Khaqan. Shaheen
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Khaqan Shaheen: CV and career history

Khaqan Shaheen has worked in web and business systems since 2008 and has been Head of IT of Aalmir / MIR Plastic Industries in Sharjah and Dubai since December 2015, where he owns the entire IT function for a plastics manufacturing group across six sites in five countries, around 150 users, a team of six plus outsourced developers, reporting directly to the owner. Before that: Web Projects Manager and Webmaster for The City School Group in Lahore, Webmaster and Project Manager at Infobyte Solutions, and web and design delivery at All In One Technology in Abu Dhabi. Bachelor of Arts from the University of the Punjab, a PMP course in Abu Dhabi, and four CXO DX awards between 2023 and 2024. Based in Dubai, open to senior roles and to relocation.

Career history

  1. December 2015 to present. Head of IT, Aalmir / MIR Plastic Industries LLC, Sharjah and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Owns the entire IT function for a plastics manufacturing group: six sites in five countries, around 150 users, a team of six plus outsourced developers, reporting directly to the owner. One Odoo ERP implemented and owned across production, sales, inventory, procurement, accounting, HR and maintenance. PostgreSQL 9.5 to 16 across eight major versions with no unplanned downtime. Five AI systems in daily production. Networks, firewalls, site to site VPNs, identity, telephony, CCTV and access control. Vendor selection, negotiation and IT purchasing. The full IT setup from nothing whenever the group opens a new factory. The group's four brand websites and their search and paid marketing.
  2. July 2012 to December 2015. Web Projects Manager and Webmaster, The City School Group Head Office, Lahore, Pakistan. Planned and delivered web projects and managed the web presence and social media for a national school network.
  3. January 2012 to August 2012. Webmaster and Project Manager, Infobyte Solutions, Pakistan. Web delivery and project management for client work.
  4. August 2009 to 2011. Web and design delivery, All In One Technology, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
  5. 2008 to 2009. Web and graphic design roles, Lahore, Pakistan. Started as a web design intern in July 2008, then design and web roles at Lahore studios before moving to the UAE.
  6. Alongside the day job: a small technology venture of his own, built end to end. The web application, the booking flow, the mobile and Wear OS watch apps, the customer messaging automation, the search and content systems, the analytics and the paid search. Most of the AI and automation work now running in the day job was built and broken there first.

Education and courses

Bachelor of Arts, University of the Punjab, Lahore, 2009. Project Management Professional (PMP) course, Al Khawarizmi Institute, Abu Dhabi, 2010, 38 hours. iPhone 360 mobile development, SAE Institute Dubai, 2010. Diploma in Graphics Designing, Brains College, Lahore, 2008. Google Fundamentals of Digital Marketing, 2023.

Awards and recognition

Excellence in CIO Leadership, CXO DX Future Workspace Summit and Awards, Dubai, 2024. IT Leadership Excellence, CXO DX CIO Connect Summit and Awards, Dubai, 2024. Technology Transformer of the Year, CXO DX SME Tech Innovation Summit and Awards, Dubai, 2023. CIO of the Year, CXO DX Future Workspace Summit and Awards, Dubai, 2023.

What the current role actually covers

ERP: one Odoo instance for six sites in five countries, with custom development specified and kept upgrade-safe, 256 models, 1,187 custom fields and 686 access rules. Infrastructure: Ubuntu and Nginx on-premise and across AWS, Google Cloud and DigitalOcean, PostgreSQL through eight major versions, backups, point in time recovery, off-site replication and monitoring. Security and identity: Google Workspace single sign-on, two factor authentication, role based access, firewalls, site to site VPNs and endpoint protection across five countries. AI: document OCR into the ERP, automated document verification, a WhatsApp and web sales agent, a voice AI agent on Grandstream telephony, and one multi-channel chat platform, all in daily production. Devices: biometric attendance, geo-verified patrol, IP CCTV, access control and machine records integrated with the ERP. Web and marketing: four brand websites with their SEO, Google Ads and GA4 reporting.

Languages and location

English and Urdu. Pakistani national, based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and in the UAE since 2015. Available on-site across the UAE and remote across the GCC on Dubai time.

What he is open to

Senior full-time roles, from Head of IT and IT Manager through IT Director, Group IT Manager and CIO, and on the newer side Head of AI or Head of Digital and AI Transformation, in the UAE, the wider Gulf, or with relocation to Australia and New Zealand. Separately: fractional or part-time Head of IT retainers, and fixed-scope projects such as an ERP health check, an IT function review or an AI readiness review.

References and evidence

Every claim on this CV has a page behind it. The case studies describe what was built and what went wrong. The skills page gives each skill an honest ownership level with a link to the evidence. The press kit carries bios in three lengths, a headshot and a fact sheet. References are available on request.

Read the evidence

Questions people ask

Can I download Khaqan Shaheen's CV or resume as a PDF?

This page is the current CV, curriculum vitae and resume in one, and it is always the most up to date version, because it is built from the same evidence as the rest of the site. For a formatted copy, email a request and it will be sent the same working day. The press kit also carries bios in three lengths and a headshot.

How many years of experience does he have?

Since July 2008 in web and business systems, and since December 2015 owning an entire IT function. That is roughly eighteen years in technology and ten years in IT leadership.

What is his current job title?

Head of IT at Aalmir / MIR Plastic Industries LLC, Sharjah and Dubai. Before it was retitled, the same role was IT Manager, SEO, Digital Marketing and Webmaster, which is still the title on some external profiles.

Is he available for interviews?

Yes, for senior roles in the UAE, the GCC, or with relocation to Australia and New Zealand. Email a few lines about the role and he replies within one working day, Dubai time.

What is his notice period?

It depends on the role and is discussed at offer stage. For fractional or project work he can usually start within two weeks.

Talk to me

Email with a few lines about your situation, or message me on LinkedIn. I reply within one working day, Dubai time. Fees are quoted in writing before anything is paid.