Mr. Ali Khawaja is a distinguished industry veteran and thought leader with over 25 years of global experience in solutions architecture, technology strategy, and digital transformation. With a solid foundation in Electrical Engineering (BS & MS, University of Texas at Dallas), he has honed deep technical expertise and strategic insight across leading technology arenas—from cloud computing and big data to artificial intelligence and hybrid solution design.
Currently, Mr. Khawaja excels as a Principal Strategy & Solution Architect at Microsoft Arabia, where he has established himself as one of the longest-serving professionals with over 21 years at Microsoft. He has driven high-impact digital initiatives and forged multi-million dollar deals with global giants, supporting renowned organizations in the public sector, oil, retail, and airline industries. At Microsoft, he has been instrumental in devising and executing transformative projects, leveraging Azure’s native capabilities and a heterogeneous solution stack to develop robust cloud and hybrid business continuity solutions. His work spans end-to-end solution design—from spearheading migrations and re-architecting enterprise systems to deploying advanced data pipelines and machine learning models using cutting-edge platforms like Azure Synapse, Databricks, Apache Spark, and Apache Airflow.
Mr. Khawaja’s extensive career includes significant stints at Microsoft Consulting Services in both the USA and the Middle East, where he architected key projects for global giants such as American Airlines, Saudi Airlines, Saudi Aramco, and Halliburton. His portfolio features high-visibility assignments at leading organizations like BUPA Arabia, the General Authority of Civil Aviation, SABIC, and NVIDIA Corporation. Earlier in his journey, he held pivotal roles at Brinks Inc., Nortel Networks, and Alcatel USA—each experience contributing a rich layer to his expertise in designing and delivering innovative IT and cloud solutions.
In addition to his corporate accomplishments, Mr. Khawaja is an accomplished educator. As a Visiting Faculty member at FAST-NUCES Lahore, he has developed and taught courses on Cloud Computing, Big Data, Computer Vision, and Large Language Models (LLMs), translating his real-world experience into dynamic, student-centered learning environments. At LUMS, he aims to bridge the gap between academic theory and industry practice, mentoring the next generation of technology leaders while advancing research in cloud computing, data analytics, and artificial intelligence.
Mr. Khawaja’s unique blend of deep technical proficiency, strategic vision, and proven leadership with global giants makes his presence an invaluable asset to LUMS and its commitment to academic and professional excellence.
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