The Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat has issued a decree appointing Ahmed Hassan Elzaher Acting CEO of the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA), as of December 1. Elzaher is succeeding Amr Mahfouz, who has reached full retirement age.
Elzaher has been Assistant Minister for Ecosystem Development since October.
He has more than 27 years of experience in the IT industry across different countries: Egypt, the UAE, Kenya and Algeria, and in different domains, including IT services, go-to market strategies, leadership development, and business development.
Elzaher has a strong track record in building and expanding organizations, spearheading growth, and developing talents on local and regional levels.
He spent most of his career in IBM, where his last position was Vice President of IBM Cybersecurity Business for Middle East and Africa, in Dubai. He led a large team to establish, structure the organization, and deliver strategic cybersecurity solutions for clients across the region.
Previously, Elzaher served as Regional Sales Director - Central, East and West Africa, in Nairobi. He was responsible for the overall go-to market strategy for the region.
At IBM Egypt, Elzaher was Sales Leader, Territory Manager and IBM Global Technology Services Leader. He was responsible for delivering IT infrastructure projects for clients.
His latest position was Chief Commercial Officer for Digital14, the official cybersecurity provider for Expo2020, in the UAE.
Elzaher holds a B.Sc. in electrical engineering (communications and electronics), which he earned from Ain Shams University.
The ICT Minister as well as officials from the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) and its affiliates, attended a ceremony in honor of Amr Mahfouz, the former CEO of ITIDA.