The American Concrete Institute (ACI) said it has appointed Ahmad Mhanna as the institute’s new regional director for the Middle East.

Headquartered in Michigan, US, the ACI is a leading authority and resource worldwide for the development and distribution of consensus-based standards and technical resources.

It also develops educational programmes and certifications for individuals and organisations involved in concrete design, construction and materials, who share a commitment to pursuing the best use of concrete.

In his new role, Mhanna will focus on ACI’s comprehensive plan to increase knowledge-sharing throughout the Middle East region, said a statement from the company.

He will assist in establishing and nurturing regional strategic relationships with members, chapters, companies, governmental bodies, educational institutions, partners, and other construction industry organisations. Mhanna will also build upon recent partnership agreements and increase ACI activity in the region.

An ACI member and civil engineer, Mhanna has wide-ranging experience in concrete and construction materials testing, analysis, and applications.

Prior to this, he was employed at Qatrana Cement in Amman, Jordan. Mhanna has served as a board member of Jordan Concrete Association since 2012 and is also a member of building materials technical committee of the Jordan Institution for Standards and Metrology. He holds multiple ACI certifications and has served as an ACI Certification examiner.

In his new role, Mhanna will be based at the ACI regional office, to be located in the Dubai World Trade Centre. An official grand opening ceremony of the regional office is being planned for the evening of January 6, 2019.

The great innovation occurring now in the region combined with ACI’s one-hundred-plus years of consensus-based knowledge is a partnership that will accelerate the advancement of the concrete industry globally, said the statement from the company.

Mhanna received his Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from University of Jordan, and an MS in Emerging Technologies for Construction from University of Naples Federico II, Italy. He also obtained an Infrastructure Renewal Engineering Certificate from University of Missouri-Rolla, US, it added.-TradeArabia News Service