Wafi Mohtaseb
IT ManagerDriving Enterprise-Scale Digital Transformation Across Banking, Retail & eCommerce | CIO | CTO | Cloud & AI Strategist | FinTech Leader | Execution-Obsessed | Board-Facing
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Driving Enterprise-Scale Digital Transformation Across Banking, Retail & eCommerce | CIO | CTO | Cloud & AI Strategist | FinTech Leader | Execution-Obsessed | Board-Facing
I lead enterprise technology that produces business results: revenue growth, operational resilience, and customer experience. As Chief Information Officer at Ali Abdulwahab Al Mutawa Commercial Co., one of Kuwait's leading multi-vertical retail and commercial groups, I own the digital, data, e-commerce, cybersecurity, and enterprise technology agenda across retail, FMCG, pharmacy, and food and beverage. My career is unusual in one important respect: I built the technical foundation before leading from the C-suite. Over 25 years, I moved from middleware and integration engineering to enterprise architecture and executive technology leadership across retail and financial services, including conventional and Islamic banking at National Bank of Kuwait and Kuwait Finance House. That path allows me to set strategy at the board level while understanding what it takes to deliver it in complex operating environments. My focus areas include: - Digital and AI strategy tied to measurable business outcomes - Omnichannel and e-commerce platforms across multiple brands - Cloud architecture, automation, and operational resilience - Cybersecurity, governance, and regulatory compliance - Enterprise architecture, ERP modernization, and integration strategy - Building and leading high-performing technology teams Recent work includes a cloud-first, data-first transformation roadmap, ISO 27001 certification in under six months, a 24/7 security operations center, and enterprise customer-experience and AIOps platforms. Selected outcomes include: - 25% increase in e-commerce revenue through omnichannel rollout across 11 brands - 30% reduction in security incidents through cybersecurity and governance improvements - 20% reduction in operational costs through cloud migration and automation I write about AI, generative AI, digital transformation, enterprise technology, and exec
The University of Manchester
Master of Business Administration - MBA, Global MBA
January 1, 2019 – January 1, 2021
IMD
Executive Education, Network Leadership
January 1, 2019 – January 1, 2019
INSEAD
Executive Education, Transactional Leadership
January 1, 2019 – January 1, 2019
MIT Sloan School of Management
Executive Eductaion, Digital Transformation: Platform Strategies for Success
January 1, 2018 – January 1, 2019
Harvard Business School
Executive Education, Leading Strategy Execution in Financial Services
January 1, 2018 – January 1, 2018
Philadelphia University
Bachelor, Computer Science & Information Systems
January 1, 1996 – January 1, 2001
Ali Abdulwahab Al Mutawa Commercial Co.
Chief Information Officer - CIO
June 1, 2021 – Present
Kuwait · On-site
Kuwait Finance House
Head of Applications Support
August 1, 2016 – May 1, 2021
Kuwait · On-site
National Bank of Kuwait
Software Development Manager - Integration, Business Intelligence and LOBs
January 1, 2011 – July 1, 2016
Kuwait · On-site
National Bank of Kuwait
Software Development Leader - Integration Team
March 1, 2007 – December 1, 2010
Kuwait · On-site
Exhortech Business Solutions
Technical Team Leader - Professional Services Department
May 1, 2006 – March 1, 2007
Jordan · On-site
Estarta Solutions
Senior Software Engineer & Programmer
August 1, 2005 – May 1, 2006
Amman, Jordan
Odysseus Technologies Jordan
Software Engineer & Programmer
January 1, 2003 – August 1, 2005
Amman, Jordan
Shihadeh Computer Est
Programmer & Software Developer
January 1, 2002 – December 1, 2002
Amman, Jordan
SoftwareNET LTD.
Programmer & Software Developer
September 1, 2000 – December 1, 2001
Amman, Jordan
ShorouQ Core Banking Migration Project.
January 1, 2008 – May 1, 2010
A significant IT transformation (core banking migration) project was implemented at NBK. Costing 150 million dollars, ShorouQ was a highly complex long-term IT project that took over five years to complete successfully and included building an SOA-driven integration platform and a significant data migration effort into new information architecture. Key contributions included: - Heavy involvement in the Consumer Lending Migration (CLFT) project involved migrating NBK's consumer loans from the legacy core banking system into the new core banking system. - Involved in managing the project's core migration rollout and post-production stabilization phases. Heavy involvement in defining the business processes to manage the escalation and review of production incidents. Developed an evaluation matrix for identifying incidents' severity and the prioritization process for scheduling production defects
DEVOPS200.9x: Architecting Distributed Cloud Applications
Microsoft
June 23, 2026 – Present
Project Management Professional (PMP)
Project Management Institute
June 23, 2026 – Present
PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)
Project Management Institute
June 23, 2026 – Present
PMI Scheduling Professional (PMI-SP)
Project Management Institute
June 23, 2026 – Present
Professional Scrum Master I (PSM I)
Scrum.org
June 23, 2026 – Present
SCRUM MASTER ACCREDITED CERTIFICATION
International Scrum Institute™ (Scrum Institute)
June 23, 2026 – Present
SCRUM PRODUCT OWNER ACCREDITED
International Scrum Institute™ (Scrum Institute)
June 23, 2026 – Present
Certified DevOps Generalist
International DevOps Certification Academy™
June 23, 2026 – Present
DEVOPS200.1x: DevOps Practices and Principles
Microsoft
June 23, 2026 – Present
DEVOPS200.3x: Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment
Microsoft
June 23, 2026 – Present
DEVOPS200.2x: Infrastructure as Code
Microsoft
June 23, 2026 – Present
DEVOPS200.4x: Configuration Management for Containerized Delivery
Microsoft
June 23, 2026 – Present
Certifed Digital Leader
CXO Transform
June 23, 2026 – Present
DEVOPS200.6x: DevOps for Databases
Microsoft
June 23, 2026 – Present
DEVOPS200.7x: Application Monitoring and Feedback Loops
Microsoft
June 23, 2026 – Present
The World CIO 200 Awards - Kuwait Edition
GLOBAL CIO FORUM
June 23, 2026 – Present
DAT101x: Introduction to Data Science
Microsoft
June 23, 2026 – Present
Microsoft Professional Program DevOps
Microsoft
June 23, 2026 – Present
KFH Transformational Leadership Program
Harvard Business Impact Enterprise
June 23, 2026 – Present
Scaled Scrum Expert
International Scrum Institute™ (Scrum Institute)
June 23, 2026 – Present
Certified Six Sigma Green Belt
International Six Sigma Institute™
June 23, 2026 – Present
Creativity Bootcamp
June 23, 2026 – Present
Innovating Out of Crisis
June 23, 2026 – Present
How to Innovate and Stay Relevant in Times of Change and Uncertainty
June 23, 2026 – Present
Learning Design Thinking: Lead Change in Your Organization
June 23, 2026 – Present
Professional Agile Leadership™ I (PAL I)
Scrum.org
June 23, 2026 – Present
Data Science Methodologies: Making Business Sense
June 23, 2026 – Present
Organizational Transformation: Foundation
Project Management Institute
June 23, 2026 – Present
Google Cloud Certified - Cloud Digital Leader
June 23, 2026 – Present
The World CIO 200 Awards - Kuwait Edition
Global CIO Forum
June 23, 2026 – Present
Cultural Fit Analysis
The candidate's extensive experience across various leadership roles in banking and retail, coupled with a strong focus on digital transformation and cybersecurity, suggests a good cultural fit for organizations prioritizing innovation, security, and operational excellence. Their involvement in large-scale, complex projects (e.g., ShorouQ Core Banking Migration) indicates an ability to thrive in challenging environments. The breadth of certifications, including Agile and DevOps, shows an adaptability to modern methodologies. However, the resume primarily highlights leadership and strategic roles, with less direct hands-on technical detail in recent years, which might require further exploration to ensure alignment with specific technical depth expectations for a cybersecurity role.
Soft Skills & Operational Fit
The candidate demonstrates strong leadership, strategic thinking, and operational management skills through their CIO and Head of Applications Support roles. Experience in defining business processes for incident management, evaluating incident severity, and prioritizing defects indicates a structured approach to problem-solving and operational resilience. Their involvement in establishing disaster recovery and business continuity frameworks further highlights a focus on operational fit and risk management. The numerous leadership and strategy-focused executive education programs also support a strong soft skill profile for senior management.