Jawad’s career experience in ICT and Media spans 21 years. Before joining the GSMA as head of MENA in October 2015, Jawad managed the Arab Advisors Group which he founded in 2001. Jawad’s previous career experience included working as a senior telecommunications and technology consultant with the Yankee Group in Boston, USA. Between 1998 and 2000, Mr. Abbassi was a Senior Analyst with the communications research arm of the Economist Intelligence Unit in Boston.

In March 2013 Jawad acted as Chairman of Jordan’s information technology association. He is also a Member of the Arab Business Forum for Information and Communication Technology ABFICT, and a Member of the steering committee for UN ICT Task Force of the “Wireless Internet and the Arab-World” series. He was chosen for membership in the Young Arab Leaders Organization, and is a frequent guest speaker at conferences and seminars related to technology, communications and media in the Arab World.

Jawad holds an MSc in Information Systems from the London School of Economics, and a BSc in engineering from the American University in Cairo, Egypt (1993). In 2010, he attended Harvard Business School Executive Education.