Abu Dhabi's Hub71 appoints new deputy chief executive to boost its global profile

Ahmad Alwan has held various positions at the technology ecosystem and Mubadala

Ahmad Alwan will work to raise the organisation's profile in key technology markets around the world. Photo: Hub71

Hub71, Abu Dhabi's global technology ecosystem, has appointed Ahmad Alwan as deputy chief executive to help lead its long-term strategy and global ambitions.

Mr Alwan, a founding member of Hub71, will work to raise the organisation's profile in key technology markets around the world, Hub71 said on Wednesday.

“With his strong commitment to founders within our community, we will accelerate the energetic pace we are operating at to progress our strategy of driving growth for tech start-ups globally, from Abu Dhabi,” said Badr Al Olama, acting chief executive of Hub71.

Hub71, which is backed by the Abu Dhabi government and Mubadala Investment Company, has continuously unveiled initiatives to support the development of start-ups.

In July, it set up its annual Outliers programme and, last month, it joined forces with Siemens Energy to support Abu Dhabi start-ups addressing climate change issues.

Before his latest appointment, Mr Alwan held a number of roles at Hub71, including in the strategy, stakeholder management, finance, investor engagement and operations departments.

He also worked for Mubadala’s UAE investments platform, overseeing a portfolio of UAE-based aerospace and technology assets, which include Strata, Sanad, G42 and Hub71.

Mr Alwan was also previously part of Mubadala’s Portfolio Strategy team where he worked on formulating the corporate strategy, overlaying internal and stakeholder objectives, and supporting Mubadala’s leadership with special projects.

“The community of founders and team members that Hub71 has amassed over the past three years is testament to Hub71’s efforts and to our government’s support in building an impactful platform for people and the economy,” Mr Alwan said.

Hub71 is home to more than 170 start-ups that raised $436 million from global investors in the first half of 2022.