Talk:Al-Fawares Construction and Development

Edit note
I have reviewed the previous content of the page and updated it. I have also made two substantial changes. The first is that there was a lot of biographical material that is better on the side pages of the individuals. The second is that a copyright AFP article was reproduced in entirety on the page so I have removed it. I will also add a few other links to the external articles section shortly. Removed bio material is posted below. --Bob Burton 22:36, 16 July 2008 (EDT)

Sheik Ali Al Sabah is recognized as an International authority on the oil industry. In 1978 he was appointed as President of OPEC and OAPEC. From 1980 to 1990, his Excellency acted as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Kuwait National Petroleum Company, which manages 10% of the world's oil reserves. His Excellency also served as the Chairman of Kuwait's Investment Authority, which manages Kuwait's $200 billion International investments. Since 1991, he has held a variety of positions in several international banks and institution. His wealth of experience and successful management style has won his Excellency acclaim in the international business arena. He was nominated as one of the World's top 50 CEOs by Fortune Magazine in 1987. Sheik Ali Al Sabah holds a Masters Degree from the London School of Economics and an undergraduate degree from the University of San Francisco.
 * Sheik Ali Al Sabah served as Kuwait's Minister of Finance from 1983 to 1985 and again from 1990 to 1991. He also held the office of Minister of Oil from 1987 to 1990.

In his role as the acting Chief Scientist for the Al-Fawares Group, Mr. Kirkpatrick has been representing and deploying MVDDS systems since 1998 in various markets around the globe. Kirk Kirkpatrick started MDS America, Incorporated in 2000 after working in information technology industry for 15 years. He is responsible for the strategic direction of the company and also oversees MDSA legal and business relationships. Mr. Kirkpatrick has been a featured speaker at the Seybold Conference for OOP-Cambridge Mass, Gitex Computer Expo - Dubai, and numerous Internet conferences in the US, Europe and the Middle East. Mr. Kirkpatrick attended Kansas State University and several European institutions. Mr. Kirkpatrick's broad range of experience includes: Technical Director, Amextra (Apple IMC)- Sulgen, Switzerland Pioneering Internet development and networking - Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty - Munich, Germany Manager, Information Systems, PDN network - Kuwait General Manager, KMSco - Kuwait Managing Director, AdvanceNet - Egypt Managing Director, ACTV - Israel Mr. Kirkpatrick worked hand-in-hand with the FCC and Congress to ensure legal and equitable access to the 12.0 GHz to 12.7 GHz spectrum in the US and to ensure that this spectrum would go to auction as required by law.

Mr. Blond has over 30 years experience in management of software development, sales, and marketing, and consulting to industries dependent on state of the art technologies. In addition, Mr. Blond has been involved in several startup enterprises, including opening the first computer store in the US Midwest in 1976: The Computer Store of Ann Arbor.
 * Before joining MDS America, Incorporated, Mr. Blond, as General Manager of a multi-faceted software company in Kuwait, was responsible for the creation of Arabic versions of popular American software and directed marketing of that software throughout the Middle East.
 * Previously, he worked in software development in the US and in the Middle East, as designer, entrepreneur, consultant, general manager, and board member in numerous companies. Mr. Blond spent 10 years in various software development capacities with ARAMCO in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Mr. Blond has a BSE and an MSE in Industrial and Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Grigory Kholodkov received a degree from the faculty of Radioelectronics and Laser technology at Bauman Moscow State Technical University (BMSTU) in 1988. Qualification: Radio engineer with diploma of excellence.He finished his post graduate studies at BMSTU in 1991. He has the equivalent of a Masters in the field of microwave devices with ferromagnetic elements.After 1991, he worked at a number of different telecommunications companies. He has been with MDS America since 2003.

As Sales and Marketing Manager for MDS America, Allen Quinn brings more than a decade of operational experience in the Cable TV industry to his role. Mr. Quinn is responsible for supporting the MDSA team with procurement and logistics as well as assisting in the daily operations of the company.Quinn is also instrumental in MDSA's marketing initiatives including, branding, content development, programming, product management, and product marketing, and is known for his ability to establish long-term mutually productive business relationships within the industry.Mr. Quinn's previous marketing and operational experience includes: Regional Marketing Director (Prestige CATV) Ga, N.C. V.P./General Manager (Annox CATV) Ga, TN General Manager (Community CATV) Ga V.P. Operations (CMS Inc.) Southeastern U.S.

Gopi Flaherty has more than a decade of experience in the computer and telecommunications industries.He has a broad range of international experience, including: Research Programmer at University Karlsruhe, working on context-aware portable computing devices Research Programmer at Carnegie Mellon University, working on machine translation and speech dialog systems Diagnostic Engineer at Laurel Networks, validating the design and performance of Laurel's 160 Gbps service edge router Head of Support at KMSCo, Kuwait Graphic Designer, PACE, Kuwait Mr. Flaherty has a BS in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University.

Source

Mr. Al-Saraf utilized his thirty years of past experience to further enhance Al-Fawares Construction and Development Company's position in the local and international market. Mr. Al-Saraf, a graduate of Communication Engineering - Cairo University, worked in Kuwait Ministry of Communication for several years before attending to his own private business.

- Mr. Dashti has over 12 years of experience in the technology industry. He brings a wealth of knowledge in operating systems, network infrastructure, ERP and Supply Chain applications development from his experience with information technology companies in the Middle East. Mr. Dashti’s expertise and knowledge extends beyond the high technology world to include a wealth of experience in telecommunications, manufacturing and oil and gas industries. Mr. Dashti was the Chief Technical Advisor of CCRI, an Arizona – USA based financial institution specializing in private placements, mergers & acquisitions, and underwriting of American technology companies. He was also connected with Swedtel, EXE Technologies, and Oracle Middle East in Dubai, UAE where he held various senior marketing and technical positions. Mr. Dashti holds a Bachelor of Science – Computer Engineering and Communications - California State University – Fresno, U.S.A.

- Mr. Benjamin is of Iraqi origin who lived outside Iraq through Sadam's ruling of the country, managed to maintain extensive relationships with effective Iraqis outside Sadam's regime. Mr. Benjamin brings over 30 years of experience in a diversified range of industries to the leadership and management of Al-Fawares Holding Company. His extensive international background in business development in North America, the Middle East, Canada and Europe, and his vision for lucrative investments has been instrumental in producing efficient investments.As president of Al-Fawares Construction and Development Company, he plays an active role in every project and investment that the Company ventures into. He also provides overall directions to ensure that every project/investment has the proper resources to successfully be completed.Mr. Benjamin has been the President of Al-Fawares Construction and Development Company since 1992. He also served as Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive officer of ATO Ram2 Ltd since 1992, where he is responsible for managing ATO’s operations and its investments in public and private companies in the United States, Europe and the Arabian Gulf States. Mr. Benjamin also joined as a Director and member of Board Audit Committee of Entropin, a pharmaceutical development company incorporated in California, in 2000 and Board Member and Chairman of Board Audit Committee of Bahrain Middle East Bank (BMB), an offshore investment bank in Bahrain, since 2001. He is also the Chairman of Egyptian Real Estate and Development Company, an Egyptian based company executing major real estate development projects in Egypt. Mr. Benjamin holds a bachelor of Science - Business Administration from Al-Hikma University, Baghdad, Iraq.

- Dr. Afuni enjoys over 25 years of seasoned and diversified experience in various fields such as investment, banking, management, research and consultancy, and academic teaching. He held several key positions within Kuwaiti Banks and Financial institutions, and played a major role in setting up a few companies in the State of Kuwait. Dr. Afuni worked in several major consultancy offices and accomplished major projects involving feasibility studies, valuations, BOT projects, trouble shooting, financial re-engineering, etc., in Kuwait, Dubai, Australia, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Dr. Afuni holds a Bachelor of Science of Civil Engineering from Ohio University, U.S.A., Master in Business Administration and PhD in Business Management from the University of Queensland, Australia.

asim Ahmed Al-Botie]] - Chief Engineer - Served as Technical Consultant and Executive Construction Manager in several Kuwaiti Companies. His experience covers constructional consultancy, executing construction projects ( including major housing ) valued at over KD 25 Million. ( US$ 82 million), claims, technical correspondence, tender pricing, documentation and participation, and project management.

- Served as Technical Consultant and Executive Construction Manager in several Kuwaiti Companies. His experience covers constructional consultancy, executing construction projects ( including major housing ) valued at over KD 25 Million. ( US$ 82 million), claims, technical correspondence, tender pricing, documentation and participation, and project management.

Source