Steve Vaile - CEO & Founder

Having worked in senior management positions with technology companies leading them from start up to liquidity event Steve Vaile has a strong background in telecommunications and Technology. He has held positions ranging from VP APAC and EMEA to CEO and been instrumental in the start up and exit of a number of leading software companies including Riversoft IPO 140 M, Systems Management Arts – Acquired by EMC 260M, He was most recently VP of APAC and EMEA for US Telecommunication Software Company Voyence acquired by EMC. He serves as the CEO of H2O New Media the leading provider of customised social media platforms to enterprise customers in the Middle East. The company has grown from zero to 70 global customers within two years and is one of the fastest growing technology companies in the Middle East. He has provided public lectures on the convergence of telecommunications and social media in ten countries to audiences including government departments, universities, media think tanks and global PR conferences and writes for a number of publications on social media.

Dawan Stanford, J.D., Ph.D. - Legal and Business Advisor

Dawan has shaped legal and business transactions for technology companies in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. At Morrison & Forester, a law firm with a global presence, Dawan worked in California's Silicon Valley assisting companies ranging from start-up to mature.

After Morrison & Forester, Dawan became an in-house lawyer with Symantec Corporation, initially in Symantec's US headquarters and then in a legal role in France covering Europe, the Middle East, and several African countries. In these positions, he assisted technology companies with contract issues, negotiations, agreements dealing with financings, mergers and acquisitions, licensing, outsourcing, software and hardware sales, purchasing, joint ventures, consulting, marketing, and business development. Dawan is also an author, teacher, and communication consultant.

Jim Reilly - CEO Wellizit Media Investment

Jim has over 30 years experience in the IT private sector. Most recently as Chairman of Govtech Ltd an IT startup company specializing in Intelligent Data Capture Software and Services. Previous to this he has held several Board Director position’s firstly within First Software Ltd were Jim was involved in a MBO from Oracle Corporation where he was a senior manager. After the successful growth of First Software to be the leading supplier of client server software to Local Government he and his fellow shareholders sold the company to SX3 Ltd were Jim was retained as a Board Director. This company subsequently was sold to Northgate Solutions where Jim was appointed Director within the Local Government division.

He has been involved all aspects of running large successful companies including the design, development and implementation of large application and business solutions, preparation of investment and decision cases, financial budgeting and forecasting, sales and marketing and personnel management. As a senior consultant to the Government he has worked with senior ministers and civil servants on the implementation of IT solutions to meet governmental policies.

Osama Qadan – General Manager and Founder of Equinox International

Osama Qadan founded Equinox – Dubai in 2005. He leads its activities strategically and technically interacting with key clients in the region and technology vendors worldwide. Prior to Equinox Osama spent three years at OPNET Technologies – U.S.A., where he served as the Senior Director within the Consulting Services Division. There he led the development and management responsibilities for several projects within the US and internationally. Some of the flagship projects that he was responsible for include: Network audit and assessment of the Riyadh Bank network, Saudi Telecom testing lab process establishment using OPNET, and Satellite capacity planning for several military and civilian clients. Prior to that, Osama worked at Astrolink International for two years holding the position of Network Development Manager. At Astrolink, he was the Lead system engineer and project manager for several projects including a $3.4B broadband satellite system program from preliminary design to system integration and testing. Osama also served three year at the International Satellite Organization (Intelsat), Washington DC, where he was the Lead Network Engineer for the Intelsat Broadband Satellite Program. During his working experience, Osama has worked with other colleagues on several publications the latest was: “INTERACTIVE WEB SERVICE VIA SATELLITE TO THE HOME,” published in IEEE Communications Magazine, March, 2001. Osama Holds an MBA, from Johns Hopkins University, U.S.A, and an MSEE from Georgia Institute of Technology, USA.