Hattan Ahmed

Hattan is the Strategic Engagement Director for the National Transformation Institute (NTI) and the Associate Director of KAUST Innovation Hub in Shenzhen at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). He is appointed to develop the national and international engagement strategy and build alliances with key partners around the research, development and innovation national priorities. Previously, Hattan had a track record in developing and delivering KAUST’s entrepreneurship vision as the Entrepreneurship Director. He believes in talent and technology as change agents of the future and that universities play a key role in creating national economic impact. In his role as an advocate for innovation, Hattan works across the entire entrepreneurship ecosystem in the Kingdom, delivering entrepreneurship training, creating corporate innovation programs, and investing into startups that will contribute to create an impact. Hattan has a diverse background in industry, startups and academia. Hattan had a wide experience in entrepreneurship from educating innovators to curating for investors and executing investment transactions in new ventures. This range of exposure was supported by a personal experience in leadership roles, startup foundation to exit and technical development in his early career. He has received multiple entrepreneurial awards on both a national and international scale. He also brings a rich background in Information Technology from system design to implementation within industries ranging from energy, travel and retail.