ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, Nov. 10, 2010 – Accela, Inc., the U.S.-based leading provider of software solutions that streamline critical government functions, announced today that it has appointed Khaled W. Jaouni as managing director of the company’s Middle East and North Africa operations. Jaouni’s appointment follows a key strategic move by Accela to further expand its operations in the Middle East from its regional headquarters in the United Arab Emirates.
Jaouni comes to Accela with more than 14 years of experience in business management, development and transformation, as well as systems integration. Prior to joining Accela, Jaouni held a number of senior positions with leading multinational firms in the United States and the Middle East, including Ernst & Young, Cap Gemini, and Boeing. His background includes leadership of numerous strategic initiatives, as well as solution-delivery and program-recovery projects for various Fortune 100 companies and leading Middle East businesses. Jaouni was also a Partner at Ithmar Capital, a Dubai-based private equity firm, where he served on the boards of seven companies. The Harvard Business School published a case study exclusively on Ithmar Capital as an example of a venture capital success story in the Middle East.
Jaouni holds a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from Boston University and a master’s degree in business administration from the Edinburgh Business School. He also has been a guest speaker at several regional business conferences.
“Khaled joins Accela at an important juncture in the rapid evolution of government processes across the Middle East and North Africa,” said Accela CEO and President, Maury Blackman. “The nations of this region continue to experience strong economic growth – and, with that, a push for innovation in important government functions such as permitting, licensing, and infrastructure asset management. I’m pleased to welcome a professional of Khaled’s caliber and knowledge to help our regional customers and partners achieve their objectives.”
“With its advanced technology, broad customer base, and successful track record helping governments around the world transform their operations, Accela provides an excellent opportunity to make an impact in the Middle East,” said Jaouni. “I look forward to applying my background to help our government customers find solutions to their challenges and build effective, service-oriented organizations.”
Accela’s flagship Web-based enterprise software application, Accela Automation®, is used by governments to automate critical tasks associated with permitting, licensing, code enforcement, community development and planning, inspections and investigations, infrastructure asset management, emergency response, and more. Accela Automation provides governments with a solution to integrate with their GIS systems, empower their mobile workers, and offer 24/7 access to services via the Web or interactive voice response. The software is available in a completely localized Arabic version that supports regional norms for date formats, currency symbols, and text layout.
Gabe Graham
Accela
ggraham@accela.com
