Mohammad AlZu'bi

Velora, 2025 to present

• 5,000+ usersAED 2.5M avoided

  Enterprise carve-out from Etihad

  Moved the business onto its own Microsoft 365, identity and digital-workplace platforms. Replaced the legacy virtual-desktop estate with a cloud desktop service that reused existing endpoints, delivered by a deliberately lean team.

• AED 8.25Mrecurring savings a year

  Financial leadership and cost optimisation

  Optimised licensing, restructured managed network services and modernised digital platforms, with financial governance that keeps technology spend tied to business need.

• Human + AICloudOps model

  Agentic AI operations

  Built an operating model where specialised AI agents work alongside engineers across cloud, network, Microsoft 365, FinOps, service management and observability, moving operations from reactive to proactive.

• 3 to multi-layerorganisation built

  Organisation and talent

  Grew a small technical team into Cloud Infrastructure, Architecture, CloudOps and Service Management functions, with leadership roles, tiered managed services and a dedicated ServiceNow capability.

• ITIL-alignedservice management

  Service and operational governance

  Turned ServiceNow into an enterprise service-management platform with incident, request, approval and change workflows, and replaced policy documents with SOPs people actually use.

• Cross-regionrecovery, tested

  Cloud architecture and resilience

  Re-architected the cloud estate to Microsoft's best-practice frameworks with Zero Trust identity, then implemented and validated business-continuity and recovery for critical systems.

• 1 + 3 yearroadmaps

  Technology strategy

  Set the operational and strategic roadmaps that align modernisation, AI, security, service quality and team growth with business priorities.

Earlier highlights

• AED 14Mannual savings, M42

  Cloud Operations function built from scratch

  Defined the operating model, roles and service scope, introduced the core SOPs and governance, and led cost optimisation without compromising security or service quality.

• Firstin the region, 2020

  Complete move to public cloud

  Led Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University from strategy to delivery as the first university in the region to run its entire infrastructure on AWS, cutting cost and improving performance and recovery, after a 2018 AWS vs Azure proof of concept.

• Firstin the region, 2022

  University metaverse

  Took the university's metaverse environment from concept to launch, the first of its kind in the region.

• 3 years2020 to 2023

  Acting Information Security Manager

  Owned security risk, vulnerability management, policy, regulatory compliance and audits alongside the infrastructure portfolio.

1. 
   July 2025 to present, Abu Dhabi

   Head of Digital Infrastructure & Operations

   Velora, the rebrand of Etihad Airport Services, unifying ground handling, cargo and secure logistics. Accountable for infrastructure, cloud and IT operations across the group.

   • 7 aviation locations
   • 5,000+ users
   • 24/7 operations
   • Group CIO reporting line
   • Led the enterprise carve-out from Etihad for 5,000+ users, avoiding AED 2.5M in technology and implementation cost
   • Delivered AED 8.25M in recurring annual savings across licensing, network services and platforms
   • Built the organisation from a small founding team into Cloud Infrastructure, Architecture, CloudOps and Service Management functions
   • Introduced a human + AI CloudOps model, moving operations from reactive to proactive
   • Implemented and tested cross-region business continuity and recovery for critical systems
   Scope and responsibilities

   • Technology strategy: one-year operational and three-year strategic roadmaps aligned with business priorities
   • Target-state architecture, standards and governance aligned with Microsoft's cloud best-practice frameworks and Zero Trust
   • ITIL-aligned service management on ServiceNow: incident, request, approval and change, with working SOPs
   • Service desk and support operating model across distributed airport operations, including executive support
   • Budget, vendor performance, contracts and cost governance
   • Cybersecurity, risk reduction and audit readiness across cloud and infrastructure
   • Talent development through coaching, cross-training and clear leadership roles
2. 
   September 2024 to July 2025, Abu Dhabi

   Manager, Cloud Infrastructure & Operations

   M42 Health. Built and led the cloud operations function for a large healthcare group.

   • About AED 14M in annual cloud savings
   • Over 90% cloud security-posture compliance and 100% server patching compliance
   • Reviewed migration plans for 54 critical applications with stakeholders
   More detail

   • Introduced change, incident, backup and patch management, with 100% critical-system backup coverage
   • Infrastructure as code and automated delivery pipelines
   • Disaster recovery strategy, monitoring improvement, SOPs and team training plans
3. 
   February 2016 to August 2024, Dubai

   Senior Manager, IT Infrastructure & Cloud

   Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University. Senior Manager from October 2022, Manager from February 2016. Led infrastructure, cloud, network and security for a fully digital university.

   • Two "Substantially Exceeds" and eight "Exceeds Expectations" ratings
   • Regional firsts: full AWS migration (2020) and university metaverse (2022)
   • Acting Information Security Manager, 2020 to 2023
   More detail

   • Migrated staff and learner email to Microsoft 365 (2016)
   • Annual plans and KPIs aligned to university strategy; RFPs, vendor selection and partner management
   • Alignment with ISO 27001, CIS benchmarks and Dubai Electronic Security Center standards
   • Hands-on depth across AWS, Azure, Microsoft 365 and enterprise networking
4. 
   October 2013 to January 2016, Dubai

   Senior Systems / Security Engineer

   Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University. Windows and Linux platforms, virtualisation, high-availability design, system hardening and early cloud adoption.

5. 
   February 2012 to February 2013, Dubai

   Senior Windows Security Consultant

   Proteus Information Security Services. Risk analysis, vulnerability assessments, ISO 27001 compliance, and security policy for client organisations.

Before 2012

• 2008 to 2011IT Section Head, Jordan District Energy (Tabreed), Amman
• 2007 to 2008Assistant IT Manager, MAF Carrefour Hypermarket, Abu Dhabi
• 2006 to 2007System Administrator, Golden Profit Inc., Amman

2026

Next Gen, UAE CIO 200 Summit

Named in the Next Gen category of the Global CIO Forum Excellence Honors at the UAE CIO 200 Summit 2026, recognising emerging leadership in digital infrastructure and transformation.

Presented by Alan Brouard, CIDO

• 

  2026

  Award of Recognition and Appreciation

  Velora, for leading the enterprise carve-out from Etihad

• 

  2020

  Exceptional Contributions in Exceptional Times

  Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University, presented by H.E. Dr. Mansoor Al Awar, Chancellor

Leadership and projects