
Middle East CIO Community
Executive Summit
28 November 2023 | Fairmont Riyadh
28 November 2023
Fairmont Riyadh
Collaborate with your peers
Get together with Middle East's top CIOs to tackle shared business challenges and critical priorities facing your role today. Participate in this one-day, local program with peer-driven topics and interactive discussions with your true C-level peers.
Join your peers to discuss the most critical issues impacting CIOs today:
Understanding CIO & CISO’s Role to Communicate Cyber Risk and Maintain Business Resiliency
Converging IT & Digital Transformation to Increase Operational Efficiencies & Deliver Value
Distilling key Pillars of Leadership, Education and Culture to Ensure a Robust, Secure IT Ecosystem
Middle East CIO Governing Body
The Governing Body Co-Chairs shape the summit agenda, ensuring that all content is driven By CIOs, For CIOs®.
Governing Body Co-Chairs

Saud Al Dhawyani
Emirates NBD
CTO

Hamad Al-Qayed
Qatar Energy
CIO

Khalid AlMutairi
Maaden
CIO

Sabri Albreiki
Etisalat
Group CIO & CTO

Mohammed Chaara
Abdul Latif Jameel
Group Chief Information and Digital Officer

Carlo Nizam
Emirates Global Aluminum
Chief Digital Officer
What to Expect
Agenda
08:00 - 09:15 Registration & Breakfast
09:15 - 10:00 Keynote
The Three Magic Ingredients of Transformation

Mary Mesaglio
Distinguished VP Analyst
Gartner
"I am not interested in transformation," said no CEO ever. Everyone is transforming, and so they should be. The problem is that transformations can feel like pushing water uphill, with leaders exhorting their people to change and despairing that they ever will. So, what is missing? Three ingredients, which Ms. Mesaglio will highlight in this keynote session.
10:00 - 10:15 Break
10:15 - 11:00 Breakout Session
Unifying IT Ecosystems to Accelerate Decision-Making

Taha Tkito
CIO
Americana Foods
Streamlining multiple ERPs into a single system is no easy feat, especially when under tight time constraints. It requires integrating complex infrastructure networks, migrating legacy technology, and maintaining existing systems. Where do you start when all these projects require buy-in from different stakeholders? Join Taha Tkito, CIO, Americana Foods as he shares his team's journey to unify IT infrastructure across the group and enhance the decision-making process.
In this session, you’ll be guided through the process of:
- Igniting a digital transformation having both high demand and scepticism
- Navigating the early critical decisions that paves the road to success
- Leveraging pilots to fail-fast, learn-fast and deliver when/where it matters most
- Executing a strategy that balances ecosystem renewal with system phase-out
11:00 - 12:00 Networking Break
11:10 - 11:30 Peer-to-Peer Meetings
Peer-to-Peer Meetings
Connect with like-minded peers in a one-on-one setting through Evanta’s Peer-to-Peer Meetings. You will be matched with peers in your community based on your shared interests and priorities.
12:00 - 12:45 Breakout Session
Thinking Outside the Box — Discussing Disruptive Ideas to Talent Shortages

Hazim Al Ahmadi
IT Executive Director
Savola Group

Sultan Moraished
CISO
The Red Sea Development Company
Cyber & IT wages are inflating at a fast rate, and new employees are being recruited elsewhere days before they start their new roles. Recruitment and retention require out-of-the-box thinking to stay ahead of the competition. In this interactive session, CISOs and CIOs will come together to discuss lessons learnt and strategies to apply in the months to come. You will brainstorm:
- Understanding what makes your employees happy and strategies to combat staff turnover
- Fostering a culture which nurtures and rewards existing talent
- Rethinking your job requirements to diversify the entry point for the IT and security professions
12:00 - 12:45 Executive Boardroom
Leverage Collaboration to Demonstrate IT’s Business Value

Joe Malek
Vice President, Executive Programs, Emerging Markets
Gartner

Hany Almansour
GM Information Technology
Saudi General Authority of Foreign Trade

Mohammed Sater
VP of Information Technology
Bapco Energies
The CIO has become the catalyst for digital business and plays a key role in driving the enterprise forward. IT leaders must influence business partnerships to demonstrate IT’s value to increase investment and resources.
Join this boardroom to discuss how to:
- Shift the IT mindset to quantify business value and devise methods to measure success
- Leverage data as a stepping stone to illustrate IT’s value to the wider organisation
- Communicate to the board to achieve leadership buy-in
Apply to Participate
Apply to participate in the Middle East CIO Community Executive Summit.
Gartner facilitates exclusive, C-level communities by personally qualifying and understanding the priorities, challenges and interests of each member.
Our selective approach maintains the high quality of the network and ensures top-level discussions with peers from the world’s leading organizations.
Each application will be reviewed, and once your participation is confirmed, you will have access to year-round community programs.
Location
Community Programme Managers
For inquiries related to this community, please reach out to your dedicated contacts.