< PreviousINNOVATION 20 ACN | Summer 2025 ACN_March2025_20-25_ZainTech Feature_13617086.indd 20ACN_March2025_20-25_ZainTech Feature_13617086.indd 2003/06/2025 20:1903/06/2025 20:19PARTNER CONTENT ACN | Summer 2025 21 ZainTECH isn’t chasing after buzzwords. It’s building a regional ICT powerhouse the hard way. CEO Andrew Hanna explains how careful evolution, local insight, and a smart M&A playbook are helping governments and enterprises extract real value from transformation ZAINTECH’S Photography by Ajith Narendra ACN_March2025_20-25_ZainTech Feature_13617086.indd 21ACN_March2025_20-25_ZainTech Feature_13617086.indd 2103/06/2025 20:1903/06/2025 20:19INNOVATION 22 ACN | Summer 2025 ZainTECH now operates across eight countries Andrew Hanna doesn’t like hype. He prefers frameworks. “Only the paranoid survive,” he says, invoking Andy Grove’s mantra. There’s no sense of theatrics, no sweeping declarations delivered with Silicon Valley gloss. Instead, Hanna, CEO of ZainTECH, Zain Group’s digital and ICT arm, off ers something more rare in the region’s transformational race: restraint, clarity, discipline and a s trateg y built for long-term impact. ZainTECH was created in 2021 as a strategic bet, with its headquarters in Internet City, Dubai. Telecom operators across the Middle East were watching their core businesses plateau, even as public and private sectors began pouring capital into cloud, AI, and cybersecurity. The problem? Most telcos weren’t built to service those needs. ZainTECH was Zain’s answer: a separate entity, wholly owned but independently run, with the mandate to serve enterprise and government clients across the region. “It was never just about connectivity,” Hanna says. “We needed to break out of the telco mindset. That meant building a team that speaks cloud, digital transformation, robotics, cybersecurity. We didn’t want to retrofi t—we wanted to rethink.” THE BUILD BEGINS From the beginning, Hanna made two things clear: ZainTECH would be partner-fi rst, and it would scale through both organic growth and strategic acquisitions. Today, the company’s portfolio of regional power. local execution of ownership, includes UAE-based BIOS Middle East, now ZainTECH CloudHub, a managed cloud and cybersecurity player; STS, the leading regional system integrator and solution provider; Adfolks, an app modernisation consultancy, and Citrus Consulting. Each deal was handpicked to fi ll capability gaps—and each came with a cultural litmus test. “On paper, we turned down some very good acquisitions,” Hanna says. “The fi nancials were there. But the DNA wasn’t. We’re not here to fold companies into a bureaucracy. We want 1+1 to equal 3.” That thinking defi nes ZainTECH’s integration strategy. In an industry where post-acquisition synergies often smother innovation, Hanna has taken the opposite track: let the acquired team run their business, if they’re better at it. “It’s part science, part art,” he says. “If they’re stronger in a particular domain, don’t get in their way. Learn from them.” It’s a pragmatic approach, and one that refl ects Hanna’s wider leadership style. His 25-year career spans Microsoft, Ericsson, Only the paranoid survive. If you stop evolving in this business, you’re done ACN_March2025_20-25_ZainTech Feature_13617086.indd 22ACN_March2025_20-25_ZainTech Feature_13617086.indd 2204/06/2025 11:3004/06/2025 11:30PARTNER CONTENT ACN | Summer 2025 23 On the ground, engineers turn strategy into sector-specific execution ZainTECH’s message is clear: no hype, just regional execution at scale Telstra, and a recent stint as CCO at stc and Omantel. But it’s the operator-turned-builder role at ZainTECH that’s given him the clearest mandate yet: construct a regional digital powerhouse where ZainTECH’s strengths add to hyperscaler capabilities, delivering the best to clients. REGIONAL POWER, LOCAL EXECUTION ZainTECH now operates across eight countries, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Jordan, Bahrain, Sudan, extended shareholding of Omantel, and soon Egypt. But Hanna is quick to stress: “Regional scale means nothing without local execution.” Every market comes with its own maturity curve—regulations, cloud policies, security standards, and procurement habits. “You can’t copy-paste,” he says. “In one market, we need full data sovereignty. In another, we can use hyperscaler infrastructure outside the country. We adjust every time.” That granular view has become a core advantage. By tapping into Zain Group’s local footprint: in cooperation with local operation’s B2B teams, ZainTECH brings boots-on-the- ground familiarity in a way that’s rare for newer digital players. It also means being able to advise governments and enterprises in practical terms—translating global technology into outcomes that refl ect national agendas, like Vision 2030 in Saudi Arabia. “There’s a lot of ambition in Saudi, and rightly so,” Hanna says. “But with that ambition comes pressure. We have to manage expectations. The question is no longer ‘how do I get to the cloud’—it’s ‘why should I be in the cloud, and what value does it bring me?’” AI, VALUE AND HEALTHY SKEPTICISM On AI, Hanna is measured. While many ICT fi rms have rushed to label “AI-powered” across their off ering stack, he warns against overpromising. “Customers aren’t asking ‘what is AI?’ anymore. They’re asking: ‘how do I get value from this investment?’ That’s a very diff erent conversation.” Rather than pitching AI as a niche capability, ZainTECH integrates it into broader transformation projects—whether that’s modernizing infrastructure, digitizing citizen services, or improving operational effi ciency through automation. “We don’t sell buzzwords,” Hanna says. “If I can’t show the ROI, if I can’t map the use case to a customer problem, then we don’t off er it.” This insistence on value delivery—tangible, not theoretical—has helped ZainTECH stand out in a crowded landscape. In Hanna’s words, digital transformation is not a revolution. It’s a careful evolution. “You don’t transform everything at once,” he says. “You take workfl ows, you break them down, you deliver 100% Enterprise and government focus; ZainTECH has no B2C operations ACN_March2025_20-25_ZainTech Feature_13617086.indd 23ACN_March2025_20-25_ZainTech Feature_13617086.indd 2303/06/2025 20:2003/06/2025 20:20INNOVATION 24 ACN | Summer 2025 wins. That’s how you build trust. That’s how you scale.” And now, with AI maturing rapidly, that granular approach is more critical than ever. “AI is an accelerant,” Hanna says, “but if you don’t have the underlying structure right—your data estate, your integrations, your security—AI just exposes the cracks faster.” THE SUSTAINABILITY MANDATE For all the focus on infrastructure, scale, and innovation, Hanna is clear: sustainability isn’t just a corporate talking point—it’s a strategic imperative. ZainTECH operates with an asset-light model. “Our most important assets are our people and our IP,” Hanna says. That mindset shapes not just product development, but how the company approaches everything from hiring to energy use to long-term impact. “Sustainability is about business continuity. It’s about resilience. It’s about ensuring we’re building for tomorrow, not just shipping for today.” To institutionalize that thinking, ZainTECH, like other Zain operating companies, has embedded a dedicated sustainability lead and tied its internal metrics to broader ESG goals set at the group level. Hanna emphasizes that this isn’t limited to environmental impact. “It’s about how we contribute to the societies we’re in,” he says. “That includes job creation, ecosystem building, even digital literacy.” Sustainability, for ZainTECH, is at the core of what they do, and is also a competitive advantage—especially when servicing government clients increasingly under pressure to deliver on long-term national development agendas. THE SAUDI OPPORTUNITY Few markets exemplify the stakes of digital transformation like Saudi Arabia. With Vision 2030 driving unprecedented public-sector modernization and foreign investment, every major technology fi rm is trying to get a foothold. ZainTECH is no exception. It was recently granted commercial operating licenses in the Kingdom. But Hanna cautions against chasing ZainTECH was created in 2021 as a strategic bet, with its headquarters in Internet City, Dubai “Regional scale means nothing without local execution” ACN_March2025_20-25_ZainTech Feature_13617086.indd 24ACN_March2025_20-25_ZainTech Feature_13617086.indd 2403/06/2025 20:2003/06/2025 20:20PARTNER CONTENT ACN | Summer 2025 25 headlines. “Yes, along with the UAE, Saudi is a huge opportunity. But with that comes pressure. The pace is fast. Expectations are high. And that means execution becomes everything.” He points to the hyperscalers (AWS, Microsoft, Google Cloud) all investing in local data centers. “They’re not looking to build it all themselves. They need partners. That’s where we come in. Our job is to translate those capabilities into outcomes for Saudi ministries, banks, energy companies.” Still, he warns: without managing expectations, even the best projects can stumble. “Not every government department is ready for AI today. Not every migration is plug-and-play. Part of our job is to help clients see the full roadmap, not just the next buzzword.” LEADERSHIP IN A TIME OF FLUX If there’s a single thread that ties Hanna’s leadership philosophy together, it’s fl exibility. “I don’t believe in fi ve-year plans anymore,” he says fl atly. “The world doesn’t move in fi ve-year increments. Look at how much has changed since 2020.” Instead, Hanna talks about building a company that can reconfi gure itself constantly, like a modular platform, or as he puts it, “a Lego set.” That agility, he believes, will be the defi ning advantage of tomorrow’s ICT leaders. “The generation coming up thinks diff erently,” he says. “They’re digital natives. Their assumptions about work, leadership, even value, are not the same as ours. My job isn’t to control that—it’s to prepare the ground for it.” That thinking even extends to succession. “I want ZainTECH to be ready to hand over—not just the business, but the mindset. If we’ve done it right, the next leadership team should be able to rebuild this company again and again, without needing to start from scratch.” THE NEXT CHAPTER So what does ZainTECH look like in 2050? Hanna laughs at the question. “I think it’s foolish to even try,” he says. “We don’t live in 25-year increments anymore.” But he does off er one certainty: the company will look nothing like it does today. “If we’re doing our job, ZainTECH will evolve constantly. New technologies, new markets, new expectations. Maybe we’re heavier on software. Maybe we’re embedded in sustainability infrastructure. Maybe we’re solving problems we can’t even imagine yet.” He pauses, then adds: “But one thing I hope doesn’t change, we’re still human. We haven’t let the machines take over. We’ve used technology to serve people, not replace them. If we can say that in 2050, I’ll feel good about what we built.” BUILDING FOR THE LONG GAME Andrew Hanna doesn’t frame ZainTECH as a disruptor. And that’s exactly what makes this story diff erent. In a region fl ush with petabytes and promises, ZainTECH is playing a slower, smarter game, focused on real enterprise needs, regional realities, and the kind of leadership that’s less about spotlight and more about structure. If Hanna gets his way, the company won’t be defi ned by what it builds in year four, but by what it enables in year 20. It’s not an instant a revolution. Just quiet, steady transformation. Few markets exemplify the stakes of digital transformation like Saudi Arabia Less spotlight, more structure—Hanna prefers action over soundbites One size does not fi t all in MENA. Regional power means nothing without local execution ACN_March2025_20-25_ZainTech Feature_13617086.indd 25ACN_March2025_20-25_ZainTech Feature_13617086.indd 2503/06/2025 20:2003/06/2025 20:20COVER STORY 26 ACN | Summer 2025 ACN_March2025_26-31_Cover Story_13618136.indd 26ACN_March2025_26-31_Cover Story_13618136.indd 2603/06/2025 20:2103/06/2025 20:21COVER STORY ACN | Summer 2025 27 Hisham Al Gurg is unlocking the Gulf through trust, strategy, and long-term partnerships GATEKEEPER THE OF GULF INNOVATION Hisham Al Gurg operates in a world where relationships outrank roadmaps, and where access—not capital—is the real currency. As CEO of Seed Group and The Private Offi ce of Sheikh Saeed bin Ahmed Al Maktoum, Al Gurg has spent nearly two decades building a gateway for global companies into the Gulf—one that’s carefully guarded, highly strategic, and deeply rooted in trust. Seed Group isn’t your typical investment fi rm. It doesn’t lead fl ashy funding rounds or chase unicorn valuations. Instead, it quietly forges long- term partnerships between the UAE and high- growth companies looking to scale across the Middle East. From AI fi rms in Europe to blockchain startups in Asia, Seed Group gives international innovators the platform, credibility, and cultural intelligence to land in the region and execute with precision. “Our mission is to grow innovative companies so they can emerge, scale up, and make the world a better place,” the company says— a mission grounded in deep regional knowledge and alignment with the UAE’s national agenda. Al Gurg puts it more directly: “We’re not just a facilitator, we’re a long-term partner. Over the past 20 years, we’ve helped more than 76 global companies secure investments and formed 58 strategic partnerships.” One example: Kebotix, a US-based deep-tech company that uses AI and robotics to develop high-performance, eco-friendly materials. When the Cambridge-based startup sought to expand internationally, it was Seed that helped them localise their proposition and navigate the complexities of operating in the UAE. “It’s exactly the kind of innovation Dubai wants to lead in— sustainable, high-tech, and globally relevant,” Al Gurg said of the partnership. Another: Beams Safety AI, a German aerospace fi rm using artifi cial intelligence to improve aircraft safety standards. Through Seed Group’s backing, Beams gained access to aviation stakeholders across the Gulf—aligning directly with Dubai’s broader goal to lead in aviation innovation. These aren’t one-off introductions—they’re part of a The Middle East is not one market; it has many diff erent economies. What works in Dubai may not work in Riyadh ACN_March2025_26-31_Cover Story_13618136.indd 27ACN_March2025_26-31_Cover Story_13618136.indd 2703/06/2025 20:2103/06/2025 20:21COVER STORY 28 ACN | Summer 2025 Masdar City reflects the kind of innovation Seed looks to scale. Innovation catches attention. Seed ensures it delivers real regional value. executive committee review, Seed’s team steps in with full support: market discovery, proof- of-concept development, cultural onboarding, legal setup, licensing, branding—even talent recruitment. “When companies join our ecosystem, they don’t just gain market access,” says Al Gurg. “They gain a strategic ally rooted in the region.” The process is rigorous, but it’s designed to eliminate guesswork—particularly in industries with heavy regulatory friction. A case in point: DKK Digital, a European fi ntech fi rm specialising in foreign exchange liquidity. With Seed Group’s support, the company secured regulatory approval in the UAE and established early partnerships. “That’s the kind of value we bring,” Al Gurg says. “We don’t just connect dots—we draw the map”. But partnerships don’t happen on pitch decks alone. “The Middle East is a ‘relationship-based’ marketplace,” the group notes. “It is therefore imperative not only to have access to the right decision-makers, but also to be well prepared to enter the market”. That preparation includes regional procurement cycles, compliance challenges, and strategic alignment with UAE national goals. “We see our work as a direct extension of national priorities,” Al Gurg explains. “If the answer is yes, we move forward.” THE PLAYBOOK Hisham Al Gurg’s role at Seed Group is less about picking winners and more about preparing them. In the Gulf, execution is contextual. Strategy that works in London or San Francisco often falters here without adaptation. “The Middle East is not one market; it has many different economies,” Al Gurg says. “What works in Dubai may not work in Riyadh”. long-term playbook. Seed Group doesn’t simply broker deals. It embeds its partners into the ecosystem, aligning them with national priorities like Dubai’s D33 and the UAE Centennial 2071. For companies serious about entering the Gulf, Al Gurg isn’t just a connector. He’s a gatekeeper. And his platform has quietly become the one global founders and executives trust to get it right the fi rst time. NOT VC. NOT PE. SOMETHING ELSE. Seed Group doesn’t fi t neatly into a traditional funding model. It’s not venture capital, not private equity, and not government-led development. It’s something far more tailored: a hybrid of strategic enablement, market access, and long- term partnership—all underpinned by royal family backing and deep institutional reach. Founded in 2004 to support Dubai’s transformation into a global business capital, the group was created to help international fi rms land in the region with credibility and speed. That mission hasn’t changed, even as the sectors it prioritises—AI, digital health, green energy, fi ntech, logistics—have evolved. What sets Seed apart is how it works. “Our edge lies in our ecosystem,” Al Gurg explains. “Being part of a royal family offi ce gives us unique proximity to government priorities and the ability to move with agility in this region. But more than that, we become true partners”. Each engagement begins with alignment. “We look for companies that are ready, not just in terms of technology, but in mindset,” he says. “The best partners are those with a solid product, clear purpose, and the operational discipline to scale.” Once a company passes the internal People in this region do business based on trust. If you have a short-term mindset, it will show ACN_March2025_26-31_Cover Story_13618136.indd 28ACN_March2025_26-31_Cover Story_13618136.indd 2803/06/2025 20:2103/06/2025 20:21COVER STORY ACN | Summer 2025 29 That nuance is the starting point of Seed Group’s model. “We look for founders who are grounded, clear, and persistent,” he explains. “Their vision should be bold, but their execution must be practical”. Each partnership begins with a structured onboarding process—designed not just to localise a product, but to reframe how founders think. “That includes in-depth assessments, cultural onboarding, and in many cases, a proof-of-concept to test the waters,” says Al Gurg. This is where many international fi rms misfi re. Some arrive assuming that brand equity alone will carry them. Others misprice their off ering or misread the role of government stakeholders. “I always say to build relationships fi rst, not just contracts, and listen before you pitch,” Al Gurg warns. Pricing, in particular, is a common pitfall. “Many set their prices too high, thinking that higher prices will be accepted. However, this can backfi re,” he says. “We always guide our partners to fi nd a balance between perceived value and what the market can actually support”. To avoid these traps, Seed works to reshape mindset as much as go-to-market strategy. “We off er our partners a unique advantage by training and coaching everyone from CEOs to sales teams,” the group explains. 76 Global companies Seed Group has helped expand into the Middle East The goal isn’t speed—it’s sustainability. “If someone is only focused on valuations or making a quick exit, that raises a red fl ag,” Al Gurg says. “We prefer those who are building something of long-term value”. For Seed, onboarding is not a formality. It’s a fi lter. Companies that make it through aren’t just prepared for the Gulf—they’re recalibrated for it. THE GULF FACTOR Doing business in the Middle East isn’t like doing business anywhere else—and most international executives underestimate just how nuanced the region really is. That insight is foundational to Seed Group’s approach. The team doesn’t sell a template for regional expansion. They build custom strategies—each one informed by regulatory constraints, cultural context, and economic priorities unique to each country. In the UAE, for example, a company entering the healthcare sector must comply with strict data sovereignty rules and Emirate-level licensing protocols. In Saudi Arabia, the same fi rm may require joint venture agreements with local partners and separate regulatory approvals from the Saudi Food & Drug Authority. In Qatar or Kuwait, timelines shift again—and so do the cultural expectations around partnership, pricing, and procurement. The Museum of the Future embodies the UAE’s innovation-first agenda ACN_March2025_26-31_Cover Story_13618136.indd 29ACN_March2025_26-31_Cover Story_13618136.indd 2903/06/2025 20:2103/06/2025 20:21Next >