22 May 2014
SUGMENA Launches C-Level Council to Spur Strategic Industry Collaboration

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Top business from across the UAE are set to demonstrate the benefits of cloud computing and tech-driven innovations at the upcoming SAP Forum and SUGMENA Conference.

At the event, held on 28 May 2014 under the theme of "Innovate Your Future - With the Cloud", industry experts from SAP, as well as its partners and customers, will demonstrate how businesses can leverage the cloud and other breakthrough technologies such as mobile and real-time big data analytics to shift their focus from managing the IT landscape to growing their business and enhancing ROI.

"As the UAE continues to support its knowledge-based economy and entrepreneurs, and as its population drives strong mobile device adoption, enterprises of all sizes are looking to the latest innovations to unlock real-time predictive business insights and true ROI," said Majed Al Mutairi, President, SUGMENA.

SUGMENA to Launch Region's First C-Level Council
The SAP User Group - Middle East and North Africa (SUGMENA), is an independent non-profit organization and networking platform comprised of all companies using SAP in the MENA region. SUGMENA is one of 16 members of the SAP User Group - Executive Network (SUGEN), a networking platform that takes SAP's influence to the global level.

SUGMENA will launch the UAE's first meeting of the C-Level Council, which facilitates networking exclusively among SUGMENA executive members. SUGMENA will also launch the UAE's first MENA region Local Special Interest Group, (Local SIG). This is a forum for customers and SAP to meet, align, collaborate, plan, and define priorities. Customers will receive advance information about local products releases' recent updates, participate in products innovation, and share thoughts and feedback.
"Our C-Level Council and Special Interest Group welcome the region's senior executives to exchange ideas and benefit from a network addressing SAP's latest innovations, while also enhancing our membership knowledge sharing, and supporting the next generation of leaders and their business expansion." said William Khalil, Influence and Liaison Director, SUGMENA.

SAP Forum Leads with Innovation Vision
The SAP Forum and SUGMENA Conference features keynote addresses from a line-up of prominent SAP executives, including Sam Alkharrat, Managing Director, SAP MENA .

In addition, Accenture, the event's Diamond Partner, will also present a keynote address.

Engaging breakout sessions feature Deniz Kilyar, Head of Line of Business and Cloud, SAP MENA, Paul Devlin, Digital, Data, and Analytics, Accenture France, SAP MENA, and prominent SAP customers Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group LLC, Etihad Rail, and Schneider Electric, presenting on topics such as integrated enterprise architecture for rail, data quality, information governance, business intelligence, stock reservation, and predictive analytics.

The SAP Forum and SUGMENA Conference will run at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre on 28 May 2014 from 8:30 am - 5 pm. For more information, visit http://events.sap.com/ae/forum-sugmena-uae/.

- Ends-

About SAP
As market leader in enterprise application software, SAP (NYSE: SAP) helps companies of all sizes and industries run better. From back office to boardroom, warehouse to storefront, desktop to mobile device - SAP empowers people and organizations to work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively to stay ahead of the competition. SAP applications and services enable more than 258,000 customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and grow sustainably. For more information, visit www.sap.com

About SUGMENA
The SAP User Group-Middle East & North Africa (SUG-MENA) is an independent 'not for profit' organization. Founded in 1994 we continue to grow our membership base and build momentum to foster knowledge sharing. It was set up with a vision to exchange experiences, knowledge, best practices and industry expertise among peers. SUG MENA is a networking platform to increase communication between various users and SAP, to provide a collective view on local and regional specific needs.

As a member of SUGEN (SAP User Group Executive Network), a body consisting of 16 international user groups, we also share the concerns of our members and influence SAP at a global level.

For more information, visit www.sugmena.com/
Follow SAP on Twitter:
@SAPMENA
@SAPMENANews

Media contacts
Husain Al Tamimi, SAP +971 56 6811641, husain.tamimi@sap.com
Claire McPeak, SAP, +971 4 330 1777, c.mcpeak@sap.com
Neil Jaques, Wallis Marketing Consultants, +971 4390 1950, sap@wallis-mc.com

© Press Release 2014