MBZUAI
procurement has evolved significantly in the decade that Mansour has been building his career and credentials . His rise has been even more impressive given he admits to never having heard the word ‘ procurement ’ until that chance discussion with an Etihad Airways ’ manager .
Mansour explains that he learned quickly through hard work , following his mentor ’ s direction , and “ never making the same mistake twice ”.
He spent a couple of formative years in the Etihad Airways ’ procurement team before moving to Masdar Institute ( later merging with Khalifa University ) in 2015 where he spent four years . He joined MBZUAI in 2020 , commencing as Head of Procurement in August 2022 .
Working at the world ’ s first graduate , research university dedicated to artificial intelligence ( AI ) presents its own unique challenges – not least because it was a startup pioneering high-level curriculum in computer science , computer vision , machine learning , natural language processing , and robotics .
Then there was the dreaded pandemic to contend with , too . But that did not stop MBZUAI producing its first master ’ s graduates in December 2022 and again in June 2023 . The Class of 2024 will see the university ’ s first Ph . D . students graduating .
MBZUAI was founded in 2019 and provides a purpose-built , high-tech , and eco-friendly campus . Currently , MBZUAI has 283 students from 41 countries . Its diversity makes it a unique and welcoming institution and benefits the work it undertakes .
From a procurement perspective , the task was even more significant given that MBZUAI funds every student via a full scholarship – covering course fees , accommodation , flights , and even providing a generous ‘ stipend ’ allowance .
“ Being an AI university , our main suppliers are naturally in the IT field ,” Mansour says .
“ We started the IT infrastructure with Emircom , then we developed our High Performance Computing ( HPC ) data centre with Hewlett Packard Enterprise ( HPE ) and Alpha Data .”
Emircom and Alpha Data are both Abu Dhabi-based technology companies and Mansour says the university is keen to work with local , homegrown suppliers and partners where possible .
“ Fairness , patience , and clear decision-making are crucial both on the football pitch and in procurement ”
MANSOUR AL BLOOSHI HEAD OF PROCUREMENT ,
MBZUAI
42 September 2023