Agenda

Agenda

IT Security Summit Türkiye

One Day Event

8:00 am

Registration, Breakfast & Networking

9:00 am

IDC Welcome Address

9:05 am

Redefining Security Priorities in the Age of Generative and Agentic Intelligence

Generative and agentic AI are transforming the cybersecurity landscape, challenging traditional approaches to risk management and resilience. As threats evolve and automation becomes central, organizations must rethink priorities to balance innovation, governance, and trust. This keynote explores how AI-driven intelligence will reshape security strategies and what leaders need to do today to prepare for this paradigm shift.

Yeşim Öztürk

Yeşim Öztürk

Senior Research Manager (Türkiye), IDC

9:20 am

Secure AI in Action: Lessons from CISOs

End users share real-world experiences implementing secure AI frameworks, focusing on compliance, identity, and network segmentation.

Kayıhan Altınöz

Kayıhan Altınöz

CISO, TAV Airports Holding

Özgür Orhan

Özgür Orhan

CISO, Koç Holding

Ersin Uslu

Ersin Uslu

Senior Information Security & Risk Manager, Eczacıbaşı Holding

Başak Gençer Ünsalver

Başak Gençer Ünsalver

CISO, Vodafone Türkiye

9:50 am

Cyber Resilience: Embedding Survival into Business DNA

Nadir Altmışdört

Nadir Altmışdört

Technology Solutions Director, KoçSistem

10:10 am

When AI Agents Become Admins: Securing Privileged Access in the AI Age

Ayşe Yenel

Ayşe Yenel

Co-CEO, Kron

Alper Eryılmaz

Alper Eryılmaz

Head of Identity Acess Management, Turkcell

10:25 am

Breaking the AI-Powered Attack Asymmetry

Emre Çamalan

Emre Çamalan

Security Management Manager, İşNet

10:40 am

The First Hyperscaler that Invests in Türkiye

Keep your Data in Türkiye borders with Cloudflare’s Data Localisation Suite. Get Cybersecurity and Cloud Services from 9 different Datacenters in Türkiye.

Özben Miçooğulları

Özben Miçooğulları

Senior Manager, Türkiye & Qatar Enterprise Sales, Cloudflare

10:55 am

Tea/Coffee & Networking

11:15 am

Securing an AI-Powered Business: “Enabling AI Innovation Without Losing Data Control”

As organizations rapidly adopt AI technologies, protecting sensitive data becomes more complex than ever. This session explores how businesses can securely enable AI-driven innovation while maintaining visibility and control over critical data. Leveraging DLP and DSPM strategies, attendees will learn practical approaches to managing data risk across hybrid environments, preventing unintended data exposure to AI systems, and establishing a resilient, data-centric security framework. Real-world experiences from multinational deployments demonstrate how organizations can securely transition toward an AI-powered business model.

Kemal Artıkarslan

Kemal Artıkarslan

Sales Engineering Lead, Forcepoint

11:30 am

Surviving the Attack: True Cyber Resilience

Yudum Yonak

Yudum Yonak

Senior Sales Leader for Eastern Europe, CIS, and Türkiye, Cohesity

Oytun Okman

Oytun Okman

Senior Systems Engineer, Cohesity

Ünal Altınsaray

Ünal Altınsaray

Technological Infrastructure Manager, Beyçelik Holding

11:45 am

AI Joins the SOC

Bilal Bahadır Yenici

Bilal Bahadır Yenici

Senior Cyber Defense Consultant, Google Cloud Security

11:55 am

The Evolution of Cyber Defence

İbrahim Aslanbakan

İbrahim Aslanbakan

CISO, Medipol Sağlık Grubu

12:05 pm

Networking Lunch

1:15 pm

Identity Security: The New Battleground

Erkan Sertoğlu

Erkan Sertoğlu

Information Security Director, sahibinden.com

Turgay Çelik

Turgay Çelik

CISO, Hayat Finans

Elif Esin Etik Uslu

Elif Esin Etik Uslu

Global Technology- IT Security Project Manager, Edenred Türkiye

Deniz Akay Turpçu

Deniz Akay Turpçu

Head of Information Security, Fuzul Holding

1:55 pm

Architecting the SOC of the Future: Overcome Data Deluge and Hidden Threats

Mohammed Anas Khatri

Mohammed Anas Khatri

Senior Solution Architect, Security, Elastic

2:05 pm

Secure Browser + Zero Trust in the Insurance Industry

Cemil Keser

Cemil Keser

Cyber Security Solutions Manager, Aksigorta

2:15 pm

Trust at Machine Scale: Security Lessons from the 11th State of the Software Supply Chain Report

Fırat Yenievli

Fırat Yenievli

Senior Solution Architect, Cyberwise

2:25 pm

Data Security for AI

Hakan Özdamar

Hakan Özdamar

Sales Engineer, Forcepoint

2:35 pm

From Reactive Cybersecurity to Proactive Cyber Resilience

As cyber threats grow more complex and unpredictable, organizations can no longer rely only on reactive security models. Institutions are increasingly shifting toward proactive cyber resilience by focusing on behavioral analytics, anomaly detection, and continuous risk visibility across systems, users and data.

This session explores how organizations are redesigning their security architectures to detect risks earlier, strengthen operational continuity, and build resilience. It also highlights how new cybersecurity regulations, including Türkiye’s recently introduced cybersecurity law, are encouraging a more proactive approach to protecting critical infrastructure and managing cyber risk.

Cengiz Gürer

Cengiz Gürer

Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer, Karmasis

2:45 pm

Already Breached. You Just Don’t Know It Yet

Süleyman Petek

Süleyman Petek

Cyber Security Manager, Abdi İbrahim Pharmaceuticals

Ece Korucu İnal

Ece Korucu İnal

Channel Sales Manager, Hyas-Cyberrey

2:55 pm

Managing Third Party Risks in AI Era

Turan Mola

Turan Mola

CISO, Burgan Bank

Halil Çağdaş Darakçı

Halil Çağdaş Darakçı

Information Security Manager, AgeSA Hayat ve Emeklilik

Ayşim Niksarlı

Ayşim Niksarlı

Cyber Security Consultancy Services Director, Forcerta

Ayşin Gök

Ayşin Gök

Regional Sales and Business Development Director, SecurityScorecard

3:05 pm

Tea/Coffee & Networking

3:25 pm

Effective IS Auditing Through Automation

Koray Yaldır

Koray Yaldır

Head of Internal Audit, Kredi Kayıt Bürosu

Melek Özlem Gökdeniz

Melek Özlem Gökdeniz

Quality and Automation Systems Manager, Kredi Kayıt Bürosu

Berkay Tuncel

Berkay Tuncel

System Engineering Manager, Kredi Kayıt Bürosu

3:35 pm

Quantum Readiness: From Inventory to Migration

Post-quantum cryptography is moving from research to active procurement criteria. Covers quantum threat timelines, cryptographic inventory, PQC migration sequencing for financial and government organizations, and how to assess vendor claims.

Mehmet Karabıyık

Mehmet Karabıyık

CISO, BNP Paribas Cardif

Emre Ay

Emre Ay

Global Head of Cyber Security, Beko

Nihan Namoğlu

Nihan Namoğlu

CISO, AgeSA & MediSA

Nejla Seyhan Susam

Nejla Seyhan Susam

Cyber Defense Technologies Manager, Garanti BBVA Teknoloji

4:05 pm

Mega Raffle & Close of Event

Speakers EGP26

Meet Our Speakers

Uncover breakthrough insights from IDC experts and exclusive sessions featuring influential voices transforming technology and leadership today

Nagia El-Emary

Nagia El-Emary

Country Director, Egypt and META Custom Solutions

IDC

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Eng. Taha M. Khalifa

Eng. Taha M. Khalifa

General Manager (MEA)

Intel Corporation

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Rony Mezeraani

Rony Mezeraani

General Manager for Levant, Egypt, North Africa (LENA)

Lenovo

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Amir Hanna

Amir Hanna

Business Development Manager

Zoho Egypt

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Hazem Taha

Hazem Taha

Senior Solutions Engineer

Cloudflare

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Hatem Ali

Hatem Ali

Head of Google Cloud Security, Gulf and N. Africa

Google Cloud

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Dr. Bisohy Sawiris

Dr. Bisohy Sawiris

Chief Data Officer

GB Corp

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Mohammed Helaly

Mohammed Helaly

VP, Head META

AvePoint

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Mohamed Elgeziry

Mohamed Elgeziry

Data & AI Expert

Strategy

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Ahmed ElHamouly

Ahmed ElHamouly

Managing Director, META

Boomi

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Mohamed Matar

Mohamed Matar

Sales Leader – Content Egypt

OpenText

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Mutaz Salem

Mutaz Salem

Chief Executive Officer

Dstation

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Husein El-Sayed

Husein El-Sayed

General Manager, Solutions & Services

Global Brands

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Micheal Mounir

Micheal Mounir

Group Director, AI, IT and Digital

Eva Pharma

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Dr. Mohamed Salem

Dr. Mohamed Salem

Chief Information Officer

Juhayna

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Eng. Mohamed Fathy

Eng. Mohamed Fathy

Group Chief Information Officer

EFG Holding

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Ayman Fathy

Ayman Fathy

Managing Executive: IT

Vodafone Egypt

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Alaa Abou Elmagd

Alaa Abou Elmagd

VP, Digital Transformation

GB Capital

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Dr. Amr Alashkar

Dr. Amr Alashkar

Chief Information Officer

Cleopatra Hospitals Group

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Karim Solyman

Karim Solyman

Chief Digital Officer

Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources

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Ahmed ElShanet

Ahmed ElShanet

Chief Operating Officer

Emirates NBD

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Dr. Ayman Fawzy

Dr. Ayman Fawzy

Chief Financial Officer

Suez Canal Bank

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Samar El Sayed

Samar El Sayed

Research Manager

IDC

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Michael Hanna

Michael Hanna

Senior Research Analyst

IDC

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Hanan Thabet

Hanan Thabet

Chief Human Resources Officer

National Bank of Kuwait- Egypt

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Agenda EGP26

Agenda

Agenda

CIO Summit Egypt

One Day Event

8:30 am

Registration & Networking

9:00 am

IDC Welcome Address

Nagia El-Emary

Nagia El-Emary

Country Director, Egypt and META Custom Solutions, IDC

9:10 am

IDC Opening Keynote: Preparing for the AI Economy: IT Market Outlook, Key Trends and Insights for the Middle East, Turkiye, and Africa (META) Region

Nagia El-Emary

Nagia El-Emary

Country Director, Egypt and META Custom Solutions, IDC

9:40 am

Sovereign AI as a Strategic Priority

The conversation around AI has changed – and agentic systems are at the center of it. From the boardroom to the data center floor, tech leaders across the region recognize that AI is now business-critical infrastructure.

In an era of increased complexity, the focus is on building a secure and sovereign AI supply chain – where trust is built in from the silicon level. Always-on, verified AI powered by infrastructure that delivers business continuity, flexing to any operational environment without compromising on security.

This keynote explores how agentic AI infrastructure is being engineered for operational resilience and security, helping enterprises navigate a shifting landscape with confidence.

Eng. Taha M. Khalifa

Eng. Taha M. Khalifa

General Manager (MEA), Intel Corporation

9:59 am

Ask Questions, Rate the Session and Stand a Chance to Win K-AI Branded Hoodie

10:00 am

Hybrid AI the Ultimate Path to AI Democratization

Lenovo’s latest Hybrid AI strategy positions the company as a leader in combining Personal AI, Enterprise AI, and Public AI into one connected ecosystem. Rather than relying only on cloud-based AI, Lenovo promotes a model where intelligence is distributed across devices, private enterprise environments, and public AI platforms to maximize speed, privacy, cost-efficiency, and productivity.

Rony Mezeraani

Rony Mezeraani

General Manager for Levant, Egypt, North Africa (LENA), Lenovo

10:14 am

Ask Questions, Rate the Session and Stand a Chance to Win K-AI Branded Hoodie

10:15 am

Securing the AI Era

The age of AI is rapidly transforming businesses but also accelerating the threat landscape, as bad actors utilize AI to scale attacks and bypass traditional defenses at machine speed. To combat this, a new security era is required, and Google is positioned to deliver it with a full AI stack built on the most secure cloud, offering Gemini-native agentic defense that automates response and can reduce the risk and cost of a breach by 70%. This defense is powered by Google’s unmatched visibility from the world’s largest threat observatory and the frontline expertise and real-world tradecraft of Mandiant.

Hatem Ali

Hatem Ali

Head of Google Cloud Security, Gulf and N. Africa, Google Cloud

10:29 am

Ask Questions, Rate the Session and Stand a Chance to Win K-AI Branded Hoodie

10:30 am

Revolutionizing Customer Experience: Integrating Digital Business Strategies in SaaS Solutions

How SaaS solutions are transforming customer experience through integrated digital business strategies. It highlights aligning technology, data, and processes to deliver seamless, personalized interactions. Attendees will gain insights into leveraging automation, analytics, and scalable platforms to enhance engagement, improve retention, and drive sustainable business growth in a competitive digital landscape.

Amir Hanna

Amir Hanna

Business Development Manager, Zoho Egypt

10:44 am

Ask Questions, Rate the Session and Stand a Chance to Win K-AI Branded Hoodie

10:45 am

The Intelligent Edge: Powering and Protecting the Rise of Agentic Systems

The rise of Agentic Systems demands a new architectural substrate. Cloudflare explores how CIOs can move beyond “digitization” to provide the secure, low-latency, and compliant infrastructure necessary for autonomous agents to execute at scale—safely and lightning-fast.

Hazem Taha

Hazem Taha

Senior Solutions Engineer, Cloudflare

10:59 am

Ask Questions, Rate the Session and Stand a Chance to Win K-AI Branded Hoodie

11:00 am

Advisory Council Felicitation

11:10 am

Tea / Coffee & Networking Break

Engage, Explore, and Network—Where Technology Meets Unforgettable Moments!

11:40 am

IDC Overview

Samar El Sayed

Samar El Sayed

Research Manager, IDC

11:42 am

Start of the Session Raffle

Ask Questions, Rate the Session and Stand a Chance to Win Apple AirTags

11:45 am

Turning Data into Decisions: GB Corp’s Journey to AI-Driven Enterprise Value

This session unveils GB Corp’s transformation journey in building a modern, scalable data ecosystem that turns data into a strategic business asset. It will showcase how we architected and seamlessly integrated core layers—data infrastructure, data operations, and data consumption—to establish a unified, governed, and business-ready data foundation.

The session will further highlight how a lakehouse architecture enables us to operationalize data at scale, delivering faster processing, enhanced accessibility, and near real-time insights across the enterprise. Most importantly, it will demonstrate how AI and machine learning are embedded into this ecosystem to unlock tangible business value, accelerate decision-making, and drive sustainable digital transformation at scale.

Dr. Bisohy Sawiris

Dr. Bisohy Sawiris

Chief Data Officer, GB Corp

11:54 am

Ask Questions, Rate the Session and Stand a Chance to Win K-AI Branded Hoodie

11:55 am

Building Secure and Resilience Data Protection for an AI-Ready Future

This executive‑level session explores how organizations can maximize the business value of Microsoft 365 while strengthening security, resilience, and AI readiness. We will share practical insights on secure M365 migrations, data protection and compliance, and modern governance strategies. Learn how the AvePoint Confidence Platform helps leaders reduce risk, protect critical data, and confidently enable AI and Copilot—while maintaining control, visibility, and trust across the digital workplace

Mohammed Helaly

Mohammed Helaly

VP, Head META, AvePoint

12:09 pm

Ask Questions, Rate the Session and Stand a Chance to Win K-AI Branded Hoodie

12:10 pm

From AI Potential to Decision Trust

AI holds enormous promise to transform organizations, from real-time efficiency optimization to truly predictive insights. Yet beneath the momentum, enterprise confidence is fragile, with a significant majority demanding far greater transparency into how their data is used.

In this session, we’ll explore how explainability, auditability, and governance must evolve alongside the algorithms themselves to unlock that trust. Ultimately, true AI maturity starts not with more models, but with robust frameworks that make AI reliable, safe, and accountable at scale. This is how we move from simply seeing AI’s potential to truly trusting its decisions.

Mohamed Elgeziry

Mohamed Elgeziry

Data & AI Expert, Strategy

12:24 pm

Ask Questions, Rate the Session and Stand a Chance to Win K-AI Branded Hoodie

12:25 pm

The AI-Powered Data Activation Platform

90% of enterprise AI use cases never make it out of pilot—not because the models fail, but because the integration foundation isn’t there. Without connected data, AI agents have no context, no fuel, and no real business impact.

Boomi’s session cuts through the noise to show how integration is the make-or-break layer for agentic AI. Learn how Boomi enables organizations to activate their data, connect their systems, and deploy AI agents that actually work — at scale, within guardrails, across any cloud or environment. Boomi gives CIOs the platform to move from AI experimentation to AI execution.

Ahmed ElHamouly

Ahmed ElHamouly

Managing Director, META, Boomi

12:39 pm

Ask Questions, Rate the Session and Stand a Chance to Win K-AI Branded Hoodie

12:40 pm

Secure Information Management for AI: Control Your Enterprise Information to Drive Trusted, Scalable Results with AI

In an AI-first world, success depends on secure, connected, high-quality, and well-governed data. OpenText helps organizations unlock AI’s full potential by unifying data sets across systems such as ERPs, CRMs, supply chains, content management and more, ensuring accuracy with zero hallucination and making sure AI is used in context, all of this in a compliant and secure ways. From ingestion and curation to search, summarization, and protection, we deliver secure information management that fuels smarter automation and scales to make your enterprise ready for the evolving demands of AI.

Mohamed Matar

Mohamed Matar

Sales Leader – Content Egypt, OpenText

12:54 pm

Ask Questions, Rate the Session and Stand a Chance to Win K-AI Branded Hoodie

12:55 pm

Start of Platinum Partner Sessions

1:00 pm

Closing the Governance Gap: Why Data Maturity is the Missing Layer in AI Transformation

Across the Middle East, organisations are accelerating investments in AI, analytics, and digital infrastructure. Yet new IDC research reveals a growing imbalance: while advanced technologies are rapidly adopted, data governance maturity is not keeping pace. This session explores what we call the “Governance Gap” and why it is emerging as one of the most critical challenges facing CIOs today. Drawing on IDC research and regional insights, we will examine the structural weaknesses in governance, metadata, and data quality that undermine AI initiatives and regulatory readiness. More importantly, we will discuss how organisations can move from periodic compliance exercises to embedded, operational data governance.

Mutaz Salem

Mutaz Salem

Chief Executive Officer, Dstation

1:14 pm

Ask Questions, Rate the Session and Stand a Chance to Win K-AI Branded Hoodie

1:15 pm

Infuse AI across the enterprise — from productivity and automation to AI agents

Discover how organizations can embed AI across every layer of the business, from enhancing daily productivity and automating workflows to deploying intelligent AI agents that drive autonomous execution and measurable business value.

Husein El-Sayed

Husein El-Sayed

General Manager, Solutions & Services, Global Brands

1:29 pm

Ask Questions, Rate the Session and Stand a Chance to Win K-AI Branded Hoodie

1:30 pm

End of Session Raffle- AI Glasses

1:35 pm

Networking Lunch

2:35 pm

IDC Overview

Michael Hanna

Michael Hanna

Senior Research Analyst, IDC

2:37 pm

For the CIO-By the CIO Session: Agentic AI in Action: Industry Use Cases and Early Wins

Dr. Bisohy Sawiris

Dr. Bisohy Sawiris

Chief Data Officer, GB Corp

Micheal Mounir

Micheal Mounir

Group Director, AI, IT and Digital, Eva Pharma

Dr. Mohamed Salem

Dr. Mohamed Salem

Chief Information Officer, Juhayna

Eng. Mohamed Fathy

Eng. Mohamed Fathy

Group Chief Information Officer, EFG Holding

Ayman Fathy

Ayman Fathy

Managing Executive: IT, Vodafone Egypt

3:07 pm

For The CIO- By The CIO Session: The CIO Talent Agenda: How CIOs, CHROs, CFO’s and Business Leaders Are Shaping the Future Workforce

Alaa Abou Elmagd

Alaa Abou Elmagd

VP, Digital Transformation, GB Capital

Dr. Amr Alashkar

Dr. Amr Alashkar

Chief Information Officer, Cleopatra Hospitals Group

Karim Solyman

Karim Solyman

Chief Digital Officer, Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources

Ahmed ElShanet

Ahmed ElShanet

Chief Operating Officer, Emirates NBD

Dr. Ayman Fawzy

Dr. Ayman Fawzy

Chief Financial Officer, Suez Canal Bank

Hanan Thabet

Hanan Thabet

Chief Human Resources Officer, National Bank of Kuwait- Egypt

3:37 pm

IDC Excellence Awards

4:07 pm

End of Summit

Knowledge Hub / Haitham Elkhatib

Partner Spotlight

Haitham Elkhatib
Co-Founder
UnifyApps

Partner Spotlight

Simplifying Complex Business Workflows the Smart Way

Today’s CIOs face a real challenge. Digital tools are everywhere across the enterprise. They promise speed, efficiency, and better performance. But in practice, many of these tools solve problems in isolation. Over time, this creates fragmented systems that are hard to integrate, govern, and scale.

 

As AI moves from hype to a core business capability, the pressure is rising. CIOs are expected to simplify these environments while still delivering real results. That means rethinking how work flows across systems — not adding yet another tool.

 

From Fragmentation to Flow

AI has enormous potential. But unlocking that potential takes more than deploying models or copilots.

To drive real workflows, AI must understand and connect three things:

 

(a) Structured business data

(b) Unstructured content like documents and emails

(c) Real-time business activity

 

At the same time, it must follow security, compliance, and policy rules automatically — not as an afterthought.

 

This shift is changing the CIO role. CIOs are no longer just responsible for keeping systems running. They are becoming stewards of how intelligence operates across the enterprise. Many organizations are responding by moving away from disconnected tools and toward platforms that sit at the center of operations. These platforms coordinate workflows across departments, enforce governance by design, and reduce manual effort.

 

The payoff is clear: fewer handoffs, stronger controls, and automation that can grow without increasing risk.

 

Workflows That Think

AI only works well when it has the right context.

 

For workflows to truly become intelligent, AI must reason across data, knowledge, and live activity — while staying governed at every step. Without shared context and built-in controls, automation breaks down. It becomes hard to trust, hard to manage, and hard to scale.

 

That’s why many CIOs are stepping back from buying more point solutions. Instead, they are investing in platforms that enable AI-driven execution across the business. This approach reduces repetitive human work, strengthens compliance, and helps organizations move beyond small pilots to systems that deliver lasting value.

 

Real Impact, Simplified

Insurance claims are a good example.

 

Traditionally, claims processing relies on manual reviews, multiple systems, and slow handoffs. An AI-driven workflow changes that. Within an AI-native environment, a digital agent can read forms, apply policy rules, flag suspicious activity, and escalate cases to humans when needed — all with full auditability.

 

The result is a process that is faster, more reliable, and easier to manage. It uses fewer moving parts because intelligence, action, and governance are coordinated in one system.

 

This model isn’t limited to insurance. Companies are applying the same approach to order fulfillment, customer onboarding, customer support, and compliance. By simplifying workflows, they remove delays and create room for improvement across the business.

 

The Simplicity Advantage

True simplification starts with shared information.

 

When data, documents, and activity are connected, organizations can respond to complexity without creating more overhead. Workflows can adapt to real conditions instead of relying on rigid rules and constant supervision.

 

For today’s IT leaders, this means choosing platforms that connect systems and govern workflows as a whole — rather than stacking more disconnected solutions. It also means designing workflows that run on their own, while humans focus on setting direction and handling exceptions.

 

In an AI-native world, simplicity is not just about efficiency. It is a strategic advantage. It determines whether AI stays stuck in experimentation or becomes a reliable engine for enterprise-scale value.

Why Attend

Why Attend?

The Security Xchange is more than just a conference. It’s where the region’s technology leaders come together to shape the future of cybersecurity.

Security Operations

Exploring best practices and innovative strategies for managing security operations.

Application and Cloud Security

Focusing on methods and technologies for securing applications and cloud environments.

AI in Cybersecurity

Discussing advancements and applications of artificial intelligence in cybersecurity.

Network Security

Covering the latest trends and technologies in securing networks.

Supply Chain Vulnerabilities

Addressing the identification and mitigation of risks related to third-party vendors and suppliers.

Key Themes

The Security Xchange will spotlight how innovation, intelligence, and resilience are reshaping enterprises through AI, cloud modernization, agentic architectures, and cybersecurity.

Regulation, Resilience and Value Creation

Regulatory compliance is no longer a back-office burden, it’s a strategic enabler. We will explore how organizations can embed regulatory mandates (data privacy, cybersecurity laws, emerging AI/tech rules) into core operations, turning requirements into levers for resilience, stakeholder trust, and business value. Key topics include cyber-by-design, auditability, vendor accountability, and continuity in the face of disruption.

Digital Sovereignty and Trust Architecture

In UAE’s rapidly expanding digital ecosystem, maintaining control over data, infrastructure, and vendor relationships is fundamental to national priorities. We will explore how organizations can align with sovereignty requirements — including data residency, local hosting, and reduced vendor dependency.

Future-Ready Technology and Modernization

Many enterprises struggle with fragmented IT portfolios, technical debt, and legacy constraints. This theme addresses how to modernize intelligently — consolidating platforms, improving observability, and building future-ready architectures that scale, adapt, and support secure innovation.

AI, Automation and Responsible Innovation

AI and intelligent agents are transforming how security is delivered, but with great power comes risk. We will explore pragmatically deploying AI: governance models, guardrails for misuse, prioritization of high-impact use cases, and aligning AI systems with trust, transparency, and accountability.

Operations, Analytics and Resilience Engineering

Detection, response, and recovery are now continuous cycles rather than discrete events. We’ll delve into advanced analytics, managed detection & response, orchestration, external threat visibility (supply chain, third parties), and resilience metrics to operationalize security effectiveness.

The Human Factor: Leadership and Culture

Technology alone doesn’t guarantee security. Leadership, culture, and skill development must align. We will focus on transforming teams, embedding security ownership across functions, and equipping leaders to speak the language of risk and trust to the board, CEOs, and business lines.

Incident and Trust Recovery

Breaches will happen, but what matters is how an organization responds. We will cover crisis communication, forensic response, regulatory handling, insurance, stakeholder trust restoration, and turning adversity into credibility.

Sector-Focused Security Insights

Different industries and environments in UAE pose unique security demands. We will focus on securing critical infrastructure (energy, utilities), connected devices and IoT, healthcare, finance, and rapidly evolving environments such as smart cities, industrial systems, and large-scale national development projects.

Speakers

Speakers

Shilpi Handa

Shilpi Handa

Associate Research Director (META)

IDC

Read bio

Harish Dunakhe

Harish Dunakhe

Senior Research Director, Software & Cloud (META)

IDC

Read bio

Tarek Kuzbari

Tarek Kuzbari

Vice President EMEA

Picus Security

Read bio

Gregg Petersen

Gregg Petersen

Middle East Senior Regional Director

Cohesity

Read bio

Notis Iliopoulos

Notis Iliopoulos

EVP of MRC

Obrela

Read bio

Malek Akilie

Malek Akilie

Regional Team Lead, Data Center and Cloud SP Business Unit

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Read bio

Praneeth Vanteru

Praneeth Vanteru

Technical Evangelist

ManageEngine

Read bio

Meshal Binhussain

Meshal Binhussain

Director of Digital Transformation Department, Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer

Ministry of Finance (MOF)

Read bio

Tamani Al Mansoori

Tamani Al Mansoori

CyberSecurity Section Head

Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development

Read bio

Phil Lea

Phil Lea

VP & Head of Privacy and Cyber Security

Landmark Group

Read bio

Muzammil Mohammed

Muzammil Mohammed

Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)

Ruya Islamic Community Bank LLC

Read bio

Shafiullah Ismail

Shafiullah Ismail

Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)

Mubadala Capital

Read bio

Mariam AlHarmoodi

Mariam AlHarmoodi

Director Information Security

Statistics Center – Abu Dhabi

Read bio

Agenda

Agenda

IT Security Xchange & Awards UAE

One Day Event

8:30 am

Registration & Networking

Arrive Early & Stand a Chance to Take Home Smart AI Glasses.

9:30 am

IDC Welcome Address

Shilpi Handa

Shilpi Handa

Associate Research Director (META), IDC

9:35 am

IDC Keynote: Orchestrating Resilience Amid Transformation, Regulation, and Emerging Threats

META’s cybersecurity agenda is shaped by unprecedented digital acceleration, regulatory dynamism, and the proliferation of advanced threats across IT, OT, and cloud. As organizations embrace AI, platform-centric architectures, and hybrid environments, the attack surface expands and adversaries become more sophisticated—leveraging GenAI, identity compromise, and cyber-physical exploits. At the same time, regulatory mandates around data sovereignty and trust are intensifying. CISOs are challenged to orchestrate holistic defense strategies that unify technology, process, and people: integrating real-time detection, adaptive controls, and continuous compliance, while investing in workforce upskilling and AI augmentation. Achieving resilience in this environment demands a proactive, inclusive approach—balancing innovation, operational continuity, and regulatory alignment across the region’s diverse digital landscape.

Shilpi Handa

Shilpi Handa

Associate Research Director (META), IDC

9:45 am

Unlocking Your Unfair Advantage Against AI Adversaries

Attackers use AI to strike in minutes. To adapt, we must shift our perspective from manual reaction to automated mobilization. This session demonstrates how to utilize a ‘virtual crew’ of AI agents to ingest intelligence, build attack playbooks, simulate threats to find gaps, and mobilize fixes.

Tarek Kuzbari

Tarek Kuzbari

Vice President EMEA, Picus Security

9:55 am

Leading the Next Era of AI Powered Data Security and Management

Gregg Petersen

Gregg Petersen

Middle East Senior Regional Director, Cohesity

10:05 am

Operationalizing Cybersecurity Through Outcome-Based Delivery, Quantified Risk, and Resilience-First Prioritization

Cybersecurity leaders are increasingly challenged to demonstrate how security investment translates into measurable business outcomes. This session explores how organizations can operationalize cybersecurity through outcome-based delivery, quantified cyber risk, and resilience-first prioritization. Moving beyond fragmented tools and isolated initiatives, the discussion will focus on building security models aligned with operational continuity, faster recovery, and measurable risk reduction. Attendees will gain practical perspectives on prioritizing investments based on business impact and strengthening resilience through repeatable, outcome-driven cyber operations.

Notis Iliopoulos

Notis Iliopoulos

EVP of MRC, Obrela

10:15 am

The Future of The Data Centre

In a world of increasing threat landscapes – the Data Center becomes the focal point for ensuring that any new Ai initiatives meet the specific requirements of our clients in the UAE and beyond based on their own set of unique Security and Compliance requirements.

In some cases, that means Ai Inferencing and Ai Operations that are completely ON PREM and in some cases even air-gapped as and where needed. The HPE acquisition and integration of Juniper Networks in 2025 plays a key role in realizing these capabilities End to End.

Malek Akilie

Malek Akilie

Regional Team Lead, Data Center and Cloud SP Business Unit, Hewlett Packard Enterprise

10:25 am

Too Many AIs, Too Little Security: The Case for Consolidated Cyber Defense

As AI becomes embedded in every security tool, enterprises are drowning in siloed AI engines that don’t share context — and attackers are exploiting the gaps. ManageEngine solves this with a unified platform spanning Endpoint Central, PAM360, Log360, and AD360, all powered by Zoho’s enterprise AI stack Zia, giving security teams one brain across every domain.

Praneeth Vanteru

Praneeth Vanteru

Technical Evangelist, ManageEngine

10:35 am

First Cycle of Xchange Discussions

Connect with like-minded peers and industry partners in dynamic roundtable discussions, where meaningful conversations come together to surface actionable insights, challenge conventional thinking, and foster candid dialogue. 

10:55 am

Second Cycle of Xchange Discussions

Connect with like-minded peers and industry partners in dynamic roundtable discussions, where meaningful conversations come together to surface actionable insights, challenge conventional thinking, and foster candid dialogue. 

11:15 am

Tea/ Coffee & Networking Break

11:45 am

End User Panel Discussion: Secure AI in Action: Lessons from CISOs

End users share real-world experiences implementing secure AI frameworks, focusing on compliance, identity, and network segmentation.​ Panelists will highlight the practical steps taken to align AI initiatives with organizational risk management and regulatory requirements. They will discuss the importance of cross-functional collaboration between security, IT, and business teams to ensure AI deployments are both secure and scalable. The session will also explore how organizations are adapting their security postures to address emerging AI threats and vulnerabilities. Attendees will gain insights into lessons learned and best practices for operationalizing secure AI.​

Harish Dunakhe

Harish Dunakhe

Senior Research Director, Software & Cloud (META), IDC

Meshal Binhussain

Meshal Binhussain

Director of Digital Transformation Department, Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer, Ministry of Finance (MOF)

Tamani Al Mansoori

Tamani Al Mansoori

CyberSecurity Section Head, Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development

Phil Lea

Phil Lea

VP & Head of Privacy and Cyber Security, Landmark Group

Muzammil Mohammed

Muzammil Mohammed

Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), Ruya Islamic Community Bank LLC

Shafiullah Ismail

Shafiullah Ismail

Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), Mubadala Capital

Mariam AlHarmoodi

Mariam AlHarmoodi

Director Information Security, Statistics Center – Abu Dhabi

12:15 pm

Group Innovation Challenge: Crisis Command- The CISO Resilience Challenge

An interactive, fast-paced crisis simulation where each table acts as the leadership team of a major organization responding to escalating regional instability, cyber threats, misinformation, operational disruption, and executive pressure. Teams must make rapid strategic decisions under uncertainty, balance business and security priorities, and adapt to evolving crisis scenarios in real time. Designed to be engaging, competitive, and highly realistic, the experience focuses on leadership, resilience, communication, and decision-making during chaos.

Shilpi Handa

Shilpi Handa

Associate Research Director (META), IDC

12:55 pm

Each Group Presents From Workshop

1:35 pm

CISO Excellence Awards Ceremony

2:05 pm

Lunch & Networking

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Jury Members

Jury Members

Shilpi Handa

Shilpi Handa

Associate Research Director (META)

IDC

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Shahin Hashim

Shahin Hashim

Associate Research Director (META)

IDC

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Harish Dunakhe

Harish Dunakhe

Senior Research Director, Software & Cloud (META)

IDC

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Melih Murat

Melih Murat

Associate Research Director, Artificial Intelligence (META)

IDC

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Eric Samuel

Eric Samuel

Associate Research Director

IDC

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Why Attend

Why Attend?

The Summit is more than just a conference. It’s where the region’s technology leaders come together to shape the future of cybersecurity.

Security Operations

Exploring best practices and innovative strategies for managing security operations.

Application and Cloud Security

Focusing on methods and technologies for securing applications and cloud environments.

AI in Cybersecurity

Discussing advancements and applications of artificial intelligence in cybersecurity.

Network Security

Covering the latest trends and technologies in securing networks.

Supply Chain Vulnerabilities

Addressing the identification and mitigation of risks related to third-party vendors and suppliers.

Key Themes

The Summit will spotlight how innovation, intelligence, and resilience are reshaping enterprises through AI, cloud modernization, agentic architectures, and cybersecurity.

Regulation, Resilience and Value Creation

Regulatory compliance is no longer a back-office burden, it’s a strategic enabler. We will explore how organizations can embed regulatory mandates (data privacy, cybersecurity laws, emerging AI/tech rules) into core operations, turning requirements into levers for resilience, stakeholder trust, and business value. Key topics include cyber-by-design, auditability, vendor accountability, and continuity in the face of disruption.

Digital Sovereignty and Trust Architecture

In Saudi Arabia’s rapidly expanding digital ecosystem, maintaining control over data, infrastructure, and vendor relationships is fundamental to national priorities. We will explore how organizations can align with sovereignty requirements — including data residency, local hosting, and reduced vendor dependency

Future-Ready Technology and Modernization

Many enterprises struggle with fragmented IT portfolios, technical debt, and legacy constraints. This theme addresses how to modernize intelligently — consolidating platforms, improving observability, and building future-ready architectures that scale, adapt, and support secure innovation.

AI, Automation and Responsible Innovation

AI and intelligent agents are transforming how security is delivered, but with great power comes risk. We will explore pragmatically deploying AI: governance models, guardrails for misuse, prioritization of high-impact use cases, and aligning AI systems with trust, transparency, and accountability.

Operations, Analytics and Resilience Engineering

Detection, response, and recovery are now continuous cycles rather than discrete events. We’ll delve into advanced analytics, managed detection & response, orchestration, external threat visibility (supply chain, third parties), and resilience metrics to operationalize security effectiveness.

The Human Factor: Leadership and Culture

Technology alone doesn’t guarantee security. Leadership, culture, and skill development must align. We will focus on transforming teams, embedding security ownership across functions, and equipping leaders to speak the language of risk and trust to the board, CEOs, and business lines.

Incident and Trust Recovery

Security incidents will happen, but what matters is how an organization responds. We will cover crisis communication, forensic response, regulatory handling, insurance, stakeholder trust restoration, and turning adversity into credibility.

Sector-Focused Security Insights

Different industries and environments in Saudi Arabia pose unique security demands. We will focus on securing critical infrastructure (energy, utilities), connected devices and IoT, healthcare, finance, and rapidly evolving environments such as smart cities, industrial systems, and large-scale national development projects.

Why Attend

Why Attend?

The Security Xchange is more than just a conference. It’s where the region’s technology leaders come together to shape the future of cybersecurity.

Security Operations

Exploring best practices and innovative strategies for managing security operations.

Application and Cloud Security

Focusing on methods and technologies for securing applications and cloud environments.

AI in Cybersecurity

Discussing advancements and applications of artificial intelligence in cybersecurity.

Network Security

Covering the latest trends and technologies in securing networks.

Supply Chain Vulnerabilities

Addressing the identification and mitigation of risks related to third-party vendors and suppliers.

Key Themes

The Security Xchange will spotlight how innovation, intelligence, and resilience are reshaping enterprises through AI, cloud modernization, agentic architectures, and cybersecurity.

Regulation, Resilience and Value Creation

Regulatory compliance is no longer a back-office burden, it’s a strategic enabler. We will explore how organizations can embed regulatory mandates (data privacy, cybersecurity laws, emerging AI/tech rules) into core operations, turning requirements into levers for resilience, stakeholder trust, and business value. Key topics include cyber-by-design, auditability, vendor accountability, and continuity in the face of disruption.

Digital Sovereignty and Trust Architecture

In Qatar’s rapidly expanding digital ecosystem, maintaining control over data, infrastructure, and vendor relationships is fundamental to national priorities. We will explore how organizations can align with sovereignty requirements — including data residency, local hosting, and reduced vendor dependency.

Future-Ready Technology and Modernization

Many enterprises struggle with fragmented IT portfolios, technical debt, and legacy constraints. This theme addresses how to modernize intelligently — consolidating platforms, improving observability, and building future-ready architectures that scale, adapt, and support secure innovation.

AI, Automation and Responsible Innovation

AI and intelligent agents are transforming how security is delivered, but with great power comes risk. We will explore pragmatically deploying AI: governance models, guardrails for misuse, prioritization of high-impact use cases, and aligning AI systems with trust, transparency, and accountability.

Operations, Analytics and Resilience Engineering

Detection, response, and recovery are now continuous cycles rather than discrete events. We’ll delve into advanced analytics, managed detection & response, orchestration, external threat visibility (supply chain, third parties), and resilience metrics to operationalize security effectiveness.

The Human Factor: Leadership and Culture

Technology alone doesn’t guarantee security. Leadership, culture, and skill development must align. We will focus on transforming teams, embedding security ownership across functions, and equipping leaders to speak the language of risk and trust to the board, CEOs, and business lines.

Incident and Trust Recovery

Breaches will happen, but what matters is how an organization responds. We will cover crisis communication, forensic response, regulatory handling, insurance, stakeholder trust restoration, and turning adversity into credibility.

Sector-Focused Security Insights

Different industries and environments in Qatar pose unique security demands. We will focus on securing critical infrastructure (energy, utilities), connected devices and IoT, healthcare, finance, and rapidly evolving environments such as smart cities, industrial systems, and large-scale national development projects.