13 Feb IDC Middle East CIO Summit interview
Security Middle East magazine talks to Ronita Bhattacharjee, Vice President – Conference, IDC Middle East, Africa & Turkey, to find out more about the upcoming IDC Middle East CIO Summit.
2023 marks the 16th edition of the IDC Middle East CIO Summit. What is the main reason behind the success and continuity of this event?
The IDC Middle East CIO Summit has been a staple of the region’s ICT calendar for 16 years, serving as the ICT community’s premier source of learning about the industry’s latest developments.
Our aim was to establish a trusted platform that connects leading ICT executives from both the private and public sector with the world’s leading technology and service providers to exchange ideas and engage in constructive dialogue. Since its inception, the summit has witnessed year-on-year growth in terms of number of attendees, speakers, and partners, and it has become the most anticipated annual tech event in the region.
While the role of CIOs and ICT executives has changed over the years, our research-driven agendas continue to address the hottest technology topics and themes, helping ICT leaders across the Middle East to develop the capabilities required to facilitate a smooth digital transformation journey.
What is the main theme of 2023’s Middle East CIO Summit and what will this year’s agenda focus on?
The IDC Middle East CIO Summit 2023 will take place on February 22-23 at Dubai’s iconic Atlantis, The Palm, and will explore the theme ‘Enabling the Digital Economy’s Leaders’.
The rise of the digital economy is one of the main tech trends shaping 2023 since the rate of digital adoption is increasing rapidly across the region as organisations adapt their business models to the changing characteristics and demands of their customers.
The agenda for 2023 has been intricately tailored to provide organisations with the essential guidance they require to keep up with the shift toward a digital economy. Sessions will focus on pressing issues such as sustainability, the metaverse, Industry 4.0, customer experience, and digital sovereignty, while a series of end user–led ‘For the CIO by the CIO’ panel discussions will showcase insights from some of the region’s most respected IT executives.
What will differentiate the 16th edition?
More than 500 delegates from across the GCC region are expected to attend the event. And in addition to thought-provoking, in-depth discussions about cutting-edge tech solutions, emerging use cases, and proven strategies for driving success, we have also incorporated a variety of fun, exciting, and memorable experiences for our delegates to enjoy while at the event — all of which will help to ensure that this year’s edition stands out from the crowd!
Another notable highlight will be the IDC Excellence Awards. This year, the awards will celebrate the efforts of the region’s foremost IT leaders in conceptualising and successfully delivering game-changing digital transformation initiatives for their organisations. The awards will recognise a regional winner and the top 10 technology leaders for the following categories.
- CIO of the Year
- CISO of the Year
- Women in Technology and Business
IDC’s president, Crawford Del Prete will be delivering the opening keynote on day one and he will outline what CIOs need to do now and, in the future, to create an environment for long-term sustainable innovation. H.E Dr. Mohamed Al Kuwaiti the Head of Cyber Security for the UAE Government will deliver an insightful opening keynote on day two. And finally, our attendees will get the chance to meet IDC Middle East Advisory Council members who are prominent IT leaders representing leading private and public sector organisations from across GCC region.