| Ara FernezianFounder & CEO, StratecisAra is a social entreprenuer, author and the founder and CEO of Stratecis. Stratecis is a strategic consulting firm, specialized in designing and co-creating platforms and initiatives in partnerships with leading local and international organizations. He is a sustainability and youth empowerment advovcate, passionate about helping young entrepreneurs reach their full potential. He has 27 years of curating initiatives acorss sustainability, energy, agriculture, food, waste management, water, cleantech and tech sectors. He is the author of “Note To Self”, co-author of FutureSkills2030 and Transformational Entrepreneurship case study. |
 | Babak AhmadzadehStrategic Advisor - Plug and Play Middle EastBabak has 10+ years of experience working in technology, construction, financial services and education sectors in the UK and UAE.
He is currently a Strategic Advisor - Plug and Play Middle East, where he engages with private and public sector entities to support them in meeting their digital innovation KPIs through innovation education; culture transformation; and start-up/scale-up interactions.
He has supported the successful launch of two open innovation platforms in Berlin (for Energy & Sustainability) and Paris (for Smart Cities).
The Plug and Play MENA team hope to develop the infrastructure to attract, nurture and retain the best entrepreneurial and tech talent in the UAE through our Open Innovation Platform and Services. |
 | Stelios LeftherisManaging Partner at VestigosStelios Leftheris has 20 years' experience with banking multinationals, responsible for global information security programs and 3rd party security contract negotiations with FT100. He has tech and security audited or led auditing to over 1500 companies per year between 2012 to 2017 and has substantial experience in technology, cloud, digital transformation, fintech, IOT/sensor monitoring, AI/ML. He is a strategic tech adviser to start-up companies and leadership teams in the Middle East and EU. He has lived and worked in Greece, UK, UAE; BSc in Computer Science, held CISSP, CISM, CRISC, CoRM certifications. Vestigos offer a broad range of services to meet your needs such as validating your business concept, carrying out due diligence, identifying gaps and opportunities, helping you define an agile and lean operational approach to achieve quicker results with minimized cost, driving the creation of a state-of-the-art business plan that enhance your chances multiple fold to attract investors interest and funding. |
