DarkMatter appoints tech industry veteran to head up sales

DarkMatter has announced the appointment of seasoned technology executive, Rabih Dabboussi as its Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing & Business Development. Rabih joins DarkMatter from Cisco UAE, where he was Managing Director.

In his new position at DarkMatter, Rabih is responsible for the company’s overall business development, sales, and go-to-market strategy as it looks to secure engagements across various industry sectors, with an early focus on National Critical Infrastructure, Telecom, Financial Services, Energy, and Government sectors. Rabih will also lead the marketing functions at DarkMatter, ensuring the company’s business objectives are well positioned through industry and thought-leadership engagements, as well as internal and external communications.

Rabih spent 20 years working with Cisco and brings along a depth and breadth of experiences. He joined Cisco in 1996 within the Research Triangle Park R&D team in North Carolina, USA. Rabih worked on Cisco’s flagship Internetworking Operating System (IOS) development on many of the company’s core routing platforms, Mobile and Telecom Products, as well as on the Mobile solutions the company provided.  Later on he built and led a global customer-facing and consultancy team in Cisco’s Service Provider Technology Group’s Mobile Business Unit.

Commenting on Rabih’s appointment, Faisal Al Bannai, DarkMatter Chief Executive Officer said, “We are very pleased to have attracted yet another experienced technology executive to join our ranks. Cisco is a world class company, and Rabih’s own journey of 20 years with it is equally impressive. He brings with him real depth of expertise in the areas of digitisation, IP connectivity, security, Smart Cities, and the Internet of Things (IoT); all central to our ambitions at DarkMatter.”

Faisal Al Bannai continued, “Rabih also has extensive experience working with senior representatives of governments and large enterprises on their technology outlook, and on how to leverage IP to enable organisations to operate efficiently while delivering customer success. As DarkMatter builds its presence and engagements with public and private entities in the UAE and across the region, Rabih’s understanding of market drivers and his established relationships will be invaluable.”

As Managing Director of Cisco UAE, Rabih was responsible for all areas of Cisco’s business across government and private sector organisations and he worked closely with Cisco’s partner ecosystem in the region. His responsibilities extended to driving and forging close relationships with government stakeholders and ensuring that Cisco’s business objectives and goals were closely aligned.

Rabih Dabboussi commented, “I feel very proud to be part of the DarkMatter team.  I was attracted to this role having been exposed to the passion and vision of DarkMatter, which as a relatively new organisation, only has the present and future in its strategic outlook, without legacy. Cyber security has become a national priority in the UAE and elsewhere, and a critical area in ensuring the sustainable growth and success of economies and societies.  DarkMatter’s ambition to position itself at the centre of securing critical national infrastructure and how entities protect their digital assets in a connected age is a well-timed and highly relevant one.”

Already a trusted partner to the UAE Government, DarkMatter is staffed by tier one international cyber experts who develop, manage and deploy the most innovative technologies.