Harish Dunakhe leads IDC’s research & advisory practice for the software program in the Middle East, Africa, and Turkey (META) region.
He is responsible for a team of research analysts and manages the delivery of insights in IDC’s software program and syndicated research. Harish and his team have expertise in studying technology trends to provide our clients with thought leadership and actionable insights. He is based in Dubai.

Harish has a strong understanding of leveraging technologies to solve business problems in the public sector, travel & transportation, hospitality, IT, and retail. He has significant knowledge of emerging technologies such as blockchain, RPA, artificial intelligence, and cloud. He works with clients to understand the intricacies, opportunities, and challenges involved in their technology transformation journeys.

Harish brings more than 17 years of experience working with leading system integrators and other technology companies across the Middle East, South Asia, and India. Prior to joining IDC, he held senior roles spanning technology sales strategy, program governance, and large account business planning at Global MNCs such as Wipro, DXC Technology, and Sonata Software.

Mohamad Yassine is the Cross Technology Leader for IBM across the Gulf, Levant, and Pakistan, responsible for leading strategic technology engagements and driving large-scale digital transformation across key industries, including financial services.
With more than 21 years of experience in the Middle East and Africa, he has led major initiatives in industry modernization, AI adoption, and enterprise innovation. Yassine has held senior leadership roles at Oracle, SAP, SAS Institute, and Microsoft, where he worked closely with governments and enterprises to turn emerging technologies into measurable business and economic impact.

He specializes in aligning business strategy with AI, cloud, and data platforms, with a strong focus on scalability, governance, and long-term value. Yassine is recognized for building digital ecosystems that enable innovation, resilience, and sustainability. His expertise spans AI governance, data sovereignty, and complex transformation programs. Yassine holds a Global Executive MBA from IE Business School in Madrid and a degree in Computer Engineering from the Lebanese American University.

Liaquat Parkar is an Executive Partner at IBM Consulting and a highly experienced technology and strategy leader. He specializes in driving end-to-end transformations across retail banking, corporate banking, and payments. Partnering directly with C-Level executives, he has successfully led and delivered high-impact projects for premier Middle Eastern banks. A Computer Science graduate from Imperial College London, his expertise spans cloud, data, and AI solutions to drive banking innovation.

Junaid is a Brand Technical Specialist at IBM with nearly 20 years of IT experience, helping organizations achieve real‑time financial transparency and unlock smarter, more efficient cloud operations. Throughout his career, Junaid has supported clients across diverse industries including financial institutions by delivering strategic guidance, technical expertise, and trusted advisory leadership. Junaid brings to table a combination of technical insight and practical strategy, guiding financial institutions to optimize spend and turn complexity into clear, measurable results.

Anand Bhuptani is the IBM Apptio Sales Lead for the Middle East and former Head of Technology Finance at First Abu Dhabi Bank. He works with banks and large enterprises across the region to improve technology cost transparency, cloud financial management, AI cost visibility and infrastructure optimization.