Mario Foster (He)

Mario Foster has extensive experience in information technology and leadership roles. Mario is currently working as the Group Chief Information Officer at Al Ghurair Group, where they are responsible for implementing a new IT Operating Model and creating a forward-thinking Group IT strategy. Prior to this, Mario has held similar positions as the Group CIO at Saeed & Mohammed Al Naboodah Group, Pan Gulf Holding, and Rawabi Holding Group. In these roles, they have led IT transformation projects, managed large IT teams, and implemented new technologies. Mario also has experience in IT security operations, having served as the Head of IT Security Operations at Riyad Bank. Mario has also worked as the Director of Information Technology at Empire Life and held IT infrastructure and security roles at RSA Security, Inc. and Microsoft Canada. Mario began their career as a Technical Support Engineer at Campus Computers Technology Ltd. Throughout their career, Mario has demonstrated strong leadership, strategic vision, and a commitment to driving business growth through technology.

Mario Foster 🇵🇸 🕊 has a diverse education history. Mario completed their Hons. MBA in the Management of Information Technology from McMaster University in the years 1998 to 2000. Prior to that, they obtained their Hons. BSc. in Computer Science from McGill University from 1988 to 1991. In addition to their degrees, Mario Foster also holds several certifications in IT security and information security, including CRISC, CISM, CISSP, CCNA, MCSE, and RSA Security Engineer (SecureID) from various institutions such as ISACA, (ISC)², CISCO, Microssoft, and RSA Security. Mario has also received numerous additional certifications, such as The World CIO 200 Awards, Top 10 CIO Awardees - CIO50 Middle East, Top 50 Middle East CIOs Award, CIO Legend Award, Catalyst Award, and many others.