Registration & Tea/Coffee

Welcome Note

CIO Strategies for Thriving in the Agentic AI Era

This session will explore the latest advancements and shifts in the field of information technology, highlighting how these innovations are reshaping industries in everyday life. The session will provide a comprehensive overview of how businesses and individuals can leverage technology to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Speaker

Ranjit Rajan

Vice President, Research (META), IDC

Navigating Complexity: Simplifying the Tech Buying Process

This session aims to empower decision-makers with actionable insights for navigating the complexities of tech purchasing effectively.

Fred Le Saux

Senior Manager – Solution Engineering, BMC

Ibrahim Ahmad

Vice President, FDS

Fireside Chat – Digital Transformation at Scale: Reinventing Real Estate

How DAMAC is leveraging AI to reimagine design, operations, and customer engagement.

Maged Wassim

General Manager, Cognizant Middle East

Sinanudin Omerhodzic

Group Chief Information, Digital and Transformation Officer, DAMAC

Empowering Growth Through Collaboration and Innovation

Demonstrate excellence in cloud ERP solutions through strategic collaboration.

Chris Erasmus

Country General Manager, AWS UAE & RoMENA

Marwan Zeineddine

Managing Director, Middle East South, SAP

Q&A (Ask Questions & Stand a Chance to Win a Raffle)

Will AI Replace Us — or Multiply Our Impact?

AI is no longer a concept of the future — it’s here, reshaping how we work, create, and lead. But the real question isn’t whether AI will replace us — it’s how we can use it to amplify our capabilities. In this keynote, Ali El Kontar, CEO of Zero&One, explores the evolving role of leaders and organizations in an AI-augmented world.

Ali El Kontar

Founder and CEO, Zero&One

Tea/ Coffee & Networking Break

Panel Discussion: Unlocking Business Value: CIO Perspectives on AI Success

In this panel, CIOs discuss why organizations struggle to demonstrate AI’s business value, ways to improve business outcomes and RoI, and the importance of measuring both direct and indirect benefits. The panel explores aligning AI with business goals, robust measurement frameworks, and strategies to maximize tangible and intangible gains from AI investments.

Ranjit Rajan

Vice President, Research (META), IDC

Awad El Siddig

Head of Artificial Intelligence & Data Science, ADNOC Distribution

Dr. David Millan

Chief Data & AI Officer, Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi

Amina Abdulrahim

Executive Director of ICT and IT Security, American University of Sharjah (AUS) (UAE)

Kevin Neogy

Group Head of Digital Transformation, AI & Robotics, The Kanoo Group

Vladimir Arshinov

Group Chief Technology Officer, EMSTEEL

End User Panel Discussion: Leading the Charge: CIO Strategies for the Agentic AI Era

Synopsis: In this panel CIOs explore how AI agents will disrupt business and organizational models, accelerate automation, and transform applications into agents. The discussion covers technology architecture changes, data and infrastructure needs, and the rising importance of AI governance. Panelists share strategies CIOs should adopt to prepare for the agentic AI era.

Ranjit Rajan

Vice President, Research (META), IDC

Aditya Kaushik

Chief Information Officer, ZMI Holdings

Latifa Al Shehhi

Director of Investment Data Department and Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer (CAIO), Ministry of Investment (UAE)

Mohamed Sadawy

Group Chief Information Officer, Bukhatir Group

Dr. Fayid Kadambodan

Assistant IT Director–Enterprise Solutions, Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority

Jaleel Rahiman

IT Director, PRIME Health

CIO Excellence Awards, UAE- Winners Announcement

Mega Raffle

Stand a chance to be one of five lucky winners of exclusive Montblanc prizes!

Lunch, Networking & Close