After a gap of two years, the IDC Saudi Arabia CIO Summit will return to an in-person format on Sept. 19-20 in Riyadh as the Kingdom continues its rapid transformation toward a digital economy in alignment with the goals of Vision 2030.
Hosted under the theme “Accelerating the Journey to a Digital-First World,” the highly anticipated event will combine a series of presentations, panel discussions, real-life use cases, and individual technology tracks. Delegates will be able to explore a broad range of themes central to their ongoing digital journeys and take an exclusive look at the very latest developments in technological innovation.
“As Saudi organizations tap into the value-creation opportunities being driven by digital transformation, they are increasingly embracing a digital-first approach to building resilience into their business operations,” said Hamza Naqshbandi, IDC’s associate vice president for Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. “Spurred by significant investments in the creation of new customer experiences, digital ecosystem-based business models, digital supply chains, and evolving ‘Future of Work’ models, the Kingdom is poised to become a global digital powerhouse. These themes will shape discussions at this year’s IDC Saudi Arabia CIO Summit — a trusted platform that connects leading ICT executives to help unleash new opportunities and solve some of the most pressing challenges that organizations are facing in their quest to enable a digital economy in Saudi Arabia.”
The event will feature insights from IDC’s CIO Advisory Council for Saudi Arabia, whose members include some of the Kingdom’s most respected ICT leaders and experts, namely:
• Naif Sheshah, assistant deputy governor, planning and development, and chief digital officer, Communications and Information
Technology Commission
• Faisal Bakhashwain, deputy minister for digital transformation, Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development
• Yazeed Al-Otaibi, assistant deputy minister for planning and digital transformation, Ministry of Health
• General Sundah Alsehali, general director of information technology, Ministry of Defense
• Haithem Al-Faraj, group chief technology officer, stc
• Abdulaziz Abanmi, chief operating officer, Saudi Payments
• Yousef A. Alsuhaibani, chief information officer, Mobily
• Ghada Albugami, chief information officer and presidential adviser for digital transformation, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University
• Jason E. Roos, chief information officer, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
• Ayman Alharbi, senior director of IT, The Red Sea Development Company and Amaala
• Bander Al-Shahrani, head of IT, Public Investment Fund
The annual IDC Saudi Arabia CIO Summit is the place to come for thought-provoking, in-depth discussions about cutting-edge tech solutions, emerging use cases, and proven strategies for driving success.
This year’s installment will conclude on Sept. 20 with the IDC Excellence Awards 2022, which will recognize the efforts of Saudi Arabia’s leading technology executives across three categories: CIO of the Year, CISO of the Year, and Women in Technology and Business.