New Leadership for the UAE Chapter
We are pleased to welcome Simon Contini FBCI and Sohail Khimani FBCI as the new Leader and Vice Leader of the BCI UAE Chapter.
Leader Simon Contini is a seasoned resilience expert with over 30 years in IT business continuity, disaster recovery, and cyber recovery. He serves as CTO Ambassador and Global Product Manager at Dell Technologies in Abu Dhabi. His work spans sectors including aerospace, banking, and energy, with a focus on resilience and digital transformation. Sohail Khimani has nearly 20 years of experience across banking, consulting, and critical infrastructure. He is the Business Continuity Relationship Head at Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank and has advised government and private sector clients in previous roles.
Motivations: Why lead the committee?
Chapter Leader Simon’s deep commitment to resilience in the UAE and the wider Middle East prompted his interest in leading the Chapter. He sees the role as a key platform for connecting professionals and advancing business continuity across the region. Simon is particularly enthusiastic about collaborating with academic institutions and aligning the Chapter’s initiatives with national frameworks such as UAE Vision 2030 and NCEMA.
Sohail was keen to step into a Chapter leadership role because he views the Chapter as a platform to unite professionals, elevate standards, and amplify UAE’s voice in global resilience dialogues. After benefiting from mentors early in his career, Sohail is committed to paying it forward, especially for Emirati talent and young professionals entering the field.
Promoting engagement and support
Steering the Chapter so that it serves as a collaborative hub for professionals across organizations, providing training, thought leadership, and networking opportunities across industries is a key aim for Simon. He said:
“By creating spaces for dialogue and sharing knowledge, we aim to help organizations better prepare for and respond to disruptions.”
Sohail is similarly keen to enhance resilience in the UAE by creating a trusted forum for public-private knowledge exchange and showcasing UAE success stories that inspire regional adoption of BCM.
Future vision and long-term goals
Sohail’s future vision for the Chapter focuses on expanding active membership and deepening engagement through regular networking events, hands-on workshops, and structured mentorship programs. He recognises that one of the key challenges in the UAE is the rapid evolution of regulatory standards, which many organizations struggle to keep pace with. He said:
“One of the challenges in the UAE is regulatory evolution. Organizations struggle to keep pace with evolving UAE and global resilience standards.”
To address this, Sohail is committed to closing knowledge gaps by hosting industry-led events throughout the year, with a focus on operational resilience, supply chain risk management, and regulatory compliance.
Simon’s long-term vision for the Chapter is to establish it as a regional leader in business continuity and resilience. His goals include building a sustainable pipeline of emerging professionals, forging cross-sector partnerships, and engaging with global stakeholders. He is committed to ensuring the Chapter contributes meaningfully to national resilience objectives and will strive to make it a hub for innovation, strategic continuity planning, and scenario-based exercising.
Joining a Chapter provides an opportunity to connect with fellow BCI Members in your region and stay informed on the latest developments in business continuity and resilience. If you’d like to join the UAE Chapter you can do so here or via the LinkedIn page
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About the author
Rebecca Mathews
The BCI
