Director, Supply Chain and Transportation, MENA, Amazon
Responsible for planning, analytics, direct imports and commercial carrier operations for Amazon Middle East and North Africa, Ritesh Somani heads the global e-commerce company’s supply chain. He has a passion for strategizing and streamlining day-to-day operations, improving customer and seller experience. Ritesh joined Amazon in 2016 and has been a part of several strategic topics involving capacity planning, inbound supply chain, fulfillment experience among others. Before joining Amazon, he worked for Fortune Global 500 company Accenture in India, where he was responsible for advising clients across multiple functional areas and geographies including India, China, and South Africa on management consulting projects, in addition to developing actionable strategies. Ritesh started his career after his MBA from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Kozhikode and a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Kanpur.
Vice President Procurement & Supply Chain, Etihad Aviation Group
Cassie Mackie FCIPS Chartered: Cassie is a Chartered Fellow of CIPS and is Vice President of Procurement & Supply Chain at Etihad Aviation Group. Cassie has 20 years’ experience in strategic procurement and supply chain roles across the Airline, Defence and Building Products industries. Cassie holds bachelor degrees in International Business & International Relations, and an MBA majoring in Strategic Procurement. Cassie is married with two young children and resides in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Chief Economist, Dubai Industries and Exports
Dr. Ashraf Mahate is currently the Chief Economist at Dubai Industries and Exports, which is the industrial development and trade promotion organisation within the Emirate of Dubai and an agency of the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism part of the Government of Dubai. In his current capacity, Dr. Mahate provides econometric analysis, evidence-based policy design and development, information and advice to key decision makers that promotes a structured as well as detailed understanding of industrial development and trade policy’s role in economic growth, diversification and development of Dubai and the United Arab Emirates. Dr. Mahate is responsible for overseeing thought leadership within Dubai Industries and Exports in the areas of Industrial development, trade, trade policy, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation. He is closely involved with policy development and regularly works with officials from federal ministries and international agencies on issues related to industrial development, trade and international trade agreements.
Dr. Mahate is an accomplished public speaker and regularly delivers presentations at seminars, conferences, and industry-based functions in the UAE and overseas. As a professional economist with high-level management experience in the region, Dr. Mahate is an advisor to the SME sector, especially in the area of trade. Dr. Mahate is a regular contributor to various regional business magazines and newspapers as well as having written a number of academic journal articles, chapters in books and edited books in the areas of entrepreneurship, trade, finance and innovation.
Dr. Mahate received his doctorate from Bayes Business School part of City University of London (UK). He read Economics at University College London which is one of the principal colleges within the University of London followed by a Masters in International Economics and Banking at the University of Wales in Cardiff. Dr. Mahate is a professional educator and received his training at the Institute of Education (University of London). Dr. Mahate is a member of the Chartered Institute of Managers (UK); the Institute of Commercial Management (UK) and the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS).
General Manager for Planning and Fulfilment, MTN Group
Arun is the General Manager for Planning & Fulfilment at the Global Sourcing & Supply Chain (GSSC) company of MTN, the largest African Telco Provider. His current role focuses on driving demand management, planning, and the fulfilment of that demand, for MTN’s operating companies. With a background in Systems and Digitization, Arun has implemented solutions covering Demand Forecasting, Global Trade Management, Sourcing/Contract Management, and Advanced Analytics solutions across MTN. In an earlier role, he led the SCM Excellence team supporting 21 MTN companies in 2 continents, implementing eSourcing, Spend Analytics and Supplier Performance Management solutions. These implementations enable MTN Group and its Operating Companies to gain visibility on the state of operations, in order to: a) identify areas of excellence and improvement; b) perform Advanced Analytics to provide business functions competitive advantages in the market place; c) control costs; d) ensure compliance to internal policies and country-specific regulations.
He has also led and managed the SCM Transformation program in multiple MTN companies; effectively moving from a procurement focus to end-to-end supply chain, including demand planning, category management, warehousing, logistics, & transport operations. In addition, he also leads the Working Capital initiative at MTN group, driving working capital improvements via enablers like Supply Chain Finance.
Before MTN, he started his career as an ERP Consultant, where he was involved with design, implementation and management of solutions across Manufacturing, Cold Chain, Retail, FMCG and Logistics industries. His 22 year experience encompasses building and leading high-performing teams, driving large scale global transformations, supply chain operations, procurement & category management, leading complex global IT projects, and developing and implementing global strategies. He has experience working with large and complex Supply Chains in FMCG, Telco, Cold Chain.
Vice President of Procurement and Business Support, OSN
VP Procurement and Business support. Worked in the broadcast industry for 21 years (OSN, the leading pay TV operator in MENA), responsible for the Procurement, Supply chain, Customer Operations, and Facilities teams operations across MENA
Acting Supply Management Department Director, Abu Dhabi Department of Culture & Tourism
Tariq Saleh Barak Alameri is the acting director for the supply management department with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi). Alameri's career to date has focused on procurement, supply management, strategy development and execution, procurement digitalisation, and procurement operations.
Alameri successfully supported DCT Abu Dhabi in achieving CIPS Platinum accreditation in record time and other DCT Abu Dhabi initiatives that he started within the department including DCT Abu Dhabi's Supplier Relationship Management Framework, Corporate Social Responsibility Program and Supplier Localisation Program to name a few. Alameri was also successful in developing the Supply Management digital dashboard and is continuously pushing for improvement and innovation in the organisation and Supply Management Department's processes and procedures.
Alameri was heavily involved in supporting the Government Procurement Office, the centralised procurement authority for the Abu Dhabi Government, developing their standards and their implementation of SAP Ariba for the government entities under the Abu Dhabi government umbrella.
Former Vice President - Head of Strategic Sourcing, Emirates NBD
Highly qualified senior procurement management professional, author of “Innovation in Procurement and its added value to UAE banking sector Islamic & Conventional” book. Doctor of Business Administration (DBA), Fellow of Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (FCIPS), Master of Applied Business Research from SBS Swiss Business School as well as Master of Technology - Project Management from Chifley Business School - Torrens University. With more than 2 decades of experience across diverse organizations, having significant exposure in managing supply chain operations.
Visionary procurement executive with extensive experience in building and leading the procurement organization.
Builds teams, influences through collaborative efforts with key internal stakeholders in the organization. Proven track record of high performance in achieving stretch targets and transformation of the procurement function from a tactical to a strategic contributor.
Independent Procurement Expert
Anthony is currently considered as one of the topexperts in procurement transformation in the region having more than 20 years of experience in the construction, property development and healthcare industries.
Over the past 12 years, he held several roles in the healthcare sector having worked as the Chief procurement Officer of Aster DM Healthcare and as the Chief Procurement Officer of RAFED (part of the Pure Health Group) the UAE’s leading Group Purchase Organisation for the healthcare industry.
Over the past 12 years, he held several roles in the healthcare sector having worked as the Chief procurement Officer of Aster DM Healthcare and as the Chief Procurement Officer of RAFED (part of the Pure Health Group) the UAE’s leading Group Purchase Organisation for the healthcare industry.
Group Executive & Chief Procurement Officer, MTN Group
A successful and perceptive procurement leader with an international career spanning 25 years and a proven track record in advisory services, outsourcing, vendor management and banking. Able to anticipate and qualify the need for change, set the appropriate directions and build the drive for implementation. Has strong business acumen, building the bridges between the lines of business and procurement with a focus on the global enterprise bargaining power to deliver the cost benefits in a timely manner. Develops, influences, and drives procurement plans at a strategic, global level and manages senior executive stakeholder relationships.
Specialties: Demonstrates strong people management and organisational skills through managing global sourcing activities, multi vendor outsourcing contracts, transition and transformation projects, and strategic supplier management programmes
Senior Vice President - Procurement & Contracts, Expo 2020
Anis Tabka, SVP Procurement & Contracts in Expo2020 Dubai, is managing all the Sourcing requirements and Contract Management of the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region. The unique Mega Event with the theme “Connecting Minds and Creating the Future” will be hosting 191 participating countries and 25 million visitors
The spend under management varies from large construction projects and Fitout of the Thematic Districts and international pavilions to world smartest Technologies (Robotics & Automation, sustainability, 5G, smart driving, etc.), Mega Entertainment events and exhibitions, Marketing, F&B outlets, manpower, etc.
Prior to Expo2020, Anis used to be the CPO of UAE 2nd Telecommunication Service Provider EITC (du and Virgin Mobile UAE) where he founded the Supply chain function from scratch. He also led major Digital transformation of EITC Supply chain and implemented Robotics.
Before moving to the Middle East, Anis spent a large portion of his career in the USA and Germany working with Fortune 500 companies Siemens and AT&T.
Anis holds an MBA in International Finance from University of Central Florida USA and a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Management from the City University of New York.
Head of Supply Chain and Logistics, RAK Ceramics
With over 18 years of end-to-end Supply Chain experience, Walaa Maher has led diverse workstreams with two of the top Fortune 500 blue-chip companies and is now leading 1,200 employees in the largest Ceramics Industry group in the world, RAK Ceramics. Since 2008, he has reached over 18,000 people in his role as a regular speaker and consultant for Supply Chain design and trends within the Middle East.
Head of Procurement, Chalhoub Group
Anna Konoplianikova is the Head of Procurement at Chalhoub Group. Chalhoub Group is a 70-year old company operating in luxury retail and distribution in the Middle East. Anna has 18+ years of procurement and finance experience. Before Chalhoub, Anna was a part of and subsequently led procurement teams in the Coca-Cola Hellenic and Amazon. She is a London School of Economics alumni with MCIPS and Fellow Chartered Accountant qualifications.
Anna is passionate about elevating procurement beyond operations, driving procurement automation and data analytics to deliver 10x + ROI, working in a cross-functional and international environment, growing relationships, and building trust with stakeholders.
Director of Supply Chain, Bateel
Presently a specialist in Food and Beverage Supply Chain Management and Procurement, Kunal heads the Global Supply Chain for Bateel Group (based out of Dubai) that has operations in over 11 countries from US to Middle East to South East Asia.
He has been instrumental in opening and managing over 200 F&B outlets during his F&B Supply Chain tenure. Major brand names include Bateel café’s and boutiques, Godiva Café’s , Tim Hortons, Coldstone Creamery and Sbarro Pizza.
Awarded as ‘Emerging Leader in Supply Chain Management – Middle East’ by Institute of Supply Chain Management, ISCM in Dec, 2018.
Travel and food continue to be his passion that gets him going every morning.
Group Chief Information Officer, Lulu Group
Piyush Chowhan is a digital evangelist with a passion for transforming businesses with the use of technology. With over two decades of experience working with global consumer and retail companies, he has an excellent track record of delivering results and creating value across organizations. His vision is creating innovation-focused digital strategies to maximize today’s opportunities and prepare organizations for future disruptions. His passion for working with startups and innovation-led companies has given him the edge to create digital assets for organizations with the use of the latest technologies like Analytics, Cloud, and Artificial Intelligence. He has been a widely recognized leader in digital transformation and has been a much-wanted speaker at over 100 global events. He is an avid writer and his thought leadership is published in multiple magazines and portals.
Vice President - Supply Chain Management, National Central Cooling Company (TABREED)
Mohamed Habib is the Vice President of Supply Management at Tabreed. In his current role, Habib leads Tabreed’s Supply Management function covering Sourcing, Contracts Administration, Material Management, and Insurance. Habib also serves as the Member of the Board of Directors for Tabreed Operations and Maintenance Company (TOMCO), CoolTech Water Services and Cooltech Water Treatment. His prior experience includes time spent in supply chain management and strategy roles at a number of organizations including Dubai Holding, Emirates Steel, The Executive Council of Dubai, and Emirates Airlines.
Habib holds a Bachelor of Arts in Interactive Information Technology from the University of Hartford, USA, as well as an MBA from Coventry University in the UK. He is also an alumni of Mohammed Bin Rashed Center for Leadership Development, Dubai.
Head of Logistics, Al Rashideen Group
Mohamed Essam Abdel Hady is currently Head of Logistics for Al Rashideen Group based in Dubai, UAE, which imports & distributes tobacco & food products. He has over 15 years of experience in accounting, management consulting, business development, and E2E supply chain management & optimization in companies like ADP, Heineken, PepsiCo, & Egypt Foods.
Mohamed holds an M.B.A. degree from the American University in Cairo with a specialization in management and operations research, and is a graduate of York University in Toronto with a double major in Economics & Computer Science, and has experience with analytics tools and programming. He is also an avid reader of management science, as well as being a fintech enthusiast.
Manager of Inventory Excellence, ADNOC HQ
Shanof Mohamed is a Petroleum Engineer by major and worked in well operations with ADNOC Offshore in the early part of his career. Later he moved to ADNOC Commercial & ICV Directorate and had been on several leadership roles handling procurement policies, procedures, performance and he is currently working as Manager of Inventory Excellence in ADNOC Headquarters. As part of his current role, he is looking at the strategic and governance side of materials management across ADNOC Group.
Procurement Planning Specialist, ADNOC HQ
Yasmine Abu Zant is a Procurement Professional who has a Masters degree in Chemical Engineering from Khalifa University. She currently works as a Procurement Planning Specialist in Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC). she has recently been awarded her professional license as a full member of CIPS (MCIPS) to represent the global standards in Procurement and Supply.
With almost 9 years experience in various Procurement domains, Yasmine now focuses on Strategic procurement planning to forecast upcoming demand and develop better Procurement Plans. As the future lies in our hands, Yasmine believes that we can use the present Procurement data to predict and control the shape of our future demand.
Manager, Materials Management, ADNOC Offshore
Joined in 2008 in ADNOC Offshore and has been involved with the Integrated Gas Development Project, Dehydration and Transportation.
In 2011, he was seconded to ADNOC Sour Gas to support in the ground up development of Procurement Business Strategy, Process and system requirement. He was also involved in EPC Procurement of Spare Parts, setup Inventory for both Maintenance and Drilling. Butti was directly involved in the design and develop requirement for the Main, Chemical and Sulphur Station Warehouses. In 2016, he was seconded to ADNOC Project Management Office from Procurement Stream to execute the actions required to drive transformational change.
Butti has 14 years’ Experience and he is a member of the ADNOC Future Leaders Cohort 3, currently leads requirements related to Management of Inventory and Warehouse for Operations and Drilling Spares.
Director, Advisory Services, Ventures Middle East
Ehab Abu Diab is leading the Advisory and Technology Consulting practice at Ventures Middle East. The consulting projects scope under management cover various industries like FMCG, Retail, Manufacturing, etc. in addition to Public Sector.
During his career, Ehab has managed more than 50 consulting projects with different clients in the public and private sectors. Prior to Ventures Middle East, Ehab worked for international consulting firms in the Strategy & Transformation domains.
Ehab is currently I am currently pursuing Master’s degree in Data Science at Heriot Watt University. He holds an MBA in Supply Chain Management from German Jordanian University and a Bachelor of Industrial Engineering from Jordan University of Science & Technology.
General Manager Procurement & Supply Chain,Petronash
Saurabh Mishra is on a strategic mission to digitally transform the Supply Chain function of Petronash, where he leads the Supply Management team globally. He has around 15 years of diverse leadership experience and operation excellence in Procurement, Project Management and ERP Implementations. An MBA in Supply Chain Management and a Graduate Mechanical Engineer, he has been driving organizational transformation and changes across global functions and regions, enabling sustainable competitive advantages. He has excelled in driving double digit business growth by implementing Agile Procurement Strategies, Value Maximizing Negotiations and building high performance global procurement teams.
Director of Strategic Planning Division and Projects Management Office, Abu Dhabi Customs
MBA in Project Management from Abu Dhabi University and BSc in Management from Higher Colleges of Technology, Certified from Six Sigma, Member of Youth Council and Abu Dhabi Government Future Leaders Program.
Group Director - Health, Safety, Security, Environment and Quality, RSA Global
Maji, is the Group Director of Health, Safety, Security, Environment and Quality (HSSEQ) at RSA Global,Dubai. United Arab Emirates.
In this role, he is responsible for setting and implementing HSSEQ strategyand culture within the organization ensuring HSSEQ is ingrained within all employees as a visible core value as well as leading project engineers and maintenance professionals to build and maintain complex facilities in compliance with HSSEQ standards and other applicable regulations.
Maji, is a chartered member of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), holds a master’s degree in Occupational Health, Safety and Environment from the University of Greenwich, London, UK and in Utility Management Operations from the California State University, Sacramento, USA.
Global Vice President PreSales Consulting, JAGGAER
Based in Milan, Italy, Francesco Colavita is Global Vice President PreSales Consulting with JAGGAER, the leader of the Autonomous Commerce revolution that is transforming the world of procurement. In this role Francesco’s main objective is to drive customer success through the creation of efficient, frictionless and fully digitalized value chains in spend analytics, strategic sourcing, supply management and procure2pay, taking into consideration the organization’s entire IT ecosystem. Francesco is passionate about helping companies successfully navigate their digital transformation journey to improve both the buy-side and sell-side experience by embracing artificial intelligence and other innovative technologies. He has more than 15 years of experience in information and communication technology, supply chain and procurement processes, gained at several software and consulting companies. He has a bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Logistics & Production) and a master’s degree in Science in Management (Economics and Industrial), both from the Polytechnic University of Milan.
Technology Procurement General Manager, stc
Hani M. Alsaigh is Technology Procurement General Manager at Saudi Telecom Company, the biggest Telecom operator in the Middle East with 20+ years’ experience. He is a Board Director at leading edge companies including STC Solutions, Middle East and SophiaTX in Europe. He is helping drive Saudi Vision 2030 focused on increasing local GDP.
Hani has been a guest speaker and panellist on thought leadership at TM Forum, Procurement Leaders, CIPS and European Institute of Procurement Management and introduced Digital Culture, Supplier Enabled Innovation, RPA and a host of initiatives to the region. He loves coaching leaders and helped change the culture at STC moving them from 4th to 1st quartile.
Hani is a former Lucent Technology Company engineer and has been a senior executive for over a decade, winning multiple awards from across the world for transformation. Through his work, he has managed spend of over $20 billion and saved organisations billions of dollars. Transformation is where he thrives, taking STC Procurement from 4nd to 2nd quartile in 3 years.
He’s a graduate of King Saud University with a degree in Telecom Engineering and a real passion to change the world through people.
Director – Global Industry Practice GroupESG & Climate Risk, Moody's Analytics
Yasman Moghaddam is a Subject Matter Expert within the Moody’s risk and finance analytics practice across APAC and Middle East. Her areas of focus include some of the key emerging themes including ESG and climate risk management and particularly around financial risk analytics and quantification.
Her most recent work has included strategizing with a number of key financial institutions across APAC and the Middle East in designing scalable and fit for purpose ESG and climate risk management frameworks to support risk identification, quantification, integration as part of lending as well as climate stress testing exercises with the aim toaddress the emerging regulatory requirements as well as enhancing internal processes.
Since joining Moody’s, she has been focusing on areas including Stress Testing, IFRS 9, Early Warning Solutions and ESG & Climate Change which she has also participated in a number of events and webinars to discuss emerging trends and thought leadership on these areas. Yasman comes with a wealth of experience from her previous role as a consultant in the Enterprise Risk Management space, working with various Financial Institutions as well as regulators across APAC and the Middle East in the design and implementation of risk management and regulatory frameworks.
Director – Governance, Risk & Compliance, Moody's Analytics
Mohamed is a strategic leader and seasoned professional with more than 25years’ experience in the Banking and Finance sectors in the US, Europe, and the Middle East with a special focus onfinancialcrimes compliance. He previously held the position of Head of Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) and then Business Development Director for Thomson Reuters and Refinitiv for the Middle East and Africa for 10 years.
Mohamed also collaborated for a decade as the Banking and Finance Practice Leader with the IBM Distributor in the Gulf (Gulf Business Machines- GBM). Mohamed’s knowledge in financial crime encompasses regulations, requirements, processes, Fintech/Regtech solutions approaches, and best practices across industries.
Before coming to the Middle East, Mohamed held several executive positions in large international banks in the US, UK, and Europe across retail, wholesale, and investment banking.
Supply Chain Digital Transformation Manager Arabia and North Africa, Unilever
Mr Nouman Qaiser is the Supply Chain Digital Transformation Manager for North Africa & Arabia at Unilever. Before joining Unilever, Nouman has worked at Microsoft & P&G. Nouman’s core area of expertise is solution design, pertaining to Manufacturing or planning. He has designed multiple solutions leveraging on Cloud Computing and IR4.0 tech to transform Manufacturing & Planning Processes. In an earlier role Nouman lead Digital transformation Program for Unilever’s Dubai Personal Care site which was eventually recognized as a Lighthouse of 4th Industrial Revolution by the World Economic Forum.
Nouman has profound interests in Computing technology & Software Design. Off the job, he enjoys spending time with his kids and Swimming.
Director of Information Technology, DP World UAE
Ibrahim Al Najjar is leading the Information Technology department of DP World, UAE where innovative solutions and IT service offerings are provided to a wide range of business units that cover shipping, transport, and logistics industries along with integrations across the supply chain entities. The IT department of DP World is a pioneer in business enablement and enrichment through technology and continuously explores, design and implement the latest disruptive innovations.
Head of Applied Analytics, DHL Innovation Center
Prerit is the Head of Applied Analytics at the DHL Innovation Center. He leads DHL Applied Analytics in the development of cutting-edge analytics solutions for DHL’s customers. He has successfully built and lead the development of solutions for inventory and supply chain optimization, sales growth, strategic modeling, and end-to-end traceability. Prerit has over 10 years of experience in data science, software and data design/architecture, enterprise data analytics & integration across multiple industries.
Head of MEA Transportation and Customs Compliance, Schneider Electric
Serge Taibaly is a French citizen, born in Madagascar with roots from India. Serge has master’s degree in international supply chain management from ESC Rennes (France).
Serge has a 10+ years in Supply Chain domain in Europe, India, Middle East, and Africa zone.
Serge is the head of MEA transportation and customs compliance at Schneider Electric where his responsibilities include overseeing transportation operations improvement, modeling and bid optimization.
His focus on operational excellence and disciplined execution has enabled him to bring about significant results in efficiency, resilient and sustainability.
Serge is certified green belt six sigma. Fluent in English, French, Gujrati and Hindi.
DSC Solution Principal, SAP
Matthias Vogel is responsible for growing the SAP Digital Supply Chain business in South Europe, Middle East and Africa by enabling customers to establish Resilient Supply Chains. He focuses on the SAP Supply Chain innovations and on translating SAP's commitment of investing 2Bn Euro globally into IoT over the next years. Matthias has been working with customers across industries on Manufacturing, Supply Chain and Procurement solutions for more than 20 years, joining SAP in 2006.
Director of SCM Sales Development & Strategy, Oracle
Baljeet is the Director of SCM Sales Development &Strategy for East Central Europe and Middle East Africa. She has over 20 years of experience in IT applications across ERP and SCM. She joined Oracle in 1997 and has worked across EMEA, APAC now MEA. She has helped Driving Digital Transformation for organizations both on premise and SaaS across ECEMEA. Baljeet is an Accountant. Prior to joining Oracle Baljeet has been Financial Controller of Blue Chip Companies in the UK.
Baljeet holds a BSs Hons Biology (Bristol University). Accountant ACCA (London)
Charities: Baljeet supported various charities: Raised funds for Children’s Charities - climbing Kilimanjaro (2006)
Baljeet started and lead Oracle Women Leadership at Oracle Dubai from 2011- 2021.
Head of Digital Supply Chain and Manufacturing - Middle East & North Africa, SAP
Abdul-Hakeem is responsible for SAP’s Digital Supply Chain and Industry 4.0 solution portfolio across Middle East and North Africa region. Abdul Hakeem has been with SAP for 12 years, holding position in business consulting, ecosystem and sales leadership.
As a supply chain and business technology professional, Abdul Hakeem has over 20years of experience in diverse roles with varied set of global consulting services and technology companies.
An innovation aficionado and Design Thinking practitioner, Abdul-Hakeem engages in creative dialogue with businesses in the region, addressing customer needs and introducing innovative business models and practices that take companies beyond their fullest potential, so they can execute on the next level of innovation.
Abdul-Hakeem holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Bangalore University, Executive MBA (EGPM) from Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore and Global Business Transformation Masters from Business Transformation Academy, Switzerland.
Founder & CEO, Axis Group International
Kobus is the Founder and CEO of Axis Group International. He has been working in Asia for over 25 years and is currently based in Dubai and Shanghai. Axis Group solves complex global value chains – by driving ‘cost-down’ in inbound supply chains, enhancing international revenue growth in outbound supply chains and managing cross-border complexities. At the core of Axis Group’s solutions are deep capabilities, experience and track record in global sourcing and procurement; international logistics and supply chain management; and route-to-market management and distribution. In 2019 Axis Group was acquired and became part of Imperial.
Before founding Axis Group and The Beijing Axis, he was Head of Investment Strategy and Global Market Research for Asia Pacific for Standard Chartered Bank Plc. Prior to that, he was a Senior Strategy Consultant with the Boston Consulting Group in Asia. In his early career, he was an Emerging Market Investment Strategist in London; a Treasury Economist with Standard Merchant Bank in Johannesburg; and an Economist with the South African Reserve Bank in Pretoria.
He holds an MBA from INSEAD in France, a Master of Business (I.T.) from Curtin University in Australia and BCom Honours degrees in Finance/Investments and Economics, respectively from UJ and Unisa in South Africa. He is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business, teaching ‘Doing Business in China and Asia’. He is also a Fellow at the University of Pretoria’s Gordon Institute for Business Science, in the Centre for African Management and Markets.
He is well published and has received numerous invitations to present as a keynote speaker in over 25 countries. He is regarded as a thought leader on the topic of China cross-border business and Global Procurement.
Senior Director Enterprise-Cloud Applications, Oracle
Mohammed Zayed is Sr. Director of Enterprise Applications with Oracle. A seasoned technology leader with over 20 years of experience and a proven track record of leadership, industries & product knowledge, and people management contributing to successful engagements with customers and strong achievements.
Zayed leads the enterprise team in Oracle and has been instrumental in the region for large Enterprise customer transformations. He is a firm believer in client partnership. A consultative approach with the highest level of commitment and services results in clients' growth and transformation leading to long-lasting partnerships.
Chief Executive Officer- EVOTEQ
Jihad Tayara is the Chief Executive Officer of EVOTEQ, a UAE-based digital solutions provider. Jihad is a leaderin in technology and telecom in the region, bringing in his wealth of experience and expertise to spearhead the development of advanced technology solutions that increase efficiency, support business growth, and fuel digital innovation. Under his leadership, EVOTEQ has successfully achieved numerous milestones, undertaking several large-scale landmark projects.