Leveraging global technology with Middle Eastern expertise, the TagStone team is a unique blend of professionals with diverse backgrounds and cultures. Combined with specialised knowledge on a wide range of industry and technology sectors, the innovative, flexible and solution-focused team is able to provide customised and individual service to businesses in the region.

Mike Meranda

Mike Meranda, Chief Executive Officer, brings more than 20 years of technology and business services experience to his leadership role at TagStone.  His background includes an in-depth understanding of how to create new businesses and drive demand for emerging products and technologies. Mr. Meranda is a recognized global leader with strategic and operating experience across North American, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. 

Mr. Meranda began his professional career at Wells Fargo & Company in 1989, serving in various marketing and strategic planning roles for more than 8 years.  As Vice President for Online Services at Wells Fargo & Company, he led the launch of the world’s first Internet banking service in 1995.  Subsequent executive roles at BankAmerica, Corporate Express, and Financial Times focused on driving growth, market expansion, and industry diversification in B2B business services, supply chain/logistics, e-commerce, and financial services marketplaces.

In 2003, Mr. Meranda was named President of EPCglobal and, over the next 4 years, built the largest global supply chain network (more than 800 million transaction through 2007) supporting new radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, including the development and management of a global intellectual property portfolio with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Salma Massoud

Salma Massoud, Vice President, Strategic Marketing, brings to TagStone a solid record of building new brands, revitalizing mature ones and a proven record of increasing brand revenues, profitability and aggressively building market share with effective and efficient marketing plans.

In her 10 years of fast track experience with global blue chip companies including Procter & Gamble, Henkel, and Friesland, Ms. Massoud has won several Marketing awards including the prestigious Gillette ‘Global Excellence in Marketing’ award in Boston and 3 ‘Innovation Awards’ across the Middle East & Africa region, amongst others. 

Ms. Massoud's highly progressive background is complemented by a honors double major in Business Administration & Philosophy from the American University in Cairo.

Maria Esther Martinez Barreiro

Maria Esther Martinez Barreiro, Senior Director, Customer Solutions & Engineering, manages all TagStone engineering activities.

Ms. Martinez Barreiro’s engineering experience includes leadership responsibilities as Lead Engineer, Radio Systems for Alcatel in Dubai and as Engineer with Airbus France – Teuchos in Midi-Pyrénées, France. Her engineering accomplishments include implementation of the TETRA radio system in the Dubai International Airport Expansion Project AX324 Special Airport Systems and certification of the VHF Data Radio system for the Airbus Single Aisle, Long Range and A380 aircraft programs, Electronics Laboratory ENSEEIHT, Toulouse, France.

Ms. Barreiro holds an Escuela Superior de Ingenieros de Telecomunicaciones (Master degree in Telecommunication Engineering from the University of Vigo, Spain.

Sami Ahmed

A seasoned, multi-faceted IT professional, Mr. Ahmed brings to Tagstone 20 years of business and technology insight, entrepreneurial vision & professional IT consultancy experience, with a keen interest in Finance & Operations.  Mr. Ahmed has previously worked with global majors such as Dow Jones, Coopers & Lybrand (now PWC) and Eli Lilly to name a few.  Additionally, Mr. Ahmed has also founded a couple of highly successful companiesin the space of Information Security, in the region.
 
Mr. Ahmed joined Tagstone in 2009, but was involved over the past 4 years in various capacities, like Business Development, Retail & Real-estate Development with its parent company, MS Holding, including heading the IT department and being instrumental in rolling out a multi-million dollar implementation of the entire Oracle Retail and e-Business suite for its retail arm, Baroue.
 
In his role, as the Senior Director of Project Management & Client Solutions, Mr. Ahmed is the face of Tagstone, post sales.  Customer satisfaction largely depends on his ability to professionally handle the live projects & customers.  Additionally, Mr. Ahmed is also involved with the Operational, Legal & Finance related aspects for Tagstone.
 
Mr. Ahmed brings with him a unique blend of qualifications in Computer Sciences & Mathematics – Bachelors, Business & Management – MBA, and is continuing his drive for excellence by working towards his certification as a Chartered Financial Analyst – from the CFA Institute.

Reza Shibli

Reza Shibli, Director, Product Marketing, is responsible for developing and managing TagStone’s key technology partner relationships and for developing and taking to market integrated technology solutions based on wireless technology.

Mr. Shibli entered the Auto-ID field in early 2007 as a systems engineer at TagStone.  Over the last few years he has been involved in developing unique rfid and related solutions for the Middle East market. 

Prior to joining TagStone Mr. Shibli’s experience with local and international companies in the region has been focused on technology standards development, collaboration, and data visualization in education.  Mr. Shibli has consulted for national education reform projects in the GCC to develop locally relevant and sustainable technology programs, and has researched for and advised European and American higher education institutes on regional educational practices and developments.

Mr. Shibli holds a B.Sc., School of Computer Science, McGill University (Montreal, Canada)

Hergen Meyer

Hergen Meyer, Business Wireless Solutions Architect and Manager, is responsible for the design of client centric solutions based on wireless identification technologies leveraging his more than 6 years professional experience at the forefront of RFID technology development and implementation.

Mr. Meyer entered the field of wireless identification technologies in 2002 with his diploma thesis about the capabilities of RFID technology in Retail for supply chain optimization and customer relationship management.

In 2003 Mr. Meyer joined the METRO Group, the world’s third largest retailer, as Strategy Consultant and Project Manager for all RFID related projects in the METRO Group Future Store Initiative, a joint venture of more than 40 companies such as SAP and IBM focused on the development of future retail technologies. From 2004 on Meyer led a workgroup of selected RFID technology vendors focused on the development of international standards for RFID and actively participated at EPCglobal’s Business Action Group.

Mr. Meyer joined TagStone Dubai in 2006 contributing his in-depth understanding across all major wireless identification technologies leading to the deployment of worldwide and regional first-of-its-kind solutions in the fields of Oil & Gas, Automotive, Government and Retail.

Mr. Meyer holds a university diploma in Economic with major in Informatics from the University of Oldenburg, Germany and an accredited diploma as a banker.