New CEO to direct Tejari's dynamic growth strategy

Omar Hijazi, a twenty-year technology veteran with an extensive e-business and logistics background, previously provided consulting expertise on Tejari's five-year plan -- a groundbreaking blueprint for the company's expansion into new services and overseas markets. As Tejari's CEO, Hijazi succeeds Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, who will play a central role on Tejari's board of directors.

Hijazi brings to Tejari's trading community the expertise gained during a highly successful career, primarily in the technology-centric community of Silicon Valley. During his two decades of experience, he has led a strategic sourcing program worth more than $1 billion, and brought more than $100 million in savings from shared services for one of the world's largest holding companies.

Hijazi's other career milestones include launching an e-marketplace whose current membership consists of global industry leaders with combined revenue of more than $900 billion, and developing a go-to-market strategy that captured a market worth $1.3 billion.

A former computer scientist and an M.B.A holder in finance, Hijazi previously reached key positions with several leading companies, and gained a crucial grounding in e-business and logistics. As a senior manager at Ernst and Young LLP in Los Angeles, he helped lead the business intelligence and performance management practice for the firm. Formerly, Hijazi was a Senior Principal at A.T. Kearney, Inc., a global management consultancy, and provided thought leadership to the high-tech practice and e-commerce groups.

"Tejari's first five years have centred largely on building credibility and delivering on the value on online procurement, including efficiency and cost savings," said Sultan Bin Sulayem, Chairman of Tejari. "Our new CEO, Omar Hijazi, will help shape and execute our vision for the next five years, including new solutions that our customers need, and the continued expansion into regional and international markets with which they want to trade."

Next month, Tejari is poised to unveil its long-term vision, which will enable the marketplace to explore the delivery of new services, enter a number of different markets and maintain leadership in the region's online procurement sector.