HAVE YOU REACHED YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA POTENTIAL? FROM TWITTER TO TIKTOK, HERE ARE THE PLATFORMS TO TAKE YOUR BUSINESS TO THE NEXT LEVEL RACING TOWARDS SUCCESS WANT TO START YOUR OWN RACE CAR TEAM? AUDI CUSTOMER RACING CAN HELP PLUS: LUXE STYLE & TRAVEL FEBRUARY 2021 # 166 THE GUIDE TO GOOD BUSINESS AND BETTER LIVING AL SHEIKH STUD FOUNDER MOHAMMED SHEIKH SULIMAN ON THE ART OF OPPORTUNITY AND EXCELLENCE A WINNING FORMULA UA E AE D 20 KS A SAR 20 BA HR A IN BH D 2 KUW A IT KW D 2 OM AN OM R 2 Get ready for something spectacular. Discover Al Noor Island. The region’s island of inspiration - right in the heart of the city of Sharjah. Stand in awe amidst the butterflies, take a walk through inspiring art and light installations, dive into a literary pavilion and unwind in a café with a breathtaking view. THERE’S SO MUCH TO EXPERIENCE ON THE ISLE OF INSPIRATION. Take a day off from everyday life. @AlNoorIsland alnoorisland.ae A project by Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq)FEBRUA RY 202 1 CEO MIDDLE E A ST 3 contents 8 10 1618 7 LETTER FRO M TH E ED ITO R Business 8 S A F E G U A R D I N G Y O U R D ATA Basic steps can improve cyber security for your organisation, says Amin Al Zarouni, CEO of Sahab Smart Solutions 10 INSIGH T: TWI T T E R The conversation at one of the world’s biggest social media is about social responsibility and leadership from the top-down 12 INSIGH T: T I KT OK The viral video platform holds huge potential, power and influence for socially savvy businesses 14 TH E FUTU RE BEG I N S W I TH Z There is a new generation on the rise, aptly named Z, writes Aaditya Tangri, co-founder of Kalebr 16 BR AND VIEW : C APGEMINI Bilel Guedhami, managing director of Capgemini Middle East, discusses tech and innovation trends to watch in 2021 18 20 2 1 : TH E Y E A R OF INNO VAT I ON Phil Malem, CEO of Serco Middle East, shares his thoughts and predictions for 2021 20 L AW A N D O R D E R Legal insights from Mohamed Nasser, founding partner of Mohamed Nasser Law Firm 22 BE Y O ND BORDERS The founder of the Abrahamic Business Circle, Raphael Nagel, on why opening up the borders between the UAE and Qatar is a good idea for business 12 February 2021Leadership 26 COVER STORY: MOHAMMED SHEIKH SULIMAN An entrepreneur making big waves in equestrianism, the founder of Al Sheikh Stud has made audacious moves in business too, and has enjoyed an upward trajectory since its establishment in 2016 32 THE FINER POINTS James Michael Lafferty, CEO of Fine Hygienic Holding, draws on personal triumphs and tragedies to lead an international organisation that was one of the first to respond to Covid-19 4 C EO M I D D L E E A S T FEBRUA RY 202 1 contents February 2021 32 26FEBRUA RY 202 1 CEO MIDDLE E A ST 5 44 48 42 Pleasure 36 WORKING HOLIDAY At Four Seasons, uniting a change of scene with corporate demands means a stay with a difference for travelling executives 38 AUDI CUSTOMER RACING CEO steps into the adrenaline- fuelled world of endurance racing with Audi to discover why owning your own sports car is just the first step 40 STYLE AND SUBSTANCE Fine jewellery and fashion for elite men and women 42 RED ALERT With Valentine's Day just around the corner we round up the most impressive trinkets with which to demonstrate your love 44 MEN’S STYLE Brunello Cucinelli to Hermes show off their seasonal finery for gents 46 PERFECT TIMING Bulgari’s Antoine Pin reveals the outlook for the luxury watch and jewellery brand defying the market odds with audacious innovation 48 STAYING POWER A round-up of romantic destinations for February, all within easy reach in the UAE 50 THE ARTISAN Food for thought with the passionate founder of this Italian gem wowing Dubai diners contents February 2021 366 C EO M I D D L E E A S T FEBRUA RY 202 1 REGIONAL NEWS BUSINESS INSIGHTS TIKTOK FOR BUSINESS ED AID ZAIB SHADANI JEWELLERY & WATCHES REAL ESTATE REAL TALK WHAT’S NEXT FOR PROPERTY? MAKE 2021 A YEAR OF PROFITS STRATEGIES TO GROW INVESTOR RETURNS SHOULD LEADERSHIP DURING A PANDEMIC BE DIFFERENT? TRADELING CEO MUHAMMAD CHBIB ON THE VITAL SKILLS THAT MUST COME TO THE FORE DECEMBER 2020 # 164 THE GUIDE TO GOOD BUSINESS AND BETTER LIVING ADAPTABILITY AND INNOVATION MONTHER DARWISH ON FINDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH LET THE FESTIVITIES BEGIN A ROUND-UP OF HOLIDAY HIGHLIGHTS UA E AED 20 KS A SAR20 BAHR AIN BHD 2 KUW A IT KWD 2 OM AN OMR 2 Arabian BusinessDE CEMBER 20 20 THE GIG ECONOMY KAWTHAR BIN SULAYEM ON HOW GIG WORK CONTRIBUTES TO THE ECONOMY MOST WANTED LUXURY GIFTS FOR THE MAN OR WOMAN WHO HAS EVERYTHING RETAIL DETAILS IN CONVERSATION WITH LIFESTYLE CEO RUBAN SHANMUGARAJAH PLUS : To receive your copy delivered directly to your door, subscribe online at www.itp.net/subscriptions The most important business people and CEOs talk to the most important magazine REGIONAL NEWS BUSINESS BANKING THOUGHT LEADERSHIP MEGAPROJECTS BRAND INSIGHTS DRIVING FORWARDS LAMBORGHINI’S PAOLO SARTORI ON WHY THERE’S ROOM FOR OPTIMISM THE BUSINESS OF LUXURY RICHARD MILLE HAS GRAND DESIGNS IN 2021 INSPIRING LEADERS THE MEN AND WOMEN LEADING BOLDLY THROUGH TOUGH TIMES JANUARY 2021 # 165 THE GUIDE TO GOOD BUSINESS AND BETTER LIVING TALABAT CEO TOMASO RODRIGUEZ ON DRIVING DIGITAL INNOVATION AND ANTICIPATING THE FUTURE DELIVERING RESULTS A LEADERSHIP JOURNEY HH SHEIKHA INTISAR ALSABAH UA E AED 20 KS A SAR 20 BAHR AIN BHD 2 KUW A IT KWD 2 OM AN OMR 2 Arabian Business THE BEAUTY OF TIME WRISTWATCHES TO CELEBRATE ACHIEVEMENTS AND MILESTONES STEP BY STEP DUBAI CHAMBER CEO HAMAD BUAMIM ON GROWING UAE-ISRAEL BUSINESS TIES THE ADVENTURE EMIRATE IN CONVERSATION WITH RAK TOURISM CEO RAKI PHILLIPS JA N U A R Y 20 21 The publishers regret that they cannot accept liability for error or omissions contained in this publication, however caused. 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MEDIAFEBRUA RY 202 1 C EO M I D D L E E A S T 7 ED IT OR ’S P OR TR AI T: O LI VE R @ P HO TO SO LU TI ON S. M E elcome to the February edition of CEO Middle East, which sees the editorial team working remotely and remaining connected through daily Zoom meetings, emails and WhatsApp groups. I imagine it’s a similar story for many of you reading this. For many of us, social media during the past 12 months has taken on a more prominent role both personally and professionally, with our socially distanced lives seeing us embrace a digital form of communi- cation in a bid for that most human of all impulses, the desire to connect. For business leaders, the social and digital platforms available to us have taken on more significance than ever before, turbo-charging their way to the top of marketing strategies, and being harnessed like never before to reach potential customers thanks to their incredible audience reach. TikTok may be a platform you’d associate in relation to user-generated dance content, but TikTok for Busi- ness is proving to be a powerful tool for socially savvy businesses too, as the region’s general manager tells CEO Middle East this month. “In the current market landscape, we understand businesses face limited resources,” he tells us in an insightful story on page 12. “Our recently launched self-serve advertising platform should alleviate some of that pressure and give businesses the ability to efficiently engage new audiences through an ex- tensive suite of creative tools, intelligent targeting and world class support.” Meanwhile, the conversation at one of the world’s biggest social media platforms is about social responsibil- ity and leadership from the top down. Having booted Trump from its platform for good, Twitter in 2021 is about giving users the tools to demonstrate agility and be relevant. Harnessing its powerful potential is just one way marketers can take on 2021, writes Benjamin Ampen, the regional managing director. “2020 put businesses’ agility to the test and 2021 will be no different. As the world continues to change, brands must be agile and be able to quickly respond to rapidly evolving consum- ers in real time,” he tells CEO. “We encourage brands to leverage Twitter’s strength as the world’s largest focus group by identifying trends as they take shape. Harnessing the power of data for in-the-moment insights around crises such as COVID-19 al- lows brands to shift their strategies and responses in real time.” With insight on Generation Z com- ing in from Kalebr founder Aaditya Tangri, and one of our youngest cover stars to date, equestrian entrepreneur Mohammed Sheikh Suliman, it’s an edition that feels very forward-think- ing and future-focused. Complementing this, our luxury edit reflects a spirit that seeks to unite authenticity, sustainability, style and a joy for living well. See what Bulgari MD Antoine has to say about the brand’s di- rection in our exclusive on page 46; I for one share his view that that focusing on progress, innovation and entrepreneur- ship in the most digitalised era in human history is key to staying connected, relevant, active and successful. FROM THE EDITOR W Share your views on thought leadership and innovation by getting in touch. Q U ESTI O N S? CO M M E NTS? Jola.Chudy@itp.com JOLA CHUDY Editor in Chief The timing is right. Optimism, creative freedom and pragmatism underpin the corporate culture at Bulgari, reflected in a strong product offering for 2021. Managing director Antoine Pin tells Jola Chudy about driving a luxury business through challenging times.8 C EO M I D D L E E A S T FEBRUA RY 202 1 BUSINESS DEFENDING YOUR DATA NEWS INNOVATION MANAGEMENT LEADERSHIP WITH WIDESPREAD CYBERATTACKS, HOW DO YOU PROTECT YOUR COMPANY? SOMETIMES, THE MOST BASIC STEPS WILL IMPROVE CYBER SECURITY FOR YOUR ORGANISATION, WRITES AMIN AL ZAROUNI, CEO, SAHAB SMART SOLUTIONS Digital defence. Sahab Smart Solutions is a leading-edge company when it comes to the latest cybersecurity technology. HERE ARE GROWING INSTANCES OF cybercriminals exploiting brands of organisations worldwide to target their customers, partners, or the general public. A recent Interpol report showed an alarming increase in the rate of cyber- attacks in the four-month period from January to April 2020. Around 907,000 spam messages – which were all related T SAFEGUARDING YOUR DATA AS A BUSINESS OWNER to COVID-19 alerts, 737 incidents related to malware and 48,000 malicious URLs were detected by one of Interpol’s private sector partners. The fact that all systems connected to the internet appear vulnerable to cyberattacks is quite alarming, especially within the context of smart cities. As systems grow more complex and become more interconnected when handling more information, their exposure to vulnerabil- ities increases, whether due to malicious intent or human error. With a major focus on digital trans- formation and development of smart cities, the UAE is making rapid advance- ments in artificial intelligence (AI) and big data, in tandem with the sweeping FEBRUA RY 202 1 C EO M I D D L E E A S T 9 executives, department heads and key stakeholders aware of any potential risks as well as changes to the overall security strategy. Information and data are key ena- blers of an organisation’s daily operations and, as such, need to be protected with proper attention and care. Organisations should follow the set of standards pub- lished by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), which provide requirements, guidance, and recom- mendations for a systematic approach to protect information, in the form of an Information Security Management System (ISMS). We must create a culture of cyberse- curity that imagines worst-case scenarios and explores a range of solutions to mitigate threats to our organisation’s technology ecosystem. This should involve prioritising funding for cyberse- curity, establishing stronger cybersecurity policies and training employees in cyber- security protocols. Success will require collaboration with IT and cybersecurity staff members, department managers as well as end-user staff. Entities can ensure data security by maintaining up-to-date security policies and software, and continuously invest- ing in educating their employees. Those hosting critical data should consider hiring white or ethical hackers to identify security loopholes in their system and accordingly safeguard themselves. However, employee education is key because an organisation can take all the security measures to prevent hackers from attacking them, but their staff could prove to be the big weakness. If they are not properly educated and trained on understanding and applying safety proto- cols, they could be the asset the cyber- criminal will use to hack into systems. “AN ORGANISATION CAN TAKE ALL THE SECURITY MEASURES TO PREVENT HACKERS FROM ATTACKING THEM, BUT THEIR STAFF COULD PROVE TO BE THE BIG WEAKNESS” “COMPANIES MUST DEFINE THE RIGHT SECURITY PROCESSES AND BACK THEM UP WITH UP-TO- DATE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES” Amin Al Zarouni, CEO, Sahab Smart Solutions compromised emails and passwords are designed to steal personal information. Attackers exploit that information to break into other accounts, attempt to steal identities and so on. A very big part of any security strategy is trust. In case of a data breach, being transparent with your customers, employees and stakehold- ers will go a long way in helping rebuild your company’s reputation. By being transparent and communicative an organisation can reduce the financial impact of that incident. You also need to ensure you remain transparent with those inside your organisation as well, keeping all C-suite transformations of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The flip side to development is that data will be at risk of piracy or privacy violation. Because cybersecurity threats keep modifying and evolving constantly, companies must define the right security processes and back them up with up-to- date policies and procedures. Commit to fortifying data assets by investing in se- curity products and technologies tailored to your needs across all layers, including application, network as well as physical security, while constantly maintaining the latest patches and updating the products. Staff who perform privileged identity and access management roles must be properly educated on the importance of adhering to strict security protocols. Being lax about enabling multi-factor au- thentication on cloud provider accounts is tantamount to leaving the door open to cybercriminals. Rapid technology advancements mean that security top brass need to invest continuously in improving and monitoring their organisation’s cloud security protection layers. The func- tion can be likened to keeping a house in pristine condition – maintenance should be a constant. Identifying and respond- ing to security incidents and data leaks and managing access to cloud accounts should top the list of security concerns, especially for organisations more vulner- able to technology hacks. The most important considera- tion should be your service provider’s capabilities to build strong policies and measures and rectify bad configuration. In many cases, choosing a weak service provider based on budget concerns can be an open invitation to cybercriminals. Data breaches like the theft of 117 million LinkedIn accounts in 2012 that Next >