Experience

 

Summary

I am a results-oriented digital transformation executive with extensive experience in organizational leadership, information technology, business operations, administration, finance, and management consulting for private and publicly traded companies, educational institutions, governments, and NGOs across the United States, Canada, China, Japan, the Middle East, and other international markets.

I possess a proven record in successfully starting up and scaling organizations, raising capital, attracting talented individuals, and building success-driven teams. As a dynamic leader, I have an ability to identify opportunities to automate and improve processes, enable systems to meet business needs, and improve bottom line results.

In the Information Technology field, I have held positions in executive leadership, digital transformation, software development, project management, product management, business development, consulting, sales, and marketing.

I have achieved positive results in digital transformation, automation, and ERP system implementations that contain costs while improving efficiency and data access.

Areas of Expertise

My areas of expertise include Digital Transformation; e-Government; Project Management and Execution; Gap Analysis and Needs Assessment; Organizational Behavior; Change Management; Business Process Re-Engineering; Outsourcing, Offshoring, and International Development; Cybersecurity; Information Security Auditing; Blockchain; Internet of Things (IoT); Cloud Strategies; Artificial Intelligence; Startups, Mergers, and Acquisitions; Global Product Development; Leadership and Culture; e-Commerce; Strategic Planning; Global Operations; Enterprise and Mobile Solutions; Critical Thinking; Corporate Governance; and Business Development.

THE WORLD BANK GROUP, Washington, DC
NITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC, AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION (UNESCO), Iraq
UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN’S FUND (UNICEF), Iraq
INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION (ILO), Lebanon
UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN’S FUND (UNICEF), Lebanon
UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (UNDP), Lebanon
MINISTRY OF STATE FOR ADMINISTRATIVE REFORM, Lebanon

(2013 - Present)
Chief Technology and Digital Transformation Officer

Directed various high-level digital transformation and process automation initiatives as management consultant and advisor for several international organizations serving Iraq and Lebanon. Served as UNDP digital transformation advisor for Ministry of State for Administrative Reform in Beirut, Lebanon; lead UNESCO management consultant for digital transformation at Ministry of Education in Baghdad, Iraq and Erbil, Kurdistan, Iraq; and lead UNESCO management consultant for managing Illiteracy Eradication and Education for All initiatives for Ministry of Education in Baghdad, Iraq. Drove digital transformation and Education Management Information System (EMIS) implementation for Ministry of Education and Higher Education in Beirut, Lebanon, as senior UNICEF management consultant. Oversaw local and international consultants engaged in project management, strategic planning, and risk management and mitigation.

  • Spearheaded Lebanese national digital transformation strategy and implementation planning, totaling 87 projects with $315 million budget, in collaboration with the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, World Bank, UNDP, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and other stakeholders.
  • Led design, development, and implementation teams for nationwide Education Management Information System (EMIS) supporting illiteracy eradication initiative, public education, and vocational training in Iraq and Lebanon.
  • Conducted requirements and gap analysis for Education Management Information System (EMIS) implementation for Ministry of Higher Education and Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in Baghdad, Iraq.
  • Designed and developed statistical indicators for the Ministry of Education to support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG-4) to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
  • Led the development of the digital transformation strategy and implementation plan at 15 African universities on behalf of the World Bank Group (WBG), in collaboration with the Association of African Universities (AAU).
  • Assessed data classification and security to protect information of schools, students, and employees as part of needs analysis.
  • Consulted with UNESCO and UNICEF in Iraq to support Iraqi Public Sector Modernization Program (IPSM) to automate processes for managing and monitoring schools, employees (including teachers), and students.
  • Guided process automation to manage schools, teachers, and students for Ministry of Education and Higher Education in Lebanon with ILO and UNICEF.
  • Instituted national data systems to measure student learning achievements and human resource performance.
  • Strategized and led implementation of national data system with performance indicators for Educate A Child Initiative (EACI) enrolling out-of-school children in Accelerated Learning Program (ALP) to complete primary education..
MoneyCam Corporation, , Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.
(2018 – 2021)

Interim Chief Executive Officer

  • Started the company and established all legal and operational policies, processes, and procedures.
  • Helped raise seed funding to launch operations and product development.
  • Led the design and development of an enterprise solution using Amazon AWS, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, accessible from Web, Android, and iOS apps
Lebanese American University Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon
(2015)

Chief Executive Officer Consultant

  • Provided management consulting services to the CEO.
  • Conducted needs assessment and gap analysis of systems and processes.
  • Defined requirements and prepared strategic and corrective action plans for data classification and security, implementing clinical applications, electronic medical records (EMR), and enterprise resource planning (ERP).
American University of Beirut, Beirut, LEBANON
(2011 – 2013)

Incorporated in 1866 in New York, American University of Beirut (www.aub.edu) and its medical center (www.aubmc.org) are leading providers of education and healthcare services in the Middle East.

Associate Chief Information Officer

Spearheaded task force that conducted requirements analysis, vendor and solution evaluation, and gap analysis for Electronic Health Records (EHR) implementation supporting newly constructed 600 bed medical center at the American University of Beirut in Lebanon.

  • Reduced recurring IT operating expenses from top 10 suppliers by 39%.
  • Extended Oracle eBusiness Suite Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution into new departments within university, medical center, and New York office, including supply chain management and endowment funds management.
  • Increased automation 40% to 95% for transactions affecting cash inflows and outflows across AUB and AUBMC by adding more governance and controls.
  • Improved customer responsiveness by integrating 23 heterogeneous systems and consolidating 16 dispersed information technology departments into central organization.
  • Instituted process improvements that reduced corrective action items list 72% by defining corrective actions based on seven years of external / internal audits and consultant reports as part of Institutional Change Control Board (ICCB).
  • Led IT organization in meeting 85% of committed SLAs by developing service level agreements and performance metrics for IT resources that aligned with strategic objectives.
  • Appointed to interim roles as Chief IT Quality and Compliance Officer, Director of IT Customer Success, and Director of Applications Management and Administration.
eSharing Corporation S.A.L., Beirut, LEBANON
(Sep 2008 – Jul 2011)

eSharing (www.esharing.com), an information technology solutions provider of business and management consulting and enterprise application solutions including enterprise resource planning, healthcare patient security management, customer relationship management, and document management and control.

Chairman & Chief Executive Officer

Led operations globally and grew the company’s product and solutions offering; provided strategic plans for market positioning and expansion into new vertical markets and territories.

  • Grew revenue by more than 72% and doubled the customer base within 18 months.
  • Expanded the customer base internationally into 8 different countries.
  • Achieved a year-to-year growth rate of 29% in profits from 2007 to 2010.
  • Developed a Cloud-based media asset management and document management systems.
  • Conducted executive level training on leadership, negotiations, conflict management, and team efficiency.
PacRim Venture Partners, Menlo Park, California, U.S.A.
(2000 – 2011)

PacRim Venture Partners (www.pacrimpartners.com) is a professional venture capital firm that invests primarily in Silicon Valley-based information technology companies. Venture Partner Focused on firm’s enterprise and wireless software deal flow; assessed and evaluated all deals and potential investments.

  • Angel investor, advisory board member, and lead investor in CafePress.com (now public company Nasdaq: PRSS), an e-commerce portal for virtual merchandising stores featuring a catalog of more than 250 million products.
  • Founder and angel investor of a social networking technology company, which was sold to a publicly traded company one year later for $18 million.
Agile Software Corporation, San Jose, California, U.S.A.
(1997 – 2006)

Agile (www.agile.com), a provider of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions for the supply chain. Oracle Corporation acquired Agile in 2008.

Senior Vice President & General Manager, SME Solutions Division
(2003 – 2006)

Led the division focused on developing and marketing PLM solutions for the Small and Medium Enterprises; managed and grew an organization generating $40 million in business; established an offshore software development center in China with a small development team in San Jose; built a global eco-system consisting of value added reseller and implementation partner channels.

  • Created a Cloud-based solution offering for product lifecycle management solutions.
  • Exceeded revenue targets by more than 10% for eight consecutive quarters.
  • Attained an average of 14% sequential quarter-to-quarter revenue growth for eight consecutive quarters.
  • Generated $650,000 in revenue annually per employee.
  • Beat operating expenses and cost of goods sold targets by average 10% for eight consecutive quarters.
  • Reduced cost of goods sold from 14% to 3% of license revenue.
  • Achieved an average net contribution margin of 27% for two consecutive years.
  • Implemented compliance strategies for Sarbanes-Oxley SOX 404, Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI), FDA 21 CFR Part 11 on electronic records and signatures, Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and ISO 9001 for customers that require compliance.

Senior Vice President, Products & Technology
(2001 – 2003)

Officer of the company on the executive staff team leading a 350-person organization; ensured compliance with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) across all offshore locations; led product development and product management team with a $27 million annual budget across six countries (U.S., Canada, Germany, China, India, and Hong Kong).

  • Reduced development operating expenses by 45% (10% in 2001, 33% in 2002, and 8% in 2003).
  • Established offshore software development centers in China, Hong Kong, and India, and increased head counts by 83% while reducing R&D costs by 45%.
  • Successfully integrated six acquired companies in the Products and Technology organization, five of which in 2003.
  • Instituted agile development processes that improved efficiencies, eliminated redundancies, and reduced cycle times across all development centers.
  • Executive sponsor for Hitachi, the largest Agile customer, generating $14 million in revenues, as well as for GlaxoSmithKline, the second largest pharmaceutical company in the world, resulting in more than $4 million in incremental sales.
  • Led standardization and development efforts that resulted in the industry’s adoption of the Product Data eXchange (PDX) standard, which is an XML definition of the product record.
  • Defined and implemented a company-wide Product Life Cycle (PLC) process defining responsibilities, activities, and deliverables from feasibility, concept and definition to maturity and phase out.
  • Exceeded MBOs in every single quarter since joining the company.
  • Canceled internal projects that were not core to Agile’s business and partnered with technology providers like Cimmetry and Centric releasing products within 9 months of sealing the partnership deals.
  • Developed focused solutions to meet the needs of electronics and high tech, life sciences, and industrial verticals.
  • Audited by customers and prospects in the life sciences industry, per FDA regulations, passed 100% of audits, and ranked in the top 10% IT vendors for product and process quality by auditing companies like AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, Hill-Rom Hillenbrand, Johnson & Johnson, Playtex, Tyco Healthcare, and others.
  • Improved product and service quality resulting in increasing customer satisfaction index from 3.4 to 4.6 (out of 5) over a period of ten quarters. According to AMR Research, an independent enterprise software research firm, Agile had the highest customer satisfaction in the industry.
  • Timely delivery of releases: 40% ahead (~13 days), 22% on schedule, and 38% delayed (~11 days).
  • Added four new product lines and migrated entire product lifecycle management solution footprint from proprietary client/server Windows-based architecture to standards-based J2EE architecture in 18 months.
  • Released globalized products simultaneously for the first time in the company’s history.
  • Shipped four major releases in 2001, five major releases in 2002, and four major releases in 2003, in four languages.

Vice President, Marketing & eServices
(1997 – 2001)

Led product marketing and product development teams; defined and communicated positioning to customers, prospects, industry and financial analysts, and the press. Responsible for implementing Agile’s solutions and hosted eServices targeting public and private exchanges; assisted the CEO and CFO with investor relations and managed activities such as the quarterly earnings announcements and financial analyst briefings.

  • Built up Agile’s marketing and product management organizations.
  • Architected and managed the development of Agile’s business-to-business portal, www.MyAgile.com.
  • Successfully implemented three hosted solutions through partnerships with WebEx, PartMiner, and Ariba.
  • Implemented an intranet and extranet for Agile’s subsidiaries, distributors, and partners and expanded Agile’s presence in Europe and Asia.
  • Contributed to the Initial Public Offering and Secondary Offering efforts by helping draft SEC filings and preparing road show presentations and video testimonials. Both offerings raised more than $300 million.
  • Secured extensive press coverage for Agile and instituted corporate identity processes and guidelines.
  • Designed, developed, and launched Agile’s web site within two months of joining the company.
Others

Prior to joining Borland, I held various positions in software engineering, software quality engineering, solutions consulting, and sales management with Prime Computer (United Arab Emirates), Data General (United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon), and Honeywell Information Systems (Boston, Massachusetts, USA).