Abdullah bin Amer Al-Swaha was appointed chairman of the board of directors of the Saudi Space Commission by royal decree on May 3.
Al-Swaha said: “The support and empowerment that the space sector receives from the leadership will be of great support to continue the journey of pioneering and innovation for our beloved country.”
He said that the creative minds of the sons and daughters of the nation will be the focus of building a bright future for the Kingdom in the space industry and its technologies. “This sector is important for a diversified and sustainable national economy.”
Al-Swaha has more than 16 years of experience and success in IT, entrepreneurship, executive and digital consulting, holding several executive positions in the public and private sectors.
He has also been the chairman of the board of directors for the King Abdul Aziz City of Science and Technology since March 2021.
In addition to his new roles, Al-Swaha has served as the Saudi minister of communications and information technology since April 2017.
Previously, he was the director general of the digital transformation office at the Ministry of Economic and Planning. His responsibilities included expediting the realization of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 through digital infrastructure.
Al-Swaha also served as the CEO of Cisco Saudi Arabia, which ranks fifth in Cisco’s global operations.
He held several positions at Cisco between 2005 and 2017: He was regional manager, then operations manager, before eventually becoming vice president.
He also served as chairman of the Communications and Information Technology Commission, chairman of Saudi Post and head of the National Executive Digitization Committee, as well as sitting on many boards.
Al-Swaha holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science and communications engineering from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, and a degree in computer science from the University of Washington in Seattle.
He completed a number of programs in executive education at Harvard Business School and Duke University.
