Telecom Champion, Former Minister Marwan Juma of Jordan Named to DAI Board

March 16, 2012

DAI is delighted to announce that technology executive and champion Marwan Juma of Jordan has accepted an invitation to join DAI’s Board of Directors.

As a driving force behind some of Jordan’s most innovative technology firms and national technology initiatives, Juma has helped his country emerge as a telecommunications leader in the Middle East.

“Marwan’s fresh perspectives, entrepreneurial instincts, and regional insights will invigorate our Board and challenge DAI to bring its very best ideas to the development marketplace,” said DAI President and CEO James Boomgard.

“I’m excited to join the Board of one of the world’s leading development firms,” said Juma. “I look forward to adding value as we drive the company’s strategy globally, and especially as we consider the solutions DAI can bring to the Middle East and North Africa.”

Juma served as Jordan’s Minister of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) from December 2009 to February 2011, and in 2005 served on the Royal Steering Committee that developed the country’s social and business reform strategy known as the National Agenda. He was a founding contributor to Jordan’s REACH Initiative, a U.S. Agency for International Development-supported program launched in 1999 to advance Jordan’s nascent ICT sector. The sector has since created nearly 8,000 jobs and attracted more than $79 million in foreign direct investment, with export values totaling more than $47 million.

Juma is Founder and Chairman of Sama for Integrated Systems, better known as dot.jo, one of the country’s leading web development houses. He previously served as CEO of Xpress Telecommunications, a leading mobile operator, and of Batelco Jordan, the country’s second fixed-line operator and leading data communication provider.

Juma is former Chairman of the local chapter of the Young Arab Leaders Organization, one of the region’s most prominent youth-focused nongovernmental organizations. He also serves on several boards, including the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development, Jordan Education Initiative, King Abdullah Award for Excellence in Government Performance and Transparency, and Jordan Commercial Bank.

A longtime advocate for the establishment of a world-class telecom infrastructure in Jordan, Juma is a supporter of increased private-public partnerships to accelerate the country’s modernization and economic development. He holds an M.B.A. from North Carolina State University in the United States as well as bachelor’s degrees in business management and economics.