Sami is a director in our Government and Public Institutions Practice, based in Dubai.
With more than 25 years of extensive experience at the intersection of public policy, innovation, and strategic advisory services, he has supported governments, multilateral organizations, and executive leaders across Canada, Europe, and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region.
Sami specializes in building advanced decision intelligence tools — including logic models, scenario frameworks, and impact systems — that help senior leaders navigate complexity and drive effective policy outcomes. He has led the design and launch of public policy think tanks and innovation centers in Brussels and Dubai, with a growing focus on artificial intelligence (AI) governance, automation, and future-of-work transitions.
My passion lies in helping organizations transform uncertainty into actionable insights, enabling them to shape resilient and forward-thinking policies in an age of rapid change
Throughout his distinguished career, Sami has held leadership and advisory roles at globally respected institutions, including INSEAD, OECD, the EU Joint Research Centre, Dubai Future Foundation, RAND Corporation, TNO, and the Austrian Institute of Technology. He has established and led innovation policy initiatives, advanced national and regional research and development (R&D) strategies, and overseen large-scale innovation measurement and policy design activities.
Sami has also played a pivotal role in the creation and strategic direction of future-oriented labs and advisory units, supporting both organizational and business model design for new public sector innovation platforms.
A prolific author and thought leader, Sami has written a significant number of peer-reviewed papers and policy reports. His work has been published in prominent outlets such as the Harvard Business Review and California Management Review, alongside leading academic journals and global media. His book "Black Swan Start-Ups" (Palgrave, 2016) introduced the concept of “place surplus” to explain venture success in unexpected geographies — a theme that continues to shape his advisory work in innovation ecosystems.
Sami holds a PhD from the German Armed Forces University and the University College London, an MSc from the University of Amsterdam, and a BSc from the University of Oslo. He is proficient in English, Arabic, and Norwegian.