AGSI Welcomes New Board Members

WASHINGTON, July 6, 2026 – The Arab Gulf States Institute is pleased to announce that Vice Admiral Bob Harward, Majid Kaddoumi, and Ambassador Martina Strong have joined the institute’s board of directors.  

Vice Admiral Bob Harward is the executive vice president for international business and strategy at Shield AI, where he is responsible for expanding the company’s international business operations and strategy on every continent. Before joining Shield AI, he was a chief executive at Lockheed Martin for eight years and a vice admiral (SEAL) in the U.S. Navy, with his last assignment as deputy commander, U.S. Central Command. He has been recognized by Forbes as one of the 50 (#10) most influential CEOs in the Middle East.  

Majid Kaddoumi is the senior vice president and president of Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Asia-Pacific at Medtronic, overseeing products and therapies across a diverse global region. A member of Medtronic’s Executive Committee, Kaddoumi joined the company in 2012 and has since driven market strategy, built local capabilities, and advanced health care across multiple regions. With over 25 years of experience in medical technology, operations, and services, Kaddoumi previously served as general manager for GE Healthcare in Saudi Arabia and successfully established multiple companies before joining the corporate sector. He is recognized globally for his leadership in diversity and gender equality, receiving Medtronic’s prestigious Wallin Leadership Award in 2014.  

Ambassador Martina Strong is the Bechtel Corporation’s region president for central Europe and the Middle East. Strong has deep expertise in strategic leadership, international partnerships, and advocacy for U.S. industry interests abroad – experience that has been invaluable as Bechtel pursues business priorities in Central Europe and the Middle East. 

Her prior career as a U.S. diplomat spanned nearly three decades, and, most recently, she was the U.S. ambassador to the United Arab Emirates. In the UAE, she was recognized with the First Class Order of Zayed II – one of the highest civilian honors given to foreign diplomats – for her successful efforts in strengthening U.S.-UAE ties. Strong previously served as the chargé d’affaires at the U.S. Mission to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Earlier, she held leadership roles on the National Security Council at the White House as well as in Iraq, Bulgaria, and Poland. 

“It is a great honor and pleasure to welcome three new members to the AGSI board of directors. Collectively they bring decades of business, military, and diplomatic experience to the board and will be a great asset as we expand AGSI’s work to new sectors and larger audiences,” said Board Chair George R. Salem. “I look forward to working with each of them.” 

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The Arab Gulf States Institute is an independent, nonprofit institution dedicated to highlighting the importance of the relationship between the United States and the Gulf region through free and open exchange of multiple points of view on issues that concern the Gulf.  

AGSI strives to support this goal by:  

• Providing expert analysis and thoughtful debate on the economic, energy, environmental, security, social, cultural, and political dimensions of the Gulf Arab states as well as their relations with the United States and other countries.  

• Informing a global audience of policymakers, legislators, businesspeople, academics, media, youth, and others as the foundation for strategic decisions regarding this important region.  

• Employing multiple avenues to inform public understanding of the importance of the relationship between the United States and the Gulf Arab states.  

• Encouraging strong academic coverage by developing scholars who concentrate on the study of the region.