IDC CIO Excellence Awards & Symposium

Cairo, Egypt

‘CIO50

Overview

As new-age IT projects continue to proliferate, CIOs, CTOs, and their teams are embracing a variety of cutting-edge strategies to add intelligence to the ever-growing volume of data, build a culture of innovation, and accelerate their digital infrastructure road maps. The innovation train is moving fast. As such, organizations must ramp up their skill sets and address a variety of pressing challenges to ensure they are well positioned to take full advantage of technology models like AI and zero trust.

In the 2024 'Role and Influence of the Technology Decision Maker' study, a majority of enterprise IT decision makers believe that the tech buying process is becoming increasingly complex. The major technology disruptions seen since 2023 have led many companies to pivot toward monetizing their biggest innovations. Today, the world’s best leaders are building distributed systems designed for growth and making cloud-native tech ready for any future – powered by the likes of AI and GenAI.

The event will be centered around the 2025 award-winners, who shared stories of leadership, innovation, and their experiences with the latest technologies, including generative AI, automation, quantum and more.

Jury Members

Jebin George

Program Manager, Industry Solutions, IDC

George Ayad

Senior Research Analyst, IDC

Nagia El-Emary Show full profile linkedin

Nagia El-Emary

Country Director (Egypt), IDC

Eric Samuel

Associate Research Director, IDC

IDC CIO Excellence Awards

To compete and thrive in the new digital economy, progressive CIOs across the region are increasingly transforming their customer engagements, business operations, and operating models by leveraging digital technologies. They are rapidly adopting advanced technologies such as AI and leveraging cloud and cybersecurity to accelerate transformation. They are also supported by line-of-business leaders in delivering business transformation.

Through the IDC CIO Excellence Awards 2025, IDC intends to honor those organizations and IT leaders that have conceptualized and successfully delivered digital transformation initiatives that brought about tangible results.

At IDC, we pride ourselves on enforcing the very highest levels of transparency and impartiality. As such, each nomination will be reviewed and validated using a multi-tiered process.

Agenda

Export Complete Agenda
Tuesday May 27, 2025
9:00

Registration & Tea/Coffee
10:00

Welcome Note
10:05

IDC Keynote: Unlocking the Future: AI and Cloud Adoption in Egypt and Middle East
10:15

Driving Business Efficiency with AI and Automation in a Hybrid Cloud World.
10:35

Data Resilience for an AI-Fueled Business
10:50

Accelerating Digital Transformation Through Application and Infrastructure Modernization
11:05

Opening Address by H.E. Dr. Amr Talaat Minister of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), Egypt
11:10

Future-Proofing with AI -powered Cloud-Native Technologies
11:20

Tea/ Coffee & Networking Break
11:45

CIO Tech Talk - Leveraging AI Platforms for Digital Business Success
12:15

Supercharge Your AI Initiatives: Real-World Use Cases, Best Practices, and Essential Tools
12:20

Q&A (Ask Questions & Stand a Chance to Win a Raffle)
12:30

The New Rules of Data Management
12:40

Q&A (Ask Questions & Stand a Chance to Win a Raffle)
12:45

Unlocking the Value of AI with a Data Streaming Platform
12:55

Protecting Critical Infrastructure from the Rise of AI-Borne Threats
13:05

CIO Tech Talk - Future-Proofing Digital Business: Investing in Flexible, AI-Ready Digital Infrastructure
13:35

CIO Excellence Awards : The Power 50: Recognizing Excellence in IT Leadership
14:05

Lunch, Networking and Close

Speakers

Wahab Bou Hamdan

Events Audience Development Manager

Dr. Eman Elshewy

Senior Research Manager, IDC

Ayman El-Hossainy

CEO, TECH-HUB

Jawad Moghnieh

Senior Manager – Commercial Sales Middle East & CIS, Veeam Software

Lena Nabil

Technical Sales Specialist , IBM

H.E. Dr. Amr Talaat

Minister of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), Egypt

Dr. Hesham Sultan

CTO, BVS

Dr. Bishoy Sawiris

Chief Data Officer, GB Corporation

Alaa Abou Elmagd

Vice President & Head of Digital Transformation, GB Capital Holding

Rany Sabry

Chief Information Officer, Credit Guarantee Company (CGC Egypt)

Michael Mounir Habib

Director, IT & Digital, Eva Pharma Group

Sami Samir

Chief Information Officer, Attijariwafa Bank

Areej Mohammad

Solutions Engineer, Cloudera

Elias Haddad Show full profile linkedin

Elias Haddad

Head of SE Organization MENA, Cisco

Steve Fernandes

Senior Manager, Solutions Engineering, Confluent

Saif Alrefai

Solution Engineering Manager, OPSWAT

Iman Wafy

Information Technology Expert

Dr. Hazem Shatila

Professor of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning & Cognitive Radio & Wireless Communication

Hisham Mohamed Aly

Chief Information Security Officer, Emirates NBD

Maged Tammam

Chief Information Officer, CAE

Yehia Zakaria

Chief Technology Officer, Hamza Group

View All Speakers

Partners

Host Partner
Strategic Partner
Digital Innovation Partner
Digital Innovation Finance Partner
Platinum Partner
Platinum Partner
Gold Partner
Gold Partner
Gold Partner

Venue

The Nile Ritz Carlton

1113 Nile Corniche, Ismailia, El Nil

Knowledge Hub

Partner Spotlight
The Rise of AI Agents Signals the Growing Importance of Data Privacy

Tariq Salameh,
Solutions Engineering Manager, Emerging Markets, Cloudera

Data privacy is becoming increasingly complex and critical as organizations turn to AI to revamp their operations and processes. Among these advancements is agentic AI, designed to autonomously execute tasks without human intervention and act with agency.

For all its benefits, agentic AI’s reliance on vast amounts of personally identifiable data raises significant privacy concerns and fuels growing consumer mistrust in how organizations manage personal information. According to PwC's recent Global Consumer Insights Survey, 40% of Middle East consumers are wary of providing their personal data on social media and websites. This is going to worsen when agentic AI hits the mainstream adoption phase in critical sectors like healthcare and financial services where personal data is prized at a premium.

Partner Spotlight
The Next Frontier in Cybersecurity: Combating AI-Driven Threats to Critical Infrastructure

Amjad Quteifan,
Regional Sales Director, OPSWAT

The integration of artificial intelligence across global industries is progressing at an unprecedented pace. From predictive maintenance in manufacturing to AI-enhanced diagnostics in healthcare, technology is revolutionizing operations and unlocking new efficiencies. But with every leap forward, there’s a shadow — and in this case, it’s the emergence of AI-driven cyberthreats.

Critical infrastructure, the backbone of our digital and physical worlds, is increasingly under siege from sophisticated attacks powered by AI. These aren't just evolutions of existing threats — they represent a paradigm shift in how adversaries identify vulnerabilities, automate exploits, and evade detection.

Contact Us

Shabana Mahadiwala

VP Conferences

+971 56 414 5986

Taher Hamdan

Sales Director – Events, IDC Middle East, Turkey & Africa

+971 50 659 1320

IDG

IT executives worldwide rely on IDG’s technology events to discover new ideas, trends, and solutions. Leveraging 60 years of IDC’s market intelligence and Foundry’s media brands (CIO, CSO, Computerworld, InfoWorld, Network World, ARN, Reseller News, ChannelPartner, Channel Asia, ITWorld), these events offer powerful learning and networking experiences.

Held in more than 30 countries, they foster networking, collaboration, engagement, and knowledge sharing among industry leaders and professionals. Each event is meticulously curated to provide valuable insights and meaningful connections through analysts and editor-led content, global perspectives, case studies presented by the world’s leading tech companies and a range of interactive formats including expert panels, live demos, roundtables, 1:1 meetings and workshops.

Partner Spotlight
The Next Frontier in Cybersecurity: Combating AI-Driven Threats to Critical Infrastructure

Amjad Quteifan,
Regional Sales Director, OPSWAT

The integration of artificial intelligence across global industries is progressing at an unprecedented pace. From predictive maintenance in manufacturing to AI-enhanced diagnostics in healthcare, technology is revolutionizing operations and unlocking new efficiencies. But with every leap forward, there’s a shadow — and in this case, it’s the emergence of AI-driven cyberthreats.

Critical infrastructure, the backbone of our digital and physical worlds, is increasingly under siege from sophisticated attacks powered by AI. These aren't just evolutions of existing threats — they represent a paradigm shift in how adversaries identify vulnerabilities, automate exploits, and evade detection.

We view this challenge as both a call to action and an opportunity to reshape the future of cybersecurity.

AI: The Double-Edged Sword

While AI offers immense potential for defenders — from anomaly detection to behavior-based threat hunting — attackers are exploiting the same capabilities. We’re seeing a rise in AI-generated malware, deepfake phishing campaigns, and adaptive threats that learn how to bypass traditional security controls in real time.

Most concerning is how these threats target critical infrastructure — environments where downtime isn’t just inconvenient; it’s dangerous. Whether it’s a water treatment facility, a power grid, or a transportation network, any compromise has far-reaching consequences.

Rethinking Security for a New Era

Traditional cybersecurity tools, often built around static rule sets and signature-based detection, are ill-equipped to deal with dynamic, AI-powered threats. The industry must move toward a more resilient, adaptive approach — one that secures both information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) environments.

At OPSWAT, we’ve long understood that protecting critical infrastructure demands more than conventional cybersecurity tools. That’s why we focus on specialized, proactive defense strategies that detect and neutralize advanced threats at the earliest possible stage — before they reach the systems their targeting. By addressing vulnerabilities at the file level and securing high-risk entry points, we help organizations stay resilient in the face of increasingly sophisticated, AI-enhanced attacks.

The Road Ahead

As AI continues to mature, the line between digital and physical risk will blur even further. This means cybersecurity can no longer be an afterthought — especially for critical infrastructure providers. It must be an integral part of every AI and digital transformation strategy.

At OPSWAT, we believe in staying ahead of the threat curve and as AI reshapes the attack landscape, we’re committed to ensuring it doesn’t compromise the systems that keep our world running.

Partner Spotlight
The Rise of AI Agents Signals the Growing Importance of Data Privacy

Tariq Salameh,
Solutions Engineering Manager, Emerging Markets, Cloudera

Data privacy is becoming increasingly complex and critical as organizations turn to AI to revamp their operations and processes. Among these advancements is agentic AI, designed to autonomously execute tasks without human intervention and act with agency.

For all its benefits, agentic AI’s reliance on vast amounts of personally identifiable data raises significant privacy concerns and fuels growing consumer mistrust in how organizations manage personal information. According to PwC's recent Global Consumer Insights Survey, 40% of Middle East consumers are wary of providing their personal data on social media and websites. This is going to worsen when agentic AI hits the mainstream adoption phase in critical sectors like healthcare and financial services where personal data is prized at a premium.

Differentiating and Protecting Critical Information

The first and most crucial step in protecting consumer trust is securing critical and personally identifiable information. The 2025 Global Digital Trust Insights report by PWC reveals that 15% of organizations in the Middle East have suffered data breaches costing more than $100,000.

Organizations must invest in secure and governed data platforms that employ comprehensive encryption and tokenization strategies. These measures should be applied across all data environments, whether on-premises or cloud based, and across diverse storage solutions. Building robust defenses ensures that data remains secure while enabling the safe adoption of AI.

Addressing Data Governance and Security Mandates

As governments worldwide strengthen regulations to protect citizens’ data privacy rights, compliance with local market rules and data sovereignty laws has become increasingly complex. The growing adoption of agentic AI adds another layer of difficulty, as these systems often require access to historical and cross-border data to operate effectively.

To address this, enterprises must adopt a granular approach to data governance, supported by a zero trust architecture — a security model that ensures no user or system is trusted by default. This involves accurately identifying where specific customer data resides, applying appropriate controls, and being prepared to produce detailed audit reports.

Building a culture of trust and transparency is essential for managing expectations around data usage and the ethical limitations of agentic AI. Implementing "privacy by design" principles ensures that privacy is integrated into AI products and services from the outset. As AI agents increasingly influence decision-making with consumer data, organizations must prioritize transparency in data handling to foster trust and reduce reputational risks, ultimately supporting long-term success.

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