Speakers

Abdulsalam Haykal

Minister of Communication and Information Technology

Sami Khiyami

Former Syrian Ambassador, UK

Chief Negotiator for the Association Agreement with the European Union, Member of the Syrian Computer Society and Board Member of Syrian Airlines.
Holds a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from France

Hilal Arnaout

CEO, Ebla International Film

Syrian businessman and media producer
Board member of several companies in Kuwait, the UAE, and Qatar in the education, contracting, and trade sectors

Dr. Karam Shaar

Senior Consultant, The World Bank Group

PhD. Economics – Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, Non-resident expert researcher at the Newlines Institute, Founding partner of the Observatory of Political and Economic Networks, Founder of Karam Shaar Consulting Company, PhD in Economics from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand

Dr. Ammar Jokhadar

Dean, Faculty of IT Engineering - Damascus Unversity

Entrepreneur – IT and electronic payment systems
Founder, Elixir for intelligent software
PhD from the Grenoble National Polytechnic Institute (Grenoble INP)

Dr. Sinan Hatahet

Board Memeber, Syrian Forum

Co-founder of WORKIOM digital business management platform, Entrepreneur and consultant in digital transformation and social investment, Expert in economic development in fragile environments

Nour Al-Khatib

Lead AI Product, Instacart

A leader in product management, passionate about transforming bold ideas into impactful products. Her career includes roles at Microsoft, Oracle, SAP, and Flipp, and she was recognized by Business Insider as one of the top leaders in advertising. M.Sc. in Computer Science

Iyad Khayat

Assistant professor at Damascus University

Assistant professor at Damascus University as well as a seasoned techno-commercial executive with successful career exceeding twenty years that included Lecturing , leadership in technology and Education, ICT Operations and governance, Service Delivery management, product development and sales. PhD. in Computer Engineering and Science from the University of Louisville , Kentucky, USA

Edward Edilbi

Ashoka- Creative Director / Senior Change Leader

A creative leader with over two decades of experience in visual communication, brand building, and
entrepreneurial innovation. He currently serves as the Creative Director at Ashoka in Washington DC, the world’s largest
network of social entrepreneurs. There, he crafts impactful campaigns that bring social issues to the forefront and
transform ideas into visual movements that drive real change. He is the founder of Dubarah, one of the first independent civil society initiatives in Syria.

Bashar Saaduddin Al-jbawi

Entrepreneurship Projects Manager company: sanad youth for development

An entrepreneur and youth empowerment advocate with over ten years of hands-on experience in project management. He has co-founded several entrepreneurial ventures and contributed to organizing local and regional programs aimed at supporting young entrepreneurs and enhancing their role in development.

Dr. Oussama AlQadi

Qadi Consultancy - Syria Economy Working Group

Independent academic, known for his liberal economic vision. Economic advisor specializing in political economy. Founder of Qadi Consulting® Chairman of the Syrian Economic Working Group, Key Partner with the “Group of Friends of the Syrian People” on Syria’s Reconstruction

Samer Alaswad

Co-founder, Afkar Plus Incubator

Business development consultant and program development manager for several non-profit organizations in Syriaو Co-founder of “Afkar Plus”, an incubator for young entrepreneurs

Ahmad Bassel Alkheshi

Chairman of Syrian computer society

Experienced Chairperson with a demonstrated history of working in the internet industry. Skilled in International Relations, Management, Policy Analysis, and Risk Management. Strong administrative professional with a Ph.D. focused in Communication protocols

Ruba Hachim

Regional Director, Microsoft

Regional Director of Modern Work at Microsoft’s Customer Success Unit in the CEMA region, covering 109 countries across Central and East Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEMA).

Dr. ALayham Othman

Executive Director, Simadent

CEO of Simadent Co. Dentist and expert in establishing and developing medical centers
Specializing in attracting medical tourism

Mohamad Kaswani

Vice President, Property Finder

Expert in platform strategies, digital transformation, and entrepreneurial venture financing, COO at Mortgage Finder, Technical Advisor at Flashpoint Venture Capital

Muhammad Waseem Alhusami

Advisory Manager, KPMG

Independent advisor, Certified expert in organizational development, HR management, talent assessment and change management, Independent consultant at many governmental, for-profit and non-profit organizations across the GCC

Hassan Al Dahhak

Syria Experts as a Development Planning Advisor

Master Engineer, Project Director (specialist in Projects Engineering), PPP Projects, Power – Oil and Gas Fields, and Business Developer.
20+ years of experience in Multi Discipline industries especially in Oil & Gas and Infrastructure projects. He has working experience in Syria and many other countries.

Rezk Elias

Head of the Syrian Public Opinion Center for Polling and Studies

Head of the Syrian Public Opinion Center for Polling and Studies: A private center operating since 2014, it conducts opinion polls and studies on the economic situation, nutrition, and consultations.

Hasan Kamalmaz

Data Scientist - Freelancer

Started to work with BI back 2008, worked for 5 years at national information center(Syria) in the field of big data

Hiba Ezzideen

CEO of Equity and Empowerment Organization

An expert in women’s empowerment, leading efforts to promote equality and justice on the social, economic and political sides.

Iyad Uakoub

Advisory Manager

Award-winning international executive coach and behavioral psychologist
He has led human resources management at several technology startups
Independent consultant to several US corporations

Tawfik Nehlawi

Data management , UN Resident Coordinator

Expert in data management and monitoring programming frameworks
Operating in the Office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Syria

Sami ismail

Founder, Indicators Consulting

With over 10 years of expertise in marketing research and startups, Sami has collaborated with top agencies and clients across the GCC and MENA regions.

Muhammed Hut

Architect - Cengiz Holding

Architect with 10 years of experience in design and implementation of residential architectural projects and urban design, working at one of the largest holding companies in Turkey, Cengiz Holding.

Majd Abbar

Regional Director, Microsoft Customer Sucess

Regional Director of Microsoft’s Customer Success Unit for the Middle East, Co-founder of Syria Support Group and board member of SAAPP

Radwan Ziadeh

Senior fellow at the Arab Center – Washington D.C

Founder and director of the Damascus Center for Human Rights Studies in Syria. Co-founder and executive director of the Syrian Center for Political and Strategic Studies in Washington, D.C

Eyad Arif Kraidly

Founder of Namaazone Ltd.

He is an economic advisor and the founder of Namazon, a leading platform specialized in economic consulting and financial analysis.

Bahila Hijazi

Co-founder & CEO Baity Baitak

An entrepreneur with over a decade of experience in the technology sector and six years in blockchain technology. She has been awarded five grants from the European Union, the Berlin Ministry of Economy, the German Business Foundation, Musicboard, and Al-Mawred Al-Thaqafy.

Dr. Nawar Najmeh

Founder of "AL-Najmeh" for Radiological diagnosis and magnetic resonance imaging

A Syrian physician and specialist based in Paris, he is also a political activist and writer, and a member of the National Dialogue Conference. He has published works in poetry, political thought, and philosophy.

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