Riyadh:  As preparations gear up for the virtual edition of the IDC Saudi Arabia CIO Summit 2021 on Wednesday (September 15), International Data Corporation (IDC) is delighted to formally reveal the lineup of this year's Saudi Arabia CIO Advisory Council. The Council is an independent industry body tasked with spurring collaboration, incubating innovation, and accelerating the proliferation of new technology trends across the Kingdom.

The CIO Advisory Council provides strategic direction in terms of research coverage, assisting IDC in its quest to supply the Kingdom's ICT professionals with a trusted, neutral, and secure source of information, advocacy, and resources for enhancing their organizations' processes. Its members for 2021 include the following esteemed leaders, whose influence on the Saudi Arabia's ICT environment extends far beyond the pioneering organizations they represent:

  • Mishari Almishari, Deputy Director of the National Information Center (NIC) and CEO of the Strategy Management Office, Saudi Data & Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA)
  • Haithem Al Faraj, Senior Vice President of Technology and Operations, STC
  • Ghada Albugami, CIO and President's Advisor for Digital Transformation, Princess Nourah Bint Abdul Rahman University
  • Saleh Saleh, CIO and Executive Vice President of the IT Shared Services Group, Saudi National Bank
  • Abulaziz Al Afaleg, Managing Director, Saudi Payments
  • Jason Roos, CIO, King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST)
  • Ibrahim Almoqbil, Chief Support Services Officer, General Entertainment Authority

"The IDC Saudi Arabia CIO Summit 2021 will provide an ideal platform for advising the Kingdom's businesses and government organizations on enabling competitive business models and exploiting opportunities for growth and sustainability by leveraging the power of disruptive technologies," says Hamza Naqshbandi, IDC’s associate vice president for Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. "The Saudi government has been steadily increasing its focus on digital transformation in recent years, and this focus is expected to intensify as the Kingdom accelerates its drive to attract new investors, bridge the digital divide, and further enhance citizen satisfaction and trust whilst meeting the needs of rapidly changing demographics."

The event will combine presentations, panel discussions, real-life use cases, and individual technology tracks to drive an in-depth exploration of the very latest technological innovations. It will also feature exclusive insights from Dr. Mishari Almishari, CEO of the SDAIA's Strategy Management Office and deputy director of the National Information Center, as he presents the Summit's keynote speech. "The SDAIA seeks to establish Saudi Arabia as a global center that turns the best of data and AI into reality," says Dr. Almishari. "We aim to achieve this by developing an innovative national infrastructure, unlocking the potential power of data using AI technologies, and building a national system that stimulates emerging companies in the field."

Delegates will also be able to hear from Mohamad Ibrahim Almogherah, deputy CIO at the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, as he discusses the latest developments in the Ministry's own digital transformation journey. "The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development is steadily progressing towards its digital transformation goals to create a new and enhanced customer experience," says Almogherah. "We are continuously adapting new business modules to simplify and improve processes across the Ministry’s divisions, and we are drawing on our capabilities and the support of our strategic partners to reach our goal of digitizing 100% of our services in the near future. We look forward to another successful edition of the IDC Saudi Arabia CIO Summit, which has become a proven platform for connecting public- and private-sector organizations in the Kingdom."

IDC is honored to have a wide range of partners on board for the IDC Saudi Arabia CIO Summit 2021, including: the Saudi Data & Artificial Authority (SDAIA) as Strategic Partner; the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (HRSD) as Government Partner; VMware, Red Hat, Salesforce + Tableau, Oracle, and Avaya as Summit Partners; IBM, Blue Prism, Fortinet, Trend Micro, Nintex, Cisco, NetApp / MDS, Dell Technologies, and IST Networks / Automation Anywhere as Platinum Partners; Zoho Corporation, MicroStrategy, Incorta, Darktrace, Veeam, FireEye / Mandiant, BlackBerry, Nozomi Networks, DigiCert, Rackspace / Google Cloud, and Commvault as Technology Focus Group Partners; Lenovo / Microsoft / Intel, VMware, and T2 as Dinner Partners; and Zoom as Exhibit Partner and International Business Magazine as Media Partner 

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About IDC

International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. With more than 1,100 analysts worldwide, IDC offers global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries. IDC's analysis and insight helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based technology decisions and to achieve their key business objectives. Founded in 1964, IDC is a subsidiary of IDG, the world's leading technology media, research, and events company. To learn more about IDC, please visit www.idc.com. Follow IDC on Twitter at @IDC. 

IDC in the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa

For the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa region, IDC retains a coordinated network of offices in Riyadh, Nairobi, Lagos, Johannesburg, Cairo, and Istanbul, with a regional center in Dubai. Our coverage couples local insight with an international perspective to provide a comprehensive understanding of markets in these dynamic regions. Our market intelligence services are unparalleled in depth, consistency, scope, and accuracy. IDC Middle East, Africa, and Turkey currently fields over 130 analysts, consultants, and conference associates across the region. To learn more about IDC MEA, please visit www.idc.com/mea . You can follow IDC MEA on Twitter at @IDCMEA.

For More Information:
Abdullah Inayat
W7Worldwide Marketing Communications Consultancy Agency
Media Relations Director
a.inayat@w7worldwide.com 

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