CEO, Smart Infrastructure
Siemens Middle East

Presentation Title: “Beyond 2020: The Future of Smart Cities”

Franco Atassi is the CEO of Smart Infrastructure for Siemens in the Middle East, since April 1 2019.
Based in the United Arab Emirates, Atassi is responsible for leading the strategy and vision of Smart Infrastructure for Siemens across the Middle East.
Atassi and the team at Smart Infrastructure work with customers in the region to deliver solutions for smart cities and sustainable environments, using Siemens’ strengths in electrification, automation and digitalization. Smart Infrastructure marries energy supply – spanning intelligent control across the grid, solutions from medium voltage substations and points of consumption – with building technology. Bringing these elements together enables a more effective use of energy and opens opportunities ranging from energy storage and prosumption to electric infrastructure and microgrids.
Under Atassi’s leadership, Smart Infrastructure is playing a crucial role in supporting Expo 2020 Dubai to become a blueprint for future smart cities, with the company’s smart building technologies being integrated across the Expo 2020 Dubai site. The digital solutions will connect, monitor and control 137 buildings across the site with MindSphere, the cloud-based operating system for the Internet of Things, powering the collection and analysis of data for intelligent decision-making and actions. The smart technologies will support Expo 2020 Dubai’s targets for energy efficiency, comfort, safety and security.
Prior to his current role, Atassi has held a variety of senior management positions at Siemens during his 25 year tenure with the company. Most recently, he was the Global Head of the company’s Life Science business, based in the United States of America. In this role he was responsible for the vision, strategy, direction, growth initiatives and portfolio development in Life Science, growing the division’s business by more than 65 percent between 2015 and 2018.
Previously, Atassi was Area Manager for Siemens Energy Management, Low-Medium Voltage (LMV) for Region Americas between 2006 and 2011. During his tenure, Atassi led the successful divisional integration and business collaboration between LMV and Siemens Building Technologies.
Atassi holds a Master of Science in International Business, a Master of Science in Engineering, an MBA and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. He is also a Member of the Board of Directors for the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories, and speaks English and Arabic.
Atassi returns to the Middle East after 30 years in the United States of America.