Saudi engineer Abdullah Ibrahim Al-Rakhis was elected as a member of the board of trustees of the international advisory board of the University of Oxford for a four-year term. The 40 members of the board are academic, governmental, professional and business personalities of 25 nationalities. The board oversees the strategy of educational, research and academic excellence in executive education at the university. Over the past four years Al-Rakhis, the first Saudi member of the council, contributing to the university research works in local administration and challenges of sustainable development in emerging economies. He has also participated in the development of academic programs and operational research conducted by the University of Oxford in India and Saudi Arabia. Al-Rakhis is the founder and Chairman of Rakisa Holding Company. He has extensive experience in founding and establishing telecommunications companies in Saudi Arabia. He is the founder and former chairman of Qanawat Mobily, the co-founder and former chairman of SAMAWAT/TIM, the co-founder and former managing director of Saudi Mobile Telecom, and the former chairman and CEO of Zajoul Telecom. Al-Rakhis attained a BSc. in Civil Engineering from King Saud University in 1989, an MBA from King Saud University in 1994 and a certificate in advanced management program from Oxford Saïd Business School in 2002.
