Smartworld appoints new chairman

Al Dhaheri, a former IT Advisor to the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and also former Director General of Emirates Identity Authority (EIDA), said UAE’s Smart Cities initiatives have opened a sea of opportunities especially in the  ICT sector and his prime focus will be on strategic expansion by tapping into these new opportunities across the UAE and GCC region, and contributing to the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE’s Vice-President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, in making Dubai the smartest city in the world. 

Al Dhaheri said: “I feel honoured to lead Smartworld particularly in wake of an array of new opportunities arising in the UAE.  We are fortunate to have a visionary leader in Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, whose vision of making Dubai the smartest city in the world has opened wide range of opportunities for growth across all sectors, particularly the Information & Communication Technology sector. Along with focusing on strategic expansion across the UAE and GCC region, my goal is to lead Smartworld to contribute toward achieving this great vision.” 

Dubai joins a growing global Smart City movement, with Frost & Sullivan estimating a global smart city market potential of $3.3 trillion by 2025, and Smartworld wants to be a leader in UAE and GCC region in architecting and providing smart city solutions. 

A PhD in Bio-Engineering, Al Dhaheri has been an achiever par excellence with numerous credits to his kitty one of which is his key role in the launch of Emirates ID. He was the first Emirati from the UAE to be selected in International Space Programme (ISU-88) in the US, which was sponsored by NASA in 1988, and also taught in the UAE University’s Electrical Engineering Department for over a decade, during which he used his academic experience to provide valuable advice to industry. 

Al Dhaheri, who brings with him a wealth of more than 25 years in academics, leadership and advisory roles, said he welcomes industry competition as he believes it fosters holistic growth. 

“The UAE provides a global platform to companies and we have many large IT companies operating here, in a healthy competitive environment, which our visionary leadership has always encouraged. The UAE ranks highly on the World Economic Forum’s s Global Competitiveness Report, we are No. 1 in the world in terms of importance of ITC to government vision,” he said. 

“If we look specifically at developing smart cities, no single vendor can deliver total solutions. I believe the best approach to tackle this huge transformational programme is through phased approach and public private partnerships; in this regard will go a long way to ensuring success and each one has the opportunity to contribute their expertise. ”