IDC, Couchbase & AWS Roundtable
Resilient Leadership in the AI Era
Hosted By
Architecting KSA's Tech Future for Vision 2030
Women leaders across Saudi Arabia are playing a pivotal role in shaping the Kingdom’s digital economy under Vision 2030. However, leading high-performing technical teams through rapid paradigm shifts, including generative AI, cloud migration, and heightened security requirements, demands real resilience in both leadership strategy and underlying tech architecture. IDC’s CIO Sentiment Survey finds that AI has moved from strategic talking point to execution problem for CIOs across the region, and most organizations are not yet able to prove it is working, a measurement gap that now sits alongside the talent and resilience challenge on every technical leader’s desk.
Hosted by AWS and Couchbase, this intimate executive dinner brings together prominent women in technology leadership to discuss what it takes to build future-ready digital ecosystems.
Together, we will explore strategies to navigate rapid AI adoption, ensure high availability and business continuity across cloud environments, and foster resilient team cultures capable of sustaining long-term innovation in the Kingdom.
Discussion Areas
The Measurement Gap on Every CIO’s Desk
IDC’s CIO Sentiment Survey finds that AI has shifted from strategic talking point to execution problem across META, and most organizations still cannot prove it is working. That gap is a leadership and measurement problem before it is a technology one.
Leading Through the Talent Shortage
IDC projects that 90% of organizations worldwide will feel the impact of the IT skills crisis by 2026, at a cost of up to USD 5.5 trillion in delays and lost revenue. Closing that gap is a decisive leadership mandate.
Resilience as an Everyday Leadership Habit
IDC expects half of CIOs to broaden their security and continuity strategies by 2026, a shift from crisis response to standing practice. The same shift applies to how a leader runs a team, not just how a system is architected.
The Weight of Being First, or One of Few
Many women in this room have made a major technology or budget call as the only woman in the room. That experience shapes how they mentor, delegate, and decide, in ways worth naming out loud rather than assuming.
Agenda
IDC, Couchbase & AWS Roundtable
One Day Event
Registration & Networking
Welcome Address
Nagia El-Emary
Country Director, Egypt and META Custom Solutions, IDC
Built to Endure: Architecting an IT Estate that Withstands the Unforeseen
As organisations face increasingly complex disruptions—from cyber threats and technology failures to geopolitical shifts and unexpected business demands—IT resilience has become a strategic priority. This session will explore how organisations can architect a robust, adaptable IT estate designed to withstand uncertainty and recover quickly when disruption occurs. The discussion will examine resilient infrastructure, hybrid and cloud environments, operational continuity, cybersecurity, and the role of AI in anticipating and responding to emerging risks.
Nagia El-Emary
Country Director, Egypt and META Custom Solutions, IDC
Open Discussion: What Resilient Leadership Means in an AI-First World
This open discussion will explore what it takes for leaders to remain resilient, adaptable, and human-centric in an AI-first world. The conversation will examine how leaders can navigate uncertainty, build trust, empower teams, and balance the opportunities of AI with responsible decision-making. Participants will share perspectives on the leadership mindset, capabilities, and organisational culture needed to thrive amid continuous technological change.
Nagia El-Emary
Country Director, Egypt and META Custom Solutions, IDC
Dinner & Continued Conversation
Speakers
Nagia El-Emary
Country Director, Egypt and META Custom Solutions
IDC
Read bio
Nagia El-Emary
Partners
Hosted By
Couchbase & AWS
Couchbase, the operational data platform for AI, empowers businesses to succeed by bringing data to life in new ways. Major market-leading companies rely on Couchbase for mission critical operational, analytical, mobile and AI workloads. Built to replace legacy infrastructure and fragmented data services, Couchbase empowers enterprises with a unified platform architected for performance, flexibility and global scale.
With Couchbase, organizations bring their data to life, launching game-changing customer experiences, exploring the limitless potential of AI, and seamlessly extending applications from the cloud to the edge and beyond. Couchbase’s AI-ready technology and enterprise partnership model eliminate complexity and reduce total cost of ownership, enabling teams to stay agile, innovative and secure.
Couchbase believes data should never slow you down, but act as the foundation for your next breakthrough. Discover why Couchbase is trusted to help the world’s biggest players scale, move fast and stay resilient, no matter what’s next on their roadmap.
