It’s thanks to Al Qaed and his colleagues that residents are able to use their mobile phone handsets to pay water and electricity bills, as well as conduct detailed searches for hotels and restaurants, consult a Daily Price Index, and even track the whereabouts of refuse bags they have put out – an unusual example of government services accountability.

By the end of the year, according to Al Qaed, there will be 50 services available for mobile users. And he is unlikely to be out in his estimate: the CEO has long been recognised as a highly distinguished practitioner in the field of eGovernment, and has taken charge of a string of successful government projects and programmes.

He helped to establish the security framework for government information, and played an active role in the development of the Government Data Network and Smartcard Infrastructure. He has also made a significant contribution to the development of the eGovernment Strategy and the strategic direction of eGovernment in the kingdom, as a key member of the National Technical Committee for ICT.

Yet even this is just the beginning, says Al Qaed, who has a BSC in Computer Science from King Saud University and a Masters degree in Advanced Systems Engineering from the University of Sheffield.

“There’s so much more we can do,” he told
Arabian Business

earlier this year. “I want Bahrain’s residents to have the very best services, not just in the Gulf, but in the entire region. This is what we work for every day, and I love it.”