With more than 25 years of entrepreneurial and management experience in the fields of engineering, logistics, technology and real estate development, Hazem Malhas was Chief Operating Officer at ARAMEX International where he was responsible for its global strategic alliances, led its rapid expansion in the Middle East and its ultimate listing on the NASDAQ in 1997. In 2001, Hazem founded and headed Optimiza, a consulting & IT services company which is now part of Optimiza (ASE: CEBC). As Optimiza CEO, he spearheaded and oversaw an aggressive program in product development for e-Business, supply chain management and consulting services. Hazem also serves on the board of various companies, public and private. Currently, he is a board member of Petra National Trust, the American Center of Oriental Research (ACOR), Amman Baccalaureate School, the Tree Protection Foundation and the Information Technology Association of Jordan INT@J. Hazem is also a member of the Jordanian Engineers Association. He holds a BSc in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.

Kamal Hazboun has over 24 years of management and consulting experience with an extensive focus on financial services, information technology and distribution. Kamal was involved in launching multiple new ventures and large programs for multi-national companies, with aggressive deadlines and objectives. He has vast experience in managing and leading large-scale programs and delivery teams regionally. His expertise in the Middle East and emerging markets enables him to initiate and successfully drive Optimiza’s IT strategies. Kamal Hazboun completed post-graduate courses in finance and business administration, in addition to his MSc degree in Electrical Engineering.

Suhail Al-Halabi brings to Optimiza more than 24 years of entrepreneurial and management experience in the fields of sales, technology and finance. He started his career in 1984 working for Digital Equipment Corp in Boston, USA, and then for OKI USA as Strategic Sales Manager responsible for all strategic accounts in the Eastern part of USA and Canada. In 1997, Suhail moved back to Jordan and joined CCS as Sales and Marketing Manager. In January 1999, he became the General Manager for Emitac Distribution in Dubai, and within two years he was promoted to the position of CEO for the whole Emitac group. During his seven years tenure there, Suhail was able to take Emitac from being a UAE based company to becoming the largest regional technology group with operations in most parts of the ME, Iran and Pakistan, with a yearly revenue of over DHS 1B. Moreover, Suhail co-founded “Avanza”, a software outsourcing company serving the ME, Spain and USA, as well as “Emitac Mobile Solutions”. Moreover, Suhail established Access Communications Systems (ACS) at Dubai Internet City (DIC) which specializes in Telecom monitoring and testing as well as security solutions. He also served as a board member of Avanza, ACS, Sedco, and was a member of the American University in Dubai advisory committee for the school of Engineering. In 2006, Suhail became the CEO for Mubasher Jordan and the International Sales and Support Manager for Mubasher’s operations in the ME and Asia. He holds a BSc degree in Electrical Engineering from State University of New York, and an MSc in Computer Science from Worcester State College.

Prior to taking up his role as Chief Consulting Officer at Optimiza, Saif Khouri served as the Operations Director at Optimizasolutions, now an Optimiza company. He was directly responsible for building working methodologies and implementation tools related to Optimizasolutions supply chain management practice, as well as championing all its management consulting projects. Prior to joining Optimizasolutions, Saif served as a management consultant at ITC International, a regional business and IT consulting company based in Dubai, UAE. During his tenure in the Emirates, he was assigned to BPR and e-government projects for Dubai’s public sector. Saif Khouri holds a BSc in Industrial Engineering from the University of Jordan.

Husam brings with him to Royah Optimiza more than 18 years of managerial and strategic experience in the IT and telecom industries. He started his career at Ericsson in 1990, whereby he managed rolling out the public exchanges and network across KSA, after which he moved to managing the business development of key accounts including the Ministry of Pulse and Telegram and Telecommunications (MoPTT) and the Ministry the Defense and Aviation (MoDA). In 1998, he joined Savola as the Head of Margin & Risk Management Division, where he was responsible to set in motion the IT and strategic management systems for hedging the prices of Savola’s traded commodities which exceeded the value of $ Bn 1. In Savola, he was also part of the team who executed the merger between Savola group and a number of distinguished retail and investment companies including (PANDA) in KSA. In 2001, Husam moved to Royah (a startup company of Savola) as Head of Business Development. Within three years, and due to Husam’s long life experience, vision and strategy in securing Royah’s growth, he was promoted to Vice President, and then to CEO in 2006. During his tenure at Royah, he not only played a key role in making the transition of ownership from Savola to Al-Malaz Group smooth and successful, but also managed to grow Royah’s net present value (NPV) by 10 times in one year. This growth continues positioning Royah as a leading systems’ integrator in the region, and thus complimenting Optimiza’s bundle of products and solutions. Husam earned his BSc and MS in Electrical Engineering respectively from KSA and USA (Missouri University – Colombia).

With over 28 years of IT experience in establishing and managing IT companies, Ghassan Horani has an impressive background in PMO, Business Management, managing large infrastructure and software implementation projects and providing a vast QA consultancy. Prior to joining Optimiza, Ghassan worked as a Senior Director, at PRIMEPOINT (Saudi Arabia) in a consultancy capacity providing clients with solid and value added services in the business life cycle. He previously occupied managerial positions at some leading IT companies in Jordan and the region including, among others, Al Bawardi Enterprises (UAE), Accenture (Jordan & Saudi Arabia), and Mantech-Kuwait. Ghassan was the Project Manager for several key projects in UAE and Saudi banks. As a potent AGM in Optimiza’s Solutions Center, Ghassan ensures a solidified project management operation for all the IT solutions delivered by Optimiza. With his rich experience in IT, consultancy, and project management, Ghassan is considered as a key asset. He holds a BSc in Computer Science from Leeds University (England).

Bashar Hawamdeh’s areas of expertise cover HR systems development, project management, process improvement & redesign, business development and IT applications within organizations. In addition, he has hand-on experience in several areas of management consulting & training, which has enabled him to develop business-centric IT products & services. In October 2007, Bashar has received an Honorary Doctorate in Human Resource Management from Oxford College for Higher/PhD Studies based on his extraordinary achievements in this field in Jordan & the MENA region during the past few years. He is also the Chairman and Co-Founder of the region’s first Human Capital Forum. A firm believer in intellectual property, Bashar’s responsibilities as CEO of MenaITech include: Management of technical issues and company projects; setting business management functions and the company’s direction; as well as supervising the business intelligence & strategic business information.  He also has extensive knowledge and practical experience in the design, development and implementation of information systems & technology for most aspects of businesses. Bashar holds a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Mutah, Jordan.

Nidal Bitar has more than 16 years hands-on experience in the field of IT, including ERP, operations, sales, marketing, e-Business, project management, recruiting, creative production and new media services. Mr. Bitar has held leadership positions in several organizations including BT Applied Technology, a leading Saudi IT firm with headquarters in Jeddah and offices in Amman, Cairo and Boston, as well as 4D-Creative, a creative production company based in Amman. He served as a marketing specialist with the recruiting company Fragis & Partners LTD in Toronto, Canada. Nidal Bitar holds a BSc in Electrical Engineering from Southeastern Massachusetts University in North Dartmouth, MA, USA.

Shereen Ghawi brings to Optimiza more than twelve years of experience in the financial management field. Throughout her career, she has gained a diversified exposure within a number of industries including the manufacturing, trading, finance and IT sectors. She has a proven track-record in directing the company’s management with regards to its financial strategy, having a hands-on solid experience in managing all corporate financing activities for large scale projects and investments. Shereen works on developing a collaborative relationship with the company’s stakeholders with a special focus on banks. Moreover, she has excellent analytical research, forecasting, budgeting and other managerial skills which she has developed in a competitive fast paced - changing environment. Shereen holds a BSc in Accounting from the University of Jordan.

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