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IDC Kuwait CIO Summit 2023

Enabling the Digital Economy's Leaders

In 2023, we are going further, together!
Join us for the 2nd Edition.

The digital economy continues to expand at an unprecedented rate — both in scale and sophistication — driving the transformation of citizen, customer, and employee experiences and the rise of digitally enabled services such as remote healthcare, distance learning, remote work, and mobile banking.

Overview

Kuwait's ambitious national development plan, Kuwait Vision 2035 — or "New Kuwait" — lays out clear strategies to transform the country into a regional and global financial and trade hub. Furthermore, Kuwait's 2040 Upstream Strategy aims to optimize the value of the country's hydrocarbon resources through exploration, development, and production to ensure sustainability.

To achieve its objectives, the Kuwaiti government understands the necessity of digitalization across the public and private sectors alike. Today, the country is seeing the emergence of digital-first organizations equipped with new business models. And with the metaverse and Web3 paradigms on the horizon, further disruption is expected to individual, enterprise, and industrial digital experiences.

Key to achieving Kuwait's digital ambitions will be the creation of an enabling regulatory environment and an enriched talent pool. Meanwhile, technology is playing an ever-increasing role in enabling, measuring, and reporting on sustainability initiatives and diversity and inclusion drives. IDC's latest research indicates that this is a growing area of focus in the country, with 50% of Kuwaiti organizations identifying sustainability transformation as one of their key business priorities for the next 12–18 months.

The Kuwait edition of the IDC CIO Summit 2023 will bring together some of the region's foremost IT and telecom leaders, digital government pioneers, digital regulators and authorities, and industry thought leaders. Together, they will examine the current state of the digital economy, assess its ongoing impact on citizens, customers, employees, and operations, address the key challenges that need to be overcome, and outline proven best practices and strategies for driving future success.

Why Attend?
• Receive critical insights from leading industry experts
• Discover solutions to pressing business challenges
• Get hands on with the industry's latest innovations
• Interact with the brands and specialists on your short list
• Engage in workshop-based technology discussions
• Participate in dedicated one-to-one meetings
• Share knowledge and network with your peers
• Take part in a series of fun, exciting, and memorable activities

Delegate Journey

Don't miss out on an extraordinary and unparalleled experience at the IDC Kuwait CIO Summit 2023

Hear from the World's First Officially Recognized Human Cyborg

Don't miss the opportunity to witness Neil Harbisson, the world's first officially recognized human cyborg, as he presents an enlightening session on the evolution of the human species. #IDCKUWAITCIO

Key Topics

Impact of Sustainability on Technology Vendor

Application Modernization Strategies

Effective Hybrid Cloud Deployment

Developing an AIOps Strategy and Practices

Full stack Observability

Leveraging Low Code / No Code platforms

Orchestrating Digital Infrastructure for Hybrid Environments

Charting a Data-driven Digital Strategy

Intelligent Automation

Predictive Analytics Strategies

Zero Trust Security Approaches

Cybersecurity Policies & Regulations and Compliance

5G Impact – network Architectures, Market Strategies and use cases

IDC Kuwait Advisory Council 2023

Dr. Ammar H. Alhusaini

Acting Director General, Central Agency for Information Technology (Kuwait)

Dr. Khaled Mahdi

Secretary General, The Supreme Council for Planning and Development (Kuwait)

Mai B AlOwaish

Chief Data & Innovation Officer, Gulf Bank (Kuwait)

Hassan El Chami

CTIO, Ooredoo Kuwait

Barrak AlMatar

General Manager of IT, Kuwait International Bank

Yousef AlMazeedi

ICT Director, Capital Markets Authority

Lamya Barak Altabtebai

Deputy CEO of IT, Digital Transformation, and Operations, Ahli United Bank

Eng. Khalid Althekair

Director of Information Technology Department, Kuwait Airways

2022 Event Highlights

Agenda

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Download Complete Agenda
Monday May 22, 2023
8:30

Registration & Networking
9:00

IDC Welcome Address
9:10

Opening Address by Central Agency for Information Technology (CAIT)
9:25

IDC Keynote: Strategies for the CIO and Enterprise Innovation
9:55

Felicitation of Advisory Council
10:05

AI-driven Transformation: Take your Digital Transformation to the next level using Data & AI

Summit Sessions
Driving Intelligence and Innovation Strategies for a Sustainable Enterprise
10:25

Driving Intelligence and Innovation Strategies for a Sustainable Enterprise
10:26

Start of Session Raffle - Apple Watch
10:27

Data Driven Transformation Through Self-Serve Analytics Adoption
10:35

Enable the Generative AI Value Chain Using a Modern Data Strategy
10:50

Q&A (Ask Questions, Rate Sessions & Stand a Chance to Win Raffle Prizes)
10:55

The Need for Observability
11:10

Q&A (Ask Questions, Rate Sessions & Stand a Chance to Win Raffle Prizes)
11:15

Faster, More Secure Application Development & Deployment
11:30

Q&A (Ask Questions, Rate Sessions & Stand a Chance to Win Raffle Prizes)
11:35

Achieving Sustainable Datacenters – Securing Tomorrow
11:50

Q&A (Ask Questions, Rate Sessions & Stand a Chance to Win Raffle Prizes)
11:55

Prayer, Tea / Coffee & Networking Break

Platinum Sessons
12:25

Opening Act: Time For Fitness
12:30

Overview: Shaping CISO Strategies for the Digital-First Organization
12:33

Start of the Session Raffle - Apple AirPods
12:35

Mitigating Cyber Risks in the Middle East
12:45

Q&A (Ask Questions, Rate Sessions & Stand a Chance to Win Raffle Prizes)
12:50

From Palaces to Power Grids: Securing Human Progress in the Middle East
13:00

Q&A (Ask Questions, Rate Sessions & Stand a Chance to Win Raffle Prizes)
13:05

How Extended Detection and Response (XDR) Empowers Leaders in the Digital Economy
13:15

Q&A (Ask Questions, Rate Sessions & Stand a Chance to Win Raffle Prizes)

Technology Focus Group Sessions
13:20

Data Resilience to Keep Your Business Running
13:30

Q&A (Ask Questions, Rate Sessions & Stand a Chance to Win Raffle Prizes)
13:35

Lunch & Networking

For the CIO By the CIO Sessions
14:34

Start of Session Raffle
14:35

Talent Development & The Demand For New Skills: How Do You Structure Your Team Optimally
15:05

Transforming the IT into a Business Enabler
15:35

Hear from the World's First Officially Recognized Human Cyborg on Evolution of the Human Species
16:00

Close of Summit

Speakers

Ronita Bhattacharjee

Vice President Conferences (META), IDC

Dr. Ammar H. Alhusaini

Acting Director General, Central Agency for Information Technology (Kuwait)

Ranjit Rajan

Vice President, Research (META), IDC

Hasan Odeh

Digital Business Solutions Director, GBM

Latifa Almusallam

Innovation Technologist, Gulf Bank

Mai B AlOwaish

Chief Data & Innovation Officer, Gulf Bank (Kuwait)

Mahmoud Elserafi

Lead Specialist SA, Analytics and Big Data (Public Sector), AWS

Roman Spitzbart

Vice President of Solutions Engineering, Dynatrace

Majed Al-Halaseh

Senior Solution Engineer (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman & Yemen), VMware

Manuel Rodrigues

Vice President, Secure Power Gulf, Schneider Electric

Rami Al-Haddad

CIO, Menzies Aviation

Ezzeldin Hussein

Regional Director Sales Engineering - Middle East, Türkiye, and Africa (META), SentinelOne

Rafe Pilling

Director, CTU Threat Research, Secureworks

Mohammad Hafi

Cyber Security Sales Engineer, Trend Micro

Murat Acinci

Principal Technology Consultant, Veeam Software

Hassan El Chami

CTIO, Ooredoo Kuwait

Barrak AlMatar

General Manager of IT, Kuwait International Bank

Eng. Khalid Althekair

Director of Information Technology Department, Kuwait Airways

Dr. Khaled Mahdi

Secretary General, The Supreme Council for Planning and Development (Kuwait)

Thierry Chrin

CIO, Alghanim Industries

Dr. Dheeraj Bhardwaj

Group CEO, City Group Co. KSCP

Manoj Ramachandran

CIO, Al Babtain Group

Suresh Kumar Venkat

VP IT, Enterprise Applications, IT Security & Governance, Agility

Nikolai Belstein

Chief Information Security Officer, Boubyan Bank

Neil Harbisson

The World’s First Officially Recognized Human “Cyborg”

View All Speakers

Venue

Courtyard by Marriott Kuwait City
Al Shuhada Street Kuwait City, 15463, Kuwait

Partners

Supported by
Host Partner
Summit Partner
Summit Partner
Summit Partner
Summit Partner
Platinum Partner
Platinum Partner
Platinum Partner
Technology Focus Group Partner
Exhibit Partner
Exhibit Partner
Associate Partner
Media Partner
Media Partner
Media Partner

Proceedings

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Knowledge Hub

Analyst Spotlight
A New Approach to Security in the Post-Pandemic World

Frank Dickson
Group Vice President, Security & Trust, IDC

As we are in 2023, we can finally, for the most part, put reactionary moves due to COVID-19 behind us as the disease moves from a pandemic to an endemic part of daily life. We have accepted that digital transformation moved at a feverish pace, transitioning our enterprises to digital first years before we anticipated. The possibilities of remote work gave way to the reality that hybrid work is here to stay. These are truths that we have accepted.

Analyst Spotlight
A New Approach to Security in the Post-Pandemic World

Frank Dickson
Group Vice President, Security & Trust, IDC

As we are in 2023, we can finally, for the most part, put reactionary moves due to COVID-19 behind us as the disease moves from a pandemic to an endemic part of daily life. We have accepted that digital transformation moved at a feverish pace, transitioning our enterprises to digital first years before we anticipated. The possibilities of remote work gave way to the reality that hybrid work is here to stay. These are truths that we have accepted.

The economic headwinds we are experiencing have re-energized a trend that was muted by the pandemic. The C-suite appreciates the value and importance of security both now and into the future. C-level executives are actively planning continued investments in security to ensure the viability of their enterprises. However, C-level executives are growing tired of the continually growing financial appetite of security and are looking to reduce spending when and where possible. They are demanding accountability for the spend; in essence, they are looking for secure outcomes that are measurable and meaningful.

The result of this security confluence is a migration of approaches. The breach detection mindset of the past is giving way to a view that positions security as a way of improving an organization's cyber-risk posture, a posture that is tightly coupled with the goals of the organization and decreasing business risk. In its 2023 Future of Trust FutureScape, IDC predicted that by 2025, 45% of CEOs, fatigued by security spending without predictable ROI, will demand security metrics and results measurement to assess and validate investments made in their security program.

The IDC Middle East CIO Summit 2023 will look to address security in this new reality. We will help guide you in working with the CEO and boards of directors as we transition to delivering secure outcomes and a trusted organization to our executive constituencies.

Analyst Spotlight
Thriving in the Digital-First Economy

Ranjit Rajan
Vice President, Research (META), IDC

The pandemic-driven pivot to digital-first strategies by organizations across the Middle East continues well after the pandemic has subsided. Indeed, many leading organizations are now making the transition from enabling digital transformation to actually running a digital business.

Analyst Spotlight
Thriving in the Digital-First Economy

Ranjit Rajan
Vice President, Research (META), IDC

The pandemic-driven pivot to digital-first strategies by organizations across the Middle East continues well after the pandemic has subsided. Indeed, many leading organizations are now making the transition from enabling digital transformation to actually running a digital business.

In line with this shift, they are increasingly focused on deriving a larger share of revenues from digital products, services, channels, and platforms, with 50% of the CIOs surveyed by IDC across the Middle East saying this is now a major priority for their organizations.

The same survey revealed that 70% of Middle East CIOs will be prioritizing the digitalization of operations (process automation, reengineering, and productivity improvements) over the next 12-18 months, while more than half will also be focused on delivering insights at scale across their organizations by building capabilities in data and enterprise intelligence.

The region will continue to face several headwinds throughout 2023, including volatile demand, high inflation, interest rate hikes, supply chain uncertainties, and currency fluctuations. In order to navigate these storms of disruption, organizations will need to invest in strengthening their digital resiliency so they are better positioned to not only survive but thrive in new market environments as conditions continue to change.

Giga/Mega projects that envision futuristic, highly digitalized cities and communities — such as NEOM in Saudi Arabia — will provide a blueprint for accelerated digitalization across the region in 2023 and beyond. Such projects will set the pace as they develop greenfield digital infrastructure and platforms, leveraging advanced technologies like AI/ML, IoT, edge, and 5G to create innovative tech-enabled use cases and customer experiences.

The rise of the digital economy and the emergence of digital-native firms in segments such as fintech, ecommerce, D2C (direct to consumer), aggrotech, and edtech, among others, have accelerated the disruption of supply chains in several industries, driving the development of new business models, digitally augmented customer experiences, and automated operations.

At the same time, governments across the Middle East have launched numerous strategies and policies to support the growth of the digital economy, with a focus on developing the infrastructure, innovation platforms, skills, and regulations required to support the expansion of digital businesses.

One such example is the UAE government's 'Digital Economy Strategy'. Launched in 2022, this initiative aims to double the contribution of the digital economy to the UAE's GDP from 9.7% to 19.4% over the next 10 years, and it is already bearing fruit.

Indeed, the number of digital companies operating in the country is expanding significantly, with the fintech, ecommerce, and D2C segments leading the charge. These companies are disrupting business models and value chains, driving incumbent players to develop new innovation models, engage in ecosystem partnerships, and launch or acquire digital spin-offs.

In order to thrive in this new world, a digital-first mindset is essential, coupled with a vision to build a data-driven organization that is ingrained with a culture of innovation. Leveraging cloud as a foundational platform, developing a data and intelligence plane powered by AI and advanced analytics, and enabling ubiquitous, consumption-based digital infrastructure will all become critical technology priorities.

Analyst Spotlight
Cloud Overspend and the Role of CloudOps and FinOps

Matt Eastwood
Senior Vice President, Worldwide Research, IDC

Over the past few years, IDC has seen investments in cloud grow rapidly as enterprises build their digital footprints. In many cases, this growth has occurred without the proper governance necessary to ensure resources are optimized appropriately. And the impact on budgets has been significant, with cloud now representing 35-40% of a typical IT budget. Additionally, the typical enterprise is reporting that their cloud overspend can be upwards of 25-35% today. Customers are clearly struggling to understand how to best optimize cloud spend for architectural and business benefit while also allocating cloud costs to the correct team.


Analyst Spotlight
Cloud Overspend and the Role of CloudOps and FinOps

B>Matt Eastwood
Senior Vice President, Worldwide Research, IDC

Over the past few years, IDC has seen investments in cloud grow rapidly as enterprises build their digital footprints. In many cases, this growth has occurred without the proper governance necessary to ensure resources are optimized appropriately. And the impact on budgets has been significant, with cloud now representing 35-40% of a typical IT budget. Additionally, the typical enterprise is reporting that their cloud overspend can be upwards of 25-35% today. Customers are clearly struggling to understand how to best optimize cloud spend for architectural and business benefit while also allocating cloud costs to the correct team.

One of the ways that enterprise IT customers are tackling this challenge is through the implementation of CloudOps and FinOps. CloudOps is the practice of optimizing and managing the use of cloud resources, while FinOps is the practice of managing financial aspects of cloud operations. Together, these practices allow customers to better understand their cloud usage and costs, and to identify areas where they can reduce expenses effectively.

For example, by using CloudOps tools, customers can monitor and adjust their usage of resources such as storage and computing to ensure they are only paying for what they need. Additionally, FinOps techniques such as forecasting and budgeting can help customers plan and control their spending, preventing unexpected or unnecessary cloud charges.

As a result of these efforts, many enterprise IT customers are seeing significant reductions in their cloud expenditures and can more effectively allocate their IT budgets to other areas of the business. This can mean the difference between a project being viable or not. It also allows these users to have a better understanding of what they pay for and predict future costs, which can help them avoid financial surprises and make more informed decisions. And as many organizations deal with financial headwinds in the market, the time to implement or augment internal CloudOps and FinOps functions is now.

Partner Spotlight
Modern Data Protection in the Age of Digital Transformation

Mohamad Rizk
Regional Director (Middle East & CIS), Veeam Software

Over the past few years, we have witnessed an acceleration of digital transformation initiatives across regional enterprises in the Middle East. This has brought with it a multitude of challenges and complexities relating to multicloud/hybrid-cloud architectures and Kubernetes adoption."

Partner Spotlight
Modern Data Protection in the Age of Digital Transformation

Mohamad Rizk,
Regional Director (Middle East & CIS), Veeam Software

Over the past few years, we have witnessed an acceleration of digital transformation initiatives across regional enterprises in the Middle East. This has brought with it a multitude of challenges and complexities relating to multicloud/hybrid-cloud architectures and Kubernetes adoption.

The incidence of ransomware is also on the rise. As per the Veeam Data Protection Trends Report 2023, 86% of organizations in the Middle East and Africa fell prey to ransomware attacks in 2022. Businesses cannot stand still, particularly in times of crisis.

IT and data protection teams have a big task ahead keeping up with ramping workloads and ensuring they close the gap between technology and how well it is backed up and protected. So, as budgets constrict, enterprises need to optimize every dollar and make sure the right workloads and applications are prioritized and protected.

They also need to ensure a simple, flexible, reliable, and powerful modern data protection solution is in place; one that protects all environments – cloud, virtual, physical, SaaS, and Kubernetes. Only then can enterprises ensure they're sufficiently protected and prepared for turbulent times ahead."

CXO Spotlight
Kuwait’s Accelerated Digital Journey

Dr. Ammar H. Alhusaini
Acting Director General, Central Agency for Information Technology (Kuwait)

As we proceed through 2023, the digital world has become the norm for most industries and organizations. The process of digitalization is gathering pace, and the digital economy will be a powerful engine for enabling industry transformation and facilitating high-quality economic development across our region. 

CXO Spotlight
Kuwait’s Accelerated Digital Journey

Dr. Ammar H. Alhusaini,
Acting Director General, Central Agency for Information Technology (Kuwait)

As we proceed through 2023, the digital world has become the norm for most industries and organizations. The process of digitalization is gathering pace, and the digital economy will be a powerful engine for enabling industry transformation and facilitating high-quality economic development across our region.

Kuwait is on an accelerated digital journey, with the government digitalizing services and implementing national development plans that will generate benefits for both the country's public and private sectors.

Following the resounding success of last year's inaugural edition of the IDC Kuwait CIO Summit, CAIT is pleased to once again be partnering with IDC for the second annual installment. This highly anticipated event will serve up a bird’s eye view of Kuwait’s digital road map and provide an invaluable platform for initiating constructive discussions between public and private sector entities and the leading tech companies in the region.

Partner Spotlight
Ensure Seamless Security with Innovative Access Solutions

Mohammad Ismail
VP MEA, Delinea

As always, the annual IDC Kuwait CIO Summit is an important occasion for meeting businesses from across the Middle East and around the world.



Partner Spotlight
Ensure Seamless Security with Innovative Access Solutions

Mohammad Ismail
VP MEA, Delinea

As always, the annual IDC Kuwait CIO Summit is an important occasion for meeting businesses from across the Middle East and around the world.

Businesses today are faced with the challenge of IT environments that are growing in complexity, which is being exacerbated by threats that are increasing in both volume and sophistication. Legacy privileged access management (PAM) solutions are not designed for these hybrid environments, are too complex, and cannot solve current privilege management challenges.

Join me at the IDC Kuwait CIO Summit 2023 to discover how the very latest PAM solutions can deliver seamless security by helping to delineate the boundaries of access so users get the access they want while IT gets the control it needs.

Partner Spotlight
AI-Driven Transformation: Take Your Digital Transformation to the Next Level Using Data & AI

Hasan Odeh
Digital Business Solutions Director, GBM Kuwait

GBM is excited to once again be a host partner for the IDC CIO Summit 2023, this time in Kuwait. The summit has become one of the largest gatherings of industry leaders and innovators in the region and brings together the best minds in technology to discuss the industry's latest advancements and the challenges we need to overcome together.

Partner Spotlight
AI-Driven Transformation: Take Your Digital Transformation to the Next Level Using Data & AI

Hasan Odeh
Digital Business Solutions Director, GBM Kuwait

GBM is excited to once again be a host partner for the IDC CIO Summit 2023, this time in Kuwait. The summit has become one of the largest gatherings of industry leaders and innovators in the region and brings together the best minds in technology to discuss the industry's latest advancements and the challenges we need to overcome together.

For regional governments and organizations, digitalizing operations for increasing efficiencies, enabling hybrid work models, creating innovative digital business models, and using digital technologies to achieve ESG goals are becoming top digital priorities. Throughout all this, data and AI are emerging as strong instruments in augmenting the impact of these transformational goals.

National initiatives aimed at driving data analytics and AI adoption are increasing, and awareness about how leveraging AI can facilitate operational excellence is becoming more imperative than ever before. The potential of AI to take digital transformation to the next level will be key in helping businesses and the technology landscape grow; however, organizations are realizing that this foundational technology requires an organization-wide shift to realize its full potential.

Success in this journey demands the re-calibration of organizations’ operational models in order to grow into AI-first organizations. From aligning the data and AI journey to business objectives, discovering data sources, defining governance needs, understanding the analytics and AI requirements, to building an information architecture where advanced AI uses can be implemented and operated, this journey will be one of the most defining ones for businesses to undertake.

We look forward to being a part of these game-changing conversations with our industry partners to chart the way forward for the progress of regional digital transformation initiatives for 2023.

Partner Spotlight
Mitigating Disruptions with Secure Power Solutions

Manuel Rodrigues
Vice President of Secure Power Gulf, Schneider Electric

As we navigate through the complex landscape of the post-pandemic era, the IDC Kuwait CIO Summit 2023 presents a critical platform for thought leadership and strategic insights. The accelerated digital transformation that we've witnessed in recent years has reshaped the expectations we seek from secure power solutions. At Schneider Electric, we understand that our role is not just about ensuring business continuity; it's about empowering digital resilience.

Partner Spotlight
Mitigating Disruptions with Secure Power Solutions

Manuel Rodrigues
Vice President of Secure Power Gulf, Schneider Electric

As we navigate through the complex landscape of the post-pandemic era, the IDC Kuwait CIO Summit 2023 presents a critical platform for thought leadership and strategic insights. The accelerated digital transformation that we've witnessed in recent years has reshaped the expectations we seek from secure power solutions. At Schneider Electric, we understand that our role is not just about ensuring business continuity; it's about empowering digital resilience.

The pandemic taught us that being digitally resilient means having the ability to adapt and innovate, even in the face of disruptions. Now more than ever, organizations need secure power solutions that can keep up with the pace of their digital road maps, and that's exactly what we're committed to providing.

We're not just preparing for the crisis of today, but looking ahead to anticipate the challenges of tomorrow, and working with our customers to develop solutions that will enable businesses to not just survive, but thrive in this new digital age.

Contact Us

Ronita Bhattacharjee

Vice President - Conferences, IDC Middle East, Africa, & Turkey

+971 4 391 2747

Taher Hamdan

Senior Sales Manager, Conferences, IDC Middle East, Turkey & Africa

+971506591320

About IDC

59 Years
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110 Countries

International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. With more than 1,300 analysts worldwide, IDC offers global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries. IDC's analysis and insight helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based technology decisions and to achieve their key business objectives. Founded in 1964, IDC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of International Data Group (IDG), the world's leading media, data and marketing services company. To learn more about IDC, please visit www.idc.com.