Ahmad Al- Hanandeh
Pro-Chancellor, distinguished friends, colleagues, graduands and guests.
An exceptional leader who has supported not only his organisation to develop but also the Jordanian community, Ahmad Al- Hanandeh is recognised across the telecommunications sector as an innovator. With an ongoing commitment to excellence in education, which has included supporting Coventry’s alumni and students to gain business experience, Ahmad is here today in recognition of his contribution to innovation and entrepreneurship and support of the teaching sector.
Born in Irbid, Jordan, in 1973, Ahmad Hanandeh always had an interest in engineering, along with cars and basketball. His only childhood dream was to be a mechanical engineer, and so anything relating to mechanical technology was of interest. Inspired by his parents and the natural leadership demonstrated by Gandhi, Ahmad graduated from Yarmouk University in 1994 with a bachelor’s degree in banking and finance.
Leaving university he joined the Armex Group, where he met another inspirational figure in his life, Fadi Ghandour, thanks to his investment in people and business decision-making. Working his way through the company for 12 years after starting as an accountant, Ahmad worked as country manager across a number of regions. Moving to Posta Plus, a Gulf-based courier and postal service across the Middle East, he was General Manager for four years. His leadership qualities were enhanced in this role as he supported a major turnaround for the organisation, taking it from one in financial difficulty, to a company that generated revenues.
Joining Jordan’s leading telecoms company, Zain, in 2011 as Chief Financial Officer for Zain Sudan, he quickly showed his leadership and business skills and was appointed as CEO of Zain Jordan after only three months.
Alongside his work, Ahmad sits on a number of boards that play a major role in the Jordanian community, including the American Chamber of Commerce; Information and Commutations Technology Association; Higher Council for Youth; Jordan Education Initiative and the Board of Trustees at the University of Jordan. He is also a board member of a number of other organisations, including Children Museum, Advisory Council for Information and Communication Technology, Jordan Heritage Revival Company and Ma’an Development Company.
Committed to support future generations, Ahmad has also joined the judging panels for a number of entrepreneurial competitions including the Microsoft Imagine Cup in 2014 and 15 and the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2014 and 15. His enjoyment of coaching and mentoring young people and start-ups shines through his work.
For more than a year our own students and staff taking part in the university’s Changing Lives programme have been able to directly benefit from Ahmad’s leadership and experience. He has supported a number of a students during international placements and he continues to encourage excellence in education across the world. His investment in people includes embedding the values of trust, respect and transparency within his teams.
Ahmad has received a number of awards in recent years, demonstrating his skills as a business man and his commitment to the economy of Jordan. In 2012 CommsMEA magazine hailed him as Telecoms Professional of the Year, while in 2014 he claimed Socrates Award as Best Manager of the Year by the Europe Business Assembly and Telecom Man of the Year 2014 by the 11th Pan Arab Excellence award Academy.
In 2015 he was recognised in the business service innovation category at the 2015 Global Telecom Business Awards after establishing the Zain Innovation Campus – ZINC, for which Coventry is a global partner and supporter. This focus on nurturing the talent and future prospects of young people is in line with the university’s own ambitions, as the campus has been designed specifically with start-up businesses in mind.
In recognition of his outstanding contribution to innovation and entrepreneurship in Jordan, and his continued commitment to excellence in education, Coventry University, by decision of the Academic Board, has the privilege of conferring the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration, honoris causa, on Ahmad Al-Hanandeh.