The World CIO 200 Summit KSA edition concluded with remarkable success, gathering some of the industry’s most influential leaders and experts for a day of insightful discussions and networking.
The event began with a welcome keynote by Jeevan Thankappan, Managing Editor of GEC Media Group, followed by the Country Inaugural Keynote delivered by Eng. Mohammed Mahnashi, Founding Board Member of CaaS. These opening addresses set the tone for a day focused on innovation, leadership, and transformative digital strategies.
Anas Haj Kasem, Director of Growth Advisory in ICT Practice at Frost & Sullivan, presented on “Innovate to Elevate: Transformative Digital Strategies for the Next-Gen CIO,” highlighting the importance of innovation in the digital age. Ali El Kontar, CEO of Zero&One, followed with an inspiring talk on “The Three Commitments of Exceptional Leaders.”
A notable panel discussion moderated by Adnan Rafique Ahmed, Business Continuity Lead at Maaden, focused on creating a unified vision and the importance of aligning diverse stakeholders around a shared vision for transformation. The panel featured Eng. Abdulaziz AlOraij, CTO at KABI, Hatem Fatallah, Risk Management Manager at a leading investment organization, and Dr. Ahmed Balkhair, Co-Chair and Advisory Board Lead at ZIMAM.
The event also featured a Vendor Keynote by Salah Aldin Farhan, Territory Sales Manager at BARCO, and a panel discussion on “Gen AI – Use Cases, Infrastructure Readiness, and Adaptability” moderated by Ayub Aldakael, Director of Risk & Compliance Management in the Government Sector. Panelists included Dr. Mustafa Qurban, IT Consultant at King Fahd Military Medical Complex, Awais Ahmad, IT & PMO Director at e& enterprise, Nezar Alturki, CIO at the Ministry of National Guards in Saudi Arabia, and Ayman AlJabrti, Sr. Account Manager at EBTTIKAR.
Post-lunch sessions included Mark Kelly, Business Development Manager at Resecurity, discussing modern intelligence to eliminate threats, followed by Imran Abdulla, GM of Middle East and Africa at Orbus Software, who spoke about accelerating enterprise transformation with practical AI.
The event concluded with a series of success stories presented by a CIO panel moderated by Shejab El Najjar, Chief Operations Officer at CODE IT. The panel included Hazem Jarrar, CTO at King Faisal Foundation, Dr. Sulaiman Alturki, CEO of Jawraa, Wissam Al Adany, Group CIO at ADES Holding, and Asim Badhuralam Syed, IT Director at Sanabel Al Salam Food Manufacturing Company. Abdul Rehman, Regional Sales Director at SolarWinds, wrapped up the event with a presentation on AIOps.
