Zeina El Kaissi

Zeina El Kaissi is the Head of Emerging Technology at the Smart Dubai Office.

Zeina spearheads the Dubai-wide strategy development and implementation of disruptive technologies such as blockchain and the positioning of Dubai as a global and industry leader in the smart city field.

With over 11 years of experience, Zeina has held strategic roles in both the public and private sectors. She has worked as a Senior Consultant at The Executive Office of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Prime Minister, where she led city-wide projects aimed at increasing the quality of life of Dubai residents and the economic competitiveness of the city regionally and globally. There, she also led the development of the Dubai 3D Printing Strategy launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum in 2015.

Prior to that, Zeina worked in management consulting at Booz and Company where her professional experience spanned diverse fields such as education reform, transportation planning and implementation, business policy advocacy, private sector and SME growth and Innovation policy and planning. She also served within the Abu Dhabi Government at the General Secretariat of the Executive Council where she led the Government-wide strategic planning and performance management of over 50 public sector agencies.

Zeina was also a technology entrepreneur in the field of city experiences.

She holds an MBA with distinction from London Business School and BA with distinction in Corporate Finance from the American University of Beirut. Zeina has authored studies and perspectives on a wide range of topics including technology, public sector governance and innovation

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