Waleid Al Mesmari is President of the Space & Cyber Technologies cluster at EDGE, one of the world’s leading advanced technology and defence groups. In his current role, he provides oversight and strategic direction on the development and business functions of the five entities within the cluster: KATIM, BEACON RED, ORYXLABS, FADA and HIGHLANDER. He is responsible for leading initiatives with internal teams in the cluster to plan, scope, and manage for the highest quality client experience and results.
Prior to joining EDGE, he served as Manager of Business Analysis and Strategic Planning within the UAE government, where he specialised in the cybersecurity field. During his tenure, he was responsible for shaping the organisation’s strategic plans in collaboration with its diverse stakeholders. He was required to ensure effective governance frameworks were in place to enable the successful implementation of the overall strategy, along with the ability to learn and keep pace with emerging trends to identify long-term opportunities and align organisational requirements with desired outcomes.
Earlier in his career, Al Mesmari worked for Etisalat as Head of the Ankabut Network, establishing the UAE’s National Research and Education Network (NREN) to provide effective communication and collaboration between students, researchers, and educational institutions as the first IPv6-ready telecommunications core network in the UAE.
He holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the Abu Dhabi School of Management. He also has a Bachelor of Computer Engineering degree from the Etisalat University College in Sharjah. Additionally, he completed an Executive Development Program at Columbia Business School in New York, as well as the Future Foresight Program conducted by the UAE Prime Minister’s Office in collaboration with the University of Oxford in the UK.
