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.

Shakeel leads specialized solution sales for Technology Workflows at ServiceNow. Helping our Saudi clients & partners to continually drive business agility through autonomus technologies across the enterprise value stream by aligning Strategic Portfolio to Delivery Roadmaps, employing Self-healing Operations and assuring Asset Lifecycle Optimization & Compliance – enabled by Agentic capabilities for maximum value and throughput.

As a highly accomplished Business Transformation Leader and Strategist with over 25 year’s experience in the Software industry, Shakeel has worked in multi-national orgs including Splunk, BMC, Siemens, Sita and Olivetti in an array of industries – cross-borders – in both business and technical senior roles.

Tolga serves as Field CTO for ServiceNow across the Middle East and Africa, partnering directly with C-level leaders to translate AI and platform strategy into measurable business outcomes, elevating strategic thinking and driving innovation at the enterprise level. With over a decade at ServiceNow, he brings a rare combination of depth and breadth across some of the world’s largest organizations.

Before this role, Tolga led ServiceNow’s Enterprise Architecture function across EMEA, shaping platform strategy at scale and building a practice that influenced how hundreds of enterprises approach digital transformation.

What sets Tolga apart is a perspective forged on both sides of the table: prior to joining ServiceNow, he worked as the lead architect on the customer side, leading global-scale ServiceNow implementations firsthand, bringing both the rigor of architecture and the pragmatism of someone who has lived these challenges personally.

Tom Gamali is a seasoned Technology Executive and cybersecurity leader with over 20 years of experience driving strategic security and technology initiatives across Europe and the Middle East. He has served as Group CISO for several leading banks and major conglomerates, and has been a member of board risk committees for financial institutions, advising on cyber risk and digital resilience.

Tom is currently Field CTO and Strategic Advisor at Splunk and has also served on the EMEA Advisory Council for (ISC)², contributing to the advancement of cybersecurity leadership and professional standards across the region.

Quentin is a cybersecurity and compliance advisor with over 15 years of experience helping organizations across the Middle East, Africa, and Europe securely adopt cloud technologies.

At Google Cloud, he advises regulated entities—including financial institutions, telecoms, and government agencies—on designing and implementing secure, compliant, and scalable cloud environments. His focus spans data sovereignty, AI governance, and regulatory alignment with frameworks such as SAMA, NCA, GDPR, ISO 27001, and the UAE Federal frameworks.

His background blends technical depth (cloud security architecture, threat modeling, IAM, data loss prevention) with regulatory advisory, enabling me to act as a bridge between CISOs, legal teams, and cloud architects.

He has contributed to regional initiatives like the World Bank Cloud Sovereignty Group, presented at global events like GITEX, and regularly publish thought leadership on AI risk, digital sovereignty, and cloud trust.

Mr. Sultan Altukhaim has over 20 years of experience in the data governance and cybersecurity. He holds a Master’s degree in Engineering Management from Florida Tech, as well as both a Master’s and a Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems from King Saud University. He has also earned distinguished management and leadership certifications from Harvard Business School, London Business School, Esade and INSEAD. He is a graduate of the MISK 2030 Leaders Program.
Mr. Sultan serves on several corporate committees, including the Board Risk and Credit Committee at American Express Saudi Arabia, the Board Risk Committee at Arab National Bank (ANB), and the Board Risk and Credit Committee at Tasheel Finance Company.
He is currently the Cloud CISO at Google Cloud KSA. Previously, he served as General Manager of Cybersecurity and Data Governance at the Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) in Saudi Arabia. His previous prominent roles include Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at the Saudi Investment Bank, Information Security Manager at the Capital Market Authority (CMA), IT Business Analyst at Boeing (USA), IT Officer at the Florida Institute of Technology, Information Security Planner at Saudi Telecom Company (STC), and Information Systems Analyst at the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA).