Barek Sekandari Named COO of the Fantom Foundation
Sydney, Australia – April 29, 2021 – The Fantom team is pleased to announce that Barek Sekandari has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer of the Fantom Foundation. In his previous role as Chief Government Relations Officer, Barek played a leading role in securing contracts in South Asia for the implementation of the Fantom platform into major infrastructure digitalization projects.
In Afghanistan, Barek spearheaded initiatives that leverage Fantom blockchain services to expand access for Afghan citizens to vital goods and services in healthcare, commerce, and energy supply:
Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Tracking
Working with the Afghan Ministry of Health, the large Afghan pharmaceutical distributor Royal Star, and Indian pharmaceutical manufacturers Bliss GVS and Nabros Pharma, Fantom developed a pharmaceutical goods Track and Trace solution to counter the rampant sale of illegal and counterfeit drugs throughout Afghanistan.
Fantom’s end-to-end solution, developed in a hardware partnership with Chekkit, allows manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and consumers to verify the integrity and authenticity of pharmaceuticals, thereby ensuring the public distribution of only the safest products. By scanning a QR code affixed to product packaging, users can quickly recall product provenance and manufacturing history. These data points are recorded at each step in the supply chain and are stored on the Fantom immutable ledger.
A pilot program was launched in Q2 2020 to track an initial 80,000 units. Following an extremely successful trial, the Fantom product is ready for a broad national rollout, after which Fantom will pursue expanding the solution internationally.
Fantom ERP/CRM Suite
In a partnership with Afghanistan’s largest energy provider, Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), Fantom is developing a suite of blockchain-powered tools to help large-scale enterprises audit databases, efficiently onboard customers, and better match consumer needs to available offerings.
The Fantom product offers both real-time database monitoring to DABS administrators working to ensure stability and security across the energy grid, and unparalleled transparency to DABS customers seeking data about their energy consumption. As Under the terms of the MOU, signed in late 2020, Fantom will move from an initial prototype to a large scale deployment of the blockchain-based system in 2021. The Fantom solution is an important part of DABS’ rapid expansion in a broader context where Afghanistan moves to energy independence.
Database Security and Verification
In early 2021, Fantom signed an agreement to upgrade the database software layer for the Afghanistan National Standard authority (ANSA). Fantom will migrate ANSA’s legacy systems, implement blockchain-based anti-fraud and corruption tools, and develop a front-end interface to integrate ANSA certifications into the database for easy consultation.
Fantom’s software solutions promise to bring transparency and workflow efficiency to ANSA operations, which foster trade by establishing metrics and norms across industrial sectors in the nation.
DocCert
Following an agreement signed in January 2021, Fantom is working with the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI) to integrate blockchain based document authentication and database monitoring tools into their legacy database system.
The Fantom module will validate Certificates of Origin and Quality issued by the Chamber to identify fraudulent certificates and increase levels of trust in trade agreements. The Fantom solution will additionally support real-time database monitoring to both ensure stability and forestall unauthorized modifications to the system.
Barek has also contributed to Fantom’s international expansion in Pakistan.
In March 2021, Fantom entered into an agreement to customize Fantom’s ERP/CRM suite for the Pakistan Punjab Prisons department. This important contract will allow Fantom to demonstrate the flexibility of its solutions as it supports the Punjab Prisons’ worthy mission to reform inmates for productive lives after incarceration.
Prior to joining Fantom, Barek worked as Director of Partnerships at Fusion Network. As founder of the consulting group SK Chain, additionally, he worked with 20+ crypto projects offering advisory services and facilitating partnerships for growing companies. “I’m thrilled to have this opportunity to expand my role within the Fantom Foundation,” Barek suggested, adding that: “The contracts we signed in South Asia give us a platform to demonstrate the scalability and flexibility of our solutions. The last six months have been incredibly productive, and I’m immensely fulfilled knowing that our products are being used to radically modernize the infrastructures that shape people’s lives. Ahmad Jawid Sikandar, Director of South Asia, Sam Harcourt, and Michael Kong deserve many thanks for their ceaseless work to make these projects possible. I’m excited to continue working alongside them to build on our success in Afghanistan and Pakistan and to further expand our international presence.”
