GEC NEWS WIREThe much awaited 2018 edition of The Future IT Summit, held under the patronage of The Ministry of Economy, raised curtains to a full-house attendance on 14th of March at The Burj Al Arab Hotel in Dubai, UAE.
Attended by over 150 key decision makers— including top government officials and leading CIOs, the Future IT Summit 2018 explored in depth the various aspects of digital transformation where the key delegates engaged in a unique discussion on the key role that the GCC countries and organizations are playing in redefining their position in the global economy map.
The summit commenced with the traditional ribbon cutting ceremony by the patronizer. Mr. Esam Alfalasi, Director of IT, Ministry of Economy graced the occasion with other key delegates from KSA, Bahrain, Oman and UAE.
Mr. Esam, in his inauguration speech, spoke about the relevance of digitization in developing the economy of any country and the pivotal strides of the Ministry of Economy, UAE in the same.
The Titans Badge of Honor 2018 celebrated 2 years of the premium CIO’pedia— The Titans, by recognizing the valuable contributions of the CIOs and IT Heads of the Middle East, Africa and Turkey who have played an instrumental role.
The speakers of 2018 edition comprised; Kevin Ashby, Partner Marketing Advisor, Microsoft MEA; Mohammed A Mahnashi, ICT Advisor, Ministry of Finance; Juan Jose De La Torre, Digital Transformation Leader, IBM Middle East and Africa ; Abdullah Hamood Khalifa Al Raqadi, Director General – IT, Ministry of Health – Oman; Samer Semaan, Distribution Manager, Gulf & UAE Dell EMC; Abubakar Arshad, Cyber Security Advisor, TRA; Esam Alfalasi, IT Director, Ministry of Economy; Mohammed Tamimi, Regional Director, Rubrik; Saeed Khan, Vice President & Head – Sales (Middle East), AGC Networks.
The expert panel discussion on GCC Organizations’ Digital Transformation Readiness Roadmap was moderated by Dr. Usman Zafar, Business Management, Technology Executive UAE and chaired by Abdullah Al Barwani, GM IT Security, Omantel; Anshul Srivastav, CIO, Union Insurance; Dr. Ayad Aldaijy, Advisor to the Saudi Arabian Minister of Environment, Water & Agriculture and Former CIO; and Adam El Adama, SISO/Head of Information Security, ADNOC.
The sponsors and partners of the 2018 edition were; Ministry Of Economy: Patronizer; Dell EMC and Aptec: Platinum Sponsor; Microsoft: Strategic AI Partner; IBM: Strategic Digital Transformation Partner; SAI Global: Exclusive GRC Partner; Screencheck: Exclusive Secure Identity Solutions Partner; Rubrik: Exclusive DRaaS Partner; Exclusive Networks: Exclusive Security VAD Partner; Fortinet: Strategic Security Partner; AGC Networks: Strategic SI Partner; Epicor: Enterprise Application Partner; Supporting Partners: Rittal, Mimecast, Toshiba, ValueMentor, Finesse, ADNOC, Omantel, Spire Solutions; Supporting Government Partner: ITA, Oman, Ministry of Finance KSA, Ministry of Health Oman, TRA Bahrain, Ministry of Environment and Climate, KSA.
