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.

Tarek Kuzbari is a seasoned leader with 20+ years of experience in the Technology Media and Telecommunications (TMT) sector, specializing in international market expansion, revenue growth, and P&L management. He has held senior roles at HUMAN, Cybereason, Bitdefender, Group-IB, SABA Software, and Kaspersky, managing $58m ARR across regions including MEA, APAC, and Eastern Europe. Tarek, an acknowledged industry influencer, has been listed among the top “30 under 30” by Gulf businesses and ACN’s “Top 25 Most Powerful Executives in the Middle East”. He also earned a spot in Network Middle East’s “Top Executives in the Security Industry in the Middle East”. He holds an MBA from London Business School and actively supports NGOs like Agastya International Foundation and the Grow Movement.

Gregg Petersen is the Senior Regional Director, Middle East at Cohesity, bringing over 27 years of leadership in information technology, artificial intelligence, data protection, and data management. Over the past 15 years, he has led high-performing teams across the region,  developing a deep understanding of what drives data value and resilience for organizations operating in diverse and rapidly evolving markets. Gregg is passionate about helping organizations extract measurable business value from their data while mitigating risk amid rising cybercrime and growing regulatory complexity. His leadership philosophy centres on active listening and authentic engagement — he believes the key to lasting success lies in understanding customer pain points, solving them collaboratively, and building relationships rooted in trust and results.

With a proven track record of driving digital transformation and resilience across MEA, Gregg continues to champion a new era of intelligent data management — one where innovation, adaptability, and security empower organizations to thrive no matter the challenge.

Notis Iliopoulos is EVP for MRC, bringing over 25 years of global experience in the cybersecurity domain in critical positions. Notis has held demanding positions in large corporates under risk management across SE Europe and the Middle East driving businesses to successful development. He was involved in the Initial establishment & operation of six business units, providing information security consulting services, and two corporate information security departments. His research interests include Information & Cyber Resilience and Risk Assessment Methods and Techniques, focusing lately on the Convergence of Digital & Physical Security and a holistic approach to Security Risk Management. He holds an MSc in Information Security (Royal Holloway, University of London), MSc in Business Innovation Management (AIT) and BSc in Computer Science (Royal Holloway, University of London). He is also certified by CISA, CISM & ISO 27001 Lead Auditor.

25 years as strategic technology consultant and/or Regional Business Management for Telecom Service Providers and Gov-Enterprise Clients across the MEA and APAC Regions. Specialized in Data Center, Cyber Security and Situational Awareness systems from Boeing Horizon X and BAE Systems as well as multiple Silicon valley companies to include tenures at Cisco, NetApp and VC’s including Delphix, Digital Barriers and FlowInspect.

Worked extensively with Ai applications that rely on GPU arrays for Fast Meta Data/IoT Forensics, AI/Machine Learning and Training/Inference models for Ai systems to include national scale Autonomous Navigation and Video Perimeter Analytics systems. Based in Dubai, UAE since 2001.

Praneeth is an experienced IT professional with nearly 17 years of expertise in presales, implementation, and strategic account management. A PMP-certified specialist, he has deep knowledge across cybersecurity, identity management, SIEM, EDR/XDR, Networking, virtualization, SD-WAN, ITSM and Unified communications. Since 2011, he has worked extensively in the Gulf region, building strong insight into its business and technology landscape. Currently a Technical Evangelist at ManageEngine, he drives technical consultancy, account management, and industry engagement through client interactions and speaking engagements. His strengths in stakeholder management, strategic planning, and customer engagement help organizations align technology with business goals.

Eng. Meshal is a veteran in Information Security Management and Technology Transformation, serving as both the Chief AI Officer overseeing AI adoption across the Ministry of Finance, and driving digital transformation and cybersecurity initiatives across the Ministry and Federal Government. Under his leadership, the Ministry harnesses the latest emerging technologies, including robotics, advanced analytics, and artificial intelligence, in line with the UAE’s Vision & Strategies.

Previously, Eng. Meshal managed Information Security and technical operations at Dubai Holding Group and its entities. He was also a member of the UAE mGovernment Committee, spearheading the UAE Federal Government’s transformation into a Smart Government.

He is recognized as a leader in government innovation, having helped establish the Federal Government’s first digital innovation center, which fosters a culture of forward-thinking solutions and creative problem-solving across government entities.

Throughout his extensive career in leading cybersecurity incident handling for the UAE government and other sectors, Eng. Meshal’s deep expertise in information security and technology has enabled him to make significant contributions in this field. His responsibilities have included heading the UAE Computer Emergency Response Team (aeCERT), where he led cybersecurity incident response, digital forensics initiatives, and awareness campaigns across the UAE government.

Having started his career with ETISALAT as an Internet Security Engineer, Eng. Meshal holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communications Engineering and a Master’s degree in Information Security from Khalifa University (KU).

Tamani Abdulla Al Mansoori is currently serving as Cybersecurity Section Head at Abu Dhabi Economic Development (ADEDD), where she leads information security governance and cybersecurity assurance program aligned with local and international compliance requirements . She oversees cybersecurity strategic planning and projects, drives ISO-aligned risk management and cybersecurity auditing, and manages incident response capabilities including 24/7 Security Operations Center operations. 

She also chairs cybersecurity incident response process and develops role-based security awareness and training programs across ADDED. Before her current role, she oversaw and led multiple security programs across different organizations, strengthening security controls through rigorous risk assessment, policy implementation, and continuous improvement. With an M.Sc. in Information Technology (Cyber Security) from Zayed University and certifications including CISM and CISSP, Tamani is recognized for advancing audit-ready governance frameworks, third-party risk practices, and measurable process enhancements.

Phil Lea is a senior cybersecurity and privacy leader with more than three decades of experience in IT and over 24 years specialising in cybersecurity, operating across government, financial services, telecommunications, and enterprise sectors. At Landmark Group, one of the Middle East and India’s largest retail and hospitality conglomerates, he leads the organisation’s global cybersecurity and privacy strategy, overseeing large, cross-regional teams and driving transformation at scale.

Since joining Landmark Group in 2023, Phil has led substantial modernisation efforts across the organisation’s cybersecurity and privacy functions. These include deploying AI-driven security capabilities, preventing US$1 million in attempted vendor email compromise losses within 12 months, blocking approximately 12,000 advanced email attacks per week, and saving more than 1,320 SOC analyst hours annually.

Phil was featured in the Khaleej Times’ inaugural ‘UAE’s Most Influential Cybersecurity Leaders’ list in 2025. He has also been acknowledged for leading Computacenter’s award-winning #BeReady cyber-awareness programme.

Muzammil Riyaz Mohammed is a seasoned cybersecurity leader currently serving as a Senior Information Security Manager based in Dubai, UAE. With extensive experience in enterprise security strategy and risk management, Muzammil plays a pivotal role in safeguarding organizational assets, enabling secure digital transformation, and strengthening cyber resilience across complex environments.

He brings deep expertise across a wide spectrum of information security domains, including cyber risk management, governance, regulatory compliance, security architecture, incident response, and threat intelligence. Muzammil has successfully led initiatives aligned with global standards such as ISO 27001, NIST, and other regulatory frameworks, helping organizations enhance their security posture while meeting compliance and business objectives.

Shafiullah is passionate about transforming security as a business enabler through a number of digitization initiatives. During his 16+ years in the cyber security industry, Shafiullah has worked with many technologies in different positions from technical to management. He was a driving force in some of the key cyber security strategies and has managed a portfolio of mission critical cyber security projects and initiatives. He is a member of several security professional organizations including ISACA, CSA, ISC2 and other security industry forums. He holds a Computer Science & Engineering degree and industry recognized CISSP, CISA, CISM, CGEIT, TOGAF9, CCSK certifications.

Shafiullah has won several awards, including being named as one of the top security champions at The Cyber Sentinels CISO Awards at the Security Symposium 2021. He was recognised as one of the leaders who is using technology to secure critical business information assets and minimise risk while delivering business value. He was also named as a Top 10 CISO of the Year at the IDC Middle East Excellence Awards 2022.

Director Information Security at Statistics Center- Abu Dhabi, with over 15 years of experience in cybersecurity, governance, risk management, and compliance. I leads initiatives to protect sensitive statistical data, strengthen cyber resilience, and support the secure adoption of emerging technologies while maintaining public trust and regulatory compliance.

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.