Saeed Al Falasi — CEO

Different stakeholders. Different definitions of success. Different pressures. Government ministers think one way. Startup founders think another. Brand executives, property developers, regulators, they all have their own priorities. The work that lasts comes from understanding what each side actually needs, then finding where those needs overlap. Twenty years across AI, government, tourism, retail, and private enterprise have been a lesson in this. Each chapter brought new people to coordinate, new constraints to work within, and new ways to measure progress. At Dubai Future Foundation, this means two roles. First, leading the Dubai Centre of AI, focused on helping government entities adopt AI in ways that improve services and last. Second, directing Dubai Future Accelerators and Area 2071, where global companies work with government on real problems through real pilots. Before this: nearly seven years at Dubai Tourism, building strategic alliances, bringing international brands to market, and creating retail ecosystems from strategy through operational handover. Earlier, private sector leadership at BinHendi Enterprises, where the work was identifying brands, building the business case, and delivering from negotiation to launch. The thread across all of it: complex environments, many stakeholders, large teams, and outcomes that needed more than one approach. Focus areas: → AI strategy and adoption in government → Startup and innovation ecosystems → Public-private partnerships → Cross-sector stakeholder coordination

Stackforce AI infers this person is a leader in Government Innovation and AI Strategy.

Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Experience: 18 yrs 1 mo

Skills

Artificial Intelligence (ai)
Public Speaking
Startup Ecosystem Development
Public-private Partnerships

Career Highlights

Expert in AI strategy for government adoption.
Proven track record in startup ecosystem development.
Strong leadership in cross-sector stakeholder coordination.

Work Experience

DUBAI FUTURE FOUNDATION

Executive Director - Dubai Centre of Artificial Intelligence (2 yrs 9 mos)

Executive Director – Future Design and Acceleration (8 yrs)

Dubai Tourism

Executive Director Retail and Strategic Alliances at Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (2 yrs 3 mos)

Director Strategic Alliances at Dubai Festivals and Promotions Establishment (5 yrs 10 mos)

Policy & Sector Development Expert (1 yr)

BinHendi Enterprises

Vice President Business Development (3 yrs 4 mos)

Education

Master of I.T Executive at Bond University

Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) at University of Colorado Denver

Saeed Al Falasi

CEO

Dubai, United Arab Emirates18 yrs 1 mo experience

Most Likely To SwitchHighly Stable

Key Highlights

Expert in AI strategy for government adoption.
Proven track record in startup ecosystem development.
Strong leadership in cross-sector stakeholder coordination.

Stackforce AI infers this person is a leader in Government Innovation and AI Strategy.

Contact

Skills

Core Skills

Artificial Intelligence (ai)Public SpeakingStartup Ecosystem DevelopmentPublic-private Partnerships

Other Skills

Digital TransformationBusiness StrategyStrategic PlanningNegotiationManagement ConsultingBusiness PlanningBusiness DevelopmentStart-upsStrategyChange ManagementTeam LeadershipGovernmentTeam ManagementContract NegotiationProject Planning

About

Experience

Dubai future foundation

2 roles

Executive Director - Dubai Centre of Artificial Intelligence

Jun 2023 – Present · 2 yrs 9 mos · On-site

Leading AI adoption across Dubai government. The focus is on building capabilities that improve services and last, not projects that make announcements and fade.
This means coordinating across multiple government entities, working with international partners, and translating what is technically possible into what institutions can actually absorb.
Key programs: Chief AI Officers network across government, AI Seal certification for enterprises, AI Week, Government AI Accelerator, and the Global Prompt Engineering competition. The work is cross-sector, bringing teams together to put real AI use cases into practice.

Public SpeakingArtificial Intelligence (AI)

Executive Director – Future Design and Acceleration

Mar 2018 – Present · 8 yrs · On-site

Running Dubai Future Accelerators, Area 2071, and Dubai Future Labs. These platforms connect government entities with technology companies from around the world to work on real challenges through real pilots.
The model: match specific government problems with companies that have potential solutions, give them access to pilot environments, create paths to scale. Eight cohorts completed, 260 startups from 39 countries.
Other programs under this role: UAE Government Regulation Lab, Dubai Future Lab, UAE Golden Visa for Entrepreneurs. Also helped establish Area 2071 at Emirates Towers with international partners, aligned with UAE's centennial plan. The startup ecosystem work has seen 45 companies established, creating over 600 jobs.

Public SpeakingArtificial Intelligence (AI)Startup Ecosystem DevelopmentPublic-Private Partnerships

Dubai tourism

3 roles

Executive Director Retail and Strategic Alliances at Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment

Dec 2015 – Mar 2018 · 2 yrs 3 mos · Dubai

Director Strategic Alliances at Dubai Festivals and Promotions Establishment

Promoted

Jun 2012 – Apr 2018 · 5 yrs 10 mos · Dubai

Directed strategic alliances, sponsorships, retail permits, and promotions for Dubai's major festivals and retail sector.
The mandate covered many workstreams: developing multi-year sponsorships for events like Dubai Shopping Festival, Dubai Food Festival, and Dubai Summer Surprises. Partners included Emirates Airlines, Visa, Mastercard, Etisalat, Emaar, Majid Al Futtaim, Nissan, Dubai Duty Free, and many others. Negotiations secured partnerships generating over 50M AED in revenue.
Also led the creation of Dubai's Retail Calendar in 2017, introducing new shopping periods around Chinese New Year, Diwali, back to school, and the three-day super sale. Promotions with Dubai Gold and Jewellery Group and Dubai Shopping Malls Group resulted in sales over 700M AED in 2016-2017.

Policy & Sector Development Expert

Jul 2011 – Jul 2012 · 1 yr · Dubai

Binhendi enterprises

Vice President Business Development

Jul 2006 – Nov 2009 · 3 yrs 4 mos · Dubai

Led business development, projects, and IT across the company.
The core work: identify international retail and lifestyle brands, build the business case for Dubai entry, develop relationships, secure retail spaces, and deliver from design through launch. Brands included Hugo Boss, Calvin Klein, Brioni, Zilli, Porsche Design, Jacob & Co Watches, and several restaurant concepts.
Secured over 35 new outlets in major locations: Mall of the Emirates, Mirdif City Centre, Dubai Mall, Bahrain City Centre, Yas Island, and Central Market. Supervised design, planning, and project management from concept to delivery, on time and within budget. Implemented point-of-sale integration across 160 retail outlets with back-office systems.
This role taught what it takes to bring global brands into a new market: reading what different parties need (brand owners, developers, regulators, operations teams) and finding the configuration where all can move forward.