SEPTEMBER 2023 # 196 CEO MIDDLE EAST SEPTEMBER 2023 ISSUE #196 UAEAED 20 KSASAR 20 BAHRAINBHD 2 KUWAITKWD 2 OMANOMR 2 QATAR QAR 20 Abdallah Abu-Sheikh, CEO and co-founder of Astra Tech, reveals how his firm is becoming the WeChat of the Middle East as it hits 150 million users ULTRA FASTHONOURING GREATNESS Thursday 25 th January 2024 Dubai, United Arab Emirates Nominations are now open SALES ENQUIRIES Saraswati Agarwal Group Commercial Director Tel: +971 4 444 3352 GSM: +971 52 895 2214 E-mail: saraswati.agarwal@itp.com EVENT ENQUIRIES Daniel Fewtrell Director of Awards & Marketing Tel: +971 4 444 3684 GSM: +971 50 276 5706 E-mail: daniel.fewtrell@itp.com Scan to Nominate ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS 2024SEPTEMBER 2023 CEO MIDDLE EAST 3 CONTENTS SEPTEMBER 2023 # 196 06 EDITOR’S LETTER 10 SUSTAINABILITY The UAE is in a great position to inspire and encourage the next generation of entrepreneurs to consider sustainability a potential tour de force in brand recognition, says Mark Ackerman, Area VP for Middle East & Africa at ServiceNow 14 SUSTAINABILITY Product design is evolving to meet sustainability demands, and security enterprises have an opportunity to adjust and improve product pipelines accordingly, believes Ettiene van der Watt, Regional Director of Middle East and Africa at Axis Communications 26 WELLNESS Self-awareness is more important than ever in the era of ongoing workplace adjustments, says Dr. Lucy Wood, DClinPsyc (UK), Clinical Psychologist, The LightHouse Arabia 28 ECONOMY A robust warehousing infrastructure can be seen as an indicator of a growing and robust economy, says Ramy Jallad, CEO, Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone (RAKEZ) 26 1014 284 CEO MIDDLE EAST SEPTEMBER 2023 CONTENTS 30 ECONOMY The GCC boasts future-focused government initiatives, booming economies and giant leaps towards sustainability, believes Karl Hougaard, founder and managing partner at Trade License Zone 32 ECONOMY Gaming and esports are destined to drive substantial economic growth in KSA in the years ahead, says Turki Alfawzan, CEO of Saudi Esports Federation 34 ECONOMY The GCC needs to focus on its infrastructure backbone for economic success, writes Thomas Kuruvilla, Managing Partner at Arthur D. Little Middle East 20 30 34 32 CEO Middle East sits down with Abdallah Abu-Sheikh, CEO and co-founder of Astra Tech to explore the firm’s aspirations of becoming the WeChat of the Middle East as it hits 150 million users COVER STORYSEPTEMBER 2023 CEO MIDDLE EAST 5 CONTENTS 36 EDUCATION With K-12 schools, universities, and vocational-technical schools relying on technology more than ever due to the pandemic, the number of cyberattacks has increased substantially, according to Ziad Nasr, General Manager – Middle East at Acronis 38 TECHNOLOGY AI’s ability to streamline processes, augment creativity, and personalise experiences has been nothing short of a revelation in content creation, says Atul Hegde, Founder of YAAP 40 TECHNOLOGY The Middle East has been known for its ambitious endeavours in adopting transformative technologies, and now it is on the cusp of a monumental transportation revolution, says Naveen Joseph, co-founder of iMile 42 TECHNOLOGY The value through utilising generative AI only continues to increase, believes Sandie Overtveld, SVP of Freshworks APAC & MEA 44 COMMENT Large-language model (LLM) in its current form is a risk to any entity with legal obligations or brand ambitions, says aj El-khayat, Area VP, EMEA South at Vectra AI 46 TECHNOLOGY The importance of technology to the region’s future connectivity can’t be underestimated, says Gaurav Mohan, VP of SAARC & Middle East at NETSCOUT 48 TIMEPIECES 40 42 36 48 386CEO MIDDLE EAST SEPTEMBER 2023 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 AUGUST 2023 #195 UAE AED 20 KSA SAR 20 BAHRAIN BHD 2 KUWAIT KWD 2 OMAN OMR 2 QATAR QAR 20 Ajay Bhalla, Mastercard’s Cyber & Intelligence President, reveals the secrets to protecting the digital ecosystem DIGITAL INNOVATOR The publishers regret that they cannot accept liability for error or omissions contained in this publication, however caused. 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ITP MEDIA GROUP CEO ALIAKAWI CFO TOBY JAY SPENCER-DAVIES MANAGING DIRECTOR ALEX REEVE DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR ANIL BHOYRUL EDITORIAL MANAGING EDITOR MATTHEW AMLÔT matthew.amlot@itp.com SUB EDITOR EDWARDLIAMZON SENIOR DESIGN MANAGER GERIBATARA SONNY DESIGNER MOHAMMED IRQSOSY ADVERTISING GROUP COMMERICAL DIRECTOR SARASWATI AGARWAL +971 4 444 3352 saraswati.agarwal@itp.com SENIOR COMMERCIAL MANAGER SAMIR GLOR + 971 4 444 3320 samir.glor@itp.com SENIOR COMMERCIAL MANAGERR NEHASIKRI + 971 4 444 33553 neha.sikri@iittp.c.comm PO BOX 500024, DUBAI, UAE +971 4 4 44 3000 OFFICES IN ABU DHABI, DUBAI & LONDON EVENTS & MARKETING DIRECTOR OF AWARDS & MARKETING DANIEL FEWTRELL +971 4 444 3684 daniel.fewtrell@itp.com SENIOR MARKETING & EVENTS MANAGER ANTHONY CHANDRAN +971 4 444 3685 anthony.chandran@itp.com VIDEOGRAPHY MUHAMMAD KALEEM VIDEO EDITOR LIJU CHERUVATHUR PHOTOGRAPHY RAJESH RAGHAV PRODUCTION PRODUCTION MANAGER DENNY KOLLANNOOR PRODUCTION COORDINATOR MANOJ MAHADEVAN SENIOR IMAGE EDITOR EMMALYN ROBLES DIRTRUBUTION HEAD OF DISTRIBUTION AND NEWSTRADE ABDULRAHIM ALPARAMBIL DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR AVINASH PEREIRA CIRCULATION EXECUTIVE RAJESH PILLAI ITP LIVE GENERAL MANAGER AHMAD BASHOUR PUBLISHED BY AND © 2023 ITP MEDIA GROUP FZ-LLC. MEDIA JUNE 2023 #193 Geoffrey Alphonso, the CEO of Alef Education, shares his views on the future of digital education THE JOURNEY TO DIGITAL EDUCATION TRANSFORMATION UAE AED 20 KSA SAR 20 BAHRAIN BHD 2 KUWAIT KWD 2 OMAN OMR 2 THURSDAY 5 TH OCTOBER 2023 GROSVENOR HOUSE, DUBAI, UAE Introducing the Education Excellence Awards - honouring the teachers, leadership teams and support staff, providing world class education in Dubai. Scan to visit website For further information, please contact: DANIEL FEWTRELL Director of Events & Marketing Tel: +971 4 444 3684 Email: daniel.fewtrell@itp.com Shortlists are now announced, so book your seats today at EdExcellenceAwards.com . Our early bird rate ends on Monday 4 th September.EDITOR’S LETTER 8 CEO MIDDLE EAST SEPTEMBER 2023 Next, we turn our mind to the heartbeat of the UAE economy. The world continues to face challenges – with China’s slowdown in particular being felt around the world – but here overall indicators appear positive. On page 28, we embark on an exploration of the often overlooked yet immensely impactful role of warehousing in the UAE’s economy. Unveiling the intricate connections and the hidden influence of this sector, we shed light on a key player driving growth in the region. Meanwhile, on page 30, our gaze widens to encompass the Gulf’s overall economic landscape. Our dedicated section provides a comprehensive overview, capturing the essence of the economic trends, opportunities, and challenges that shape the region. This is your window into the collective progress and potential of the Gulf nations. While broad perspectives are essential, we also understand the power of zooming in to grasp the nuances of success stories. Hence, on page 32, we immerse ourselves in the dynamic realm of Saudi esports. Turki Alfawzan, CEO of the Saudi Esports Federation, takes us through the economic dimensions of this burgeoning industry. The intertwining of entertainment, technology, and entrepreneurship paints a vivid picture of the economic prowess that esports now wields. On page 38, we delve into the remarkable rise of intelligent creativity and AI’s impact on the content industry. The fusion of human ingenuity and machine learning is reshaping how content is generated, consumed, and cherished. Join us as we uncover the ways in which AI is revolutionising the creative landscape, unlocking new possibilities that were once confined to the realm of imagination. Finally, from page 46 we explore the world of network slicing and the evolving landscape of private 5G networks in the GCC. As industries embrace the transformative potential of 5G, the concept of network slicing emerges as a game- changer, enabling tailored connectivity solutions. Join us as we unpack the implications of this technology on industries, innovation, and the broader digital transformation journey of the Gulf Cooperation Council. With that 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-in Chief @MatthewAmlot THE BUSINESS OF RISK H ello and welcome to the September issue of CEO Middle East. This month we continue our lean on the technology ecosystem, featuring one such success story from the region on the cover. Abdallah Abu-Sheikh, founder of Astra Tech, a homegrown UAE company, has been at the forefront of the Middle East’s digital ecosystem, innovating new technology for and from the region. In our conversation, Abu-Sheikh revealed his plans to dramatically expand Astra Tech’s reach into an ‘Ultra-app,’ in addition to his aspirations of becoming the WeChat of the Middle East. Given the fact that his firm recently hit 150 million users, this possibility seems on the horizon. I encourage you to turn to page 20 for the full story.Next >