25/04 • April 2024 How Eugene Kaspersky went from being a Soviet Army engineer to a global cybersecurity industry leader THE VETERAN UAE AED 15 KSA SAR 15 BAHRAIN BHD 1.500 OMAN OMR 1.500 KUWAIT KWD 1.200 QATAR QAR 15 Inclusive of VATDon’t Buy Bitcoin Create Bitcoin Invest in the Region’s Biggest Bitcoin Mining and Blockchain Company Buy PHX Phoenix shares on Abu Dhabi Stock ExchangeDon’t Buy Bitcoin Create Bitcoin Invest in the Region’s Biggest Bitcoin Mining and Blockchain Company Buy PHX Phoenix shares on Abu Dhabi Stock ExchangeUnlock the Power of Digital Currency phoenixgroupuae.comUnlock the Power of Digital Currency phoenixgroupuae.com PHX listed on the Abu Dhabi Stock Exchange phoenixgroupuae.com4 Vol. 25/04, April 2024 PUBLISHED BY AND © 2024 ITP MEDIA GROUP FZ-LLC. NOTICE The publishers regret that they cannot accept liability for error or omissions contained in this publication, however caused. The opinions and views contained in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers. Readers are advised to seek specialist advice before acting on information contained in this publication, which is provided for general use and may not be appropriate for the readers’ particular circumstances. The ownership of trademarks is acknowledged. No part of this publication or any part of the contents thereof may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without the permission of the publishers in writing. An exemption is hereby granted for extracts used for the purpose of fair review. PO Box 500024, Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 444 3000 Offices in KSA, UAE, UK, US, and INDIA ITP MEDIA GROUP CEO Ali Akawi MANAGING DIRECTOR Alex Reeve MANAGING DIRECTOR Anil Bhoyrul EDITORIAL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Rob Corder, rob.corder@itp.com EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Matthew Amlot, + 971 4 444 3264, matthew.amlot@itp.com SUB EDITOR Edward Liamzon, +971 4 444 3474, edward.liamzon@itp.com ARABIANBUSINESS.COM EDITOR AT LARGE Will Milner DESIGN SENIOR DESIGN MANAGER Geri Batara Sonny DESIGNER Mohammed Irqsosy STUDIO VIDEOGRAPHER Muhammad Kaleem VIDEO EDITOR Liju Cheruvathur PRODUCTION PRODUCTION MANAGER Denny Kollannoor PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Mahendra Pawar SENIOR IMAGE EDITOR Emmalyn Robles EVENTS & MARKETING DIRECTOR OF AWARDS & MARKETING Daniel Fewtrell, +971 4 444 3684, daniel fewtrell@itp.com SENIOR MARKETING AND EVENTS MANAGER Anthony Chandran, +971 4 444 3685, anthony.chandran@itp.com DISTRIBUTION HEAD OF DISTRIBUTION AND NEWSTRADE Abdulrahim Alparambil DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR Avinash Pereira CIRCULATION EXECUTIVE Rajesh Pillai ADVERTISING GROUP COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR Andy Sulahian, +971 4 444 3597, andy.sulahian@itp.com GROUP COMMERCIAL MANAGER Neha Sikri, +971 4 444 3353, neha.sikri@itp.com SENIOR COMMERCIAL MANAGER Samir Glor, +971 4 444 3320, samir.glor@itp.com COMMERCIAL MANAGER Pallavi Choudhary +971 4 444 3359, pallavi.choudhary@itp.com ITP GROUP CEO Ali Akawi CFO Toby Jay Spencer-Davies CORPORATE WEBSITE itp.com CIRCULATION CUSTOMER SERVICE +971 4 444 3000 WEB arabianbusiness.com CO VER ST ORY The Veteran TECHNOLOGY Middle East’s cryptocurrency founding father HEALTHCARE Burjeel Holdings’ visionary approach to technology and innovation 20 16 54 Arabian Business meets one of the region’s biggest cryptocurrency players – Bijan Alizadeh, co-founder and Group CEO of crypto mining How Eugene Kaspersky went from being a Soviet Army engineer to a global cybersecurity industry leader By leveraging the collective expertise of its international partnerships, Burjeel is poised to shape the future of healthcare delivery in the region Contents April 2024Champion Your Health with Elite Healthcare Leadership BMC BURJEEL MEDICAL CITY By Burjeel Holdings In the pursuit of excellence, your health is your strongest foundation. At BMC — Burjeel Medical City, we help you lead your health journey with ensures you stay ahead, with a dedicated team ready to provide advanced diagnostics and tailored wellness programs. This approach keeps you in peak Lead in health with BMC. Book your appointment now. Call +971 800 23 or Visit burjeel.com Safeguarding Your Health at the World's Safest City6 Vol. 25/04, April 2024 FIRST WORD | Matthew Amlot, Editorial Director A region rises MATTHEW AMLÔT @MatthewAmlot Hello and welcome to the April issue of Arabian Business. This month we are lucky enough to feature cyber- security pioneer Eugene Kaspersky on our cover. Few could have predicted the global impact that Eugene’s early work collecting and studying computer viruses would have. Through perseverance and a willingness to risk leaving his secure military career, Eugene founded Kaspersky Lab, establishing the inter- national cybersecurity giant it is today. His story exemplifi es the vision and tenacity often required to build new industries, even despite his own humility in his business journey. “Just after the collapse of the Iron Curtain, we had zero knowledge about the world abroad. When we started to build an international business, we made many mistakes,” he said. The entire interview is worth a read and is available beginning on page 20. This year has seen Bitcoin go on an absolute rollercoaster ride upwards, crossing well over the $70,000 mark at one point. As such it made sense to reach out to one of the founding fathers of cryptocurrency in the region for some exclusive insights into his own journey. Bijan Alizadeh is the co-founder and CEO of Phoenix Group, who’s fi rm is now playing a leading role in developing the crypto mining sector, but it was not always this case. When China abruptly banned cryptocurrency mining in 2021, Phoe- nix had to airlift hundreds of mining rigs out of the country overnight. But rather than deter Alizadeh, he instead sought to build a new type of cloud mining fi rm. As Abu Dhabi, and the UAE more broadly, continues to grow as a global leader in cryptocurrency and blockchain tech- nology, Alizadeh’s insights prove particularly useful in parsing how that journey has taken place. On Abu Dhabi in particular, he believes the emirate has “superb infrastructure and a welcoming regulatory environment, making it ideally suited to becoming a hub for crypto innovation in the region.” Check out the full story on page 16. This issue celebrates the inspiring winners of the Arabian Business KSA Women’s Achievement Awards, who through their work are advancing women’s empowerment. We also congratulate all the remarkable female leaders in our region making a diff erence. Featured in our Arabian Business Leaders supplement is Amnah Ajmal of Mastercard. In her role expanding Master- card’s presence across 80 diverse international markets, Amnah exemplifi es visionary leadership through partnerships unlock- ing fi nancial access. Her passion for empowering women and connecting those without access to the digital economy are laudable eff orts that will drive progress. “As a senior leader – who is empowered to build these teams – I only talk about the importance of diversity, then the lack of authenticity will trickle pretty quickly across the teams I manage. You must lead by example,” Amnah told Arabian Business. With that inspiring quote, I’ll let you get to reading. Until next time. The Middle East continues to outperform the global dynamicNext >