El Mehdi Marhoum
President & CEO, benel Solutions
Visionary technology executive and strategic advisor with 20+ years of experience spanning AI-enabled automation, enterprise systems architecture, and digital transformation.
El Mehdi Marhoum is a visionary technology executive and strategic advisor with 20+ years of experience spanning AI-enabled automation, enterprise systems architecture, and digital transformation. As President & CEO of benel Solutions, an AI-first consulting firm serving financial services, associations, nonprofits, and regulated industries, he drives corporate strategy, market positioning, organizational strategy, and technology strategy while advising client organizations on growth, membership expansion, and operational capacity.
A proven architect and builder, El Mehdi has a track record designing and delivering intelligent operating layers, AMS/CRM platforms, and process automation solutions that drive clarity, speed, and operational confidence for complex organizations. He leads AMS and CRM platform implementations, including Salesforce, designed around client business needs, and in financial services he automates decision flows, strengthens controls, and replaces disconnected manual processes with intelligent, auditable systems.
Academically grounded, El Mehdi holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from George Mason University (2005) and a Master of Science in Technology Management from the University of Maryland University College (2007). He is a member of the Alpha Lambda Delta and Phi Theta Kappa honor societies and was recognized as an Outstanding Peer Leader at the University of Arkansas.
A recognized community leader and multilingual professional, El Mehdi has been honored among Arab America's and Loudoun County's 40 Under 40. He serves as Vice President of Volunteerism on the George Mason University CEC Alumni Board, supporting 15,000+ alumni, and judges national competitions for Future Business Leaders of America. He has served on the United Way of the National Capital Area's Loudoun County Regional Council and as Chief Operations Officer of Discovery Deep, an ocean research nonprofit. He is a frequent speaker at national IT forums and conferences and remains deeply committed to mentoring engineers and advising peers on best practices.
Core Competencies & Skills
Strategy
Corporate Strategy, Market Positioning, Organizational Strategy, Technology Strategy, Growth Strategy, Membership Growth & Retention
Technology & AI
Artificial Intelligence (AI), Intelligent Process Automation, Digital Transformation, Salesforce CRM, AMS Implementation, Solutions Architecture, Agile Delivery, Enterprise Integration
Business Leadership
Business Development, Sales Strategy & Execution, Marketing & Brand Positioning, Go-to-Market Strategy, P&L Management, Strategic Partnerships, Executive Leadership, Revenue Growth
Industries & Expertise
Financial Services, Non-Profit & Associations, Team Leadership & Mentoring, Executive Advisory
Academic Background
Master of Science: Technology Management
George Mason University
Bachelor of Science: Computer Science
University of Arkansas - Fort Smith
Work Experience
Sheridan, WY
President & CEO
benel Solutions
Founded and scaled an SI/AI-first consulting firm delivering intelligent automation, process design, and modern platform implementations to clients across financial services, associations, and nonprofits. Architects intelligent operating layers that automate workflows, surface actionable insights, and support data-driven decision-making. Leads AMS and CRM platform implementations (including Salesforce) designed around client business needs. In financial services, automates decision flows, strengthens controls, and replaces disconnected manual processes with intelligent, auditable systems. Drove all business development efforts, building a robust sales pipeline and forging strategic partnerships that grew benel Solutions into a multi-million dollar company.
McLean, VA
Managing Partner
Ektira Solutions
Founded and led a provider of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) serving Federal, state, and emergency response teams. Oversaw all operations, strategic partnerships, and business development, delivering high-quality safety equipment to critical-response organizations nationwide.
McLean, VA
Senior Systems Engineer / Solutions Architect
Avectra
Served as Solutions Architect at the leading AMS provider, designing and implementing web-based solutions (netFORUM) for profit and nonprofit associations. Led technical delivery from requirements through go-live for multiple simultaneous client engagements.
Falls Church, VA
Enterprise Solutions Architect
A10 Consulting
Architected and designed enterprise software applications tailored to client requirements, translating complex business needs into scalable, maintainable technical solutions. Defined application architecture patterns, integration strategies, and technology stacks to ensure performance, reliability, and long-term extensibility.
Herndon, VA
Senior Consultant
Urban Science (VW-Audi Team)
Served as technical liaison between automotive clients and development team, managing the full SDLC for custom web applications. Managed team workload, conducted code reviews, led hiring, and established implementation and QA processes. Architected .NET MVC 3 web applications with AJAX/jQuery front-ends and built RESTful and SOAP WCF web services for third-party integrations. Created ETL data migration tools using SSIS and Talend.
McLean, VA
Software Engineer, Technical Lead
Avectra
Led 20+ AMS implementations end-to-end, from requirements analysis through post-go-live support, serving as primary technical contact for clients and vendors. Architected and developed object-oriented customizations in C#, AJAX, SQL, XSLT, HTML, JavaScript, and jQuery. Built integrations with third-party platforms using web services and SOAP. Established best practices, performance audits, and delivery processes.
McLean, VA
Software Engineer
CrossField Discovery
Designed and developed VB.NET e-discovery forensic review applications for litigation, integrating Lead Tools, MS Office, Adobe Acrobat, and Google Desktop APIs. Built Windows Services using .NET Remoting and managed SQL databases, IIS, DNS, DHCP, and Active Directory.
Recognition
Honored Listee
Marquis Who's Who
Arab American 40 Under 40
Arab America Foundation
Loudoun County 40 Under 40
Loudoun County Times
Outstanding Peer Leader
University of Arkansas
Honor Society Member
Alpha Lambda Delta
Honor Society Member
Phi Theta Kappa
Community Service
Vice President of Volunteerism, CEC Alumni Board
George Mason University
Supporting more than 15,000 alumni (over 80% of whom live in the greater Washington, DC metropolitan area) by coordinating volunteer programs that strengthen the university and connect the engineering alumni network with scientists and engineers worldwide.
Judge, Entrepreneurship
Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda (FBLA-PBL)
FBLA-PBL is the premier business career student organization in the world, helping over 250,000 members each year prepare for careers in business and business-related fields. Serving as a competition judge for the Entrepreneurship category.
Judge, Software Application
Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda (FBLA-PBL)
FBLA-PBL is the premier business career student organization in the world, helping over 250,000 members each year prepare for careers in business and business-related fields. Serving as a competition judge for the Software Application category.
Board Member
Loudoun County Regional Council, United Way of the National Capital Area
United Way NCA unites more than 504 partner nonprofits, corporate and community partners to create a strong, vibrant community. Each year approximately $30 million is raised across eight regions directed to the most critical areas of need in health, education, and financial stability.
Chief Operations Officer
Discovery Deep
Discovery Deep provides underwater research and data collection support to scientific and academic organizations focused on furthering understanding of the world's oceans, seas, and waterways. Projects employ scuba and technical scuba diving, underwater photography, 360-degree videography, shipwreck surveying, 3D digital mapping, marine sample collection, UAV operations, and ROV piloting.
Languages
Arabic
Native or bilingual proficiency
English
Native or bilingual proficiency
French
Professional working proficiency
Spanish
Elementary proficiency
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