OMAR D.

AL-SAHILI

Omar  Al‐Sahili  is  an  experienced  economic  development  professional  with  complementary  information 
communications technology (ICT) expertise. During the past thirteen years, Mr. Al‐Sahili gained an exceptional 
knowledge in the private, governmental and educational sectors, and the related stakeholders. Mr. Al‐Sahili has 
key  proven  knowledge  and  skills  in  project  management,  institutional  development,  strategic  planning, 
networking  and  partnerships  development,  telecom  regulations  and  policy  management,  private  sector 
development and SME development. 
 
As to Project Management, Mr. Al‐Sahili has worked in several multi‐million dollar projects and has experienced 
the  entire  cycle  of  projects  and  initiatives  from  inception  to  close‐down,  with  special  knowledge  in  USAID 
projects.  He  has  played  a  pivotal  role  in  managing  specific  initiatives  and  programs  including  such  tasks  of 
managing the subcontractors and consultants, human resources, deliverables, budgets and compliance. 
 
Currently, Mr. Al‐Sahili is a Director for Business Development at DAI covering Palestine, Jordan and parts of the 
region. His role involves business acquisition tasks including concepts design, proposal writing and recruitment.  
 
His  international  experience  consists  of  working  with  international  management  consulting  firms  like  DAI, 
Education Development Center (EDC), Stanford Research Institute (SRI), The Services Group (TSG), Nathan‐MSI 
and Sustainable Systems. In addition, he has built relations with international IT companies like Google, CISCO, 
Intel and Microsoft in areas related to education and development. In Asia, Mr. Al‐Sahili has also led a strategic 
planning process to help create and develop various IT industry associations in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh as part 
of a special USAID/ITMA mission to that region. 
 
His  previous  experience  includes  managing  the  Monitoring  and  Evaluation  Unit  at  the  Palestinian  Enterprise 
Development (PED) Project, a $12.1 million USAID project. Prior to that, he was managing business development 
and  export  promotion  programs  for  the  Market  Access  Program  (MAP),  an  $18  million  funded  project  also 
implemented by DAI.  Mr. Al‐Sahili has been a leading advocate for promoting ICT diffusion into non‐IT sectors. 
Under  DAI,  he  has  greatly  contributed  to  the  Palestine  ICT  Incubator  (PICTI),  the  first  Palestinian  business 
incubator, and has guided its establishment, setup, strategies and programs.  
 
An  expert  in  the  management  of  information  systems,  Mr.  Al‐Sahili  has  taught  computer  science  courses  at 
Birzeit University, An‐Najah University and Ramallah Technical College. As an industry leader, Mr. Al‐Sahili has 
served  on  the  Palestinian  National  Y2K  Committee  and  was  coordinator  of  the  ICT  Advisory  Board  of  the 
Palestinian Economic Council for Development and Reconstruction (PECDAR). He was a member of Palestine’s 
Technical  Advisory  Team  on  the  accession  to  the  WTO,  the  National  ICT  Strategy  team  and  the  Palestine 
Education  Initiative  (PEI)  Team/  Industry  Development  Track.  He  is  also  a  founding  member  of  the  Palestine 
Chapter of the Internet Society (ISOC) where he currently serves as an elected board member and a founding 
member of the Association of Arab Internet Societies. He’s is also a member of the Higher Committee of the Pan 
Arab Informatics Prize of Kuwait, Sh. Salem Al‐Ali Al‐Sabah Informatics Award.  
 
Born  in  Kuwait  in  1971,  Mr.  Al‐Sahili  holds  a  Masters  Degree  in  Engineering  Science  from  the  University  of 
Toledo  in  Ohio,  USA,  since  1995.  He  holds  Palestinian  and  Jordanian  nationalities  and  is  married  with  three 
children. Mr. Al‐Sahili can be reached at the contacts below: 
  Work:   +970 2 298 7187,  Mobile: +970 59 946 0387   
  Email:   omar_sahili@dai.com;   osahili@gmail.com;  Skype: osahili. 
 OMAR D. AL-SAHILI / Curriculum Vitae

EDUCATION
• Master of Science in Engineering Science, Major Electrical Engineering / VLSI, University of Toledo,
Ohio, Aug 1995.
• Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and Sub-specialty Computers, University of Toledo, Dec
1993.

REGIONAL EXPERIENCE: Palestine, Jordan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, UAE, Kuwait.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Business Development Director, DAI Palestine. (Jan 2009 – Present)

• Acting Director when needed.
• Special additional tasks to help setup DAI Office in Jordan and prepare for Jordan specific opportunities.

Business Development Advisor, DAI Palestine. Palestine. (January 2005– Dec 2008). Work Included:
• New business acquisition and proposal writing in Palestine, Jordan and the region.
• Liaising with the home office Business Development and Marketing Units
• Long term assignments to DAI USAID projects including Market Access Program (MAP), Palestine ICT
Incubator (PICTI) and Palestinian Enterprise Development (PED).
• Several short term consultancy and strategic planning assignments (list below)
• Other Projects/Tasks:
o Advisor to the Gaza Private Sector Revitalization Initiative to assess private sector enterprises
damages and needs after the December 2008 War. Palestinian Authority. (Feb – July 2009)
o Initiated and facilitated Google first engagement into the Palestinian market and stakeholders.
(Mar 2009)
o Leading the Business-to-Business Activities at the London Business Forum on Trade and
Investment with Palestine. DFID / PIPA. (Oct-Dec 2008)
o Project Quality Manager of a World Bank / UNDP project to produce a standard operating
procedure on the Response to Avian Influenza. (Apr-Jul 2008)

Monitoring and Evaluation Unit Manager, Development Alternatives Inc., Palestine Enterprise
Development Project (PED), Palestine. $12.1 Million. (Aug 2006 – Sep 2009). Work included:
• Acting COP when needed
• Project monitoring and evaluation processes including project indicators reporting.
• Setting up the M&E Unit for the compilation of data and assessment of the impact of the political crisis
on industries and firms throughout the country.
• Hiring and managing thirty apprentices for field data collection and data entry.
• Analysis and report writing.
• Managing six grants with Palestine Trade Center (Paltrade) and Palestinian IT Association (PITA) with a
budgeted amount of around $1 Million.
• Managing four training and employment generation programs for fresh graduates. More than 340
graduates were provided with specialized training programs.
• Supervising the capacity building for the Palestine Trade Center staff and designing and implementing
programs in the areas of marketing services delivery (training, market share assessments, business
development services and trade information services).
• Designing and supervising two strategic activities of producing a national ICT workforce analysis and an
assessment of the outsourcing capabilities of the local ICT firms.

Clusters Development Manager & ICT Cluster Manager, Development Alternatives Inc., Palestine
Enterprise Development Project (PED), Palestine. $15 Million. (October 2005–August 2006). Work included:
• Pre-award and start up activities to include PED proposal writing, recruitment of technical and
administrative staff, designing and conducting staff orientation, and training for the technical staff.
• Member of PED Management Team.
• Working on PED strategy, work plan, and initiatives.
• Managing the clusters development division and the eight Cluster Managers -in West Bank and Gaza- for
of Agro-Industry, Construction, Furniture, Pharmaceuticals, Stone and Marble, Tourism, Handicrafts and
ICT. This included the orientation and training of the clusters managers.
• Leading the Clusters Competitiveness Assessment work among the management team and in cooperation
with technical experts from Stanford Research Institute (SRI).
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• Assessing ICT cluster needs and formulating ICT cluster development strategies.
Advisor, Nathan-MSI & Development Alternatives Inc., Palestine ICT Incubator (PICTI), Palestine. $3.8
Million. (November 2003–October 2006). Work included:
• Leading – during the pre-award and start - the activities of proposal writing, recruitment of technical and
administrative staff, and orientation for the technical staff.
• Providing PICTI staff with strategic planning and budgeting advice, in addition to program and new
initiative design, implementation and supervision.
• Facilitating contractual and technical matters with USAID and Nathan Inc.
• Assisting in setting-up PICTI facilities, operations and recruitment.
• Technical and Management Advisor to PICTI staff including the CEO and 12 staff.
• Leading PICTI’s outreach program design and implementation aimed at instigating the pipeline of
innovative ideas. More than 2700 IT students and professionals were met during the first 6 months of the
program.
• Co-leading the PICTI concept formation and proposal writing for PICTI fundraising.

IT Sector Manager, Development Alternatives Inc. / Market Access Program (MAP), Palestine. $18
Million. (March 2001-January 2005). Work included:
• Acting COP when needed
• Serving as the Strategic Advisor to Palestinian IT Association of Companies in areas of institutional
development, marketing and policy management.
• Serving as the Strategic Advisor to the Palestinian National Internet Naming Authority (PNINA)
including setup, structure and planning.
• Serving as the Lead Advisor to the IT portfolio of the Palestine Trade Center (PalTrade) in the areas of
sector development where the first ICT Sector Marketing Plan was produced, and also on export
promotion activities and initiatives including the successful Palestinian participations at Gulf IT
Exhibition (GITEX) in Dubai since 2001 to 2005.
• Assisting ICT SME companies in business development programs (Business Planning, Financial
Planning, Marketing, Exhibition Preparation, Image Building, Public Relations, International Quality
Systems like ISO and CMM). More than thirty programs were implemented.
• Planning of Marketing, Exhibitions and Market Entry Activities for IT companies.
• Working on a detailed report and methodology was produced as a ready tool to implement an ICT
Diffusion Program.
• Establishing a marketing office at Dubai Internet City for the Palestinian IT Association of Companies
(PITA) / Palestine@Gulf Office.

IT Sector Coordinator, Development Alternatives Inc. / Market Access Program, Palestine (March 2000–
February 2001).

Director of IT Department, PECDAR, Palestine. (March 1999-February 2000). Work included:

• Managerial and administrative duties (including internal IT systems).
• Preparation and evaluation of IT projects proposals prepared by PECDAR or tenders submitted to
PECDAR.
• Analysis and evaluation of national IT projects and design of National IT Training Courses.
• Coordination with regional and international organizations
• Y2K Project Leader.
• Coordinator and member of the PECDAR ICT Advisory Board (ICTAB) aimed at initiating a public-
private partnership in ICT sector development.

Systems Engineer, Institute of Law, Birzeit University, Palestine (November 1995-March 1999)
Work included:
• Various managerial tasks including information systems, events management, team building, Director’s
representative supervising the construction, setup and space management of the new Institute 1300
square meter modern building on Campus.
• Procurement of software, hardware and equipment.
• Programming (several Projects in addition to the main project to develop a comprehensive database of all
legislation in Palestine since 1852. http://lawcenter.birzeit.edu/databank.html).
• Systems Analysis, Equipment Specification, Quotations & Tenders Evaluation.

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Instructor, Computer Science Department, Birzeit University, Birzeit, Palestine (September 1998-January
1999)

Project Supervisor, Palestine Technical College / Ramallah, Ramallah, Palestine

(March 1998-June 1998)
Supervising programming graduation projects for senior year Computer Science class.

Trainer, Birzeit University, Palestine (May 1996). Instructed a training course in Windows and Excel.

Instructor, Computer Science Department, Al-Najah University, Nablus, Palestine

(February-June 1996)

Digital Design Lab Instructor, University of Toledo, Ohio, USA (September 1994-April 1995)
Assisted students in their projects designs and graded their reports.

Tutor, Student Development Center, University of Toledo, Ohio, USA. (January 1994-January 1995)
Tutored preliminary and intermediate engineering & math courses.

Computer Engineer, Micro Pro Technology, Toledo, Ohio, USA (April-July 1994)
Hardware maintenance and software installation. Design databases using ALPHA-FOUR software.

CONSULTANCIES

Jan- Feb 2009 West Bank Strategic Strategic Planning for PADICO holding company. Consultant
Planning Institutional Assessment and Organizational Restructure.
Oct- Dec West Bank Strategic Organizational Assessment and Strategic Management Consultant &
2008 Planning Planning for the Palestinian Capital Market Authority, Facilitator
www.pcma.ps.
Jul- Sep 2008 West Bank Consultancy Designed an ICT Programs and Connectivity Strategy for 67 Consultant
youth clubs under the US Palestinian Partnership Initiative
and also for the Palestinian Ministry of Youth & Sports. EDC
/ Ruwwad USAID Project.
Feb 2008 Jericho Strategic Multi Sector Strategic Planning – Jerusalem Consultant &
Planning Facilitator
Nov 2007 Jericho Strategic PalTrade Strategic Planning 2008-2011 Consultant &
Planning Facilitator
Jun 2007 Ramallah Consultancy Palestine Stock Exchange Market. Evaluation of Tender: Consultant
Business Process Management and Intranet Systems.
Apr 2007 West Bank Consultancy Preliminary Market Research for Mobile services in Consultant
/ Gaza Palestine.
Jan 2007 Ramallah Consultancy EC / EuroMED, “New Approaches to Telecommunications Consultant
Policy – NATP II”. Palestine Country Analysis.
Jun 2006 Ramallah Strategic Strategic Planning and Restructure for Sinokrot Global Consultant
Planning Group. (2006)
Apr 2003 Palestine Consultancy Business Plan Facilitation & Preparation for the Palestinian Consultant
ICT Incubator (PICTI), TSG/ PRIZM Project.
Jan 2003 Colombo & Workshop "Strategic Planning for IT Business Associations" / USAID Consultant &
Dhaka IT Mentors Alliance Program. Sri Lanka (Forming an Apex Trainer
IT Association) – Bangladesh (IT Associations Assessment
& TA Needs)

LANGUAGES
Arabic: Native
English: Fluent

MEMBERSHIPS & AWARDS

• Member of Palestine Education Initiative Action Plan Formulation Committee. (2009)
• Fulbright Scholarship for PhD. (2009)
• Member of the Higher Committee of the Pan Arab Informatics Prize of Kuwait (Sh. Salem Al-Ali Al-
Sabah Informatics Award). (2007 & 2008)
• Board member of the Palestinian National Internet Naming Authority. (2007)
• Member of Industry Track Development team of the Palestine Education Initiative, a World Economic
Forum supported initiative. (2005-2006)
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• Member of Engineering Association, Jordan. (2005)

• Scholarship recipient of Harvard iLaw Symposium (7 out of 120 applicants). (2005)
• Member of Palestinian National ICT Strategy Final Drafting Ad-hoc Committee (2005)
• Board Member of the Internet Society – Palestine Chapter (www.isoc.ps). (2004)
• An Arbitrator of Information Technology for the TAHKEEM Center for the Settlement of Commercial
Disputes, based in Ramallah, Palestine. (2003)
• Member of Technical Advisory Team on Palestine Accession to the WTO. (2001)
• Member of Ministry of High Ed Committee on curriculum strategy (IT). (2000)
• Member of ISOC. (Since 2000). Founding member of ISOC-Palestine (2002)
• Member of the initial committee for the .ps ccTLD setup. (2000)
• Member of the Palestine National Y2K Technical Committee (1999-2000)
• Coordinator of the Information Communication Technology Advisory Board of PECDAR (1998-2000)
• Member of the Engineers Association, Palestine. (Since 1996)
• Full PhD Scholarship in Electrical Engineering at the Univ of Toldeo, Ohio, USA. (1995)
• Engineer Intern (EIT exam), State of Ohio, USA. (1994)
• Outstanding Tutor Award 93/94, University of Toledo, Ohio (1994)

PUBLICATIONS

• Oct 2008. “ICT Strategy for the Youth Development & Resource Centers of the Palestinian Ministry of
Youth & Sports”. Consultant and Author.
• July 2008. “Assessment of the Palestinian ICT Workforce – 2008”. Designer and Main Reviewer.
• May 2008. “An Assessment of the Outsourcing Capabilities of the Palestinian ICT Industry” by David L.
Ross. Designer and Key Reviewer.
• April 2006. “Clusters Competitiveness Assessment: Eight Industrial and Services Clusters in Palestine”.
Co-Author and Clusters Group Leader.
• 2003-2007. Author of multiple ICT policy papers and article on the Internet development in Palestine.
References at www.isoc.ps, www.pita.ps.
• Dec 2003. "ICT Sector Marketing Plan", Palestinian IT Association of Companies, Palestine Trade
Center & Market Access Program. Co-Author.
• July 2003. “Assessment of the Palestinian IT Association of Companies”. Co-Author.
• April 2002. “Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Impact on Competitiveness – Initial
Assessment”. Market Access Program. Reviewer.
• July 2000. “Management of the .PS Top Level Domain: Positioning the Palestinian Territories into the
Information Economy", (http://www.pita-palestine.org/it-issues.htm). Reviewer.

PERSONAL
• Palestinian and Jordanian Nationalities (Palestinian ID and Jordanian National Number)
• DOB: 10 Feb 1971, Kuwait
• Married with three children
• Jordanian and Palestinian Drivers Licenses

RELATED PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Exhibitions, Workshops & Training:

Lead, conducted, organized and participated in many conferences, exhibitions and workshops in areas of
business management, export, economic policy and economic development. (Details at
http://sites.google.com/site/osahili/resume)

Computer Skills
Proficient in office management software, software development and Management Information Systems by
experience and by training.

Key ICT Projects

Lead several ICT & software related projects including developing software concepts and designs, managing
the procurement process and actual development.

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