Thuraiya is currently working as Acting Director for Government Digital Services Unified Portal in the Digital Transformation Empowerment Unit in the Ministry of transport and communication and IT. She is an expert in emerging technologies, Open data and digital transformation with more than 12 years of professional experiences. She got her master degree in “Business Information Technology” in Scotland. Currently she is a member of GCC eGovernment Portal Executive Team in the UAE. She was also a board member in Smart city platform and the National Youth Committee in Oman.

Mario Foster is the Group Chief Information Officer at Al Ghurair Group. The Group is one of the UAE’s oldest and most respected family conglomerates with a diverse portfolio of businesses. An accomplished and multiple award-winning Chief Information Officer, Digital Transformation Officer and Chief Information Security Officer, Mario joined Al Ghurair Group in January 2023. His responsibilities include leading the Group IT organisation, evaluating and restructuring the existing IT Operating Model, and setting strategic plans to take the Group’s IT function to the next level.

Prior to his current role, Mario served as Group CIO for Al Naboodah Group Enterprises for almost eight years. He transformed the Group IT department into one of the best IT departments in the region and won multiple regional and local awards under his leadership.

Mario brings with him 30 years of international experience leading complex IT business transformation projects, system enhancement solutions, information security, and infrastructure development solutions, including private and public cloud-based solutions. He has expertise in cutting-edge technologies such as Robotics Process Automation (RPA), Big Data, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Business Intelligence (BI), Internet of Things (IoT), 3D Printing, SaaS, and EaaS.

Mario always aims to transform any IT organisation he leads, from a support function department to a business enabler. He regularly targets building a responsive IT organisation that aligns technology initiatives with business goals to improve service delivery, standardisation, and business/systems performance.

Mario has won multiple awards, including Top 10 CIOs by the well-respected CIO Middle East Magazine, Best CIO Award, Best MENA CISO Award, and the CIO Catalyst Award for the MENA Region for Real Estate & Construction Industry for the fifth year in a row. He was also selected by ITP publishing house as one of the Top 20 Technology Leaders for the MENA Region in 2017. Mario holds the CRISC, CISM, CISSP, RSA Eng., MCSE, CCNA certifications, and is a Gold Member of the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) since February 2007. He sits on the Advisory Board for the Cloud MENA Annual Conference, the National Advisory Council of the College of Technological Innovation at Zayed University, and multiple other industry councils.