25 years leading software engineering — and teaching it

Dr. Marwa Solayman is a Head of Development and digital transformation consultant with 25 years of combined experience across industry and education. She has built, led and governed software engineering organisations in fintech, banking, healthcare, financial markets and higher education, with a major specialisation in software engineering and delivery-side depth in cyber-security and artificial intelligence.

She has owned the full delivery function: engineering team leadership, technology roadmaps, architecture standards, the secure software development life cycle, QA/QC governance, release and support processes, and vendor and stakeholder management — and has repeatedly been appointed to lead development, transformation and strategy at board and C-level.

As a strategic planning consultant she translates business strategy into executable technology programmes: feasibility studies, business cases, target operating models, process re-engineering, KPI and balanced scorecard frameworks, and budget and P&L ownership. Her Ph.D. research in business intelligence and strategic performance measurement underpins a data-driven, metrics-first approach.

Areas of expertise

Professional experience

1. Present

   Head of Development, Digital Transformation & Strategic Planning Consultant

   Cairo

   Leads the full development function — team structure, delivery roadmap, technology standards — and advises executives on digital transformation.

2. 2017 – Present

   Business Development & Technology Consultant

   DTS — IT arm of Housing and Development Bank

   Planning and feasibility studies for the Housing and Development Index programme; supports delivery of critical banking and fintech solutions.

3. 2020 – 2023

   Managing Director & Board Member

   Mindeavors

   Directed all operations and growth, with a strategic focus on fintech investment and development alongside edu-tech delivery.

4. 2019 – 2020

   Vice President, Development & Innovation

   Balsamee / Nabdacare — specialised healthcare solutions

   Owned the development plan and technology strategy for the healthcare software portfolio, from concept to release.

5. 2018 – 2019

   Chief Strategy & Technology Officer

   Elaraby Healthcare Group

   Built the group strategic plan, defined KPI frameworks and advised the board and CEO.

6. 2017 – 2018

   Corporate Deputy General Manager

   Mubasher Media

   Budget and P&L ownership; opened new business channels and reset the corporate vision.

7. 2016 – 2017

   Head of Development & Portals

   Mubasher International (Financial Services)

   Led a multi-disciplinary organisation, standardised architecture and tooling, and founded several new business units.

8. 2011 – 2016

   Portal Manager, Mubasher.info; earlier PM & QC Manager

   Mubasher International (Financial Services)

   Ran one of the fastest-growing financial portals in the Middle East, serving thousands of investors daily.

9. 2001 – 2011

   Quality assurance & quality control leadership

   Horizons Software; Egypt Development Center

   Built the QC process from the ground up and contributed to balanced-scorecard and BPM enterprise products.

Academic path

1. 2023 – Present

   Assistant Professor, Faculty of Computer Science

   October University for Modern Sciences and Arts (MSA). Head of social responsibility and industry partnership programmes; organiser of the Faculty Scientific Days (Deep Minds).

2. 2018 – 2024

   Lecturer

   Misr International University, Arab Open University, Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime Transport, and the Faculty of Computers & AI, Helwan University.

Education & fellowships

• 2015
  Ph.D. in Information Systems, Helwan UniversityStrategic Performance Measurement: merging balanced scorecards and business intelligence techniques
• 2006
  M.Sc. in Information Systems, Helwan UniversitySoftware Reengineering: process model and supporting techniques
• 2000
  B.Sc. in Computers & Information, Helwan UniversitySpecialisation grade: Excellent (92% final year)
• 2026
  Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)Advance HE, UK
• 2026
  PGCert in Higher EducationUniversity of Greenwich, UK (expected December 2026)

Professional certifications

• IBM Certified — DSS track, DB2 Specialist
• CSTP — Certified Software Testing Professional (IIST)
• IBM Rational — test management and functional testing
• SECC — inspection & testing, project management, quality management, software metrics

Published research

• Maximizing Strategic Performance Results: Adopting Balanced Scorecards and BI ToolsInternational Journal of Computer Applications (IJCA), 2015
• Merging Balanced Scorecards and Business Intelligence Techniques: An Applied Case on the IT Subsidiary Company in the Egyptian Civil AviationIJCA, 2015
• Strategic Performance Measurement Guidelines and Framework to Merge Balanced Scorecards and Business Intelligence TechniquesAsian Journal of Computer Science and Information Technology, 2013
• Software Reengineering Process Model Applied on the National Postal Authority (Egypt Post)13th Scientific Conference of Information Systems and Computer Technology, Cairo, 2006

Sectors