From military strategy class to consulting strategy

Vernon Cassin

Senior Saudi Policy Expert

Based in Saudi Arabia for 40 years, Vern advises Arab finance ministries and central banks on business-relevant legislation and fintech sector regulation. A graduate of Princeton University in Near East Studies and Harvard Law School, Vern advises top financial and technology multinationals on market entry into Gulf countries. He is one of those ‘lifeboat’ team members you always want on your side.

Lindsay Guthrie

Senior Vice President

Lindsay is a focused and resourceful business professional with 11 years of international experience supporting senior decision-makers and investors in building effective business units, strategic programs and partnerships.

Lindsay has a broad background in the defense economy and corporate development, including six years of direct work for the United States and United Arab Emirates governments. Lindsay has experience with technology offsets, capacity building and international security partnerships.

She knows strategic planning, project management, start-ups, and how to forge government relationships to develop businesses.

Lauren Huber

Senior Director, Strategy, and Ops.

Lauren has led and delivered major fintech implementation projects. She has strong domain expertise in AI strategy and organizational planning, and operations management.

Having worked across government and the private sector, Lauren is known for creating impactful operating models. As Head of Growth at a $400m pan-emerging market fintech, Lauren led the company’s U.S. market entry, from market assessment to beginning monetization, and brokered its largest system integrator.

Lauren also served as a Research Fellow at top U.S. and U.K. think tanks, focusing on the application of web3 technology for cross-border payments, and was invited to present at the World Bank Summit to contribute on NGO operations. With a strong reputation for executing digital finance initiatives in complex market landscapes.

She also leads critical departments in AI strategy in the fintech economy for top international fintech multinationals. Experienced strategist and P&L owner; who led U.S. Growth Strategy Practice and AI business for the UK strategy house Elixirr.

H.E. Redha Haidar

Government Relations Leader

A senior global advisor to The MENA Catalysts, H.E. Redha Haidar advises on market entry into Saudi Arabia, the largest Arab economy.

Former president of Saudi’s national media regulator, he played a key role in blocking and lifting restrictions on several companies. He is exceptionally well-connected in KSA’s media censorship circles and served as a long-time advisor to the media regulator’s chairman.

Redha has held roles with the Saudi SEC-equivalent, business licensing authority, and national committees. He is a board member of the Crown Prince’s Philanthropic Foundation and former chairman of Manga Productions.

An entrepreneur and founder of Bitmal, Redha has launched several startups and is a seasoned executive with expertise in Saudi strategic communication, media, and public policy.

He holds Master’s degrees from Harvard Kennedy School, Georgetown University, and a BA from American University in Multimedia Design and Development.

Mohammed Al Ghanim

Gulf Public Policy Leader

A senior global advisor to The MENA Catalysts in the UAE covering the Gulf Cooperation Council markets, H.E. Mohammed Al Ghanim is the Founder and a long-time Director General of the UAE national technology regulator, the Telecom Regulatory Authority, and Chairman of the Gulf Technology Regulators Permanent Taskforce.

In those roles he oversaw market entry and regulatory priorities with West Coast-U.S. high tech companies. Once known as the leading tech regulator in the Gulf, he regulated, blocked, and built up most of the entire UAE techno-economy that exists today.

He also authored most content policy legislation in the UAE and is considered one of the most distinguished, well-connected thought leaders on Gulf social media regulations. Ghanim is now among the most tenacious government relations professionals in Middle Eastern markets.

After acquiring his B.A. in Engineering with honors in the UAE in 1994, Ghanim started at the bottom of the largest telecom company in the Middle East, Etisalat, where he quickly rose in the ranks to several senior managerial posts.

Mr. Ghanim is also currently on the Board of the Abu Dhabi Media Zone Authority 2454, and Gulf entertainment giant Flash Entertainment Company that provides unmissable events and entertainment to engage, inspire, and pioneer the future of music, sporting events, community and festivals.

Saleh Al Allaw

Senior UAE Financial License Acquisition Expert

Role
Provides extensive insights and hand walks us through the license process from 30 years of UAE central bank experience.

Experience
Joined the UAE Central Bank in August 1986 in the Banking Supervision and Examination Department. Over the years, he progressively was promoted to expanding leadership roles:

Director, Banking and Other Financial Institutions Supervision
Member of the team evaluating and drafting laws related to the regulation of the financial sector in the country
Member, joint UAE Central Bank committee with the UAE stock market regulator, the UAE Securities and Commodities Authority
Vice Chairman, Strategy Committee of the UAE Central Bank led by the UAE Central Bank Governor
Member, Executive Committee, UAE Central Bank headed by the Governor of the UAE Central Bank
Chaired the tendering and procurement committee at CBUAE from 2018 through 2022
Head of the team evaluating the feasibility and functionality independent committee from the UAE Central Bank of the UAE to monitor banking businesses
Director, Licensing Department
Chief, Strategy Department
Coordinator on Financial Services Market Development, Finance and Investment Committee of the Saudi-Emirati Coordination Council

Sam Blatteis

CEO and Founder

American tech executive and Middle East market access expert with over 20 years of experience in the Arab world. He delivers Middle East government relations priorities for unicorns to regional champions to “Big Tech” and everything in between. His insights attract global media attention in major publications like The Economist, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, and Al Arabiya.

Sam is the CEO and Co-Founder of The MENA Catalysts, a premier public policy consulting firm for high tech firms in the region.

As Google’s former public policy head in the Gulf, Blatteis played a key role in drafting high tech legislation that may gradually shape the region’s digital economies for decades to come.

He advised the White House and Fortune 50 companies, through Middle Eastern strategy roles in the U.S. Senate, State Department, and the Council on Foreign Relations. He earned a master’s degree from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. and was selected as a U.S. National Fulbright Scholar. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Diplomacy and World Affairs from Occidental. Sam is originally from the Silicon Valley area, where his family has lived for multiple generations. The CEO has lived in Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, New York, Cairo, Los Angeles, and Dubai.