Dr. Khaled bin Hussein Al-Biyari has been the assistant minister of defense for executive affairs since February 2018.

He gained a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in 1983 from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM). Two years later he received a master’s degree in the same field of study, also from KFUPM.

He traveled to the US to study at the University of Southern California and, in 1990, returned to the Kingdom with a doctorate in communication systems along with an academic excellence award.

In April 2009 the Saudi Cabinet appointed him as a member of the board of directors of the Electricity and Co-Generation Regulatory Authority (ECRA) for three years.

He became a member of the communication and information technology committee that same year at the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry. His membership at ECRA was extended in 2012 for another term.

Al-Biyari was chairman of the general committee for standardization at the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization. He was twice elected the chairman of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Saudi Section.

He has also been CEO of Saudi Telecom Co., which he joined in 2013 as the senior vice president for technology and operations. He was then appointed CEO in 2015.  

For nearly 10 years, from 2003, Al-Biyari served as the senior vice president and general manager at Advanced Electronics Co.

Al-Biyari is an active member of professional organizations and has lectured and published papers on communication and information systems. He has also given lectures on technology management, innovation, as well as ICT industry-related issues.

Al-Biyari has been a member of the committee responsible for developing the Long-Term National Plan for the Electronics Industry in the Kingdom. He was also a member of the KFUPM executive committee responsible for the university’s long-term strategic plan.