Sohail Elabd is the Global Director for emerging Markets at Esri and a global geospatial strategist, senior executive, and advisor to governments on the role of geography in national transformation. Sohail holds a Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering and a Master's degree in GIS and Information Technology from the University of Nottingham. He is the founder of AfricaGeoPortal and the Map Africa Initiative, and an active participant in United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management activities across Africa and the Arab States.