In addition to being Vice President in the Qatar Foundation, Mr. Rashed Al Noaimi is also the Chairman of Knowledge Ventures, the Qatar Foundation technology investment vehicle and the Chairman of Meeza, a leading managed IT services and solutions provider in the Middle East and North Africa.

Rashed is playing a leading role realizing the Qatar Foundation's vision of positioning Qatar as a major player in  technology development in the region. He has participated in establishing the Qatar Foundations' investment vehicle, Knowledge Ventures, to act as the flagship in the QF's strategy to promote innovation by investing in the most innovative technology projects.

Hamad is a Board Member  and CEO of Knowledge Ventures. With a proven professionalism in the Qatari Telecom and IT industries, Hamad has a successful record of transformational ICT initiatives. Prior to his association with Qatar Foundation investments, Hamad worked in the Qatari National ICT regulatory body—the Supreme Council of Information and Communication Technology—as a policy and economics manager.

Hamad is responsible for the start-up of a number of significant initiatives within the Qatar Foundation. With his knowledge of the local and regional investment and familiarity of the ICT industrial environment, his expertise includes business and organisational setup, business development, and the creation of affiliations and synergies.

Ahmed Mekky, is Chief Executive Officer of Gulf Bridge International (GBI); additionally he is one the co-founders and a Board Member of GBI. As CEO, Ahmed is leading the company in building the first ever privately-owned and independently-operated submarine cable in the region, with onward connectivity to Europe and Asia.

Ahmed has over 15 years experience in the telecom sector across the MENA region. Ahmed has a well established network of senior business relationships with the major communications companies in the region. Prior to founding GBI, he worked with numerous companies across the region on projects encompassing both telecoms infrastructure and satellite communications.

Ahmed received his B.Sc. Engineering Degree with a Major in Telecommunications, from Cairo University in 1995. He is also an Executive Judge, representing the MENA telecom sector, on the prestigious MBA panel of George Washington University.

Samih Kawar, is GBI’s Chief Technical Officer. In this capacity, Samih is overseeing the design, implementation and operation of the GBI Cable System. Samih has over thirty years experience in the telecoms industry having held senior positions in a number of leading telcos including Verizon and Flag. Throughout his long carrier Samih has covered a broad spectrum diversified business activities including project management, systems implementations, operational responsibilities and Mergers & Acquisition

Samih has a Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering from the American University of Beirut and holds Diplomas in IT, Communications, Project & Corporate Management and Finance. Samih is a member of both the Project Management Institute and Trace International. He is a Certified Project Management Professional (PMP).

Mohamed ElAgazy is a member of the Establishing Committee who has contributed significantly in building GBI's international industry recognition and market positioning as an international player in the subsea telecom field. Mohamed is currently responsible for GBI's International Relations. With over twenty year experience in the US and MENA telecoms sector, Mohamed’s substantial experience encompasses business development and strategic relations with both GCC regional operators and international carriers such as AT&T, Primus, Verizon and Telcordia.

Mohamed received his B.Sc. Degree in Electrical Engineering from Cairo University in 1986. For the past two years, he has served as the President of CPS Services, Inc. an American company which specializes in introducing and managing new telecom technology projects into the MENA region.

As a member of GBI's Establishing Committee, Khaled Naguib has worked closely with the core team in realizing GBI Project. Khaled's contributions covered the structuring of the $445m Private Placement Transaction and its associated financing facilities. He has led a world-class team of business, financial and legal consultants in developing GBI's Private Placement Memorandum; and led the negotiations and the appointment of the Transaction's Placement Agent.

Khaled Naguib is a holder of Bachelor degree in Engineering, with extensive experience in the Telecom & IT sector. He brings a wealth of experience in financial transactions' engineering and deal flow management. Currently, he is engaged in building GBI's internal support systems, in the Finance, HR and Quality management areas in addition to leading GBI's Enterprise Risk Management Program.

Nick has over 20 years of experience in accounting, banking, financial advisory, telecoms and training in Australia, Europe and the Middle East. In his 7 years in the Middle East, he has held director and CFO positions and also was a senior financial manager in Investcom, the emerging markets telco operator. While director at PwC Advisory and HSBC Investment Banking in Dubai he held key roles in a variety of transactions including the IPO (the first on the DIFX) of Investcom and a variety of M & A, private placement and other advisory mandates.

Shaheed is GBI’s Senior Vice President for Sales and Business Development. He has over 27 years experience in the telecoms industry encompassing both Government and Commercial organizations. He worked for the Government of Bahrain, as Head of Telecomms in Ministry of Communications – Telecommunication Directorate. Shaheed has held a number of senior sales and business development roles for major telecom operators across the MENA region.