Technology Leader · Dubai, UAE

Ahmed
Aboalenain

Senior Technology Leader & Strategic Advisor with 20+ years architecting and governing enterprise platforms across Banking, Defense, Government, and Aviation.

IT Governance Security Architecture IT GRC Agentic AI PKI · IAM · Zero Trust CBUAE · NIST · ISO 27001
Get in Touch View Experience
20+
Years of Enterprise Technology Leadership
50+
Government Entities Connected via GFMIS
80%
Compliance Gap Remediation at Banque Misr
99.9%
Payment System Uptime Maintained
Ahmed Aboalenain
About

Who I Am

I am a Senior Technology Leader and Strategic Advisor based in Dubai, UAE, with over 20 years of experience leading, architecting, and governing enterprise technology platforms across Banking, Defense, Government, and Aviation.

In financial services, I have owned technology governance strategy and platform architecture across regulated banking environments — directing alignment with CBUAE, CBE, NESA, UAE PDPL, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, COBIT, and NIST across mission-critical platforms including Core Banking, SWIFT, RTGS, ACH, Payment Gateways, and Treasury Systems.

I hold an MSc in Information Systems Management (Merit, University of Roehampton, London) and ITIL 4 Foundation certification, backed by IBM Tivoli specialist credentials and Security Certified Network Architect (SCNA) designation.

Part-time, I help organizations build strategies to adopt Agentic AI — mapping every AI initiative directly to committed business outcomes using n8n, Langflow, Microsoft Copilot Studio, and Power Automate.

📞
UAE Mob
+971 55 538 5508
📞
EGY Mob
+2 0100 73 79 378
✉️
Email
ahmed@aboalenain.com
🔗
LinkedIn
linkedin.com/in/ahmedaboalenain
Core Expertise

What I Do Best

🏛️
IT Governance & GRC
Board-level governance, risk registers, ITGC reviews, audit remediation, and regulatory alignment across banking and government environments.
COBITISO 27001NIST CSFPCI DSSCBUAENESA
🔐
Security Architecture
Zero Trust frameworks, PKI/HSM infrastructure, IAM/SSO, SOC/SIEM operations, and end-to-end cybersecurity governance across defense and banking environments.
Zero TrustPKI/HSMIAM/SSOSABSATOGAFSOC/SIEM
⚙️
IT Operations & Infrastructure
Enterprise IT operations, BCP/DR design, multi-platform infrastructure management, ITSM, and team leadership across Aviation, Energy, and Government sectors.
ITIL 4BCP/DRISO 22301IBM TivoliOracle EBS
🏦
Banking Technology & Compliance
Core Banking governance, SWIFT/RTGS/ACH payment security, AML/KYC controls, and regulatory audit readiness for UAE-regulated financial institutions.
SWIFTRTGSAML/KYCUAE PDPLBRCC
🛡️
Defense-Grade Security
PKI/CA operations, smart card management, credential lifecycle, application security, and full-spectrum cybersecurity for national defense institutions.
VERSASECGemaltoS/MIMEEDR/XDRDLP
🤖
Agentic AI Strategy
AI adoption strategy mapped to business outcomes, AI governance frameworks, data privacy controls, and automation workflows across Microsoft and open-source ecosystems.
n8nLangflowCopilot StudioPower AutomateAzure
Career

Work Experience

2025 – 2026
Banque Misr
Dubai, UAE
IT Governance Lead (Manager)
Owned enterprise IT Governance Framework across Core Banking, Digital Banking, ITSM, and Payment Systems — delivering board-level risk visibility and regulatory alignment with CBUAE, NESA, and ISO 27001.
Delivered BRCC executive dashboards consolidating IT audit observations, risk exposures, and remediation status
Reduced change-related operational incidents by 30% and improved change success rate to 80%
Maintained 99.9% payment system uptime via Risk Registers, RCSA, KRI/KPI, and BIA
Remediated 80% compliance gaps across AML, KYC, Fraud Detection, and UAE PDPL
Reduced overdue audit actions by 80% across internal, external, IT, IS, and regulatory findings
2022 – 2025
Kuwait National Guard
State of Kuwait
Senior IT Security Consultant
Designed, implemented, and operated enterprise cybersecurity programs for a national defense institution — delivering secure-by-design architectures across network, application, data, endpoint, cloud, and PKI domains.
Architected Zero Trust framework aligned with NIST CSF, ISO 27001, SABSA, and TOGAF
Engineered enterprise PKI end-to-end: CA, RA, HSM, certificate lifecycle, CRL/OCSP, TLS/SSL
Reduced critical vulnerabilities by 90% via Secure SDLC, SAST, DAST, and OWASP Top 10 remediation
Built and matured SOC capabilities: SIEM, threat detection, threat intelligence, Incident Response
Reduced residual risk by 40% via NIST RMF and COSO ERM risk assessments
2020 – 2021
Prozone Middle East
State of Kuwait
Senior IT Infrastructure & Middleware Consultant
Delivered defense-grade PKI, IAM, PAM, and credential management for Kuwait National Guard as part of the mission-critical Paperless Office initiative.
Deployed VERSASEC and Gemalto credential management platforms automating identity provisioning
Engineered Certification Authority servers and PKI infrastructure for classified environments
Enabled PKI-based S/MIME secure email with smart card authentication across the organization
2016 – 2019
Ministry of Finance
State of Kuwait
IT Central Management Consultant
Established IT Governance, Infrastructure, and Operations frameworks across Kuwait's Ministry of Finance, supporting the flagship GFMIS government ERP program.
Delivered GFMIS integration connecting 50+ governmental entities serving 7,000 public sector employees
Implemented IBM Access Management with SSO and MFA across all connected government entities
Built KPI dashboards using IBM Cognos providing real-time operational visibility to senior management
2012 – 2016
Value Engineering & Energy
State of Kuwait
IT Manager / IT Business Analyst
Drove enterprise IT operations, digital transformation, and project portfolio governance for a multi-sector consulting environment.
Managed IT project portfolios with ROI optimization, risk management, and stakeholder governance
Accelerated digital transformation through process automation and capability maturity uplift
Built and led multi-cultural cross-functional IT teams across infrastructure, security, and applications
2008 – 2016
Kuwait Airways
State of Kuwait
Backup & Disaster Recovery Specialist
Managed enterprise backup and disaster recovery operations for one of the region's flagship aviation carriers — ensuring business continuity across multi-platform environments.
IBM Tivoli Storage Manager specialist across Windows, UNIX, AIX, Sun, and Linux environments
Ensured IT Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery Plan compliance across the organization
2006 – 2008
IT Valley
Giza, Egypt
Senior Systems Engineer
IBM Business Partner delivering enterprise solutions and training across public and private sectors in Egypt.
Deployed IBM Tivoli products on multi-platform heterogeneous environments
Delivered IBM formal training for Tivoli Storage Manager, Risk Manager, and Enterprise Console
Implemented VPN, PKI, digital certificates, SSL, and LDAP security infrastructure
Innovation

Agentic AI & Automation

I help organizations build strategies and adopt Agentic AI — ensuring every AI initiative maps directly to committed business outcomes, whether revenue growth, operational efficiency, or customer experience.

Before any agent touches enterprise data, I establish the privacy framework, data classification boundaries, and access controls required under GDPR and UAE PDPL — covering data residency, LLM access boundaries, prompt injection controls, and third-party AI vendor risk.

The result: an AI adoption model that boards, regulators, and technology teams can all stand behind and scale with confidence.

n8n Langflow Microsoft Copilot Studio Power Automate Azure AI MS Dynamics Microsoft 365
🎯 AI Strategy & Governance
Board-ready AI adoption roadmaps with regulatory alignment, risk frameworks, and measurable business outcomes.
🔒 AI Security Framework
Data residency controls, prompt injection defenses, LLM access boundaries, and incident response protocols for AI systems.
⚡ Automation Workflows
Sales acceleration, CRM enrichment, ITSM integration, and digital service delivery pipelines within Microsoft ecosystems.
📊 Business Outcomes First
Every AI investment is tied to measurable KPIs — operational efficiency gains, cost reduction, and customer experience metrics.
Credentials

Education & Certifications

🎓
MSc Information Systems Management
University of Roehampton, London UK
2020 · Merit
✅
ITIL 4 Foundation Certificate in IT Service Management
PeopleCert · GR671869385AA
2026 · Valid to 2029
🛡️
Security Certified Network Architect (SCNA)
Security Certified Program
2006 · SCNA.020.1114
🔐
Security Certified Network Professional (SCNP)
Security Certified Program
2006 · SCNP.020.1546
💾
IBM Certified Deployment Professional — Tivoli Storage Manager V6.2
IBM Software Group
2011
🛡️
IBM Certified — Tivoli Access Manager for e-business V6.0
IBM Software Group
2006
👤
IBM Certified — Tivoli Identity Manager V4.6
IBM Software Group
2006
☁️
Alibaba Cloud Associate — Cloud Security & Computing
Alibaba Cloud
2022
Contact

Let's Connect

I am open to senior technology leadership opportunities across the UAE and GCC — including IT Governance, Security Architecture, IT GRC, Head of IT, and IT Operations roles. I am also available for Agentic AI strategy consulting engagements.

📞
Phone
+971 55 538 5508
✉️
Email
ahmed@aboalenain.com
🔗
LinkedIn
linkedin.com/in/ahmedaboalenain
📍
Location
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Open to Opportunities
▸ Head of IT / Director of IT
▸ IT Governance & GRC Lead
▸ Security Architecture Manager
▸ IT Risk & Compliance Director
▸ IT Operations Manager / Head of IT Operations
▸ Agentic AI Strategy Consultant
📍 Dubai · Abu Dhabi · Riyadh (KSA)