GEC NEWS WIREOn 2nd August 2023, Saudi Arabia witnessed an overwhelming crowd of tech leaders at Hyatt Regency Riyadh Olaya, Saudi Arabia. It was a prestigious gathering of IT leaders and professionals from various industries. The event aimed to foster collaboration, exchange knowledge, and recognize outstanding contributions in the IT sector. Attendees enjoyed a day filled with insightful panel discussions, engaging speaking sessions, and culminated with the prestigious World CIO 200 Awards ceremony.
Attendees and keynote speakers were welcomed by Anushree Dixit, Global Head – Content & Strategic Alliances, Global CIO Forum. She shared the vision of The World CIO 200 Summit which is designed to explore the latest advancements, trends, and opportunities in the IT domain.
The event followed the theme of ‘Rise of the power’. The World CIO 200 2023 roadshow is designed to help IT leaders develop and enhance the qualities of leadership, power, vision and focus.
Dr. Maher Aldukheil, VP of Technology and Digital Transformation, Hail Health Cluster kicked off the event with his country inaugural keynote.
Renowned industry experts delivered keynotes and presentations on cutting-edge technologies and strategies. Ali El Kontar, Founder & CEO, Zero&One shared his vision on ‘The Art of Possible’. Michael C., Synology Sales Head, APAC & MEA Region spoke about ‘Empowering Business Resilience: Three Steps to Effective Data Protection’ in an interesting tech talk session. Omar Elsawi, Territory Manager KSA Egypt Levant Kuwait – Collaboration, Barco spoke about ‘The Evolution of Meetings and Meeting Rooms in the Post-COVID Era’. Abhimanyu Choudhary, Co-Founder, Xoxoday spoke about how Xoxoday is making every day a rewarding day with their unique digital rewards and loyalty program. Dinesh Varadharajan, Chief Product Officer, Kissflow shared his vision on the technological trends that are reshaping businesses and industries.
CAAS, the technology revolutionary platform that has been formed with the purpose of delivering technology-enabled solutions at a better price and great quality by subject matter experts themselves, was also highlighted by the organizers of CAAS from different countries. Jayakumar Mohanachandran, Research-as-a-Service, Chief Research Officer, I am CAAS spoke about the Research-as-a-service arm of CaaS and how it is all set to disrupt the research and market study landscape. Mohammed Mahnashi, I am CAAS Saudi Arabia shared his vision on CaaS’ outreach and establishment in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Expert panels discussed current trends, challenges, and future prospects in IT.
- ‘Rise of the Power’
Jayesh Maganlal, CIO, ROSHN
Suhail Akhtar, Chief Information Office, AlKifah Contracting
Aamir Khalid Pirzada, CIO, National Metal Manufacturing and Casting Company (Maadaniyah)
Anas Mosa, IT Director, Public Investment Fund (PIF)
Moderated by: Jayakumar Mohanachandran, Chief Research Officer, I am CAAS
- Business Transformation Vs Digital Transformation – How does a CIO understand the line of difference and bring change
Fadwa AlBawardi, Founder & CEO, FSAB Consulting Office: Digital Transformation & Strategic Planning Consultation
Reem Alattas, Digital Transformation Expert, SAP
Ahmed AlZahrani, Director of Health Technology Development, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs (MNG-HA)
Mohammed Al Shobani, CIO, SAICO Insurance
Moderated by: Dr Ismaeel Almakrami, Director, Ministry of Health Saudi Arabia
The event culminated with the prestigious World CIO 200 Awards ceremony, recognizing top IT leaders for their exemplary contributions.
| NAME | ORGANIZATION | DESIGNATION |
| Abdul Baseer | InterContinental Hotel | Technology Manager |
| Abdullah Alsalem | Remat AlRiyadh | IT Director |
| Abdulrahman Alruhaymi | National Development Fund | CIO |
| Aijaz Siddiqui | Middle East Maritime Repair | IT Manager |
| Syed Kareemuddin | Coca Cola Bottling Company of Saudi Arabia | Head of IT Infrastructure & Operations |
| Aamir Khalid Pirzada | National Metal Manufacturing & Casting Company “Maadaniyah” | Chief Information Officer (CIO) |
| Abdalla Binothman | White Bays | CTO |
| Abdul Quader Mohammed | Aljazirah Vehicles Agencies Co Ltd | National IT Manager |
| AbdulAziz AlOraij | KABi Technologies | CIO |
| Abdullah AlAttas | SAMACO Motors | GM IT Business and Digital Transformation |
| Aijaz Regoo | MIS-FORWARD | CTO |
| Anas Mosa | Public Investments Fund – Projects | IT Director |
| Asim Badhuralam Syed | Food Industries Polytechnic | IT Director |
| Devender Manral | Al Othman Group | Group Chief Information Officer |
| Dr. Ismaeel M., Almakrami | Saudi Ministry of Health | Hospital direction & Health Informatics Consultant |
| Dr. Mustafa Hasan Qurban | KING FAHD MILITARY MEDICAL COMPLEX | DIRECTOR |
| Eng. Khaled Alnuaimi | Eastern Province Principality (Emara) | Digital Transformation Team Leader |
| Fawaz Kilfaden | Emaar Economic City | Chief Information & Smart City Officer |
| Hani Saif | eXtra | CIO |
| Hazem Jarrar | King Faisal Foundation | Chief Technology Officer |
| Hossam Makky | Otherlogic | CIO |
| Imran Hashim | Medgulf Saudi Arabia | Director IT Infrastructure |
| Jayesh Maganlal | Roshn | Chief Information & Digital Officer |
| Khaled Harbah | Prince Mohammed Bin Salman College (MBSC) | Head of IT |
| Maher Aldukheil | Hail Health Cluster | VP of Technology and Digital Transformation |
| Maher Sabsabi | Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh | Director of Information and Technology |
| Mohammed Mahnashi | Saudi Electronic University | Digital Transformation & EA Unit Supervisor |
| Mohammed Mustafa Ali | AlShasha Entertainment Disrtribution Company (OSN) | IT Manager KSA Bahrain and Qatar |
| Mousa J alaqidi Al-Anizi | KING SAUD MEDICAL CITY | Director |
| Mubarak Alshahrani | King Saud University – Medical City | Mubarak Alshahrani |
| Mushtaq Khan | The National Water Company | GM Automation and Digital |
| Nezar Alturki | Ministry of the National Guard | IT Manager |
| Samer Marouf | Rakaa Holding | IT Director |
| Saud Alabdulaziz | The Financial Academy | CIO |
| Suhail Akhtar | AlKifah Contracting | Chief Information Officer |
| Sulaiman Alkharashi | SME Bank | Group CTO |
| Suliman Khader | Alfaisaliah Group | Group CIO |
| Syed Fakruddin Albeez | King Abdullah Economic City | Sr. Director Corporate IT |
| Waheed Khayyat | United Cooperative Assurance | CIO |
| Wissam Al Adany | ADES Holding | Chief Information Officer |
| Zakir Shaikh | Tanmiah Food Company | Group IT Head |
| Abdullah Alfahaid | Ajlan & Bros Holding | CIO |
| Adnan Mumtaz | Crowne Plaza Riyadh Minhal | Technology Manager |
| Ahmed Ali Larik | Emkan Finance | Head of IT Demand & Delivery |
| AHMED ALZAHRANI | Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs | Director Healthcare Technology Development & Integration |
| Ahmed Bashir | Narcissus Hotels and Spa | IT Manager |
| Dr. Ahmed Balkhair | Obeikan Investment Group | Chief Digital Health Officer |
| Filip Nekvinda | Abdul Latif Jameel Enterprises | Chief Information & Digital Officer |
| Irfan Ul Haq | LSC Logistics | Head of IT |
| Mirza R Baig | Finzey Finance Company | Head of IT – Digital Transformation & Cybersecurity |
| Mohammad Siddique | Alrajjas Holding Company | IT Manager |
| Mohammed Alshobani | Saudi Arabian Cooperative Insurance Company (SAICO) | Chief Information Officer |
| Mosa AlEnizi | SAMI | IT Manager |
| Muhammad Junaid | United Motors Group | Group Head of Information Technology |
| Muneer V Abdurahman | SPAR & AL SADHAN Group | CIO |
| Osama Merghani | Almurabba Towers project | IT Consultant |
| Qasim Nadeem | ABANA Enterprises Group | IT Director |
| Saghir Ahmad Khan | Saudi Business Machine | Technical Program Manager |
| Syed Muzaffar Ali | Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University | Manager IT Infrastructure and Security |
| Waqas Butt | Alwefaq Transportation Solutions | IT Infrastructure Manager / CIO |
| Hafiz Muhammad Umair | EMCOR Facility Services | IT Manager |
The success of the IT Summit was made possible by the valuable support and contributions from the following partners:
- PLATINUM PARTNERS
ZERO&ONE
Kissflow
- GOLD PARTNERS
BARCO
MindfireTechnologies
PAESSLER PRTG
CloudHost
Logitech
Positive Technologies
Synology
- DIGITAL REWARD PARTNER
Xoxoday
- SUPPORTING PARTNER
Finesse
- GLOBAL STRATEGIC PARTNERS
OPX Technology
CAAS
The World CIO 200 Summit KSA edition proved to be a resounding success, uniting IT leaders, fostering knowledge exchange, and recognizing outstanding contributions in the field. The event’s impact is expected to resonate throughout the IT industry for months to come.
The roadshow will continue in the remaining countries and will culminate in a grand finale at Baku, Azerbaijan from 17th to 19th September.
