Eng. Abdullah Faisal Biary the Chief Information Security Officer for United Cooperative Assurance. Abdullah received his master’s degree from Washington D.C. at the well-recognized George Washington University majoring in Cyber Security. He has also been a key speaker in large events including IDC and has received 5 awards recognized globally including CISO Power list from Khaleej Times. During his career he has established the Cyber Security Department from the initiative, acquiring the key skilled staff as well as developed and ensured the implementation of the Policies, Procedures and Standards for the organization. In terms of solutions Eng. Abdullah brings in the top solutions fit for the organization and ensure that the solution is implemented and fully functional and not to exceed the provided budget.

 

As Chief Digital Technology Officer at Almosafer, Qais Amori brings over 15 years of experience in the tech industry to his role, where he leads a talented team of software engineers, solution architects, DevOps specialists, cloud operations experts, and Data technology experts.

In his role, Qais oversees the software engineering, solution architecture, DevOps, cloud operations, and Data technology teams, ensuring that they have the tools, resources, and support they need to build products that are both innovative and scalable. He is a champion of state-of-the-art technologies and frameworks, and his passion for technical excellence is contagious, under his guidance, the team is responsible for delivering innovative products that enhance the customer experience of Almosafer’s brands.

Throughout his career, Qais has demonstrated a passion for building large-scale products, as well as creating dynamic and productive work environments that foster a culture of collaboration and technical excellence.

He has a proven track record of building strong technology teams, and his expertise in solution design, software architecture, and cloud computing has been a critical factor in the success of several major technology initiatives, including “dawriplus,” the largest online platform for watching the Saudi Professional League, and “jawwytv,” now known as STC tv, the leading Saudi OTT platform.

Qais possesses a wealth of technical expertise and a proven track record of driving innovation and achieving exceptional results, making him a valuable addition to Almosafer. He is a leader who inspires and motivates his team to deliver their best, and his unwavering commitment to excellence is evident in all aspects of his work.

Wael Fattouh is a seasoned cybersecurity expert with over two decades of experience managing information security and technology risk for organizations across various industries. He has served as the VP and Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Bank Al Jazira in Saudi Arabia since 2020.  In this role, he manages five enterprise information security divisions, including governance, risk, and compliance (GRC), cyber resilience, security architecture, digital fraud, and data governance/privacy. Prior to his role at Bank Al Jazira, Wael worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) for 15 years. At PwC, he served in various leadership roles, and managed multimillion-dollar projects for global clients across multiple countries and industry sectors.

Rob Webb is an accomplished global technology executive, digital transformation guide, growth advisor, management consultant and executive coach with proven expertise driving strategic change through technology innovation and building collaborative partnerships. Rob is committed to helping leaders, teams and organizations maximize their growth potential by enhancing strategic clarity, leveraging technology for growth and developing high performance teams through leadership consulting and executive team coaching.

Mr. Webb has experience in multiple industries including hospitality, aviation and financial services. He has proven leadership in all areas of information technology including Strategy, Governance, Architecture, Enterprise Systems, Cloud Migration, Systems Consolidation, Shared Services, Infrastructure Outsourcing, Offshore Development, Software Development, Business Analytics, Data Integration, Sales Force Enablement and Cyber Security.

Rob served most recently as Digital and Technology Advisor to the GCEO for DGDA, the $150B heritage and real estate development project part of the Saudi Vision 2030 Program. Previously, he held the positions of Global CIO for Etihad Aviation Group, Global CIO for Hilton Worldwide, Global CIO at Equifax and held divisional CIO positions at General Electric in Power Systems, Global Consumer Finance and Commercial Finance. He began his career as a management consultant with Accenture.

Mr. Webb received his BA from the University of Western Ontario and received his MBA from the ESCP European School of Management in Paris, France. He has also completed executive education at MIT Sloan School of Management, IESE Business School and Harvard Business School.

Rob completed the Executive Masters in Consulting and Coaching for Change at INSEAD in Singapore where his research program focused on “Key Success Factors for Digital Transformation from the People, Culture and Human Dynamics Perspective”.

Rob holds Advanced Executive Coaching Certification from the Columbia Business School and is an Ivey Academy Coach at the Ivey Business School, University of Western Ontario.

Rob has been a member of the IBM, Accenture and AT&T CIO Advisory Boards and has been an executive advisor to strategy consulting, venture capital, software and private equity firms.

Alvaro Perez is Chief Digital Officer at ACWA Power where he is leading its digital transformation journey, as well as managing the Information & Communications Technology (ICT) functions.

He has over 20 years of experience within technology integration and has been responsible for leading large international IT projects where technology and digitization were key for business transformation. Mr. Perez had been a member of numerous boards including International Oracle Utilities Product Development Advisory Board and several American Power Generation associations, and participated as an entrepreneur on different ICO, blockchain and IoT initiatives.

Prior to joining ACWA Power, Mr. Perez held different posts at the largest top five utilities in America and Europe most prominent being CEO of their services companies, CIO and Head of their Digital Hubs where he mainly specialized in distributed generation, demand response and aggregation, energy efficiency and smart cities development.

Mr. Perez is an Economic Science graduate from Complutense University, Spain. He also holds a degree in Executive Strategies from Harvard Business School.

Afnan A. Chowdhury is leading Digital Transformation in Al Ahsa Health Cluster, Saudi Arabia. He drew the strategic digital direction, set up DTO (Digital Transformation Office) and developed their capabilities. Blending strong leadership & management skills, he is executing a technology roadmap to deliver digital transformation initiatives for the Al-Ahsa Health Cluster. Previously, he was working as an IT Unit Head and led all aspects of IT development within NITI, Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. Before coming to Saudi Arabia, Afnan had over 11 years of extensive experience in managing complex IT infrastructure in the UK mostly focusing on data centres, virtualization, information security, business continuity and disaster recovery.

While professionally being an IT expert, he passionately studied and researched on Innovation Management. From 2009 to 2011, during his Masters in Technology and Innovation Management, he worked closely with Professor Joe Tidd, author of the book titled, “Managing Innovation – Integrating Technological, Market and Organizational Change”.

His academic background includes an MSc (Distinction) in Technology and Innovation Management from the University of Sussex, UK in 2011 and a BSc (First Class Honours) in Computer Science, from London Metropolitan University, London, UK in 2006.

Abdullah  Alfahaid is a Global and Saudi CITO, responsible for leading and driving organization’s technology strategy. Over the course of 15 years Abdullah has led the delivery of IT  Initiatives. Well focused on Digital Transformation and innovation. Abdullah also known as change & action-oriented executive who thrives on tackling large-scale challenges. Furthermore, he is known for his approaches to people management and integration of emerging & futuristics technologies to enable business strategies.

 

Aamir Khalid Pirzada is a seasoned professional with over 20 years of experience in the fields of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Software Project Management, and IT Infrastructure. He has worked across diverse industries, including manufacturing, oil and gas, retail, public services, and telecommunications.

With his extensive expertise, Aamir has collaborated with top-level management to drive the transformation of information technology divisions within companies, taking them to advanced levels. In his role as a Chief Information Officer (CIO), he serves as a strategic technology manager, shaping the organization’s technology vision and direction.

Aamir’s responsibilities encompass overseeing sophisticated systems environments, business applications, IT budgets, and tools for business users. He enables companies to achieve significant success by implementing data strategies that enhance daily operations and streamline development efforts.He possesses a wealth of experience in implementing leading ERP applications such as SAP (S4Hana), Oracle e-Business Suite, and Microsoft Dynamics Ax. Aamir has showcased his project management capabilities by providing business analysis and solution design services during the software development planning stages. As a leader, he has led teams in ensuring the implementation of appropriate controls, security audits, and measures. Aamir has successfully established comprehensive security protocols and policies, ensuring the organization’s adherence to them.

Overall, Aamir Khalid Pirzada’s extensive experience, technical expertise, and leadership skills make him a valuable asset in driving technology advancements and achieving business success.

 A highly creative thinker and analytical problem-solver, with demonstrated ability to manage technology projects from planning through execution/completion under the pressure of fast-paced, time-sensitive environments. 

A recognized technology leader known for crafting the requisite strategic vision to achieve business goals, offering a unique blend of executive acumen, global team-building, and technology solutions development credited with strong ROI and operational improvement. As the Chief Technology Officer at the King Faisal Foundation, Hazem has built a responsive technology structure that consistently delivers results by aligning technology initiatives with strategic business goals; with substantial improvement to service delivery, standardization, and business/systems performance. 

With reputation for judicious use of resources – and resulting cost containment – Hazem’s work has been instrumental in providing the King Faisal Foundation with leading applications, database, and management reporting capabilities critical to the success of business activities and performance. In addition, he has effectively raised ICT’s visibility within the Foundation by bridging technology decisions and issues to the forefront of crucial executive discussions. 

Hazem is a motivated achiever with 33+ years of significant progressive and broad experience in Information & Communication Technology. His career includes leadership roles at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) where he was recruited as an Analyst/Programmer and led complex systems implementations and application development projects. At Citibank N.A., in Amman, Jordan, Hazem held the post of a Network Assistant where his assignments involved researching the operation, analyzing requirements and defining processes and procedures in this high value transaction environment. 

Hazem holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems from Yarmouk University in Irbid, Jordan, and maintains active membership in the CIO Technology Executive Network, the Working Council of CIOs, and the Jordanian Computer Science Society.

 A self-motivated renowned cyber security expert and a frequent conference speaker with more than 25 years of IT and cybersecurity experience. 

Al-Nimari was awarded the Arab Social Media Cyber Security Influencer Award for 4 consecutive years 2019-2022 by the Arab Cyber Security Conference in Cairo. He was also among the top 2022 IFSEC Global Security Influencers. 

Al-Nimari played different roles, in government and private sectors, in different IT and cyber security fields: Network/System Administration, IT Management, Cybersecurity Consultation and Architecting. Always working to advance cyber security and contribute to community. 

He holds industry standard cyber security and project management certifications: 

CISSP, CISM, CCISO, PMP, GSEC, GCIA, GCIH, GCUX, GREM, GICSP, BCVRE 

Dr. Nasser Alamri is the Cybersecurity Executive Director at Institute of Public Administration (IPA), with extensive experience in Cybersecurity and Digital Transformation with over 15 years. He is also an advisory board member in the Cybersecurity Next Forum and a distinguished speaker at multiple summits and conferences. He has been recognized the CISO award 2023 at Global CISO Forum. 

Dr. Alamri has a wide experience in leadership roles and has contributed with his solid knowledge and expertise through various consulting services related to his fields. Between 2008 and 2023, he held various leadership positions and responsibilities such as GRC Senior Manager, Head of Information Technology Sector, building Digital Transformation Strategy, Cybersecurity Executive Program Manager, and establishment of Cybersecurity LAB. Recently, he has been the charge in IPA by developing and implementing the cybersecurity strategy and assuring the alignment with enterprise architecture. 

Dr. Alamri participates as an active member on multiple steering and executive committees. He joined MIT executive programs in the field of Digital Business Innovation and Technology. 

Ayad (Ed) Sleiman is the Head of Special Projects and former Head of Information Security at King Abdullah University of Science and
Technology (KAUST) with previous responsibility for managing the university and city cybersecurity function as well as capacity building
with focus on diversity and inclusion in Cybersecurity. He has over 38 years of experience in the IT industry.

Prior to joining KAUST, Ed worked in security program management, executive management, and deployment of country-scale security
management systems at several companies, including Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), Informobiliy, Inc., The Orkand Corporation, and CACI among others. Notable is his almost a decade as the Chief Information Security Officer of KAUST.

He’s a frequent chairperson, keynote speaker, panel moderator, panelist, and/or review board member at numerous cybersecurity and risk management conferences and his claim to fame is The Human Firewall ProgramÔ. In addition, he serves as an advisory board member for world leading cybersecurity companies. He was recently honored with the “CISO of the Year Award” for his contributions to the Cybersecurity field. Ed received various degrees, the last out of which is a PhD ABD in Software Engineering from the George Washington University in 2014. He is the recipient of 5 CISO awards and holds more than a dozen professional certifications in the field.

Mohammed Husamaddin is an experienced edtech and knowledge management professional who brings a wealth of expertise and practical experience to the forefront of today’s ever-changing learning landscape. With a deep appreciation for the potential of emerging technology and a lifelong commitment to working alongside the education community, he remains dedicated to addressing the challenges faced by learners in a rapidly evolving world.

Husamaddin the Vice President for Business Development at Naseej For Technology (www.naseej.com). He is a graduate of King Fahad University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), College of Science, with various executive education and certifications.

Born 1975 in Germany, Yvonne’s professional focus is the strategic management of organizations and the management of change. She has long-standing experience working for organizations and joint ventures in Germany. Her management experience covers as wide a variety of sectors as real-estate, logistics, wholesale and technology. She has founded/co-founded and successfully managed companies for almost 20 years. Grown up and having worked in the family business for several years, she has both a strong entrepreneurial track-record and an entrepreneurial family background.

Yvonne holds the equivalent of a master’s degree in business management from the University of Applied Sciences Deggendorf, Germany. She is a certified professional business mediator and business coach.

Yvonne covers an impressive range of skills required to successfully launch a new enterprise and so she became a startup specialist and serial entrepreneur over the years. She is capable and experienced of turning ideas into plans and executing them. Her passion is about unleashing the potential of organizations and individuals.

Adrian Blanck is an international energy expert focusing on digital innovation & strategy, performance optimization and business transformation. Adrian has a value creation track record of 30 years with Aramco, Total, Elf and Shell in a variety of management roles requiring both technical, commercial and financial expertise, as well as in consultant and board-level advisory roles in Europe and MENA region with Accenture.

A Mechanical Engineer by training, Adrian has a Master Degree in Hydraulic Automations from the Polytechnic University of Bucharest, a Masters Degree in Business Administration with focus on Strategy and Finance from INSEAD and a Doctoral Degree in Business Administration from the University of Manchester, where he focused on digitalization and data-driven decision making.

During his last 10 years with Aramco, Dr. Blanck has advised several Aramco joint ventures and subsidiaries (Petro Rabigh, Sadara and Luberef) on key organizational issues related to digital transformation, operational excellence, energy efficiency, carbon footprint, performance management and process optimization.

Dr. Blanck is an active contributor and speaker on key issues ranging from energy transition and sustainability to digital transformation and digitization.

Adrian is currently Chief Digitalization Officer for Saudi Aramco Base Oils Company.

Ryan Furey is a Solutions Consultant at Premise Data supporting clientele across the public sector and international development industries. He has a background in economics from Harvard University and has spent the last eight years leveraging emerging tech – specifically open source and commercially available data – to improve decision making and analysis for the U.S. Government and its partners.

Robert Ptaszynski is Head of Digital & Innovation and Managed Services. With extensive international experience in digital business transformation and building strategic alliances, he has grown to be a leading voice in the global technology advisory community. Ptaszynski served as Head of Digital Global Industries and Geographical Lead for Accenture Digital Practice across Western Europe, cross industry, with key account responsibility within financial services, manufacturing and communications. The majority of his professional qualifications, including from Harvard’s Business School and Kellogg’s faculty, were attained while building his practical expertise in software development, cloud migration, data & AI projects, customer experience transformation, and smart devices at global tech companies.

Binoo Joseph is the Group CTIO at Cenomi group.

He is Tech transformation leader having run several successful transformation programs globally as Group CIO/CTO in companies like Emaar PJSC, Damac Properties and Tesco Plc

 

A recognised IT executive with about 20 years experience in leading edge IT and change implementation in the Middle East in areas of IT, Smart City, Cloud, ERP, DSS, IT Outsourcing & transforming IT into a Profit Centre. Acclaimed as an agent of change with a track record of successfully implementing complex IT and change projects to a reference site standard meeting challenging deadlines on time and in budget.

Twice Awarded as one of the Top 10 IT Managers of the Middle East and featured in numerous published articles in IT, Smart City and Project Management in the region’s IT publications.

 Hassam Sohail Ahmed is a seasoned telecom networker with significant experience in the telecommunications industry. 

 A Business Architect with 25 years of experience delivering immense value to enterprises: 

• Transform on back of Disruptions like Artificial Intelligence My vision is help enterprises tap the value from AI/ML powered Insights and Data. Having worked with leading clients, I bring unique and proven combination of Business and Technology (applied) to help clients with this journey. 

• AI is enabled by host of other related changes – particularly Cloud, Digital and Automation. In the capacity of Solutions Leader and Architect, I partner with clients in not only defining roadmap but also getting it done. 

• As a Turnaround Artist, I bring strong execution focus backed by rich experience delivering transformation programs (10+) – including troubled programs. 

• Broadly, I proven success in delivering Transformational Programs – from Define through delivery of Data and Insights based solutions. Also proven track record in Grow Practices while applying Technology Innovations to solve business problems.

Since joining HTC, John has been working with customers and partners across the EMEA region to develop XR solutions and immersive experiences that will define the next generation of computing, across hardware, software, the metaverse and more.

Among his responsibilities, John leads the development partner program in EMEA, to develop software and services to grow the portfolio of end-to-end solutions for business customers and help accelerate the adoption of XR solutions.

A long-time technology veteran, John has held senior leadership positions across the tech sector over several years.

Phil Oultram has over a decade of experience in cloud, networking, and security. This includes complex, transformational engagements at some of the world’s largest enterprises and telcos, including initiatives related to multi-cloud, 5G and the adoption of modern, cloud-native architectures.

Based in London, he is the EMEA Sales Director at Alkira, a Silicon Valley based start-up, providing network-as-a-service, backed by Sequoia, Koch, Kleiner Perkins and Google Ventures. He is leading the EMEA team and driving Alkira’s growth across the region to help organisations lower their network TCO, drive innovation and improve their networks. Prior to Alkira Phil has held senior sales roles at industry leading network and security companies such as F5, and Sophos.

Phil is passionate about tech start-ups and the potential they hold to disrupt industries, such as networking, and drive positive change. He follows the start-up ecosystem closely, attending events, networking with founders, and keeping an eye on emerging technologies and trends.

When organizations are struggling to manage their digital transformation and portfolio, Ahmed Darwish is one of the few in the middle east to consult for outstanding results. With over 31 years of experience working for IBM, Fujitsu, Siemens, Al Rajhi, Alinma, and Al Bilad Bank, accompanied with track record of services, products, projects, and portfolio management, Ahmed can lead organizations into success.

Ahmed is a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) in Intergovernmental Information Systems from Newcastle University Business School (NUBS). He is also holding a master’s degree in computer engineering and BSC in Electronics and Communications Engineering from Cairo University (1999 and 1992 respectively.)

He is the author of the Service Management approach “SLAStand” (2005), PMO Transformation process “PMOTrans” (2014) and the Digital Delivery process “RASHEEQ” (2019) developed for Fujitsu, Saudi Fransi Capital and Bank Albilad, respectively. PMI nominated him as the chairperson of the translation of PMBOK© 5^th edition and a reviewer of the PMP® Exams.

For over 16 years, Ahmed has enriched the knowledge of the professional community in over one hundred events as a public speaker in Digital Transformation, Digital Payments, PMO transformation, PMP®/Project Management, and Soft Skills.

Volker Arringer is an international investment advisor with long and rich experience in the Kingdom. He is a member of the Austro- Arab Chamber of Commerce. He personally holds interest local entities and is passionate about facilitating FDI in the Kingdom.

Previous professional postings have included the ministry of Hydrocarbons in RC, the Ministry of Business and Trade in Qatar and the Agency for the Promotion of Investments in Gabon as well as the Chamber of commerce and industry in Jeddah.

Volker studied international relations at the American University in Paris and is pursuing his executive education at Harvard Kennedy School and the International Anti Corruption Accademy (IACA).

 

As a business and life coach, I help entrepreneurs achieve their goals, overcome challenges, and grow their businesses. I have more than 12 years of coaching and consulting experience, serving over 50 clients across the globe. I believe that coaching is not only about providing advice, but also about being a soundboard, a partner, and an accountability buddy. My background as a chartered accountant and an ERP expert enables me to offer holistic and practical solutions for various business processes and systems. I have also been an entrepreneur myself, conceptualizing and launching several online and mobile products and platforms in the education and compliance domains. I am passionate about empowering and mentoring others to succeed in their ventures and to balance their personal and professional lives.

Highly experienced IT Executive with a proven track record of driving IT excellence, optimizing operations, and aligning technology strategies with business objectives. Adept at overseeing IT strategy and governance, data center management, LAN/WAN communications, and solution design using industry leading technologies.

Skilled in staying current with emerging tech trends to ensure cost-effective and efficient business operations. Strong in IT Infrastructure & Service management, implementing IT service quality standards (ITIL, COBIT), and designing logistics and WMS solutions.

Proficient in IT security, disaster recovery planning, cloud-based solutions, budgeting, vendor management, office automation, and ERP implementation. Experienced in project management.