Dr. Mohammed Ben Sulayem
Dr. Mohammed Ben Sulayem is President of the Automobile & Touring Club of the UAE, Vice-President of the FIA, and Chairman of the Arab Council of Touring and Automobile Clubs (ACTAC),
He is one of the Arab world’s most famous sportsmen, having won a record 14 FIA Middle East Rally Championship titles, making him the most successful FIA title holder in the world. This successful career includes 61 international outings in the European, African, Middle East and World Rally Championships.
He is a keen advocate of education and the creation of knowledge . In 2011 in he established the Motorsport Knowledge Institute (MKI) a dedicated training , education and research arm of ATCUAE, which is one of only four FIA gold level training providers in the world. He was also a leading promoter in the establishment of the Chair in Road Safety Management at Saint Joseph University in Lebanon which offers a post graduate degree in this important subject.
Mahir Badri
Mahir Badri is the Chief Executive Officer of the Automobile & Touring Club of the UAE. He worked previously in the telecommunications industry and worked closely on different telecom regulations and resolutions in the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and also represented the UAE in different Bi-lateral coordination meetings.
Mr Badri has been involved in the delivery of all major UAE motorsport events including the Dubai International Rally, Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, and the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix.
He has been closely worked in the development of the UAE and also regional FIA strategy for motorsport. He was involved in the development and launch of UAE Motorsport Star and in the planning and execution of ATCUAE’s ambition to achieve gold level accreditation with the FIA Institute and an RTP status.
He is also dealing with day to day management matters related to the motorsports in the UAE.
He is the holder of an MBA, undertaking his thesis on the Business Model of Formula One and he is currently undertaking a PhD on motorsport management.
Dr. Sean O’Connor
Dr. Sean O’Connor has thirty years experience in the marketing and management of international motorsport. In the early 1980s he pioneered the communication of the successful Marlboro motorsport programme in the Middle East and later WRC, Formula 1 and Motor GP sponsorships. He was the co founder and promoter of Rally Ireland, which generated the highest TV, figures on its debut in the WRC series.
He has lectured at Dublin Institute of Technology where he was awarded MPhil in the marketing of motorsport in 2005; he holds a MA for Dublin City University in Political Communication and In 2011 Sean successfully defended his Doctoral research in the area of the management of WRC and Formula 1 events at the University of Ulster.
He is a Director of the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE and is Chairman of the Motorsport Knowledge Institute (MKI). He is leading on the development of research projects, promotion of post graduate motorsport research candidates, liaising with University of Ulster, development of e-learning capacity and strategic partnerships in the areas of education and knowledge.
He has written book chapters and journal articles on a range of motorsport subjects including Event Management, Marketing, Internal Communications, Social Capital via volunteerism, and the social and economic impact of WRC. He has spoken at a range of conferences and workshops on a range of motorsport subjects and is regarded as the most published academic in the area of motorsport.
Ronan Morgan
Ronan is a professional rally co-driver for 18 years and winner of 10 FIA Middle East Rally Championships is the current Motorsport Director of the ATCUAE.
Morgan has acted as an FIA observer and steward at numerous FIA rally events over a 15 year period, is a member of the FIA Cross Country Rally Commission and represents ATCUAE on the FIA Rally and WRC Commissions.
Prior to joining the ATCUAE Morgan was Project Director of Wales Rally GB, the UK round of the WRC 2001-2004 and then promoter of Rally Irelance WRC from 2004 to 2008.
Morgan was Clerk of the Course for Formula 1™ Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, GP2, Australian V8 Supercar and FIA GT1 races during 2009 and 2010 seasons, CoC for Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, a round of the FIA cross-country rallies World Cup 2000-2011, CoC for Dubai International Rally, a round of the Middle East Rally Championship 2008-2011.
Ronan is currently working on his thesis as he pursues MPhil in motorsport management at the University of Ulster (UK).
Adel K Sarris
Adel K Sarris is one of the longest serving members of staff at the ATCUAE, having been with the organisation since 1990. In this time, he has worked in both aspects of the business, mobility and sport.
Adel holds a Bachelors degree in Business Administration, and was recently promoted to the role of Mobility Director, overseeing all the issues relating to automobile touring in the UAE. He is a member of the "Arab Council of Touring and Automobile Clubs" and "AIT/FIA Customs Council". He is also responsible for all financial affairs of the ATCUAE, a role he has fulfilled since 2008.
In motorsport, he has been involved in the organisation of Dubai International Rally since 1997, the UAE Desert Challenge since 2005, and the former UAE International Rally between 1996 and 2006.
Robert Bryan
Having spent much of his life on the competitors side of Motorsport and working with a number of Internationally recognised teams and drivers, Robert changed direction in 2006 and joined the Automobile & Touring Club of the UAE as Technical Director and post incident Technical Advisor for the ASN Judicial Panel.
Working in conjunction with National Road & Traffic Authorities, Robert also works to ensure an agreeable medium is reached between road registration requirements and Motorsport governing bodies.
As a qualified Engineer, his background in race car fabrication and preparation are key elements in ensuring the technical and safety standards imposed by regulatory authorities are maintained.
Robert has been involved with, or overseen the technical attributes of every International and major National Motorsport event within the United Arab Emirates for the last 6 years, including 2009 & 2010 Formula 1™ Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix’s, Desert Challenge events, Dubai International Rally events, FiA GT1’s, GP2’s, Australian V8’s, etc.
To assist with these events, Robert also trains and manages an efficient and effective team of over 80 volunteer Scrutineers whose reputation for knowledge and professionalism is Internationally recognized.
Dr. Jacques Skayem
Jacques Skayem is the Operations Manager of the Automobile & Touring Club of the UAE. He worked previously for the Dubai Government and Nakheel as a Senior Advisor on all waterfront projects. He helped to develop the new sustainable and environmental regulations for all waterfront property. Jacques also contributed to the development of new regulations concerning the conservation of energy in buildings, and how to design buildings in relation to natural resources.
He has lectured at the American University of Science & Technology in Beirut, and at the Politecnico Di Milano in Italy where he was awarded his PhD in Technology & Design for Environmental Quality at Building and Urban Scale. He also holds a Master Degree in Architecture, and has published articles in both Lebanon and Italy about energy and construction.
He has been involved in motorsport since 1999, and was a member of Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s Middle East Rally Championship winning team. He has also been PR manager for the famous Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, and has contributed to the development of the UAE Marshals Club website and the marshals management team for large events.
Jacques is now contributing in the research and development side of mobility and touring for the ATCUAE.
Natalia Sosa Medina
Natalia Sosa Medina has been involved in the organisation and promotion of motorsport events since 1998. Having spent much of her career in her homeland of Argentina, she has worked on the national rounds of Formula One, the World Rally Championship and Moto GP.
She has performed multiple different roles in her motorsport career, including Press Officer, Hospitality Management, and Competitor Relations Officer. She has also been involved in the organisation of regional motocross, Supercross, and Enduro competitions.
Eventually, motorsport took her to work in Europe, working in Public Relations for the Michelin Formula One team and later for the Citroen Sport WRC team in a logistics role. In recent years, she has worked as a freelance local liaison for all the most important World Rally teams during Rally Argentina, doing different tasks like co-coordinating team’s local logistics, hospitality, guest programs, and PR.
Her career has now brought her to the UAE, where she joined the ATCUAE as Communications Manager in April 2011.
Parameshwer Kunta
Parameshwer Kunta joined the ATCUAE as Information & Technology Officer in February 2011. He is a graduate of Computer Science and Information Technology form Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, in Hyderabad, India.
A Microsoft and Cisco Systems certified IT professional. He previously worked as an IT Administrator and IT Systems & Network Engineer in UAE and India.
In his current role with the ATCUAE he is responsible for the streamlined operation of the IT Department in alignment with the business objectives of the organization.
Plan, coordinate, direct, and design IT-related activities of the organization, as well as provide administrative direction and support for daily operational activities of the IT department.
Define and implement IT policies, procedures, and best practices and responsible for maintaining the company's IT network, servers and security systems, to ensure maximum availability of computer systems throughout the Company.
Dr. Sean Petherbridge MD
Sean Petherbridge is the Chief Medical Officer of ATCUAE. He has 14 years experience as a doctor, the last 6 years in motor sport. His background is in general medicine, emergency medicine, psychiatry and surgery. He trained at St George’s Hospital Medical School, London and qualified in 1997.
Sean is CMO for the Dubai International Rally, the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, Abu Dhabi rounds of GT1, GP2, V8 Supercars and of course Formula 1 Abu Dhabi. He manages a team of over 90 people for F1. Sean works as Joint Command with Gus Duthie on the Desert Challenge, running the Search and Rescue Team.
He holds both FIM and FIA CMO licenses and has attended seminars with both the FIM and FIA to keep up to date.
Sean also has experience with BMW X-Raid, Mitsubishi Ralliart and BBC Top Gear as CMO for testing and events. He works as Post Medical Advisor for the US Consulate in Dubai and has 6 years experience as an Aviation Medical Examiner.
Sean has an MBBS degree in medicine and MRCGP post graduate qualifications as well as certification is Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS). He has experience as a roadside assistance doctor for the Ambulance Service in the UK.
Matthew Norman
Currently employed by ATCUAE in the capacity as Motorsport Manager and has held the position for the last 5 years and his motorsport experience is over 20 years in the sport. Matthew is an ASN Steward and also holds FIM Cross Country Clerk of the Course / Steward licence and the licence of the FIM Environmental Steward. Has experience in stewarding to a level of GP2 / GT1 / V8 and numerous other Internationals.
Matthew is responsible for all technical and sporting regulations at the ASN, issuing event permits, drafting supplementary regulations and putting together UAE National Sporting Calendar. He is experienced in FIA / CIK Circuit Homologations and is a part of the ASN Judicial Panel.
In 2003 Matthew Created the UAE National Kart Championship with 1 make tyre and engines and organized open track days for cars and bikes in 2003 – 2004. In 2005 he created the UAE National Superstock 600 cc Bike Championship and in 2006 instigated the One make Golf GTi Cup Championship.
Matthew is a member of UAE Motorsport Officials Commission (UAEMOC) and one of the founders and managers of UAE Motorsport Marshals Club.
Tanya Kutsenko
Tanya Kutsenko is the Project Manager of the Automobile & Touring Club of the UAE. She has over ten years of event management experience and previously worked at Western Union Financial Services GmbH representative office, organizing marketing and promotional events in Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia and Central Asia.
Tanya has been involved in planning and delivery of all major UAE motorsport events including the Dubai International Rally, Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and Formula 1™ Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from 2005 until present. She was also responsible for the delivery of the FIA Region I mobility clubs meeting in Dubai in 2010, this was the first convention of this kind outside Europe.
She holds FIM Clerk of the Course / Steward and FIM Environmental Steward’s licences.
Working in conjunction with the CEO and Director of Strategy she coordinated a serious of projects and activities to align the performance of UAE Motorsport Marshals Club agains the FIA Institute’s best practice framework.
Tanya completed her bachelor’s degree at the National University of ‘Kyiv-Mohyla Academy’ in Ukraine majoring in philology with minor in sociology. She graduated with honours and recommendation to post-graduate studies from KROK University of Economics & Law and holds MA in Project Management.
Stuart Murray
Stuart has been the project coordinator for the successful UAE Motorsport Star programme, and has been heavily involved in the ATCUAE’s quest to achieve gold level accreditation with the FIA Institute. He is leading on officials training assessment and monitoring at the UAE Motorsport Marshals Club and coordinates the implementation of changes to training curriculum and format based on the training feedback analysis.
He is an ATCUAE liaison for ASNs that are planning to launch or formalize national officials’ safety training programs with the assistance of ATCUAE.
He is the holder of an FIM Motocross Clerk of the Course / Steward’s licence, and the appointed National Safety Officer to the FIA. He is the Deputy Secretary of the meeting for 2011 Formula 1™ Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and a Deputy Clerk of the Course for 2011 Dubai International Rally.
He holds a Bachelors degree in Marketing from the University of Stirling, and a Masters degree in Sports Management from the University of Ulster.
Rawan Shukri
With over 6 years of experience in Project Management and business development in different sectors and various business area including; investments, education and sustainability management, Ms. Shukri has extended her dedication and tactful management skills to serve the sports and the motor sports industry. She has volunteered in the MERC 2009 - Jordan and provided administrative support to many other sports initiatives including Generation for Peace and the 37th IAAF World Cross Country Championships 2009 with the Jordan Olympics Committee.
She has a B.A in International Business from the University of Hull, U.K and is pursuing her Project Management Certificate from the Project Management Institute.
Amro Hijazi
Amro Hijazi is a Project Manager at Automobile & Touring Club (ATCUAE). Amro is responsible for the planning and positioning of the International Road Transport Union’s (IRU) projects and expanding its footprint and reach across the UAE and the region.
He worked previously in both private and governmental sectors and had a significant contribution to expanding his employers’ client base and successfully ran various campaigns to help organizations achieve their business needs and raise public awareness of their services.
Bilingual in Arabic and English, Amro graduated from the American University of Sharjah with Bachelor degree in Marketing and Management, and pursued his Master’s degree in Master in Business Administration, concentration in Strategic Marketing.
Cesar Abou Chacra
Cesar joined the ATCUAE in early 2013 as the Sporting Department Administrator, and is responsible for the ATCUAEs competition licensing procedure. He holds an FIM Cross Country Rally International Clerk of the Course / Steward’s license and was the FMNR jury member for the 2013 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.
Cesar holds a Management Degree from the Holy Spirit University – Kaslik, Lebanon, and is currently in the process of undertaking a Master's Degree in Marketing. He is fluent in Arabic, English and French.
At the age of 24, Cesar has more than 6 years of customer relation experience under his belt and has crafted versatile leadership skills through various management development programs and seminars. As a key staff member in major hospitality groups in Lebanon, he has been in charge of operational teams holding up to 30 members, driving on day-to-day, medium and long term corporate objectives.