Company Info for efworld.org | IcebreakerMembers
Omar co-heads Direct Investments for the MENA Investments Division, overseeing PIF investments and opportunities in key strategic sectors.
He formerly held the position of Senior Managing Director & Member of the Board at Abdul Latif Jameel Investments where he led Abdul Latif Jameel’s diversification efforts, building and investing in businesses that support growth and entry into new sectors and geographies.
Omar joined Abdul Latif Jameel’s leadership after three years within Volkswagen Group’s leadership as the Chief Executive Officer of Volkswagen Group Saudi Arabia.
Prior to that, Omar was a member of SAGIA's executive team. Prior to SAGIA, Omar worked in a multitude of positions within Saudi Aramco including participating in developing the company’s long-term strategy in the technology area. He was also an Associate at McKinsey & Company in Dubai, UAE.
Omar obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 2002. He also received an MBA degree from the MIT Sloan School of Management in 2007.
Omar was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, joining the class of 2017. In naming Omar, the Forum characterized him as "a recognized corporate executive who has emerged a champion of job creation, employment and infrastructure in Saudi Arabia".
He was appointed by Royal Decree to the Board of the Saudi Job Creation & Employment Commission and was later selected to also sit on the Board’s Executive Committee.
He has been appointed to the Board of various companies including several key PIF portfolio companies.
He is an Eisenhower Fellow having been selected as the Fellow from Saudi Arabia for Eisenhower Fellowships’ 2011 Multi Nation Program. As an Eisenhower Fellow, Omar was awarded the Ward Wheelock Distinguished Middle East Fellow honor. He is also the recipient of the 2007 MIT Sloan Martin Trust Fellowship, which recognizes excellence in members of the graduating class.
Omar is married with three children and is fluent in English, Arabic and Greek. 
I am on a mission to humanize technology before it dehumanizes us.
I am an AI scientist, turned entrepreneur / CEO and now AI investor and thought leader. I believe AI should be in service of humanity, helping us be healthier, happier, more productive and connected, enhancing what it means to be human in the age of AI.
I invest in diverse teams who are building ethical and human-centric AI. I am passionate about AI that is at the intersection of health & wellness, productivity (the virtual human economy), sustainable living (food, climate & energy) and ethics. I call this “wholesome AI”. When something is wholesome, it is good for our health and well-being. It is good for the environment and our planet. It is trustworthy and ethical. And it is beautiful in its diversity and inclusivity. “The best way to predict the future is to create it” - I am on a mission to create this world of wholesome AI.
I’ve had a bit of an unusual journey (see my book "Girl Decoded", Penguin Random House, 2020). I grew up in Egypt / the Middle East, did my PhD in machine learning and computer vision at Cambridge University then my postdoc at MIT. In 2009, I co-founded Affectiva out of MIT Media Lab and raised $50M+ in venture funding. We pioneered the technology category of artificial emotional intelligence (Emotion AI). In 2021, Affectiva was acquired by Smart Eye.
I am now an investor in early-stage AI startups. In 2021, I co-founded AI Operators Fund, a pre-seed AI fund, and invested in 40 startups across the AI stack. I’m also an angel investor and a venture / AI partner at several funds.
As one of few women in AI, I am an advocate for diversity in AI. In 2023, companies founded solely by women garnered just 2% of VC funding. In the US only 11% of VCs are women. We need more women in AI founders and investors. I am also passionate about the ethical development and deployment of AI.
I am a Trustee at the Boston Museum of Science, at Milton Academy as well as the American University in Cairo. I am a 2023 Eisenhower Fellow and World Economic Forum Young Global Leader. I am also a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) where I launched and am currently Chapter Chair of YPO Boston and serve on the YPO Northeast Regional Board. I co-chaired YPO’s first-ever AI Summit and am co-chair of the Fortune Brainstorm AI conferences. A TED speaker and co-host of a PBS NOVA series on AI, I have been recognized on Fortune’s 40 Under 40, Forbes' Top 50 Women in Tech and recently in Boston Globe’s Top 50 Tech Power Players.
I believe in the power of human connection. 
