Apricum Senior Advisor
Dr. Raed Bkayrat
One of the MENA region’s most well-known solar industry professionals, Dr. Raed Bkayrat brings a wealth of experience and expertise to his role as senior advisor. Most recently, he spent five years leading First Solar’s business development activities in the UAE, where he played a key role in winning significant utility scale projects and developing strategic partnerships in the MENA region. Prior to that, Dr. Bkayrat was a founding member of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) where he established the successful Industry Collaboration Program (KICP). Before that, he was part of the core team behind Direct Drive Systems, a successful US-based start-up that was acquired by an oil and gas major. Earlier in his career, he held various roles at Siemens in the USA and Germany in functions such as project management, system engineering and R&D.
Dr. Bkayrat holds a Ph.D. and a master of science from the Arizona State University and a bachelor of science from the University of Jordan, all in electrical engineering. He is currently managing director of the Clean Energy Business Council in Dubai.