Who’s Who: Dr. Wafi bin Hammad Albalawi, vice president of the Saudi Electronic University

Dr. Wafi bin Hammad Albalawi. (Supplied)

Dr. Wafi bin Hammad Albalawi was recently appointed vice president of the Saudi Electronic University.
Albalawi, an associate professor of management information systems, is also an experienced adviser with a proud legacy of working in the government administration industry and the private sector.
Albalawi received a bachelor’s degree in computer sciences and information systems from King Abdulaziz University in 1995.
Four years later, he got a master’s degree in computer sciences from Missouri University of Science and Technology, US. In 2003, he received another master’s degree from West Virginia University for his thesis on higher education.
In 2004, he obtained a Ph.D. in information technology from West Virginia University. In 2013, he was awarded an executive master’s degree in leadership by Georgetown University, Washington, DC.
For two years, beginning in 2006, Albalawi served as the dean at the college of teachers at the University of Tabuk. In 2008, he moved to Fahad bin Sultan University, where he served for two more years as dean of its college of computing.
From 2010 to 2013, he worked as an assistant director at the Saudi Arabian Cultural Commission to the US. Between 2013 and 2017, Albalawi chaired the management information system department at King Saud University.
From 2017 to 2019, he served as an adviser at the Ministry of Economy and Planning, where he advised on improving the quality of service provided to citizens.
From 2019 to 2021, he led the advisory team at the Government Expenditure and Projects Efficiency Authority, where some of his tasks included reviewing spending efficiency for government agencies, representing the authority to the Council of Experts and the ministerial committees.