Karl is the Founder of iAdvisory and a Strategic Advisor, board member of several organizations across the globe pioneering the Digital and Metaverse Economy. He is co-chair of the Business Innovators committee at the Capital Club Dubai, and leads the Digital Economy, Metaverse, AI and Fintech initiatives.

A strategic business leader with over 20 years’ experience building market presence and driving revenue growth across Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East, and Africa; Karl has developed global and regional ecosystem partnerships in the government, enterprise, and start-up sectors.

Karl has held key executive leadership roles with several global industry leaders. These include establishing and leading the Visa Strategic Partnerships, Fintech, and Ventures group for CEMEA; leading Microsoft Enterprise Partnership team across MEA and heading Cisco’s Service Provider Cloud and Managed Services GTM in Emerging Markets and APAC. 

He is an inventor with a co-invented global IP patent in digital payments, and most recently co-authored a white paper on “Economics and AI in The Metaverse” among other publications.

Finto Thomas, is a seasoned cybersecurity consultant and strategist with 18 years of experience globally.. He has worked with leading security firms and advised both Fortune 500 companies and startups on intricate cybersecurity matters. Finto is an expert in cybersecurity strategy development, aligning security initiatives with business goals, and overseeing information security and risk management. His background is diverse, with proficiency in cloud security, virtualization, application security, and data privacy. Finto led the information security function from scratch and developed relevant policies and risk management frameworks at Alef Education.

Prior, he worked as a Security Architect at IBM, leading transformation programs and providing solutions for cloud and data center security. Finto is also experienced in project management, compliance, and ethical hacking. With his proven industry track record, Finto Thomas is indeed a highly skilled cybersecurity professional. Certified : CISSP , TOGAF , SANS , CISM , IBM Architect

Founder and CEO of Al Maryah Community Bank, the first independent digital bank in the UAE. Before starting his journey with Al Maryah Community Bank, Mr. Khayata spent 18 months in Berlin working on transforming classical financial services into blockchain based disruptive solutions. His project involved global technology experts and business leaders who collaborated on developing the concept of community banks on basis of the latest crypto based concepts.

During his 29 years in senior positions with leading banks and innovative financial institutions in the UAE such as National Bank of Abu Dhabi, First Gulf Bank, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Finance House and CAPM investment, he has delivered exceptional retail banking products like the first Credit Card in the UAE back in 1994, and developed progressive and out of the box corporate banking solutions for diverse segments.

Mr. Khayata has very significant presence in the capital and equity markets. He has lead formation of multiple greenfield entities in financial sector and has managed multiple corporate transformations. He has been in equity and IPO market for over 25 years, with special focus on IPO Advisory, IPO Management and participated in starting Abu Dhabi Stock Exchange. In most recent IPO for Fertiglobe, he handled all external stakeholders and provided strategic, professional and operational guidance to Al Maryah Community bank team. He ensured the vision of the first fully digital IPO is achieved and ensured great investor / customer experience.

With strong footing in customer orientation, blended with focus on technology and blockchain, Mr. Khayata is now continuing his journey to make Al Maryah Community Bank a premier hub of innovation and prestige. Mr. Khayata holds Master’s degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Hull (UK), and is an Alumna of Harvard Business School in Leadership Management

Aditya Kaushik is a Technologist with a penchant for effecting change and bridging the gap between ‘Business Value’ and Technology within an Organization. Over the past 27 years, he has worked across a multitude of industries including Aviation, Construction, Oil & Gas and recently with Marine. He is currently the ICT Director at Zakher Marine International. 

Over the past two decades, he has successfully delivered Digital Transformation projects within the Organizations delivering value for Business through successful adoption of Technology at all levels. Working through a strategic roadmap for the stakeholders and a ground-up approach to achieve change, he can successfully weave through the nuances of company cultures and individual challenges within the teams. He is also Certified CISO and a Certified Digital Transformation Practitioner.   

Mr. Gigi Mathew Thomas – Group Head IT & Digital Transformation at Ittihad International Investment 

Business driven IT professional and leader driving the continued growth and development of an innovative, robust, and secure information technology environment throughout the Group and its 25+ Entities spanning multiple industry verticals (Manufacturing, Construction, Contracting, Trading, Medical Services, Oil & Gas Services etc). Spearheaded Ittihad to be a winner of the SAP Quality Awards UAE in the Cloud Transformation Category, Best Digital Transformation Project of the Year 2021, Cloud Champion of the Year 2021, CIO of the Year (Diversified Group) 2021, and also was awarded winner of the SAP Quality Awards in the Business Transformation Category (Finalist) for Middle East and North Africa. 

An innovative thinker with a strategic vision and always strives to drive the value of Information Technology as a ‘Business Enabler’.

Jayanth has over 17 years of work experience in the Banking & Financial Services industry and is currently the head of Digital transformation at Gulf International Bank (GIB). Prior to joining GIB, Jayanth was at Mashreq bank in Dubai, where he was responsible for leading Revenue & Product development of Mashreq Neo , the first full service digital bank in the UAE. He also worked at Citibank India for ~10 years across different roles spanning Digital Banking, Mobile banking, Payments, Cards Product, Credit risk and Operations. Jayanth holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical engineering and a Master’s degree in Finance and Marketing.

Mr. Awad Ahmed Ali El-Sidiq (Chief Data Officer of the year 2023 , Award Winner of Best AI Project Implementation for Energy and Utilities Sector 2022 – 2023 & Award Winner of Oracle Worldwide DBA Excellence Award for EMEA Region at Open World USA 2013) is Head of Artificial intelligence & Analytics at ADNOC Distribution – U.A.E, Key Member on Data warehouse – Big Data Worldwide Leader Program.

With more than 15 years of IT Industry experience in architecting and managing large enterprise Database Applications and Advance Analytics Solutions for delivering services to more than 10,000 users and millions of customers across all ADNOC Distribution businesses. Pioneer in Implementing BI & Advance Analytics (AI/ML) Solutions in Oil and Gas industry in Middle East & Africa region (MEA). His dedication and initiatives has been recognized globally. Has led major AI/ML Use Cases Development and Deployment with huge Business Revenues and Benefits.

One of the First Globally to Implement and Consolidate Successfully Enterprise Critical Production Databases using Oracle Exadata , Exalogic and Private Cloud Appliance in EMEA Region.

List of International Award Received as recognition:-

1- Chief Data Officer of the Year 2023

2- Best AI Use Case for Energy and Utilities Sector 2022

3- Best Oracle DBA Excellence Award for EMEA 2013

4- EMEA Best Oracle Engineered System Implementation 2013

5- Oracle Downstream Oil & Gas Excellence Award in Open World 2012

6- Best Oracle Cloud adoption for the year 2014 by Oracle Corporation

7- Best Energy Sector Deployment of the year 2013/2014 by ACN

Ellis is an impact-driven deep-tech builder who brings together business entrepreneurs and technical talents to bring advanced technologies to the markets quickly. Ellis now is Partner & Chairman of Gulf Business Development AI Lab, also the Board Of The Executive & Advisory Team of The Private Office of Sheikh Saeed bin Ahmed Al Maktoum.

With over 25 years of experience in the field of digital transformation, Mr. Ellis worked for Mashreq Bank, Mckinsey, W Motors, Alibaba, Google, Asustek, Intel, and three owned Startups. He worked in various roles (CIO/CTO, CEO, Board Member) in different countries (UAE, US, China, Singapore, Taiwan), creating strategies and deploying technology roadmaps to boost business growth.

His skills on Digital Business Strategy and Leadership on Open Artificial Intelligence | eVTOL | EV CarComputer | Banking Technology | Crypto Blockchain| Metaverse eCommerce | Web 3.0 GameFi | Community Technology | IoT Technology.

Winner of the HR ICONS Award 2023 for being one of the most influential HR leaders from the Middle East by The Economic Times – ETHR World Dr. Ebrahim Al Khajeh Division Director of Human Capital, Member of the Strategic Transformation Committee at Abu Dhabi Customs and Author of How To Hack Your Mind with 23 years of experience with a PhD in Management, Master of Human Resources Management, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Accounting) and Technical Diploma in Electronic Engineering.

His achievements were recognized by being the first of their kinds in the Middle East and Worldwide by Oracle. Winner of 2022 Gold Stevie Awards for Great Employer in the category of Employer of the Year – Government Organizations, winner of 18 International Stevie Awards, 17 ISO Standards, Certified Great Place To Work Award, Oracle Heroes Award, Gold UAE Innovation Award and achieved the first place amongst all government entities in Abu Dhabi in HR maturity of 97.5%.

Hoda has 17 years of experience in industrialization and economic development projects. She has led and motivated several tech-based industrial investments in the UAE and internationally. She worked on several turnaround projects that were aimed to achieve strategic, financial and operational synergies of industrial and business prospects. She worked on developing industrial prospects with various Technology Readiness Levels supporting rigorous research and development process and developing the investment portfolios of growth for each of these prospects. She has a specific interest in SDG based investments as well as her current background.

Hoda A. Alkhzaimi is currently the CO chair for the world economic forum global cyber security future council on cyber security, the Director of Center for Emerging Advanced Research Acceleration for Te chnology, AI, Se curity and Cryptology (EMARATSEC), dire ctors for Center of Cyber Security in New York University AD and a research assistant professor in New York University. She served in different posts for research and development in the Technology development sector for the past years, she also played a vital role in developing Cyber Security and Cryptology research and development ecosystems. She headed the Department of Research and Development for Cyber Security and Cryptology in different national initiatives in the United Arab Emirates along with her associations to different security initiatives nationally and internationally. She consults for special projects with national and international technology development initiatives.

Alkhzaimi has specific expertise in cryptology; cryptanalysis, constructing and validating security hardware and software components, constructing trusted security architectures for different environments in different products for the respective industries. Hoda. Alkhzaimi obtained her Ph.D. in Cryptanalysis from Denmark Technical University. Her current research interests include Space, Aerospace, and UAV and autonomous systems security, constructing and analyzing cryptographic primitives, validating, and investigating links between different
cryptanalytic approaches and utilizing cryptographic primitives in different cybersecurity architectures as in Internet of Things and big data analysis among others. Her research includes analysis of the effect of AI and machine learning techniques on improving security analytics. She is as well leading several AI based initiatives globally.

Dr. Alkhzaimi is the president of Emirates Digital Association for Women, a non-for-profit organization endorsed by the ministry of social affairs in the UAE. This association supports national and international initiatives that aim to empower sustainable economic investments and development for diverse communities with specific focus on inclusivity initiatives. This includes, yet not limited to, establishing, and creating ecosystems that support sustainable business development in the UAE and the international scene which supports economic indigenous
growth of local economies. In tandem, she is the Ambassador and the Chief Executive Officer for Women in Artificial Intelligence international community that aims to improve the scientific and professional positioning of AI for social impact and women’s contributions within the field, especially in the MENA region. She led the Women in Engineering Chapter in Abu Dhabi and the UAE lead for INWES MENA which is the global network for organizations of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Along with her initial Masters in science in Mathematics, Cryptology and Coding theory from INPG, she has a Masters degree from London Business School in Business management with a focus on finance and investments as well as a masters of international business law from Sorbonne University with a focus on building sustainable economic ecosystems and investments for valuable technological and industrial impacts. She is currently establishing an investment fund with a focus on industrial developments for global SDG impact with multiple local and international financial and industrial partners.

Hoda is an advisor on the knowledge cluster on emerging economies and technologies for the World Economic Forum on its different tasks force on global future councils and on the global center for the forth industrial revolution. as well as being on multiple investments committees globally as well as audit committees. She has several board levels seats in multiple global and UAE lead investment funds and industries.

Hazem graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from The American University in Cairo in 2002. Since then, he has developed a passion for and built a career in connecting the business world with technology.

He has led projects across all areas of the digital mix including web platforms, mobile solutions, social media, content, performance marketing, search engine optimization and marketing, paid digital advertising and programmatic, data and analytics, CRM, and ecommerce… making him not only an advocate but also a hands-on practitioner of omni-channel marketing. He has been a consultant to many brands, defining and implementing their digital transformation strategies, and implementing complex MarTech solutions to influence data-driven customer engagement comms throughout their lifecycle.

He’s been fortunate to work across multiple industries and many iconic brands including a.o. HSBC, Emirates NBD, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, UAE Central Bank, Gucci, Sephora, Emaar Group, First Abu Dhabi Bank, Dubai Health Authority, The British Council, Egypt Tourist Authority, Wasl Asset Management, InterContinental Hotels Group, Amazon, Unilever, Gulf News, Qtel (now Ooreedoo), Zain Telecom, McDonalds, Philip Morris International, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Sony Mobile, Yas Waterworld, Emirates, and Majid Al Futtaim Group.

Hazem is passionate about the undeniable power of data that digital channels provide and excels at building sound strategic solutions that have data at heart. He is based in Dubai and as a native Arabic speaker brings to the table insights and expertise from an Arabic speaking user point of view ensuring experiential solutions are implemented relative to their needs.

Khurram Sabir has over 21 years of experience in the fields of Audit, Compliance and Risk Management, in various business industries including Big 4 Accountancy firms, Government Institutions, Banking and Asset Management Companies. Khurram has established track record of setting up and revamping Audit and Risk functions in several organizations to ensure that these are in alignment to achieve the Organizations strategy and objectives.
Currently, he is working as the Chief Internal Auditor and Chief Risk Officer for General Pension and Social Security Authority. Previously Khurram has worked as the Head of Audit and Compliance for a public listed entity, Head of Audit for Retail and Wealth Segments for a leading Bank in Abu Dhabi and Head of Audit for an Asset Management Company in United Kingdom. Khurram is a Fellow Chartered Accountant, Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and an MBA with several certifications in Compliance and Risk Management.

Thuraiya is currently working as Acting Director for Government Digital Services Unified Portal in the Digital Transformation Empowerment Unit in the Ministry of transport and communication and IT. She is an expert in emerging technologies, Open data and digital transformation with more than 12 years of professional experiences. She got her master degree in “Business Information Technology” in Scotland. Currently she is a member of GCC eGovernment Portal Executive Team in the UAE. She was also a board member in Smart city platform and the National Youth Committee in Oman.

Mario Foster is the Group Chief Information Officer at Al Ghurair Group. The Group is one of the UAE’s oldest and most respected family conglomerates with a diverse portfolio of businesses. An accomplished and multiple award-winning Chief Information Officer, Digital Transformation Officer and Chief Information Security Officer, Mario joined Al Ghurair Group in January 2023. His responsibilities include leading the Group IT organisation, evaluating and restructuring the existing IT Operating Model, and setting strategic plans to take the Group’s IT function to the next level.

Prior to his current role, Mario served as Group CIO for Al Naboodah Group Enterprises for almost eight years. He transformed the Group IT department into one of the best IT departments in the region and won multiple regional and local awards under his leadership.

Mario brings with him 30 years of international experience leading complex IT business transformation projects, system enhancement solutions, information security, and infrastructure development solutions, including private and public cloud-based solutions. He has expertise in cutting-edge technologies such as Robotics Process Automation (RPA), Big Data, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Business Intelligence (BI), Internet of Things (IoT), 3D Printing, SaaS, and EaaS.

Mario always aims to transform any IT organisation he leads, from a support function department to a business enabler. He regularly targets building a responsive IT organisation that aligns technology initiatives with business goals to improve service delivery, standardisation, and business/systems performance.

Mario has won multiple awards, including Top 10 CIOs by the well-respected CIO Middle East Magazine, Best CIO Award, Best MENA CISO Award, and the CIO Catalyst Award for the MENA Region for Real Estate & Construction Industry for the fifth year in a row. He was also selected by ITP publishing house as one of the Top 20 Technology Leaders for the MENA Region in 2017. Mario holds the CRISC, CISM, CISSP, RSA Eng., MCSE, CCNA certifications, and is a Gold Member of the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) since February 2007. He sits on the Advisory Board for the Cloud MENA Annual Conference, the National Advisory Council of the College of Technological Innovation at Zayed University, and multiple other industry councils.

Ms. Razan Mohammed AlMazroo is an Innovation and Experience Design Director in Digital Government Authority. She holds a Bachelor degree in Information Technology from King Saud University and a Master degree in Business Administration from Al-Faisal University. She has more than 12 years of professional experience in Technology systems and ERP, Human centred Design HCD, Government Innovation and Innovation management, Customer-Centric Service Maturity and Design. She has worked in different sectors Banking, Health care, and Government. This diversification of industries has yielded her with different perspective and expanded her horizon. Provided her with a varied skillset that helped her succeed in multi domains. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has” – Margaret Mead