these skills and capabilities. Her exciting work

involved learning about, being a part of and helping build organizations

from within, as well as building their brand as an employer of choice in

the different Middle East and Africa markets.

Most recently, El Sherbini founded a company, namely RightFoot, which

focuses on leveraging technology-based solutions and services that

enable human resources to be more impactful and insightful.

El Sherbini is the chair of the Human Resources Committee of AmCham

Egypt. She majored in business administration and accounting, and is

a Myers-Brigg certified practitioner, a certified trainer and a certified

professional human resources and compensation professional from the

U.S. Institute of HR Management.

Speaker

Ms. Sarah AlMousa

Co–Founder – Robotack

Jordan

Sarah Holds a bachelor degree of Electrical/Communication

Engineering from the University of Jordan (2013). Currently she

works as a Product Manager for an e-commerce company and she

is the Co-founder of Robotack (2016); She has 5 years of experience

working in product management in telecom and e-commerce

sectors.

Sarah and her company Robotack won a place in the MWC

entrepreneurship contest by Zain Jordan (2017) and participated in

the Jordanian pavilion. Robotack is an IT and a digital marketing

solution provider that has many big references in Jordan in banking,

telecom, and airlines sectors.

Sarah is also an entrepreneurship and marketing consultant that

works as a part time for Amman Arab University.

Mr. Ali Hajjaj

CEO - Labiba for Artificial Intelligence

Jordan

Ali Hajjaj has over 18 years of diversified experience in the

technology sector with a track record of founding and managing

successful tech companies. Started his career in 2000, where he

founded Imagine Technologies, a digital transformation agency

serving major governmental entities and leading brands in Jordan

and UAE. In 2010, Ali founded Karasi.com and grew it to become

the largest ticketing company in Jordan, and in 2014 he created

Engage master, the first SaaS marketing automation platform in the

region.

Ali's current focus is Artificial Intelligence through his most recent

startup Labiba.ai, an artificial intelligence company leading the new

era of human-to-machine communication by creating virtual agents

that are able to make conversations with customers to provide

marketing and customer service for enterprises, Labiba.ai is

currently serving customers in Jordan, Saudi Arabia and United Arab

Emirates.

Speaker

Speaker

Mr. Raafat Al Saifi

CEO - SignCom

Jordan

Mr. Al Saifi holds a Masters of Business Administration in Marketing

and has over 25 years of experience in Crises Management,

Marketing and Sales and Strategic Business Development. He held

many senior managerial positions in Consulting Firms, Banks,

Insurance and Travel & Tourism companies in Jordan, Saudi Arabia,

Lebanon and Bahrain and was involved in establishing various start-

up companies in Jordan and the MENA Region.

Currently, Mr. Al Saifi is the Chief Executive Officer / Partner of

Lahen Trading Co. – Jordan/SignCom.

SignCom is the First Jordanian Company in the Arab World

specialized in offering Instant Sign Language Translation Services

via Internet Video Relay Services.

Mr. Otha Mabry

Security Consultant Systems Engineer - Threat Intelligence Research and

Security Architecture, Cisco Systems

USA

Otha Mabry is a Security Consultant Systems Engineer for Cisco Systems,

specializing in cybersecurity architectures to defend against ransomware,

“fileless” malware, and Zero Day attacks. With over 20 years’ experience

in the IT field, working in multiple industries ranging from education,

healthcare, manufacturing, and telecommunication; he has an extensive

background in securing Cisco Infrastructures and Security Best Practices.

In addition to consulting at Fortune 500 companies on mitigating security

breaches, Otha Mabry lectures nationally at conferences on emerging

attack trends. He graduated from the University of Tennessee at Martin

and attended law school at the University of Memphis until he decided to

pursue a career in the IT Industry acquiring his MS in Information Systems

from DePaul University. Otha has been an adjunct faculty member teaching

Cisco, Linux, Ethical Hacking, and Computer forensic courses.

Speaker

Speaker

Session 6:

Reshaping the Business of Financial Services

Ms. Iman Mutlaq

Founder - Ingot Coin

Jordan

Iman Mutlaq is a lifelong financial expert, entrepreneur, social activist,

humanitarian, and visionary leader. She is the founder of INGOT Group,

a consortium of multinational companies operating across six

continents in a spectrum of industries ranging from finance,

consultancy and commodities to e-commerce, women empowerment

initiatives and physical fitness. Most recently, Iman founded INGOT

Coin, a first-of-its-kind revolutionary Ecosystem aimed to be the

financial gateway to link the cryptocurrencies universe with the

traditional financial industry. She is also the founder and CEO of Sigma

Investments and the director of INGOT Brokers Australia. During her

career, she was listed multiple times on Forbes’s 100 Most Powerful

Arab Businesswomen consecutively and most recently one of the 2018

top 50 influential women of the middle east, ranking at number 38.

Iman also received the Middle-East Woman of the Year award during

the 3rd Global Officials of the Dignity Awards, and American Chamber

of Commerce in Cairo (AMCham) Award as the best Arab business

woman. Iman is known for her social activism and women

empowerment efforts. In 2014, she participated in an expedition with

her Jordanian colleagues to Mount Kilimanjaro in an effort to support

the cancer research initiatives of King Hussein Cancer Center in Jordan

and helped in raising a donation of $1.3 million USD. In addition to

launching six programs aimed at supporting 400 Iraqi women to help

advance their careers, then following the latter, she launched another

women empowerment Initiative under 8X8 Women which aims to

develop 8 different projects in different industries while hiring and

supporting women as staff members.

Mutlaq is also known as the first instructor for the art of living

foundation in Jordan, an educational and humanitarian movement

engaged in stress-management and service initiatives that promotes

peace and development, launched by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. One of her

favorite mottos is: “Be the change you want to see in this world! Love,

Give, and Inspire others, unconditionally.”

Moderator

Dr. Florence Eid Oakden

CEO & Chief Economist - Arabia Monitor

Dr. Florence Eid-Oakden is the CEO and Chief Economist of Arabia

Monitor. She has been a professor of economics and finance at the

American University of Beirut and a visiting professor at INSEAD and

HEC Paris. Formerly head of MENA research at JP Morgan, Dr. Eid-

Oakden has also worked with the World Bank on Latin America and on

North Africa, and subsequently, on the buy side as a hedge fund

investment professional. She serves on the Board of Directors for the

Arab Banking Corporation International Bank in London and for Bank

ABC Jordan, the Arab Bankers Association of North America in New

York, and sits on the Advisory Council of the Al Faisal University College

of Business, Saudi Arabia, where she also advises the Saudi

Government. She has served as a Trustee of the American University

in Paris, and a Director of Shuaa Capital in Dubai. Recently she served

as a member of HSBC’s Middle East Financial System Risk Advisory

Committee.

Dr. Eid-Oakden received her Ph.D. in Organization Economics from the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with a joint MIT-Harvard

Doctoral Committee, under the supervision of Nobel Laureate Professor

Bengt Holmström. She is fluent in Arabic, English, French and Spanish,

with a working knowledge of Italian and Portuguese.

Speaker

Eng. Bassem Farradj

Chairman of the Board of Directors, Dinarak

Jordan

Bassem Farradj is one of the prominent entrepreneurs and leading

businessmen in Jordan.

He obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Electronic Engineering

(Honors) from Sussex University in England and M.B.A from Cranfield School

of Management in England. He is also a Member of Harvard Business School

Alumni Club.

Mr. Farradj is the Chairman of Al Mutakamilah for Mobile Payments

(Dinarak) and the Chairman and CEO of a group of engineering companies

in the heating, air conditioning, lighting and renewable energy like ATG,

Wathba Investment Company & ICC.

He is also involved the insurance and manufacturing sector as he sits on the board Delta Insurance

Universal Modern Industries Co. (UMIC)

Mr Farradj is active in Civil Society organization:

Currently he is the:

President - The Orthodox Central Council in Jordan and Palestine

Board Member - Pension Fund - Engineers Association

Board Member/Treasurer - Jordanian Scandinavian Friendship Association

Member of the Board of Trustees - Modern American School

Member of the Board of Trustees - Jordan Renewable Energy Society

Member of the Board of Trustees - The Royal Scientific Society (RSS)

Member of the Board of Trustees - Baptism Site Commission

Member of the Board of Trustees - Industrial R&D Fund

Previously he held many important posts such as:

President - Jordan Europe Business Association (JEBA)

President - Scandinavian Business Club (SCAN Club)

Board Member / Secretary General - Amman Chamber of commerce

Board Member - Jordan Chamber of Commerce

Board Member - Arab British Chamber of Commerce – (in U.K)

Board member - Jordan Enterprise Development Corporation (JEDCO)

Speaker

Mr. Muhannad Ebwini

Founder & CEO - HyperPay

Jordan

Muhannad Ebwini, is co-founder and CEO of HyperPay. Muhnnad has

led the business to its current position as a one of the Middle east’s

fastest growing and successful online payment businesses. It is

regarded as highly innovative and is seen as one of the new generation

payment service providers. The company has offices in Amman, Dubia,

Riyadh and Cairo soon.

In 2017, Muhannad was appointed as board member of GatetoPay, a

leading card issuing company to issue prepaid MasterCard, Visa and

Union Pay card and cards solution in Middle east region.

Muhannad has over 18 years of experience in the online, e-Commerce, gaming, and payment

industries, having successfully grown the business of OneCard, a leading regional alternative

payment mechanism between 2004 and Feb 2010. During his tenure at OneCard, Muhannad has

spearheaded the development of the online payment and e-Commerce industry in the Middle East

and North Africa (MENA), working successfully with international and regional players, provide

alternative payment solutions for them, assist and provide support in localizing them and adapting

them to the MENA culture, as well as providing them with a suite of value-added services such as

support centers and marketing.

Muhannad is a certified e-Commerce Consultant “CEC” and Project Manager e-Business (PME), and

holds an MBA in Management and International Business from NYIT and a B.S.c in Computer

Software Engineering from Princess Sumayya University in Amman, Jordan.

Speaker

Mr. Alaa Enshaiwat

Head of Zain Cash Retail & Distribution Network

Jordan

Ensheiwat has over 24 years of professional experience with excellent

track record in leading IT and FinTech companies. He is recognized for

strategic thinking, implementation abilities, and innovation. Over the

course of his career, he has served in all management and leadership

roles including Project Manager, Program Manager, COO, and CEO for

many organizations.

Currently, Ensheiwat is leading ZainCash retail & distribution network.

Previously, he served as the CEO for LeProcess, SSS, AvermaSoft, and

Dinarak.

Ensheiwat combines practical experience with theoretical study. The

thesis of his Ph.D. is in “Improving the IT Project Management Area in

the public sector” at the University of Salford – UK. In addition, he was

awarded an Honorary Ph.D. from Oxford College for Ph.D. Studies - UK

for his researches in “Strategic Planning”. He holds a Master’s Degree

in Information Systems and was awarded the best research prize.

Eng. Nasser Saleh

CEO & Founder – MadfooatCom for ePayments

Jordan

Eng. Nasser Saleh is the CEO & Founder of MadfooatCom company with

more than 20 years of experience in IT, banking and consultancy. Prior to

MadfooatCom, Nasser was a Consulting CIO at the USAID DAI Jordan Fiscal

Reform project. He managed the e-Channels department at AlRajhi Bank

in KSA, was a Senior Consultant at Accenture and a Senior Test Engineer

at Microsoft, USA.

He started MadfooatCom company in 2011 to disrupt cash payments which

become the national operator for the electronic bill presentment and

payments “eFawateerCom” for the Central Bank.

Nasser was awarded King Abdullah II of Jordan award of excellence for

introducing ePayments in Jordan.

Speaker

Speaker

Mr. Ahmad Elayyan

Acting Executive Manager for Payment Systems & Financial Inclusion Department

Central Bank of Jordan

Jordan

Session 7(A):

Accelerating Innovation in Energy and Environment Technologies

Dr. Duraid Mahasneh

Chairman – EDAMA

Jordan

Dr. Mahasneh is the current CEO at Tawfiq Gargour Shipping Company and

chairman of Edama (Sustainability of water, Energy and Environment)

Society. Prior to this, Dr. Mahasneh has held various positions over the

years. From 1980–1984, he was the General Manager at the Marine Science

Station in Aqaba. In 1984, he became the Secretary General of the Aqaba

Region Authority, where he remained until 1991. From 1991–1996, he

served as the Director General of Aqaba Ports. In 1996, he served as

Secretary General of the Jordan Valley Authority until 1999. He then worked

as a consultant from 1999 until 2001. He also was an Assistant Professor at

Yarmouk University and is at the board of Trustees of the German Jordan

University.

Dr. Mahasneh was a Co-Chairman of the joint Water Committee with Syria and the Co-Chairman of

the joint Water Committee with Israel.

Dr. Mahasneh was awarded the Independence Medal of the First Order, Distinguished Performance

Medal of the First Order, and the International Organization for Conservation of Nature Appreciation

Award.

He holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Jordan, and a PhD in Water and Marine

Sciences and post doctorate from Duke University, where he also was a Fulbright Fellow.

Moderator

Ms. Sarah El Battouty

Chairman & Principal Architect – ECOnsult

Senior Advisor to the Egyptian Presidency on Sustainability

Egypt

Sarah graduated from the University of Cambridge she is an Architect.

After her undergraduate she then went on to study sustainable

development policy the Centre of Economic Development and

Environmental Policy CeDep SOAS University.

Her focus is Rural Development and Project Management. Sarah is an

advisor to the Egyptian Presidency on Development since 2014. In 2017

she was selected as a Member of the Board of the American University

of Cairo Department of Engineering School of Architecture. She is an

architect RIBA awarded, with a focus green buildings. At ECOnsult her

vision is to create environmental portfolios for companies and raising

sustainability awareness in businesses in Egypt and beyond.

Mr. Hanna Zaghloul

CEO - Kawar Energy

Jordan

Hanna Zaghloul is the Chief Executive Officer at Kawar Energy (an eco-

friendly project development company) since 2008.

At Kawar Energy, Zaghloul directly leads several projects in renewable

energy including the development of ’Shams Ma’an’ a 52.5-megawatt

photovoltaic (solar energy) project at the southern part of Jordan.

Zaghloul is particularly interested in ’Shamsi’, a community-scale

distributed renewable energy project enticing households and

businesses to become clean-energy producers, while also making use

of smart-grid technologies, storage solutions and services for energy

efficiency and management.

Zaghloul is a founding and ex-board member/ vice chairman of EDAMA

initiative and business association, Jordan’s blueprint for a green

economy. EDAMA Association formed as a private sector-partnership

that seeks innovative solutions for energy and water independence.

He is also a founding member and ex-President for the Jordan Energy

Chapter, JEC, representing the Association of Energy Engineers, AEE,

in Jordan.

Speaker

Speaker

In addition to Mr. Zaghloul Energy career that started in 2008, he has

over 20 years of experience and strong involvement in the Jordanian

Information and Communication Technologies, ICT, field during which

he headed several IT companies involved in software development,

infrastructure, storage, communications, training and consulting.

Mr. Zaghloul is one of the initial team members to work on Jordan ICT

Strategy formulated by the REACH initiative in addition of being a

previous board member of INTAJ, Jordan’s ICT business association,

where he served as Secretary General. Currently he is a board

member of several IT and Energy companies.

Mr. Zaghloul holds a bachelor of science in Electrical Engineering from

the University of California, Irvine.

Mr. Samer Judeh

Chairman - Jordan Wind Project Company

Jordan

As chairman of the Jordan Wind Project Company, Samer S. Judeh has been

instrumental in the Development, construction, operation and management

of the 117-mega-watt Tafila Wind Farm, the first and largest operational

wind farm in the region. He was also the founder and chairman of Shamsuna

Power Company, which developed, constructed and is currently operating

the first utility scale solar project to connect to the Jordanian national grid.

Mr. Judeh has been an active member of the renewable energy sector since

2007, and has been influential in the negotiation of contracts and the

implementation of laws and regulations for the industry. A Jordanian

businessman, Mr. Judeh has over 25 years of experience in managing a

wide range of initiatives in the fields of renewable energy, information

technology, security and infrastructure. His extensive international business

experience affords him key insight into the management of large-scale

project as well as the establishment and deployment of innovative

enterprises.

Mr. Judeh is a graduate of Georgetown University in Washington DC, with a Bachelor’s degree with

honors in Business Administration and a Master’s degree with honors in International Affairs and

Government.

Speaker

Eng. Waleed K. AlHallaj

Co-Founder & General Manager - Ishraq Energy

Jordan

A renewable energy engineer with over 5 years of experience in the Jordanian

market. Holding a bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering from the

University of Jordan and a Renewable Energy Professional (REP™) from the

Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) in the US.

Eng. Waleed is also an accredited trainer by the ministry of labor and the

Jordan Competitiveness Program (JCP) who has provided training for over

700 technicians and engineers in Jordan. He also represents as a Clean-Tech

Expert at OASIS500 in order to provide support to entrepreneurs in the

sustainability sector.

Eng. Waleed co-founded Ishraq Energy in 2016 and managed to install over

120 photovoltaic systems around Jordan with a total capacity of 7 MW until

this day.

Ishraq Energy is responsible to reducing the harmful emissions in Jordan to what is equivalent to

planting over 400,000 trees.

Eng. Waleed also co-founded Ishraq Sustainability Academy to be the first academy in Jordan that

is completely specialized in providing trainings in the sustainability sectors. The academy is equipped

with labs and workshops that is able to provide full trainings to over 500 trainees a year and

preparing them for market penetration using the practical training and experiences of Ishraq Energy.

Speaker

Session 7(B):

Educated Insight: The Reinvention of Learning

Dr. Jamil Alkhatib

Manager of German Jordanian University (GJU) – Program Innovation &

Entrepreneurship (PIE)

Jordan

Jamil Alkhatib is the founder of IBTECAR an Innovation & Technology

Management Company. He is also manager of the Innovation and

Entrepreneurship Program of the German Jordanian University. He has

more than 19 years of work experience in innovation development and

management. He started his career in 1998 at the R&D department of

Siemens ICT where he was responsible for the development of several

telecom equipment. Later he moved to the Innovation Management field in

2006 where he become innovation consultant for several organizations and

companies in the Middle East.

Currently he is managing the Program Innovation and Entrepreneurship (PIE) at the German

Jordanian University where he managed to build a community of students and alumni entrepreneurs

over the last 4 years to develop businesses and products for the local context.

Jamil worked on various levels of innovation such as governmental institutes, private sector

companies, innovation centers and schools and universities.

During his work he mentored and coached several organizations’ leaders as well as benchmarked

SMEs innovation ability and performance to accelerate the new products development process. He

managed and designed several innovation programs and incubators in Jordan, Palestine, UAE and

Egypt.

Currently he is running several Technology Innovation Programs such as Umniah IoT Innovation,

Shoman foundation's Science based innovations award and the new technologies (AI, IoT, Industrie

4.0, etc.) of the German Jordanian University

Jamil is a certified trainer and facilitator from several institutes that focus on entrepreneurship,

innovation and technology transfer from organizations such as International Youth Foundation and

Mowgli foundation.

Jamil holds Master’s degree in Technology and Innovation management and Bachelor degree in

Electrical Engineering. Jamil is a global operator having lived in 5 countries and interacted with more

than 50 cities around the world.

Moderator

Mr. Sam Caucci

Founder & CEO – 1HUDDLE

USA

Sam Caucci has managed and coached sales and leadership

teams for publicly held, private sector and franchised companies

across the globe. Sam founded 1HUDDLE a workforce training

platform using game technology to help organizations better

prepare their people for work. With clients across the globe,

1HUDDLE has impacted people across organizations in a wide

array of sectors, with clients including Loews Hotels, ESPN,

Audible (an Amazon Company), Madison Square Garden and

FASTSIGNS. Applying an innovative approach to preparing

people for the workforce, Sam oversaw the creation of the

training game platform, the first game-based platform that

transforms the way organizations onboard, train & develop their

team members. Before 1HUDDLE, Sam was the National Director

of Franchise Sales & Marketing for the Parisi Speed School where

he directed the sales training program for 83 locations.

He was previously in a leadership role with Life Time Fitness, serving as Director of Sales and

spearheading the grand opening and overall management of the company’s expansion into the

NJ/NYC market. Prior to joining Life Time Fitness, Sam was General Manager for Perfect Competition

Athletic Development, a sports performance training center nationally recognized for its preparation

of elite athletes from across the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL and MLS. While at Perfect Competition, Sam

managed sales, sponsorship, and negotiation for the team responsible for the training and

development of over 2,500 elite professional athletes. Sam is proud to have been a part of the sales

and service training of thousands of workers. He is the author of the #1 Amazon Bestseller, Not Our

Job: How College Has Destroyed a Generation of Workers and How to Fix it, and has been featured

on Fox News, Fox Business, CNN, CNBC, The Huffington Post, ESPN, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes,

and Bloomberg.

Speaker

Mr. Levon Der Sarkissian

President - LKD Technologies

Jordan

20 years ago, after pursuing his MBA degree from Southeastern

Louisiana University, Levon founded a company that focus on the

distribution and publishing of Educational Textbooks and Resources.

And in 2004, he founded another company that provides educational

technology solutions that facilitate teaching and learning inside the

classroom.

After years of continuous work and dedication, LKD managed to setup great network of suppliers of

the best educational technology solutions around the world. And through this network, LKD provides

its customers with the best solutions that improve teachers’ skills to teach and students’ ability to

learn. LKD also provides solutions that stimulate students’ creativity and innovation through offering

educational methods and tools that focus on the 21st century skills, STEM Education and

Computational Thinking.

Speaker

Mr. Mohannad Armoush

CEO – Evyra

Jordan

A venture capital in the development of advanced technology and

innovation, with focus on Health and Education,

Offering more than 15 years of experience, Mr. Armoush has proved

success in managing and delivering infrastructure support and

operational excellence to SME and international organizations across

the hospitality, real estate and technology sectors; maximizing

business value across the spectrum.

An active board member and a trusted business advisor for several

organizations, resulted in achieving success on business turnarounds,

corporate governance deployment, human capacity development and

value chain alignment.

Born in Amman – Jordan in 1983 and had his primary education in Amman and secondary education

in the UK. Mr. Armoush continued his higher education and had his bachelor’s degree in Business

Administration BA in 2003, Montreux, Switzerland; and his master’s degree in Business

Administration MBA in 2009 from Zurich, Switzerland.

Mr. Armoush is also a partner in Armoush Tourist Investments Co. Ltd / McDonalds Jordan.

Speaker

Ms. Hanan Khader

Founder & CEO - Hello World Kids

Jordan

Hanan Khader is a Jordanian serial entrepreneur who managed to

successfully establish and lead two businesses.

In 2007, 6 years after receiving her BSc in Computer Science from

Mutah University, she founded Aqar-Estate.com, one of the largest

real estate marketplaces in the MENA region.

Working within the rapidly changing world of technology, she noticed

that the growing numbers of technology users was not met by a

similar growth in developers.

As a mother of four with 17 years of programming experience, Hanan first started to teach her

own children how to code. After seeing her offspring soak up the material, she felt inspired to

create a curriculum for children across ages and aptitudes. In 2013, when the U.S. Bureau of

Education and Cultural Affairs selected Hanan as one of the TechWomen of Jordan, she founded

Hello World Kids. However, it was not until May of 2015 when the organization was officially

launched and gained their first client. Fast forward two years: over 85 schools have adopted the

programs and 40,000 children are learning the curricula with consistently good results. In

November 2015, Hanan launched the first round of a project teaching code to deaf and mute

children, after which she started working on a trailblazing curriculum in braille. Apart from making

her classes accessible to disabled children, Hanan is very involved in getting girls excited about

programming, enabling them to contribute to shaping their own and their country’s future. Half of

the students enrolled in the classes are girls.

As Hello World Kids celebrates in 3rd year anniversary this year, the key to the company’s success

has been the entrepreneurs' courage to take on every challenge, no matter how big. Which is

great, since an estimated 30% of the MENA regions population is under the age of 15; introducing

a programming for children curriculum into the current educational system in an ever changing

and digitized world will require persistence, bold leadership and considerable courage, which are

all attributes that she possesses.

Speaker

Ms. Jida Sunna

Co-Managing Partner – Code Circle

Jordan

Jida is an American University of Beirut (AUB) graduate with a

Bachelor's degree in computer and communications

engineering. She was one of the first team members in

pioneering Arab tech startups such as Arabia Online and One

World Software Solutions. Jida also worked at Siemens AG and

Cubeisy Management Consultancy and Services.

In 2012 she ventured into entrepreneurship, founding her own

startup, Ahaali, a web portal that provides a friendly online

home for those that share a passion for raising children well. In

2015, she co-founded, alongside Ruba Asfour, Code Circle as

an educational company that empowers a new generation

through programs that strengthen coding, entrepreneurship,

and creative skills in children and young adults.

At its foundation, Code Circle focuses on experiential learning, with its programs being delivered by

industry practitioners. Its coding classes build beginner and advanced capability in web

development, app development, and gaming. Its curriculum uses methodologies that are used by

tech geeks and developers. Code Circle compliments this technology education with other courses,

such as entrepreneurship, design skills, 3D virtualization and modeling, and other creative skills

that are essential to the full circle of learning. Jida is also the mother of three (Tara, Nadine, and

Maia).

Speaker

Session 7(C):

Bringing Innovation to Health Care Systems in the MENA Region

Mr. Faris Gammoh

CEO - Jordan International Insurance (JIIG)

Jordan

CEO of Jordan International Insurance (JIIG), a leading insurance

company that provides corporate and retail insurance in Health, Life,

Property and Marine insurance. The company was selected as the Best

Insurer in Jordan for 2015, and Faris was added to the insurance Power

50 by MENA Insurance Review. Faris has more than a decade of private

equity, investment banking and consulting experience. He started his

career at Accenture in New York focusing on financial services clients;

followed by Morgan Stanley, London, serving infrastructure and

transport clients. He was an Investment Manager, PE Fund, NBK Capital

prior to joining JIIG. He holds a BSc in Electrical Engineering, Rensselaer

Polytechnic Institute; MBA, Columbia Business School.

Moderator

Dr. Samir Khalil

Executive Director - PhRMA

UAE

Samir A. Khalil is Executive Director, Middle East & Africa, Pharmaceutical

Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), an international trade

association that represents the world’s leading research-based

pharmaceutical companies. In this position, his primary focus is to work with

Governments in the Middle East & Africa Region and PhRMA member

companies to advance policies in areas such as access to medicines,

innovation, healthcare financing, trade, intellectual property rights

protection, and other industrial and healthcare policies.

Prior to Joining PhRMA in 2013, Samir worked with Merck & Co, Inc. since

1974. During that time, he held several positions including; Executive

Director, Public Policy for Asia Pacific, China and Latin America; Regional lead

for Policy & Ex. Affairs, Middle East & Africa; Executive Director, HIV Policy

for Europe, Middle East and Africa, where his focus was to drive Merck’s

initiatives to improve access to HIV/AIDS care and treatment in the

developing world. At different time of his service to Merck, Samir was the

Managing Director for two Merck subsidiaries, Egypt and Saudi Arabia; and

was the Director, Management Operations, Far East Pacific, where he was

part of the team in the early nineties that initiated Merck’s direct operations

and structure in key countries in Far East Pacific, including, Taiwan & Korea.

Samir represented Merck on the Board of Directors of the

Merck/Gates/Botswana partnership in Botswana, known as the African

Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Partnerships (ACHAP) and chaired the Board of

Merck’s partnership with the Government of China, known as China – MSD

HIV/AIDS Partnership (C-MAP).

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy.

Speaker

Mr. Mohammad El Mougi

Vice President of North Africa & Levant – Vezeeta

Egypt

Mohammad El Mougi joined Vezeeta in 2016 as Director of Product

Management and since then his team has managed to re-launch great

products and features that precisely fit Vezeeta markets.

Mohammad has 8 years of experience in the Technology and Telecom

industries. His distinction lies in his ability to identify growth opportunities

and winning strategies and he has a strong track record of generating

game-changing ideas with successful implementation. Prior to Vezeeta,

Mohammad was Small and Medium Businesses Marketing Manager at

Vodafone and Research Consultant at the Technology Practice at Nielsen.

He holds a Masters of International Business from Hult University, San

Francisco and a Bachelor in Pharmacy and Biotechnology from the

German University in Cairo.

Speaker

Mr. Ghassan Al-Lahham

Founder & CEO – Hakeem

Jordan

Ghassan Al-Lahham, Founder and CEO of Electronic Health Solutions

International (EHSI), Amman – Jordan

Al- Lahham is a well-known expert in the use of automation in the

public education and healthcare sectors. He has been recognized for

his entrepreneurial accomplishments in achieving significant

milestones in his career. Mr. Lahham’s main asset is combining the

experience of a private sector entrepreneur, with his leadership of

automation in world-class education and healthcare. He presents

balanced and pragmatic perspectives from both the private and public

sectors.

Ghassan has been directly managing a number of projects that have

rapid and long term impact on the development of healthcare and

education sectors in Jordan, and the local region.

Ghassan Lahham, Founder and CEO of Electronic Health Solutions International (EHSI), Amman –

Jordan

EHSI is a healthcare IT company that is solely focused on the Middle East Healthcare market.

Headquartered in Amman, EHSI is dedicated to support Middle East healthcare organizations to

improve the quality of care through the use of internationally proven technologies. EHSI’s mission

is to provide a comprehensive solution for electronic health records through the utilization of the

open source Veteran Affairs VistA software as a cost effective and internationally proven solution.

Mr. Lahham is a well-known expert in the use of automation in the public healthcare and education

sectors. He has been recognized for his entrepreneurial accomplishments in achieving significant

milestones in his career. Mr. Lahham’s main asset is combining the experience of a private sector

entrepreneur, with his leadership of automation in world-class education and healthcare. He

presents balanced and pragmatic perspectives from both the private and public sector.

Speaker

Speaker

Dr. Noha Khater

Co-Founder – Al-Mouneer

Egypt

Noha Khater is a talented retinal eye surgeon and Cairo University

Professor who acquired several degrees and PhDs from the United

Kingdom, United States and Egypt.

She built her expertise and passion for Ophthalmology over a span of 13

years in her private practice.

In 2014, she had a vision for a new innovative healthcare concept that

did not exist in the region at the time. She collaborated with Rania Kadry

an IT specialist to create a network of unique and fully digital diabetic eye

clinics service that prevents diabetic patients from losing their sight and

truly makes a difference in their lives.

Noha’s business model, ALMOUNEER, is a combination of high-end

technology and specialized healthcare tailored to serve more than 39

million diabetic patients in the region, one third of which are prone to

blindness. Henceforth, Almouneer has positioned itself as the sole

provider of high tech diabetic eye care in the MENA region treating

thousands of patients from all over the region.

Speaker

Mr. Brandon Smith

Director International Sales - Tactical Medical Solutions

USA

Tactical Medical Solutions®, Inc. is a leading supplier of proprietary

medical solutions for emergency trauma care across the global military,

law enforcement, fire and emergency and medical service and civilian

markets. With the mission of expanding its global sales network, Mr.

Smith joined Tactical Medical Solutions® Inc. in April of 2012. In this

move, he brought a wealth of managerial experience from the

pharmaceutical industry. In industry, Smith led as a Sales Director with

Fortune 500 pharmaceutical companies for greater than a decade. In this

role, he coordinated large sales teams through the entire sales process to

deliver diverse product lines, focusing primarily on cardiovascular

modalities and pain management. Under Mr. Smith’s tenure at Tactical

Medical Solutions® Inc., the company has expanded its global sales

network within the tactical medical arena to include high-profile foreign

militaries and law enforcement agencies, as well as coverage of the

emerging civilian market, in more than seventy countries.

He holds a BSc in Communications from Radford University and a Masters

of Human Resource Development from Clemson University.

Speaker

Mr. Ziad Sankari

Founder – CardiDiagnoctics

Lebanon

Ziad Sankari started CardioDiagnostics in 2012. Ziad lost his

father to a heart attack when he was seventeen and his family

lacked access to proper healthcare. He decided to pursue his

studies in understanding the electrical activity of the heart and

how monitoring and analyzing that activity can save lives.

Today, the company uses FDA-approved wearable devices that

are 24/7 GPS-enabled heart rate monitors allowing for heart

monitoring centers to communicate diagnostic and preventive

information to patients in the United States, where the center has

over 40 employees, and in Lebanon. In 2008, Ziad attended Ohio

State University on a U.S. Fulbright scholarship. After returning

to Lebanon, he was selected to pitch his idea at the 2011 Global

Innovation through Science and Technology’s (GIST) Tech-I

competition where he won first place. Through GIST, a U.S.

Department of State funded initiative, Ziad received his first

round of seed funding and traveled through various U.S. cities to

expand his network, learn how to negotiate, and connect with

mentors.

Given his experiences, Ziad sees education as essential to

successful entrepreneurship and to combat rising issues of

poverty and extremism. He hopes to support other startups and

build a high-performing educational system in Lebanon and

throughout the Middle East that leverages U.S. expertise and

connections to open a world of opportunities to younger

generations.

Speaker