The Leadership Team

Tomislav Mihaljevic, MD, Chief Executive Officer

Tomislav Mihaljevic, MD, serves as Chief Executive Officer of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, a world-class multispecialty hospital specifically designed to address a range of Abu Dhabi’s most complex medical requirements. In his role as CEO, Dr. Mihaljevic is responsible for overseeing Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s overall strategy and effective operation as the first-ever US multispecialty hospital to be replicated outside of North America, including directly managing the hospital’s Patient Experience and Strategy & Business Development programs.

He leads the organization's more than 5000 Caregivers to deliver on key promises: bringing Cleveland Clinic-quality care to Abu Dhabi; providing alternatives to traveling abroad for complex and critical care requirements; and developing the next generation of Emirati leaders. His leadership emphasizes Cleveland Clinic’s core values of patient-centered care and patient experience, allowing Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi to provide patients in the UAE direct access to the world’s best healthcare providers.

A native of Croatia, he received his medical degree from the University of Zagreb. Dr. Mihaljevic started his education in cardiac surgery at the University of Zurich, Switzerland. In 1995, he joined the Brigham and Women's Hospital at Harvard Medical School, where he completed residency in general and cardiac surgery and served as Chief Resident in the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery at Children's Hospital in Boston. Dr. Mihaljevic is certified by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery and the American Board of Surgery. He specializes in minimally invasive and robotically assisted cardiac surgeries, valve repair and replacement, image-guided surgery, heart failure and cardiac transplantation. Dr. Mihaljevic has served on editorial boards for a number of medical journals and has authored numerous articles in scientific journals and textbooks.

An avid reader, Dr. Mihaljevic enjoys contemporary American and European literature. He resides in Abu Dhabi with his wife and two daughters.

Manaf Afyouni, Chief Operating Officer

Manaf Afyouni is Chief Operating Officer at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. He has more than 20 years of healthcare experience, having held various leadership roles in the areas of operations, finance, project management, and strategic planning.

As Chief Operating Officer, Manaf is responsible for the non-clinical hospital operations, overseeing the areas of supply chain, communications and marketing, protocol, facility services, food services, and patient support services.

Prior to joining the leadership team at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi in June 2011, Manaf served as Senior Vice President and Head of Strategy at Dubai Holding, a global investment company, and previously as Senior Vice President of Tatweer, a member of Dubai Holding. Manaf also previously served as Chief Operating Officer of University Hospital in Dubai Healthcare City from 2006 to 2008 and Chief Operating Officer of Dubai Healthcare City from 2003 to 2006. Manaf was responsible for developing the strategic plan of Dubai Healthcare City to meet the emerging healthcare needs of the region and executing on a healthcare community master plan with a 700-bed specialty hospital, outpatient clinics, and support community. He also led the creation of numerous strategic partnerships with renowned hospitals, including Harvard Medical International and the Mayo Clinic.

Manaf was born and raised in Kuwait. He received his undergraduate degree in Business, as well as his Master’s degree from Ohio University in the US.

Rakesh M. Suri, MD, Chief of Staff, Chief, Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery

Rakesh M. Suri, MD, is Chief of Staff and Chief of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. Dr Suri oversees all physician activity across Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s 12 Institutes, and leads the team of cardiothoracic and vascular surgeons.

He also serves as Professor of Surgery at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. Dr. Suri brings a commitment to his patients and surgical innovation, a passion for research and an enthusiasm for teaching others.

Dr. Suri holds extensive clinical expertise in robotic and minimally invasive cardiac surgery, mitral valve repair and transcatheter valve therapies. His significant research pursuits include contributions to more than 230 journal articles and book chapters, 11 patents and several FDA multicenter trials. His research areas of concentration are mitral valve repair, robotic and minimally invasive valve repair, and identifying the cause of myxomatous mitral valve disease

He joins Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi after 12 years at Mayo Clinic, where he served as a consultant in the Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Professor of Surgery, and Chair of the Enterprise Robotic Practice, among other education- and innovation-oriented roles.

Dr. Suri earned his undergraduate degree at Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada, medical degree with honors from the University of Toronto and a doctorate at Magdalen College, Oxford, UK, as a Rhodes Scholar. He trained in general surgery at the University of Toronto. He completed a thoracic surgical residency at Mayo College of Medicine, where he also served as the program’s chief resident.

E. Murat Tuzcu, MD, Chief Academic Officer, Chief, Cardiovascular Medicine, Heart & Vascular Institute

E. Murat Tuzcu, MD, is Chief Academic Officer and Chief of Cardiovascular Medicine, Heart & Vascular Institute, at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. In this role, Dr. Tuzcu focuses on the development and implementation of an innovative, creative and state-of-the-art research and education strategic plan, and on fostering proactive and collaborative relationships with local, regional, and international stakeholders.

Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Dr. Tuzcu served as Vice Chairman of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine and as Staff Physician in Interventional Cardiology in the Heart & Vascular Institute at Cleveland Clinic, US

With nearly 40 years of clinical experience, Dr. Tuzcu has held several academic appointments. He has co-authored more than 400 peer-reviewed publications and serves on the editorial board of a number of leading cardiovascular scientific journals. In 2015, Dr Tuzcu was named by Thomson Reuters as one of the most highly-cited researchers (Top 1%) in the world for the last decade.

Professor Tuzcu is a committed educator, devoting a substantial portion of his time to intramural and extramural education activities. He has organized many courses, conferences and lectured all around the world.

Dr. Tuzcu received his medical degree from Istanbul Medical Faculty in Istanbul, Turkey, where he also completed his internship and residency in Internal Medicine. In addition, Dr. Tuzcu had his fellowships at Cleveland Clinic Ohio in Cardiovascular Disease and Interventional Cardiology and a special fellowship for valvular interventions at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Ann Williamson, Chief Clinical & Nursing Officer

Ann Williamson, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, joined Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi in 2014 as the Chief Clinical & Nursing Officer.

In her current role, Ann oversees activities of all of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s Nurses and Allied Health Professionals to provide patients with world-class care.

Previously, she was the Associate Vice President for Nursing & Chief Nursing Officer at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, an academic medical center, where she oversaw nursing services and patient care. Ann also served as the Associate Dean for Practice at the University of Iowa College of Nursing.

Ann’s previous experience also includes serving as Patient Care Director at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Medical Center and an Associate Clinical Professor at the UCSF School of Nursing. She held a number of leadership positions at UCSF Medical Center between 1992 and 2008, including serving as Interim Chief Nurse, Director of Nursing Education and Research, Manager of the Emergency Department, and Joint Commission Coordinator. In 2007, Ann received the Chancellor's Award from UCSF for exceptional university management.

Prior to joining UCSF, she served in various capacities in nursing emergency services, including Director, Clinical Nurse Specialist & Staff Nurse at hospitals in California, North Carolina and Texas, US. She also held positions in nursing education in North Carolina, including instructor and lecturer.

Ann earned a Bachelor's Degree in nursing from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a master's degree in nursing from the University of Texas at Austin, and a doctorate from UCSF, with a concentration in nursing informatics and health systems.

Ann enjoys running and is an avid birder.

Eng. Abdulla Abdul Aziz Al Shamsi, Chief Administrative Officer

Abdulla Abdul Aziz Al Shamsi is the Chief Administrative Officer at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, where he supports the hospital’s Executive Administrative team. His oversight spans both operational and strategic divisions, where he leads high-impact, multi-stakeholder programs in line with Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s long term vision and strategy.

His portfolio comprises, strategically; the Strategic Programs Office, Continuous Improvement, and Business Intelligence divisions, and operationally; the Office of Facilitated Access, the Contact Center and Patient Access Services divisions. Abdulla’s priority is on driving business development efforts while ensuring high efficiency and service excellence for all patients by maintaining seamless patient access and flow.

Previously, Abdulla served as the Vice President at Mubadala Development Company's Real Estate & Infrastructure unit, where he oversaw and managed the development and growth of Mubadala Development Company’s domestic and international real estate, infrastructure, and hospitality portfolio, focusing on social infrastructure projects and real estate investment opportunities that are central to Abu Dhabi’s long term development plans. In this role, he led the team responsible for the delivery and operation of Al Maryah Island, Abu Dhabi's Central Business district. Abdulla joined Mubadala in 2008 as a Senior Architect and was responsible primarily for project management in both the design and delivery stages of real estate and hospitality assets worldwide.

Abdulla also practiced architecture at Mohammed Sheikh Mubarak Architects in Dubai, at Over, Under Inc. in Boston and at Eva Pratts, Ricardo Flores Arquitectes in Barcelona, Spain, before moving back to Abu Dhabi in 2008 to join Mubadala Development Company.

Abdulla holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a Master of Architecture II degree from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and a degree in Managing Healthcare Delivery from Harvard Business School.

Okey Agba, Chief Financial Officer

Chibueze “Okey” Agba is the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. In his role, Okey oversees all finance functions of the hospital. He brings 25 years of financial management experience, 20 of them in renowned healthcare institutions in the US.

Most recently, Okey was the Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of Tufts Medical Center and Floating Hospital for Children, the principal teaching hospitals for Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts, US. As the CFO, Okey directed all financial functions, both strategic and operational, including investment and debt management, expense management, managed care contracting, risk management, revenue cycle and supply chain. He also served as the Treasurer and a Board member of TMCIC insurance company, and was a Board Member of Tufts Medical Center Physician Organization.

Okey’s experience also includes serving as the Associate Dean for Finance and CFO of Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, US, where he oversaw the overall fiscal functions including general accounting, financial operations and administration, research programs administration, compliance, strategic planning, faculty recruitment/compensation, payroll and cash management. Prior to joining Harvard, he was the Director of Finance, Budget and Financial Analysis at the Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital in Boston, and held roles at Partners Healthcare System.

Okey holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Louisiana in Lafayette, Louisiana, US, and a Master of Business Administration from Mercer University Atlanta, Georgia, US.

Gareth Sherlock, Chief Information Officer

Gareth Sherlock is the Chief Information Officer at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. He has more than 17 years of experience in healthcare and complex transformation projects across Australia, UK, US and Middle East. As part of the leadership team at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Gareth manages the hospital's IT infrastructure to leverage the latest innovations in the health technology domain.

Gareth has been with Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi since 2009, most recently serving as Senior Director, Strategy and Program Management.

In this role, Gareth was responsible for delivery of the IT program, which included over 120 concurrent projects. He led the development of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s operational processes and was instrumental in establishing key partnerships and managing high-profile vendors.

Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Gareth served as Executive Consultant for EHS Consulting, a UK-based organization that provides management assistance to clients engaged in complex IT enabled change programs. He also served for over a decade in leadership and consulting roles with the business division of Accenture.

Gareth holds a bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Sydney, Australia, and a diploma of Applied Finance and Investment from the Securities Institute of Australia.

Gareth enjoys spending time with his wife and two sons.

Yaser Obaid, Chief Human Capital Officer

Yaser is the Chief Human Capital Officer at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, where he leads the development and execution of the organization’s human capital strategy and initiatives in line with the overall Patients First mission and strategic direction of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.

Yaser has more than 18 years of experience in human resources management, across airline, oil & gas, and telecommunications industries. Previously, Yaser served as Senior Vice President of Human Resources at du Telecommunications, where he helped the organization achieve its strategic and operational goals by developing and implementing effective human resources management strategies, systems, and processes. Prior to telecommunications, Yaser was responsible for managing commercial recruitment at Emirates Airlines. He spent the first part of his career in human resources policy and strategy roles at Zakum Development Company (ZADCO).

Yaser holds a Bachelor degree in Economics from the US and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the UK. He is also a graduate of INSEAD Business School’s Executive Leadership Program.

Alan Boys, General Counsel

Alan Boys is the General Counsel at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, where he oversees the hospital’s legal, regulatory and governance matters.

Most recently, Alan served as the Senior Legal Counsel at Mubadala Development Company supporting the Mubadala Healthcare unit. In this role, he provided the full legal and governance support for the entire Mubadala Healthcare portfolio of assets, including the development of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Healthpoint and Imperial College London Diabetes Centre. In 2013, Alan was appointed to the Board of Medical Holding Company, the governing board for seven of the Mubadala Healthcare assets. Since joining Mubadala in 2009, Alan has also supported Mubadala and its assets across a variety of sectors including logistics, financial services and defense.

Prior to joining Mubadala, Alan practiced law in Dubai with Allen & Overy and, prior to that, Baker & McKenzie in Sydney, Australia. Alan also practiced for six years as a civil engineer in both Australia and the United Kingdom.

Alan holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of New South Wales, Sydney. He is admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of New South Wales and the Federal and High Courts of Australia.

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