His Excellency Abdullah Bin Amer al-Sawahah has been the Minister of Communications and Information Technology in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia since 2017. He is the seventh minister to hold this ministry.
Before his appointment as Minister of Communications and Information Technology, he served as the General Supervisor of the Kingdom's Digital Transformation Office, overseeing key efforts to achieve digital transformation. These included establishing a national digital identity, enhancing the adoption of open data, and promoting entrepreneurship in the digital domain.
His education
He studied at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Dhahran, Eastern Province, where he obtained a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering. Later, he joined the University of Washington and earned a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science. Additionally, he completed an Executive Education program in Business Administration at Harvard University.
His career
He worked at Cisco Saudi Arabia starting from the year 2005, gradually advancing into leadership positions until he assumed the role of General Manager and CEO of the company in 2016. Under his leadership, Cisco became a key partner in the digital transformation journey of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
He also worked as a technical and executive advisor from 2005 to 2010 in several ministries, including Defense, Interior, Education, Health, Justice, Communications, and Information Technology. Additionally, he holds memberships in the Technology Advisory Council at Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University in Khobar, the Economic and Development Affairs Council, and the boards of directors of several companies and factories. He also founded the "Obeeva" incubator for social entrepreneurship, which launched the first health application on smartphones in the Middle East.
Boards of directors chaired by him
In addition to his role as Minister of Communications and Information Technology, al-Sawahah chairs the boards of several entities, including the Communications and Space Technology Commission, the Digital Government Authority, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, the Saudi Space Agency, and the Research, Development, and Innovation Authority. He also serves as a member of various ministerial, economic, and social committees, including those at King Saud University, the Mohammed Bin Salman Foundation (Misk), and NEOM.
Awards won
Al-Sawahah has received several awards, including the "Technology Person of the Year" from ITP magazine (2013-2016), the "Best Leader in the Middle East by Cisco" award in 2012 and 2013, and the "Chairman's Award" for Best CEO in 2016.
Related quizzes
Related articles
