Latest news with #MarkForker
Tahawul Tech
30-05-2025
- Business
- Tahawul Tech
GovTech Innovation Forum & Awards looks to a ‘reimagined future'
The GovTech Innovation Forum & Awards 2025 was held recently at the splendid Ritz Carlton JBR, Dubai under the theme of 'Reimagining the future of tomorrow with AI'. The awards are designed to celebrate the incredible achievements of those in our public sector, who every single day are leveraging the power of technology to improve the lives of every citizen across the UAE. Winners must demonstrate that they have executed their projects in uncommon, innovative ways: pioneering a new technology, applying a familiar technology to a new purpose and setting the bar higher for their competitors. Attendees were also provided with unique access to network with some of the most prominent individuals that work for government entities from across the UAE in addition to witnessing several keynote presentations and on-stage discussions. The event began with a welcome note by CNME editor Mark Forker, which was then followed by two back-to-back keynote speeches from Rehan Shahid, Regional Channel & Alliances Manager – Middle East & Pakistan, Hitachi Vantara and Thomas Rizkallah, Regional Sales Director – MENA, CITRIX respectively. Following these addresses, the event moved into its panel discussion for the evening moderated by Mark Forker titled 'Exploring the Future of AI Governance in the UAE: Challenges, Opportunities, and Global Leadership'. The panellist present included Anas Elsadig Eltahir, Francois Van Deventer, Director & CTO – Emerging Markets at CITRIX, Dr. Jassim Haji, President for the International Group of Artificial Intelligence and Renan De Lima, Solutions Consultant at Hitachi Vantara. During the panel they explored the need for greater AI governance frameworks, the impact of the US-UAE Stargate Initiative, and the challenge posed by a skills shortage when it comes to AI. Prior to starting the awards ceremony there was one last keynote speech by Ahmed Soliman, Country Manager at Pure Storage, followed by a presentation by Ekta Puthran, Sales & Regional Marketing Director, Barco and Georges Lemire, Area Vice President, EMEA, Neat. The pre-awards proceedings concluded with a fireside chat between Wolfgang Kroj, GM Sales, Middle East and Africa, Hitachi Vantara and Mark Forker. Wolfgang was excited about the 'pace' of AI, the importance of strong leadership and the need to understand the concept of 'cultural intelligence'. Kausar Syed, Group Publishing Director at CPI Media Group, said the event was a celebration of the extraordinary progress and success that has been by public sector across the UAE over the last 12 months. 'In other markets across the world, people look to the private sector to innovate and create, but across the Middle East, and especially in the UAE, it is the public sector, and the vision of the government that inspires so much entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation and weaves that into every fabric of our society. The remarkable success of government tech entities across the UAE stands as a testament to the nation's vision for a digitally empowered future. These organizations are not only setting new benchmarks for innovation and efficiency but are also inspiring a global shift toward smarter governance,' said Syed. The Winners of the GovTech Innovation Forum & Awards 2025 included: IT Team Excellence of the Year – Dubai Airports Ajman IT Department of the Year – Department of Digital Ajman AI Implementation of the Year – Dubai Police Government IT Leader of the Year – Dr. Majeda Mohamed Al Marzooqi from EDGE Group PJSC Ras Al Khaimah IT Department of the Year – Public Services Department, Government of Ras Al Khaimah Customer Happiness Entity of the Year – Roads & Transport Authority (RTA), Government of Dubai Government IT Trailblazer of the Year – Zainab Alnajjar from Al Kuwait Hospital Dubai, Emirates Health Services Government Pioneer of the Year – Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) Sharjah IT Department of the Year – Sharjah Airports Sustainable IT Leader of the Year – Farah Alsheraifi from Daman Health Digital Transformation Enabler for Public Sector – Citrix Data-Centric Security Leader of the Year – Seclore Excellence in AI-Ready Infrastructure – Hitachi Vantara Technology Business Leader of the Year – Feras Al Jabi from ITQAN Al Khaleej Computers Best AI Analytics Solution Provider of the Year – Raqmiyat Most Innovative AI Powered Pro AV Solutions Provider of the Year – Avientek Woman in Government of the Year – Her Excellency Mubaraka Ibrahim from Emirates Health Services Record Braker Personality of the Year – Fady Richmany from Commvault Dubai IT Department of the Year – Dubai Air Navigation Services (dans) Pioneer Woman of the Year in Government Leadership – Aisha Awadh Alhemeiri from the Department of Community Development, Government of Abu Dhabi AI for Good Award – Dubai Future Foundation Digital Transformation Project of the Year – Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) Knowledge and Innovation Leader of the Year – Jinson Pappachan from Emirates Policy Center Umm Al Quwain IT Department of the Year – Smart Umm Al Quwain Government IT Leader of the Year – Abdalla Al Ali from Dubai Multi Commodities Centre Authority (DMCC) Mobile App of the Year – The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) Public and Private Partnership of the Year – Emirates Integrated Registries Company (EIRC) Excellence in Talent Leadership Award – Rayan Awad from Ports & Customs Freezone Corporation Innovative Initiative of the Year – The Ministry of Community Empowerment Best AI Innovation of the Year for Business Transformation – The Ministry of Finance – United Arab Emirates Future IT Leader of the Year – Eng. Hamda AlMaazmi from the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) Best AI Implementation of the Year in Education – His Highness Sheikh Nasser Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Centre Best AI Governance Framework of the Year – Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, Government of Dubai Smart City Initiative of the Year – Abu Dhabi Mobility Knowledge and Innovation Excellence – Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO) Government Leader of the Year – Anas Elsadig Eltahir Image Credit: CPI Media Group
Tahawul Tech
22-04-2025
- Automotive
- Tahawul Tech
automotive industry Archives
CNME Editor Mark Forker spoke to Hidetoshi Kaneko, Head of Systems and Solutions Department at Panasonic Middle East, to find out how the Japanese electronics company is positioning itself to play a key role in the electrification of the global automotive industry, the diversification of its portfolio, its approach to sustainability – and its renewed focus on smart city solutions.
Tahawul Tech
18-04-2025
- Business
- Tahawul Tech
'We are committed to developing AI that can be trusted to drive progress for both business and society' – Shukri Eid, IBM
Shukri Eid, General Manager of IBM Gulf, Levant, and Pakistan, spoke to CNME Editor Mark Forker, ahead of Dubai AI Week, to find out what IBM will be exhibiting at the event, the role it is playing in helping the UAE achieve its lofty AI objectives, the impact of its IBM z17 solution across the enterprise space – and the need for greater governance on Gen AI. IBM is a strategic partner of Dubai AI Week. Can you provide us with more information on what attendees can expect to see and hear from IBM during the event? Our involvement in Dubai AI Week reflects our broader partnership with the Dubai Future Foundation and the Emirate of Dubai overall, focused on advancing AI for real-world impact. Our objective is to showcase how AI can drive productivity gains, deliver significant return on investment, and help reinvent the way organizations work in the digital age. Over the week, IBM will host expert sessions and speaking engagements covering critical priorities for businesses on their AI journey — from identifying quick-win use cases, to building a strong data foundation with fit-for-purpose models, to ensuring trust and governance throughout the AI lifecycle. We'll further present early findings from the Global Chief AI Officers Study, a joint report we are working on with the Dubai Future Foundation, highlighting how global leaders are approaching AI strategy and implementation. Organizations with a CAIO see a higher ROI on AI spend compared to those without one and as per our interim findings, 26% of organizations have a CAIO and 65% of CAIOs believe most organizations will have a CAIO within the next 2 years. This is a key audience we are working with to advance AI for enterprise and government in line with UAE National AI Strategy. Dubai has made no secret of its aspirations and ambitions to become a global leader when it comes to AI. The Dubai Universal Blueprint for AI has been engineered and designed to accelerate the adoption of AI technologies into every facet of society. IBM, as a global tech leader, has long been a partner of the UAE Government, but can you tell us the role IBM is playing in terms of achieving the goals and objectives of their AI vision? We are proud to support Dubai and the UAE's bold vision to become a global leader in AI. Our collaboration with leading UAE entities is focused on accelerating the adoption of AI in ways that align with national agendas and business priorities. Globally, we're seeing incredible momentum. Our generative AI book of business surpassed $5 billion inception-to-date, with $2 billion of that growth happening just in the last quarter. That's a clear signal that enterprises aren't experimenting with AI anymore—they're implementing it at scale. And that's exactly the kind of transformation we're supporting in the UAE. We recently partnered with e& to co-develop an AI governance framework, one of the region's first, designed to help organizations in the UAE and beyond adopt AI responsibly and at scale. This framework offers practical guidance to embed governance, transparency, and accountability into every stage of the AI lifecycle. At the World Governments Summit 2025, we signed an agreement with the Dubai Future Foundation to support the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 and the Universal Blueprint for AI. The partnership includes building a sovereign cloud, launching an AI innovation center, and deepening our role in startup mentorship, Tech Talks, and advisory services — all to help position Dubai as a global AI hub. Additionally, we're collaborating with the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) to apply IBM's geospatial foundation model to map and reduce urban heat islands in Abu Dhabi. This work has already led to a reduction of over 3°C in affected areas, offering valuable insights for sustainable urban planning in a region heavily impacted by climate change. Our ongoing collaborations in the UAE reflect IBM's commitment to supporting national AI ambitions and helping shape a future where AI serves society responsibly and equitably. IBM recently announced the next generation of their iconic mainframe in the form of the IBM z17, designed to bring AI to the core of the enterprise to enable new workloads. Can you outline the capabilities of this product in more detail, and the impact you believe it will have across the industry? The IBM z17 isn't just another iteration of our mainframe, it's a response to how enterprise computing is evolving. So, with the z17, we've built AI directly into the hardware and software stack, starting with the Telum II processor. That gives it the ability to run AI models efficiently and securely, right where the data lives. We're seeing over 250 AI support use cases for the z17 that are very real for our clients—fraud detection that happens in milliseconds, smarter customer service with AI-powered chat, even helping radiologists interpret medical images faster. And with the new IBM Spyre Accelerator, it's not just traditional models—we're talking large language models and generative AI running securely, at scale. The z17 continues to lead in security and resiliency. And with tools like watsonx Code Assistant for Z, we're making it easier for developers to build and manage on the platform, whether they've been working on Z for years or are just getting started. In short, this is about giving businesses a way to move fast with AI, without compromising on the things that matter: security, scale, and trust. Finally, when it comes to Gen AI, understandably, there is huge excitement at the potential it has to completely transform industries, but that being said, there are growing calls for more robust frameworks and governance around AI in order to ensure it is being used responsibly. Can you give us an overview from an IBM perspective on your approach to responsible AI? At IBM, we are deeply committed to developing AI that can be trusted to drive progress for both business and society. Our approach to responsible AI begins with watsonx, our enterprise-ready AI and data platform, which provides the tools, governance, and transparency needed to develop and deploy AI responsibly. It helps organizations track data provenance, ensure model explainability, and mitigate bias at scale. We also recognize that building trust in AI requires global collaboration. That's why we co-founded the AI Alliance, a coalition of over 100 organizations across industry, academia, and government, including partners like CERN, NASA, Hugging Face, and MBZUAI. All are committed to advancing open, safe, and inclusive AI innovation. Together, we are focused on keeping AI open-source, promoting responsible development, and ensuring the benefits of AI are broadly shared. We also actively engage with governments worldwide to shape smart, risk-based regulation that focuses on high-impact use cases rather than underlying algorithms, in order to support innovation while safeguarding society.
Tahawul Tech
11-04-2025
- Business
- Tahawul Tech
'When it comes to AI, enterprises need to think big, but start small.' – Seelan Nayagam, DXC Technology
CNME Editor Mark Forker spoke to Seelan Nayagam, President, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa at DXC Technology, to learn more about how Agentic AI can streamline complex processes, the need for businesses to start small, but think 'big' when it comes to validating their AI use-cases, the need for robust AI governance – and why the company is ultra-committed to hiring local talent following the opening of their new office in Riyadh. Seelan Nayagam is a seasoned technology executive and business leader with a strong reputation for transforming large multinational organisations. He spent 10 years at US technology behemoth IBM, before joining DXC Technology in 2017. Over the last 8 years he has helped expand the presence of DXC Technology across multiple regions, and in 2023, Nayagam was appointed President, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa. In a candid conversation with CNME Editor Mark Forker, the pair explored a range of topics, and began the conversation by focusing on the rise of Agentic AI. LLMs represent the foundational elements of Gen AI, but the general consensus amongst tech analysts and experts is that Agentic AI can really unleash the power of Gen AI to transform traditional business processes. Nayagam said he sees a lot of similarities with Agentic AI and cloud technology when it first started to take off. 'Agentic AI is essentially multiple AI agents working together to solve complex problems. They work off massive data sets, but are able to follow a structured path without any human intervention in order to find the answer to those complex problems, and if you can extrapolate all of that then that will inevitably lead to greater efficiency, and a drastic reduction in operating costs. It's still very early days, but I see a lot of similarity around the excitement and potential of Agentic AI, and that of cloud technology back in the day,' said Nayagam. Whilst he admitted that Agentic AI is very much in its nascent stages, the DXC Technology executive has seen the power of it. He highlighted how a financial agency operating under government auspices in the Middle East region transformed a process that traditionally took 12 weeks, to less than a week. 'I can't provide the name of the client, but it was a financial government agency in the Middle East region. Now, they faced huge challenges when it came to users applying for grants, in terms of how they processed it in relation to validation, and identifying that the individual is who he says he is. Now, that process traditionally took 12 weeks. However, thanks to the implementation of Agentic AI the process has been completely turned on its head, and through a POC, that protracted and clunky process that took 3 months, can now be done within a week. It's quite difficult to quantify just how much business value that process transformation through Agentic AI yielded for the entity in question, but the productivity, time saved, and efficiency is incredible. So, even though I said Agentic AI is in its early stages, it is definitely real,' said Nayagam. The example provided by Nayagam is a powerful one, and that moved the dial of the conversation towards the topic of validation around AI use-cases. Business leaders are facing huge pressure to adopt an AI strategy, or launch an AI service, or product that is designed to help them transform a specific pain point in their organisation. Again, Nayagam drew similarities between the pressure to adopt an AI strategy, with the pressure executives where on to embark on a cloud journey. 'If you look back to when cloud started off, then it was pretty evident that boards were putting enormous pressure on the executive team to create a cloud strategy. Everybody had to commit to some sort of cloud journey. I remember reading press releases at the time that made statements such as 100% of our workload is going to be in to be in cloud. Some said that 90% of all their production was going to be in the cloud, and look, all of those companies had to walk those statements back. It's not that cloud was bad in any way, shape, or form, but a hybrid option emerged, so you didn't have to go one specific direction. At the end of the day, the question will always come back to how do you get the best value out of a business case. When it comes to Gen AI and Agentic AI, I see a very similar trend to when cloud was gaining traction, the same pressure is being applied, and that pressure can lead to costly mistakes. If you're an CEO, or a C-Level executive, and you can't talk about AI then there is immediate question marks raised. Undoubtedly many business leaders are under huge pressure when it comes to AI, but there also needs to be a realisation that AI is not going to solve every problem,' said Nayagam. Nayagam warned against businesses becoming burdened by monolithic AI projects, and encouraged them to 'think big', but start small. 'Look, you've got to start somewhere, and the business case is critical. You have to determine what is the problem you are looking to solve as a business. There are 1000's of use cases, and we have implemented well over 2,500 different use cases that we have in multiple client sets, and each problem is slightly different. So you you go into it with your eyes open, but you need to start small. You can definitely think big, but you have to start small. If you start small and you build a business case and there's failure, well that's fine, if you have started small then you have scope for failure. You can change quickly, but if you become embroiled in a monolithic project then you're invested in it, and some tasks may take forever, and you don't have that safety net when it comes to failure. My advice to businesses is very clear, start small, prove the POC and get the use-cases to work,' said Nayagam. At the recent AI Action Summit in Paris, the decision by both the US and UK governments to refuse to sign up to a framework that was designed to promote the ethical and responsible use of AI was seen as a real blow, considering 60 other nations had signed the document. Whilst there are many differing viewpoints on AI in terms of the technology itself, generally, there is an acceptance from the technology community that there needs to be strong guardrails and governance around AI, to ensure the technology is used ethically and responsibly. Nayagam outlined the approach adopted by DXC Technology when it comes to their own AI frameworks and governance, highlighting the role played by their AI Office. 'There's no doubt that it is a major challenge. I mean, right now, there is no global framework, or a globally agreed standard that exists. Then you come back to each country, they all have their own unique view around what they want to do, and so forth. And again, even at the country level, you don't really have a fully fledged framework, yet everybody is learning this as they go along. What we done at DXC Technology is applicable to any other organization. There are a number of factors at play, such as the ethical side of things, bias, security, so with that in mind you need to come up with the framework that works for your organization within those boundaries that are important for leveraging this technology. We created an office called AI Office. Their number one objective is to define the policies and the framework that the whole organization can employ as a whole. Having a framework is one thing, and the policies and everything else around it, but you have to embed that back into the business in order for it to be fully operational, because that's where the real use happens, of course, and that's where these mistakes and so forth, could potentially happen. So operationally, embedding it into your operation is absolutely critical. In summary, we have the AI office, and then the AI governance, and that governance board verifies every solution that we create in a bid to make sure it falls within the framework that was accepted by DXC Technology as an organization, which has ethics, security and everything else embedded into it,' said Nayagam. DXC Technology operate in an ultra-competitive environment, but when pressed on what he believed fundamentally differentiated the company from its market rivals, Nagagam highlighted the fact the engineering was intrinsic in their DNA, and that they have a proven track record of solving complex problems. 'We've been in the technology services business in different forms over last 60 years. In terms of what differentiates us, I think it's two-fold. We are known as an engineering company, and as a technology organisation that can solve complex problems. We manage complex systems around the world for large airlines, making sure that the airlines are flying, and the crews are getting to the right place at the right time. We run the production systems for automotive companies such as BMW and Mercedes. They have AI technologies infused in them and are intelligent systems, and all the technology and software in those vehicles are developed by DXC Technology, so that gives you a flavour of the engineering depth that we have, and those are the types of experiences and solutions that we provide for our customers. I do think that what makes us really unique is our engineering DNA,' said Nayagam. Nayagam concluded an excellent conversation by highlighting the significance of its decision to open new offices in Riyadh, and reiterated that DXC Technology was committed to hiring local talent in the UAE and the KSA, and cited their graduate programs as a way to bridge the skills gap that currently exists in the market. 'It's such an exciting time to be in the region. I spend 50% of my time in Dubai, and the other 50% in Riyadh, due to the opportunities emerging there. It's such a unique region, and it is driven by the leadership at the very top, and that filters down and touches everything, they know what their vision is and where they want to go. You can feel the technology adoption here, and it's amazing. Obviously there is huge opportunities in both the UAE and the KSA, but we're also looking at the role DXC Technology can play in helping these ambitious countries achieve their aspirations. We are playing a huge role in terms of contributing locally and building that tech community and ecosystem. We have a massive Graduate program in both the UAE and Saudi Arabia. We want to bring the local talent into our workforce, and we want to give them a clear pathway to succeed in the technology sector. At the end of the day, this industry is driven by skill, and we need to build up that skill set and create opportunities for the next-generation of talent here in the region, and we are committed to playing a huge role in making that a reality,' said Nayagam.
Tahawul Tech
12-03-2025
- Business
- Tahawul Tech
'Our partnership with STC is a game-changer to enterprise AI adoption in the region.' – Alfred Manasseh, Shaffra
CNME Editor Mark Forker sat down with Alfred Manasseh, COO & Co-Founder of Shaffra, to find out how the company is redefining AI-driven automation, the significance of its partnership with Saudi telecommunications giant STC – and his view on the rise of Agentic AI. Shaffra has branded itself as a 'deep tech' company. However, can you please elaborate on what the company does and what your mission statement is as an organization? Shaffra is redefining AI-driven automation by developing exclusive technology that not only enables AI Employees to process data but also understand intent and take action autonomously. While many AI solutions rely solely on Large Language Models (LLMs) for text-based outputs, Shaffra's AI Workforce operates on a more advanced model that allows AI to execute real-world tasks based on contextual understanding. Through our AI Workforce Trainer, businesses can customize AI Employees to align with their industry-specific workflows, corporate culture, and communication styles. Unlike traditional chatbots or automation tools, our AI Employees can understand business intent and determine the right actions to take, interact across multiple systems such as CRMs, ERPs and databases without requiring separate integrations, and independently handle business operations, from compliance management to customer engagement and sales follow-ups. Our mission is to help make businesses more efficient by reducing operational costs up to 80%, minimizing errors by up to 95% and enhancing productivity by 10,000%. Driven by rapid growth in the GCC, technology investments are set to reach $24.7 billion by 2030. By bridging the gap between AI intelligence and real-world execution, Shaffra is shaping the future of work with truly autonomous AI. During LEAP 2025 in Riyadh, Shaffra announced a major partnership with Saudi telecoms behemoth STC. Can you please provide more information on what this AI-centered partnership will entail – and how it will help enterprises reduce operational costs? Our partnership with Saudi Telecom (STC) is a game-changer to enterprise AI adoption in the region. This collaboration will integrate Shaffra's AI Employees into STC's digital transformation initiatives, offering automated business solutions that drive efficiency across multiple sectors. This AI-centered partnership will include Intelligent Process Automation, a tool that reduces manual effort by helping employees handle data management, compliance, customer interactions, and administrative tasks. AI models analyze business data in real time to enable faster and more accurate strategic decisions, while reducing costs by 80% and raising productivity. Employees will have Enterprise-Wide Accessibility via WhatsApp, email, corporate communication tools, and digital platforms ensuring seamless communication with their AI counterparts. This partnership highlights the tangible and positive effect an AI powered workforce can have in the real world, positioning Shaffra and STC at the center of the region's AI revolution. Many analysts have suggested that 2025 will be the year of 'Agentic AI'. How would you define Agentic AI, and can you explain how your AI workforce solutions can empower employees to make better and faster decisions? Agentic AI refers to AI systems that operate independently, learning from interactions to make decisions and execute tasks without constant human supervision. Unlike traditional AI, Agentic AI is proactive, adaptive, and context-aware, making it a key enabler of business automation. Shaffra's AI Employees embody Agentic AI by analyzing data to anticipate business needs, making real-time decisions by managing workflows to ensure faster execution, streamlining business operations through clear communication with employees and reducing errors by 95% through proper data verification. By integrating Agentic AI into the workforce, Shaffra is helping businesses operate more efficiently, minimize delays, and make smarter, data-driven decisions at scale. How important was an event like LEAP for Shaffra, in terms of allowing you to demonstrate your portfolio of solutions and project your overall message as a company? LEAP 2025 was significant for Shaffra as it gave us a global platform to showcase the power of AI-driven workforce solutions. At LEAP, we demonstrated how our AI Employees streamline business processes through Live AI Employee Integrations. We also announced major partnerships with Saudi Telecom (STC) and Omantel to provide Agentic AI solutions to Saudi companies and support Oman's telecom and enterprise sectors with AI-driven automation. We were also able to highlight how businesses can almost eliminate operational errors and costs while rapidly increasing efficiency by adopting AI workforce solutions. Participation at LEAP has reinforced Shaffra's role as a market leader, attracting key industry stakeholders and solidifying our position as the go-to provider of AI workforce solutions. Shaffra operates in a competitive marketplace, but what would you say ultimately differentiates you from your market rivals? Shaffra is changing the face of the AI workforce by delivering fully integrated, independent AI Employees that go beyond traditional technology. We understand that penetration of GenAI is heavy in the Middle East, with 81% of employees having used it in the workplace over the past 12 months. Our services stand out because we offer seamless AI workforce integration, where our AI employees work within existing business systems without disruptive overhauls. Through AI Workforce Trainer, customers get a personalized AI employee who operates according to their business model. These AI employees are completely adaptable to business sizes from SMEs to multinationals, easily accessible through different enterprise tools and digital platforms, and offer tangible return on investment, increasing productivity by 60%, reducing errors to near zero, and decreasing costs by 80%. At Shaffra, our focus is to provide a comprehensive AI workforce solution that integrates seamlessly into any industry, any workflow, and any business model.
