Kamal Shehadeh is a leader in the fields of telecommunications and technology.
He earned an honors bachelor’s degree from Harvard University in Boston and a PhD from Columbia University in New York, where he also taught at both institutions, in addition to the American University of Beirut.
Shehadeh is a partner at THX Ventures, focusing on the development of technological projects and providing consultancy for tech startups. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees at the Lebanese American University (LAU).
Previously, Shehadeh served as the Chief Executive Officer for Legal and Regulatory Affairs, followed by his role as Chief Executive Officer for Strategic Affairs at Group &e, one of the leading telecommunications companies in the United Arab Emirates.
He chaired the group of Chief Executive Officers for Policy and Regulation at the GSM Association, the global mobile communications industry body.
Additionally, Shehadeh held the position of Chairman at Lebanon’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, the first independent body established to regulate the telecommunications sector in the country. Under his leadership, the authority introduced telecommunications regulations and designed the public auction process for cellular telecom licenses.
Shehadeh also served as the Chairman of the Global Symposium for Regulators at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and worked as a consultant for the World Bank, advising on privatization and public-private partnerships in infrastructure projects across the Middle East and North Africa, overseeing initiatives in more than ten countries.
A founding member of the Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections, Shehadeh also served on the board of the Lebanese Transparency Association. He was the Director of Research at the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies and has published numerous studies on topics such as Lebanon’s public finance, financial reforms, and the Euro-Mediterranean partnership.
Shehadeh has provided consultancy for various countries on infrastructure investment projects, including leading the development of the contract for operating and maintaining the container terminal at the Port of Beirut and formulating the strategy for the liberalization and regulation of the civil aviation sector in Saudi Arabia.