IDC Kuwait Advisory Council 2026

Essa serves as Chief Technology Officer at Ooredoo Kuwait, where they lead strategic planning, development, and implementation of cutting-edge technologies to drive innovation and enhance the company’s telecommunication infrastructure. With 20 years of experience in the telecom industry, Essa has a proven record in managing large-scale network deployments, 5G rollouts, and the integration of next-generation technologies such as IoT and AI. Previous to their role as CTO of Ooredoo Kuwait, Essa was Director of Radio Access and Network Planning, where they successfully launched 5G, 4G, and 3G Networks, IP and Transmission works, including end-to-end management of Ooredoo Radio Network evolution, country-wide. They also played a key role in the continued development and execution of strategic objectives driven by Ooredoo Group, with its recent strategic announcement of establishing the largest Tower Company in the MENA region, which feeds the demand for environmentally friendly solutions and sustainability. Moreover, Customer Experience was at the heart of their strategies deployed for Network Anomaly Detection using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for critical use cases, to deliver seamless performance on all application levels.

Dr Dari Alhuwail is an Associate Professor at the Information Sciences Department in the College of Life Sciences, Kuwait University, an Adjunct Faculty member at the College of Medicine at the University of Dundee, and an Advisor to the Minister of State for Communication Affairs, with a significant experience in digital health, digital transformation, strategic leadership, and data governance. Dr. Alhuwail is a Fellow of the International Academy of Health Sciences Informatics, a Fellow of the American Medical Informatics Association, a co-founder of the Kuwait Health Informatics Network, and a member of the Kuwait Health Informatics Association. He also is a Health Informatics Consultant, Data Security Officer, and a member of the Data Governance Council at Dasman Diabetes Institute. He served as a member of the Digital Health Technical Advisory Group at the World Health Organization. Dr. Alhuwail obtained his Ph.D. in Information Systems with a specialization in Health Informatics from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and earned his master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Arizona. He has over 15 years of working experience in industry and various labs around the world. Recently, he won the Jaber Al-Ahmad Prize for Young Researchers in the field of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.

Barrak Al Matar is the CIO of Burgan Bank and has more than 21 years of experience in the IT domain. He is currently responsible for leading the bank’s efforts to strengthen its digital transformation, as well as for modernizing IT operations, implementing security controls, and aligning IT objectives with the bank’s strategies and goals, with a particular focus on ensuring a seamless banking experience for customers. In his previous role at Equate Petrochemical Company, he executed numerous projects around business intelligence, datacenter migration, and cloud strategy execution, and he was notably responsible for leading the IT facet of the acquisition of ME Global Company across multiple nations. He has also previously worked at KIB Bank, where he propelled the bank into the digital era, pioneering a comprehensive IT overhaul underscored by strategic revamps, talent development, and organizational restructures. Barrak is an SAP-certified consultant, holds various professional certifications, including Six Sigma (Green Belt), and has served as a board member for the SAP User Group MENA.

Meshari AlMohammad is a visionary and results-driven technology executive with more than 24 years of experience in IT strategy, solutions implementation, application development, systems integration, and digital transformation. His extensive experience spans telecommunications, government, banking, and credit bureau sectors, where he has led major technology initiatives involving core banking, billing, credit bureau platforms, IT infrastructure, cybersecurity operations, digital innovation, and business applications.

Throughout his career, Meshari has led diverse technology teams and complex transformation programs, combining strong technical expertise with strategic leadership and a business-focused approach to delivering sustainable results. He is recognized for his collaborative leadership style, commitment to innovation, and ability to translate business objectives into effective technology solutions.

Meshari currently serves as the Chief Information Technology Officer at Cinet, where he leads the organization’s technology strategy and transformation agenda. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Engineering from California State University, Chico.