IDC to host 12th edition of Saudi Arabia CIO summit in Riyadh on Sept 19-20

After a gap of two years, the IDC Saudi Arabia CIO Summit returns to an in-person format on September 19-20 in Riyadh as the Kingdom continues its rapid transformation towards 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 12th annual IDC Saudi Arabia CIO Summit 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 (DX), they are increasingly embracing a digital-first approach to building resilience into their business operations,” says 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,” Hamza added.

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:

• Eng. Naif Sheshah, Assistant Deputy Governor for Planning and Development and Chief Digital Officer, Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC), Saudi Arabia.
• Eng. Faisal Bakhashwain, Deputy Minister for Digital Transformation, Ministry of Human Resource 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
• Eng. Haithem Al Faraj, Group Chief Technology Officer, Saudi Telecom Company (STC)
• Abdulaziz Abanmi, Chief Operating Officer, Saudi Payments
• Yousef A. Alsuhaibani, Chief Information Officer, Mobily
• Eng. Ghada Albugami, CIO / President advisor for DX, Princess Nourah Bint Abdul Rahman University
• Jason E Roos, CIO, King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST)
• Ayman Alharbi – Snr. Director of IT at The Red Sea Development Company & Amaala
• Bander Al-Shahrani, Head of IT, Public Investment Fund (PIF)|Projects

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 instalment will conclude on September 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.

IDC is honoured to have a wide range of partners on board for the IDC Saudi Arabia CIO Summit 2022, including SITE as Game Changer Partner; IBM as Host Partner; Unifonic as Innovation Partner; Tech Mahindra as DX Partner; Cisco as Strategic Partner; AWS, Cloud 4C, Google Cloud, Riverbed, UiPath, Software AG, Cequens, and Microsoft as Summit Partners; Micro Focus, Blue Prism, Fortinet, VMware, Mendix, SBM, and AMD as Platinum Partners; Kofax, Udacity, Nexthink, Crayon, Cloudera, Snowflake, Nahil Computers/HPE, and Symphony Summit as Technology Focus Group Partners.

About IDC

International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets.

With more than 1,300 analysts worldwide, IDC offers global, regional, and local expertise on technology, IT benchmarking and sourcing, and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries. IDC’s analysis and insight helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based technology decisions and to achieve their key business objectives. Founded in 1964, IDC is a wholly owned subsidiary of International Data Group (IDG), the world’s leading tech media, data, and marketing services company.

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IDC in the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa

For the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa region, IDC retains a coordinated network of offices in Riyadh, Nairobi, Lagos, Johannesburg, Cairo, and Istanbul, with a regional center in Dubai. Our coverage couple local insights with international perspectives to provide a comprehensive understanding of markets in these dynamic regions.

Our market intelligence services are unparalleled in depth, consistency, scope, and accuracy. IDC Middle East, Africa, and Turkey currently field over 130 analysts, consultants, and conference associates across the region.

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