Faisal Al Bannai

Faisal Al Bannai is an Emirati leader in defence technology and advanced research, Secretary General of the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC) and CEO & MD of EDGE Group.[1]

Faisal Al Bannai
Born
United Arab Emirates
NationalityEmirati
Known forAxiom Telecom, EDGE Group, DarkMatter
TitleCEO & Managing Director; Secretary General; Board Member; Entrepreneur

Career

Faisal Al Bannai is currently Chief Executive Office & Managing Director of EDGE Group, an advanced technology group based in the UAE that develops disruptive solutions for defence and beyond.[2][3][4] EDGE, a state-owned conglomerate,[5] was publicly made known by Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.[6][7]

Alongside his position at EDGE, Al Bannai is Secretary General of the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), a research-driven body that seeks to strengthen Abu Dhabi's position as an international research and development hub. He is also a Member of the Board of Trustees of Khalifa University.

Previously he founded Axiom Telecom and DarkMatter.[7][8]

After finishing his education abroad, Al Bannai founded and established Axiom Telecom in 1997, which is known today as the Middle East's largest distributor of mobile devices.[9] Having served as its Chief Executive Officer for 19 years, Al Bannai stepped down to become Axiom Telecom’s Managing Director in 2016. During this period, he founded DarkMatter a cybersecurity service provider, where he assumed the position of Chief Executive Officer. In April 2018, Al Bannai became Founder & Managing Director of DarkMatter, later announcing in October 2019 that he will divest his entire stake in the company. In November 2019, Al Bannai was appointed to head EDGE, which specialises in weapons, defence, smart technology,[6] electronic warfare, and research and development.[5][8]

Education

Al Bannai graduated with a bachelor's degree in Finance from Boston University. He also has a master's degree in Shipping Trade and Finance from City University, London.

Honors

In 2005, Al Bannai received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates.

In 2017, he received the Technology Business Leader of the Year at the Gulf Business Awards.[10]

In 2018 and 2019, Al Bannai was also included in Gulf Business’ 100 Most Powerful Arabs list.[11]

See also

References
  1. "The leading edge of defence and technology: Faisal Al Bannai". Arabian Business. 2020-07-17. Retrieved 2020-09-12.
  2. "EDGE announced as Advanced Technology Partner for Mohamed bin Zayed International Robotics Challenge 2020, organised by Khalifa University". wam.ae. 2020-02-22. Retrieved 2020-09-12.
  3. "EDGE appoints three cluster presidents". Arabian Aerospace. 2020-03-09. Retrieved 2020-09-12.
  4. Warner, Kelsey (2019-11-05). "Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi unveils one of Middle East's biggest defence groups". The National. Retrieved 2020-09-12.
  5. Turak, Natasha (2019-11-17). "The UAE, a major US weapons buyer, is building its own defense capabilities". CNBC. Retrieved 2020-09-12.
  6. Warner, Kelsey (2019-11-18). "Abu Dhabi defence group Edge looks to smart technology to tackle low-tech militants". The National. Retrieved 2020-09-12.
  7. Warner, Kelsey (2020-05-29). "Abu Dhabi's new advanced tech council will shift R&D 'into high gear'". The National. Retrieved 2020-09-12.
  8. Reid, David (2019-11-05). "UAE announces Middle East defense giant in the wake of Aramco attacks". CNBC. Retrieved 2020-09-12.
  9. Ehtesham, Shahid (2016-04-14). "The mobile man who turned to cyber security". Al Arabiya. Retrieved 2020-09-12.
  10. Nagraj, Aarti (2017-09-11). "Revealed: Winners at the Gulf Business Awards 2017". Gulf Business. Retrieved 2020-09-13.
  11. "Top 100 most powerful Arabs 2019". Gulf Business. Retrieved 2020-09-14.
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