MAY 2022 # 180 UAE AED 20 KSA SAR 20 BAHRAIN BHD 2 KUWAIT KWD 2 OMAN OMR 2 PREPARING FOR THE NEXT PARADIGM SHIFT Dr. Ray O. Johnson, CEO, TII on how the UAE is ready for the technology revolutionMAY 2022 CEO MIDDLE EAST 3 CONTENTS MAY 2022 # 180 6 EDITOR’S LETTER 8 COMMENT In Expo 2020, Dubai has created a legacy that will be truly indelible, says Swathi Sri, Head of Territory – India, Middle East and Africa at Invest Northern Ireland 10 COMMENT Dubai needs to transform into a fully transparent regime for it to compete on the global stage, says Nadine Azzam, Head of MENA, Vantage 12 OUTLOOK Maurice Gravier, CIO at Emirates NBD explains why investors need to start putting their cash to work 14 OUTLOOK Ahmad bin Fahad, CEO of DUBAL Holding, speaks with CEO Middle East on what the future holds for the UAE’s plan to reach net zero 16 OUTLOOK As investors turn to sustainable solutions, the potential for Shariah- compliant products is positive, says Zainab Kufaishi, Head of Middle East and Africa, Invesco 14 1012 84 CEOMIDDLE EASTMAY 2022 CONTENTS 18 LEADERSHIP How empowerment and accountability fits in with people first leadership 24 LEADERSHIP Leadership is an honour, but the responsibility of leading a team is paved with pitfalls and risk 26 WELLBEING Mental stability is key for decision- makers, says Nadine Karadag, co-founder and COO of Valeo Wellbeing 28 WELLBEING Wellness is here to stay, says Mary Zalla, Global President Consumer Brands, Landor & Fitch 20 18 24 26 28 Dr. Ray O. Johnson, CEO of global research centre the Technology Innovation Institute (TII) in Abu Dhabi, speaks to CEO Middle East about how the UAE is preparing to take advantage of the next great leap forwards in technology COVER STORY: CONTENTS 30 RETAIL Kapil Sethi, group deputy CEO at GMG explains how brand presence and reducing customer friction will be key to the future of retail 34 TECHNOLOGY The future of government in the Middle East depends on the transformative power of the Ministry of the Future 36 TECHNOLOGY Emmanuel Fromont, President of Acer EMEA and Corporate Vice President of Acer Inc. sat down with CEO Middle East to discuss the strategies for successfully navigating a crisis 40 REAL ESTATE The argument for "safe haven real estate, with Matein Khalid, adjunct professor at the American University of Sharjah 42 HOSPITALITY Web3 will force the hospitality industry to evolve or be left behind 44 LIFESTYLE Reasons to be grateful at Garden Artisan Brunch at Address Boulevard 46 LIFESTYLE Swedish athleisure brand J.Lindeberg's fashionable entrance to the UAE 50 FINAL THOUGHTS Asslan Salloum, unified communications and collaboration sales lead, Middle East, Africa and Turkey, Avaya, explains how working policies need to fundamentally change 40 42 30 46 36 MAY 2022 CEO MIDDLE EAST 5EDITOR’S LETTER 6 CEO MIDDLE EAST MAY 2022 H ello and welcome to the April edition of CEO Middle East. I was reminded earlier this month of the unnatural and strange time that lockdown was. For the first time in my career I was having to conduct all forms of work through a digital framework. While some of this proved little challenge, it’s fair to say that working from home for a period of months on end has fundamentally altered my perception of the work-life balance. While initially, as with many, I found working from home to be a bonus – suddenly I didn’t have to face the dreaded commute on Dubai’s busy rush hour roads – as time went on the lines between my professional life and personal life continued to blur. In combination with the isolation of lockdown, the importance of wellbeing and positive leadership in the workplace became clear. I’m far from alone in this. Mental wellbeing and work-life balance have increasingly become important topics of conversation for both CEO Middle East and its sister publication Arabian Business . In this issue we touch on how mental health can help improve and drive entrepreneurism (page 26), the fact that the wellbeing movement is here to stay (page 28), and how leaders can look to take employees new requirements into account (pages 18 and 24). This is a subject that I am keen to examine further in the future and look forward to how the discussion evolves. Of course, the other big theme of working from home was the reliance on digital technology that become necessary to conduct businesses, relax, and communicate. Experts and leaders I’ve spoken to tend to suggest that the pandemic merely accelerated trends that were already taking place. However, while trends may have already been pointing to digitalisation, what the future holds still broadly remains a mystery. Helping CEO Middle East demystify the future this month, I’m delighted to say that we have featured Dr. Ray O Johnson, the CEO of Abu Dhabi-based global research centre the Technology Innovation Institute (TII) on the front cover. The interview, which begins on page 20, goes into depth on how the UAE is standing ready to take advantage of the next leap forward in technological innovation. I also recommend you check out our interview with Emmanuel Fromont, President of Acer EMEA and Corporate Vice President of Acer Inc, starting on page 36, for a viewpoint on how the technology players themselves are responding to changing customer demands. On that note, I’ll let you get to reading. Until next time. Share your views on thought leadership and innovation by getting in touch: matthew.amlot@itp.com QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? MATTHEW AMLÔT Editor @MatthewAmlot WELLBEING IN REFLECTION The way employees and employers has been irrevocably altered by pandemic, leaders need to listen MAY 2022CEO MIDDLE EAST 7 To receive your copy delivered directly to your door, subscribe online at www.itp.com/subscriptions The most important business people and CEOs talk to the most important magazine APRIL 2022 # 179 UAE AED 20 KSA SAR 20 BAHRAIN BHD 2 KUWAIT KWD 2 OMAN OMR 2 ENERGISING THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION Yahia Alhami, CEO of Tahaluf, discusses the UAE’s role in leading the business world’s move to technology MARCH 2022 # 178 UAE AED 20 KSA SAR 20 BAHRAIN BHD 2 KUWAIT KWD 2 OMAN OMR 2 EMPOWERING FUTURE GROWTH Olayan M. Alwetaid, CEO of Saudi telecom powerhouse stc is driving the kingdom’s meteoric rise 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. 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MEDIA8 CEO MIDDLE EAST MAY 2022 Across 182 days, over 20 million people, from all four corners of the globe, explored and discovered 192 cultures and traditions. In Expo 2020, Dubai has created a legacy that will be truly indelible, writes Swathi Sri, Head of Territory – India, Middle East and Africa at Invest Northern Ireland EXPO 2020 HAS LEFT BEHIND A LONG- TERM LEGACY OF COLLABORATION E COMMENT Celebration. Expo 2020 Dubai celebrated the cultures of countries from all over the world xpo 2020 may have come to an end. But its legacy will live with us for a long time. I am not just talking about the future of the Expo 2020 site, District 2020, evolving the area into a smart and sustainable city. I am not just talking about the incredible impact that it has had on the UAE, driving world-leading speakers to the nation to exchange knowledge and learnings with leading Emirati talent. I am talking about its long-term legacy in enabling global collaboration among world-leading figures from across industries, from music, to technology, to food security, to sustainability, and more. Take Northern Ireland’s experience at Expo 2020. Across the six months, we have had the pleasure of welcoming some of Northern Ireland’s most pre- eminent minds to see how innovation and expertise from Northern Ireland can benefit global communities, and vice versa. As a part of the United Kingdom’s platform, we showcased all that we have to offer the world, and at the same time, learning from what the world can offer us. As Northern Ireland, we were able to contribute across a prestigious range of high-level discussion panels across diverse sectors. For instance, we were delighted to welcome world-renowned expert in food security, Professor Chris Elliot from the School of Biological Sciences at Queen’s University Belfast and the Director of the Institute for Global Food Safety. Chris highlighted the significance of food integrity across the food system, demonstrating the need for our cuisine to be safe, nutritious, and sustainable all at the same time. Deva Senevirathne, shared her jour- ney of starting up AI healthcare com- pany, Sonrai Analytics, while studying for her PhD in Northern Ireland. Deva spoke on how one can develop entre-MAY 2022 CEO MIDDLE EAST 9 COMMENT preneurial skills, the importance of being willing to fail, and the key role that universities play in helping inspire the entrepreneurs of tomorrow. Additionally, Jim McLaughlin from the University of Ulster gave insights on the miniaturisation of medical machines. Technology, which just a few years ago seemed to be in the realms of science fiction, is creating new treat- ments and diagnoses. Jim discussed how the smallest kinds of nanotechnol- ogy are set to have a massive impact on the healthcare sciences. That’s just a small sample of speakers from Northern Ireland who spoke across Expo 2020, each bring- ing rich, rousing, and thought-pro- voking discussions to an incredible global community. The learning opportunities pre- sented during Expo 2020 were im- mense. Students from across the globe benefitted from the immense variety of topics discussed throughout the six months period. The opportunities for knowledge exchange between students in the UAE and from across the globe were extensive. During Expo 2020, two students from Northern Ireland were able to travel to Dubai to test their debat- ing skills and learn from others from around the world. That impact, extrapolated across thousands of stu- dents who came to the UAE, will leave a resounding footprint. And that does not include the phe- nomenal cultural impact of this mega event. Hundreds of artists brought their international creative traditions into Dubai. From Northern Ireland, we were proud to partner with Lowden Guitars, who construct handmade acoustic guitars used by musicians including Ed Sheeran. In fact, Ed loves their guitars so much that he and Lowden have worked together to produce the Sheeran by Lowden range of guitars. Lowden Guitars launched the ‘Take the Stage’ competition, in which un- signed UK artists and bands competed to perform on Expo 2020’s main stage. Two artists from Northern Ireland, Conor Marcus and Nicha, both ap- peared at Expo 2020 during UK Day in February, having won the competition. Being able to share our own nation- al culture, and celebrate the cultures of others, was a core element of Expo 2020, and will be a core part of its leg- acy. I felt that during Northern Ireland day, held on 16th February. We took over the UK Pavilion at Expo 2020 and were proud to showcase to global audi- ences the heritage, the innovation, the warmth, and the culture that pulsates at the very heart of Northern Ireland. We celebrated leading figures from Northern Ireland, including George Best, Sir James Galway, and recent Oscar winner Sir Kenneth Branagh. We also highlighted the innovations that Northern Ireland has produced, from splitting the atom, to the modern tractor, to the Kelvin scale – and even the penalty kick. We drew together the diaspora of Northern Ireland in Dubai, holding business panels throughout the day and an evening celebration at the UK pavilion. For me, Northern Ireland day summed up the magic that Expo 2020 managed to capture. We were able to showcase to visitors from every corner of the globe what Northern Ireland was proud about. The thriving culture that makes Northern Ireland tick. How cutting-edge innovation is charting Northern Ireland’s course for the future. And that was just one day. Across 182 days, over 20 million people, from all four corners of the compass, explored and discovered 192 cultures and traditions. In Expo 2020, Dubai has created a legacy that will be truly indelible. Collaboration. Expo 2020 Dubai brought the world together 23 MILLION The total number of visitors to Expo 2020 Dubai during its 182 day tenureNext >