Technology Innovation Institute Appoints Eminent Technologist Dr Ray O. Johnson as CEO
2.8.2021 16:54:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
Technology Innovation Institute (TII), the applied research pillar of the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), the overarching advanced technology body in Abu Dhabi responsible for driving research and development for transformative technology outcomes, today announced the appointment of veteran technologist and entrepreneur Dr Ray O. Johnson as Chief Executive Officer. Dr Johnson will work on shaping the strategic direction of the Institute and lead the execution of its growth strategies to achieve operational excellence.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210802005462/en/
Dr Ray O. Johnson, Chief Executive Officer, Technology Innovation Institute (Photo: AETOSWire)
Prior to joining TII, Dr Johnson was an Operating Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, a top-tier American venture capital company that has been part of 130 IPOs in the last 50 years, and before that, he was the Corporate Senior Vice President for Engineering, Technology, and Operations and Chief Technology Officer of the Lockheed Martin Corporation.
Dr Johnson brings to his role over four decades of experience in global technology leadership, making strategic investments in disruptive technologies, and developing business strategies that resulted in several new billion-dollar lines of business. He also holds outstanding networking capabilities; he has met with leaders at the highest echelons of government, industry, and academia. He is frequently sought after as a speaker at global forums on business, strategy, innovation, and education.
Speaking on the new appointment, His Excellency Faisal Al Bannai, Secretary General of ATRC, said: “We welcome Dr Ray Johnson as the first CEO of Technology Innovation Institute. His appointment is a much anticipated one – we were keen that the person entrusted with this role should not merely be an excellent research and technology specialist, but equally, a consummate professional and industry stakeholder that is capable of ensuring the most positive outcomes for the breakthrough projects TII is currently engaged in across its seven initial dedicated research centres.
“We are confident Dr Johnson will be able to build game-changing synergies for TII as he leads it towards realising its wider goals of growing its talented global team of 375+ researchers, scientists, and engineers, and ensuring the objectives of the current workstreams are met. He will also leverage his vast network to further expand our visibility and reach across markets.”
For his part, Dr Ray O. Johnson said: “I am very excited about this new role in a region that I admire for its dedication to advanced research and development for the betterment of the UAE. Since TII’s inception in November 2020, I have followed its many announcements and achievements with great interest. As it moves into a new phase of growth, I look forward to working with the talented teams of researchers across its centres to drive competitive results and facilitate breakthrough solutions that transition to the market.”
Technology Innovation Institute (TII) is a pioneering global research and development centre that focuses on applied research and new-age technology capabilities. The Institute has seven initial dedicated research centres in quantum, autonomous robotics, cryptography, advanced materials, digital security, directed energy, and secure systems. By working with exceptional talent, universities, research institutions and industry partners from all over the world, the Institute connects an intellectual community and contributes to building an R&D ecosystem in Abu Dhabi and the UAE, reinforces the status of Abu Dhabi and the UAE as a global hub for innovation, and contributes to the broader development of the knowledge-based economy.
For information on Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), visit www.atrc.ae
For information on Technology Innovation Institute (TII), visit www.tii.ae
*Source: AETOSWire
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210802005462/en/
Contact information
Technology Innovation Institute
Hanz Valbuena
hanz.valbuena@tii.ae
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
NETFORCE Accelerates Its U.S. Industrial Expansion as a New Intermediate-Force Market Takes Shape20.8.2026 15:23:00 EEST | Press release
For the first time, major U.S. federal agencies are beginning to structure procurement around a new category of intermediate-force equipment, giving officers an additional option between verbal presence and higher levels of force. NETFORCE believes companies establishing themselves at this early stage will benefit from a significant first-mover advantage as this category expands nationwide. This is precisely the market NETFORCE anticipated years ago, having invested heavily in research, industrialization and international intellectual property well before the category attracted attention. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260820951658/en/ COPYRIGHT NETFORCE NETFORCE enters the U.S. market backed by two granted and active U.S. patents — US 11,236,973 B2 (granted 2022, protected through 2038) and US 12,222,193 B2 (granted 2025, protected through 2041). Together with the E-StunGlove® trademark, these assets form pa
Esri Expands World Imagery with Airbus High-Resolution Basemap Coverage for 2,000 Cities Worldwide20.8.2026 15:00:00 EEST | Press release
At the 2026 Esri User Conference (UC), the global leader in location intelligence announced a significant enhancement to its World Imagery basemap through a new agreement with Airbus. The collaboration will enable Esri to provide ArcGIS users with high-resolution imagery coverage for approximately 2,000 cities around the world through the addition of the new Airbus, Nearmap, and Vantor imagery. The added data is part of an enhanced imagery initiative for the World Imagery Basemap, the most widely used map service in ArcGIS, and was highlighted during this year’s Esri UC Plenary. Beginning in the second half of 2026, Airbus will deliver 30 cm imagery designed to provide more current and detailed visual context for ArcGIS users worldwide. Airbus imagery is highly accurate, color-consistent, and provides nearly cloud-free coverage with minimized haze and seasonal variation between contiguous images. As part of the broader World Imagery enhancement program announced at the 2026 UC, Esri al
Cox Capital To Expand Liquidity Solutions for Retail Investors in Private Markets20.8.2026 15:00:00 EEST | Press release
Cox Capital Partners, LP (“Cox Capital”), a provider of liquidity solutions for retail holders of illiquid alternative investments, today announced plans to expand its existing tender offer program for non‑traded business development companies (BDCs) into the rapidly growing interval fund market. The move affirms the company’s role as a provider of liquidity solutions across the private markets landscape for the wealth advisory channel. Over the past six years, Cox Capital has built a platform for sourcing and executing secondary liquidity transactions for retail investors in non‑traded BDCs and other illiquid vehicles, working with financial advisors and intermediaries across independent broker‑dealers, RIAs, and major wirehouses. Cox Capital today announced plans to expand that platform to interval funds, whose growth has given retail investors access to private credit, private equity, and other alternative assets with limited liquidity. Subject to market conditions and regulatory re
Packaging Redesigns See 4% Average Volume Lift, NIQ Finds20.8.2026 13:00:00 EEST | Press release
NielsenIQ (NYSE: NIQ), a global leader in consumer intelligence, today named the winners of its ninth annual Design Impact Awards, recognizing eight package redesigns that combined stronger shopper experiences with measurable commercial performance. Across nearly a decade of NIQ Design Impact Award winners, recognized redesigns have been associated with an average volume increase of approximately 4%. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260819712595/en/ NIQ Design Impact Awards 2026 The 2026 NIQ Design Impact Award Winners*: Aval French Cider (Parent Company: Aval Cider; Country: USA) Liquid I.V. (Parent Company: Unilever; Country: USA) Root & Splendor (Parent Company: Root & Splendor; Country: USA) Hostess Cakes (Parent Company: The J.M. Smucker Company; Country: USA) Back to Nature (Parent Company: Barilla Group; Country: USA) John West Tuna Chunks (Parent Company: Thai Union; Country: UK) Country Fresh Ice Cream
NTT DATA and Palo Alto Networks Sign Global Strategic Alliance to Accelerate Secure AI Transformation20.8.2026 13:00:00 EEST | Press release
NTT DATA, a global leader in AI, digital business and technology services, and Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ: PANW) today announced a multi-year strategic alliance designed to help organizations securely adopt AI, modernize cybersecurity, simplify complex technology environments and build cyber resilience for the AI era. As Palo Alto Networks first strategic alliance of this kind with a global systems integrator, the agreement, which targets $1 billion in joint business by the end of three years (2029), combines Palo Alto Networks AI-powered cybersecurity platforms with NTT DATA's consulting, engineering and managed services. Leveraging joint engineering, co-innovation and coordinated global delivery, the alliance will help clients assess cyber risk, deploy AI securely and continuously optimize security. Through these joint solutions, clients will gain a unified approach that seamlessly spans cybersecurity strategy, implementation and managed services. Building on the companies’ Frontier
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom