FaceOf: Nouf Abdullah Al-Rakan, executive director of the Saudi cyber security federation

Updated 05 May 2018
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FaceOf: Nouf Abdullah Al-Rakan, executive director of the Saudi cyber security federation

  • Al-Rakan was appointed executive director of the Saudi Federation for Cyber Security and Programming (SAFCSP) just recently
  • She began her entrepreneurial career at age 18, trading in leather goods, and has worked in a broad range of industries, including education, journalism, publishing, information systems, banking and telecommunications.

JEDDAH: Nouf Abdullah Al-Rakan has been appointed executive director of the Saudi Federation for Cyber Security and Programming (SAFCSP), with the unanimous approval of board members impressed by her practical and administrative experience.

Saud bin Abdullah Al-Qahtani, adviser at the Royal Court, chairman of the board of directors, SAFCSP, announced the appointment of Al-Rakan, whose many professional roles include being CEO of an educational organization, through his Twitter account, describing her as a great addition to the federation.

Al-Rakan is a graduate of the George Washington University Project Management Program.

She is also a Windsor Leadership Program Alumni. She is the managing director of Alimtiaz which includes Educational Initiatives and Edama projects.

She has more than 14 years’ experience in consulting, project management, communication and light manufacturing. She began her career at age 18 in the trading and importing of leather goods, and has worked in a broad range of industries, including education, journalism, publishing, information systems, banking and telecommunications.

In 2004, she established MITSCo, an information technology company specializing in programming mobile-phone applications, and continued in the technology field by expanding to sports portal programming and creating the Universal Sports web portal. In 2008, Alimtiaz Project Management and Consulting was established to provide consulting and business-advisory services to government organizations and local companies.

In 2010 she established Educational Initiatives to help develop educational and training programs in partnership with leading global organizations, focusing on promoting small and medium enterprises (SMEs), to support Saudi businesswomen and train them in leadership and entrepreneurial skills, as well as technical and managerial training.

She also started an extensive program with leading global institutes and agencies offering extensive on-site research and development programs in support of SMEs.


Minister launches smart control center in Madinah

Updated 7 sec ago
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Minister launches smart control center in Madinah

MADINAH: Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Hajj and Umrah Tawfiq Al-Rabiah has launched the Smart Engineering Command and Control Center at the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, ahead of the holy month of Ramadan.

The ceremony was attended by Ghazi Al-Shahrani, the CEO of the General Authority for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque, along with several executive leaders.

The launch marks a major step in enhancing the service ecosystem for visitors, improving operational efficiency, and elevating worshippers’ experiences through advanced smart technologies.

The authority said the center represented a transformative approach to monitoring service operations at the Prophet’s Mosque, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

It features interactive screens linked to digital operational data on assets, services, visitor feedback, and compliance, enabling faster monitoring and response.

Staffed by qualified personnel across four shifts, the center operates 24/7 to ensure rapid handling of reports and the support of daily operations.

It also strengthens operational governance through digital performance indicators and analytical reports based on historic, current, and predictive data, while integrating with relevant external entities to support informed decision-making.

Now fully operational, the center is designed to manage peak periods year-round, particularly during Ramadan and Hajj, using key and subsidiary performance indicators to monitor all services.