President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan has issued a Federal Decree appointing Majed Sultan Al Mesmar as the Director-General of the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA).
Al Mesmar has served as the Deputy Director-General of the Telecommunications Sector since joining TDRA in 2010. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering.
Al Mesmar has profound working experience of more than 30 years in telecommunications and regulation, holding various senior-level management posts at several telecom operators locally, regionally and internationally, such as Etisalat Group’s Senior Vice President – Special Projects (UAE), Chief Technical Officer at Mobily (Saudi Arabia) and Chief Operating Officer at Etisalat DB Telecom India Pvt Ltd.
Since 2017, Al Mesmar has been the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the ICT Fund. He is also an active participant in many international events, including those of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and was elected as Chairman of the Plenipotentiary Conference 2018 (PP18), which is the highest authority in the ITU. He also chaired the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in 2018, and represented the UAE in several Summit sessions.
Al Mesmar succeeds Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, who was once acting as TDRA’s Director-General.
Talal Humaid Belhoul, Chairman of TDRA’s Board of Directors, praised and recognised the major role played by Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori and his remarkable efforts in developing the performance of TDRA and strengthening its leadership and outstanding position among government entities in the UAE.
Belhoul also commended what TDRA has achieved during recent years in establishing UAE’s place as a leading country in the ICT sector.
"Over the last period and under the management of Hamad Al Mansoori, TDRA has made great strides not only in the telecommunications sector, but also in digital transformation, as it aptly played its regulatory and enabling role, in line with strategic variables and general trends of the UAE. TDRA has been a strong supporter of UAE’s efforts towards realising the concepts of 4IR, smart cities and development based on the digital knowledge economy," he said.