Andrew Murphy

Chief Information Officer

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Abu Dhabi Airports

Andrew Murphy was appointed as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) at Abu Dhabi Airports in 2022. With 2 decades of aviation technology experience, Murphy has a proven record in delivering large scale digital transformation projects and has held leadership roles spanning 8 airports in 4 countries. In his role, Murphy ensures Abu Dhabi Airports continues to leverage digitalisation opportunities and enable development and growth plans through improving the digital infrastructure across the organisation. Prior to joining Abu Dhabi Airports, Murphy led the IT function at Dublin Airport in Ireland and was responsible for developing the IT strategy and subsequent delivery of a new state-of-the-art new terminal, T2. He also served on the ACI World Airport IT Standing Committee (WAITSC) for 3 years, leading the adoption of new Airport IT Strategy frameworks for ACI worldwide. With more than 8 years’ experience in the Middle East, developing and successfully opening new airports in 3 GCC countries, Murphy led the digital transformation strategy for Oman Airports and later for Oman Aviation Group, as Director of Aviation Solutions across the group (Oman Airports, Oman Air & TRANSOM). Murphy holds a Master of Science in Management Practice from the Irish Management Institute (IMI).

Gagan Goel

IT Director of Infrastructure and Operations

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Mubadala Health

Gagan has joined Mubadala Health as IT Director, Infrastructure and Operations on 1st Aug, 2022. He is associated with Mubadala since March 2016 as IT Director at National Reference Lab providing vision, leadership and oversight in the implementation and enhancement of total Lab solutions including Cerner Millennium LIS solution, MyCare RCMS solution, Oracle ERP Implementation, application/web development, LIS integration with various hospitals and outpatient clinical labs and implementing robust and secure infrastructure. Prior to NRL, he was associated with Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SEHA, Abu Dhabi) as Application Development Manager, Dubai Healthcare City as Integration manager and Healthcare integration vendor (Boston, US) as Integration Director and senior Java architect. He has 24+ years IT experience with 19 years exclusively in healthcare domain. He is PMP, CPHIMS, TOGAF, ISO 20000 auditor and Mubadala ITSM (all modules) certified professional with B. Tech (Computers) and MS (Software Systems) education degree. He is the champion in optimizing healthcare processes and interoperability protocols. He has designed and implemented solutions, which interface with most prominent healthcare vendors using standard healthcare protocols like HL7, CCD, CCR and IHE profiles etc. He is well versed with business workflow automation using Oracle ERP solution. He is very interested in fostering innovation and is passionate about usage of technology in solving any type of problem and likes to follow the technology trends and evolve products along with them. Apart from programming languages, he is a keen AI/ML enthusiast. He regularly speaks about these innovations in various healthcare conferences within and outside UAE. He has twice won first runner up CIO award at Mubadala IT awards and lead NRL to win most of the categories across all Mubadala assets. Gagan loves sports, music, reading and spending time with his family when not at work.

Naim Yazbeck

General Manager

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Microsoft UAE

Naim Yazbeck is the General Manager of Microsoft UAE, responsible for driving the company’s growth aspirations in the UAE and supporting the country’s leadership in realising its digital transformation agenda. In his role, Naim stands at the forefront of Microsoft’s collaboration with government entities, start-ups, and private enterprises to leverage technology to empower everyone in the country to achieve more. Naim also supports Microsoft’s efforts to build a tech intensity culture, drive skills development across the country and enhance Emiratisation efforts. Since joining Microsoft in 2009 as Public Sector Lead: Gulf, Naim has played a pivotal role in accelerating Microsoft’s impact across the region. He served as General Manager: Microsoft Qatar from 2011, before being appointed Regional Director: Enterprise and Partner Group (EPG) in 2016 and spearheading Microsoft’s strategic partnerships with key customers and partners to accelerate digital transformation of key industries across the Gulf. Naim continues to focus on building meaningful, lasting customer relationships. Known for being a trend watcher with a honed instinct for change and what it means for customers and their technology strategies, Naim believes in a diverse, results-driven workplace where employees are empowered to innovate. He is a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion, and is committed to the recruitment, mentoring, and professional development of Microsoft’s regional talent. Naim’s twenty-five years of experience in the ICT sector began with a master’s degree in Computer Engineering and span a long career across the GCC region – in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. He was born in Lebanon and is an avid sports fan, keen runner and watch collector. He is married with three children.

Dr. Hilmi Rifai

Vice President of Group Technology

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Majid Al Futtaim Global Solutions

Hilmi Rifai, Vice President of Group Technology of Majid Al Futtaim - Global Solutions. In his role, he is responsible for driving Majid Al Futtaim's technology strategic imperatives enabling an integrated customer experience, driving cost efficiency scalability and reliability, owning the enterprise-wide IT platforms and ensuring innovation and agility. Since joining Majid Al Futtaim in 2018, Hilmi has spearheaded the company's efforts to align and improve its technology solutions that empower its digital ecosystem. In addition to providing enterprise-wide support, Hilmi and his team have been instrumental in driving cloud-based applications and implementing digital solutions that include the successful launch of several ecosystem-wide capabilities, including SHARE - the company's lifestyle rewards programme, SuccessFactors - the group-wide Human Capital platform, and its unified customer passport MAF-ID. Prior to joining Majid Al Futtaim, he spent more than 20 years in senior positions in major management consulting firms, such as Accenture and Gartner, and heading technology functions in leading conglomerates.

Karthic Sundararaj

VP Technology and Architecture

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Etihad Airways

Karthic brings more than 20 years of digital and technology experience within multiple industry sectors. Karthic is passionate about agile transformation and in enabling the business to leverage technology as a differentiator. Before joining Etihad, Karthic worked at Emirates Airlines, Adecco Group and Accenture consulting. Karthic has also been active in the startup ecosystem cofounding a digital recruitment platform as an intrapreneur.

Moderator

Ramia Farrage

Senior Presenter / Producer

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Forbes Middle East

Ramia is a Senior Producer and Presenter at Forbes Middle East, as well as a Moderator with a long history of hosting a variety of public and private sector events. At Forbes, Ramia hosts the Daily Brief, an online twice daily show focusing on breaking business news. She also conducts interviews with international business and world leaders. From its launch in 2007 until 2021, Ramia led the Emirates News broadcast on Dubai One TV as the Presenter and News Bulletin Editor. Previous to her role at Emirates News, from 2002 to 2007, Ramia presented and produced the program Business Arabia, which aired internationally on CNBC. Ramia has interviewed several world leaders including General Pervez Musharraf, President of Pakistan, Mohammed Khatami, President of Iran, Gerhard Schroeder, Chancellor of Germany and Jimmy Carter, US President. She is a moderator at major events including the World Government Summit in Dubai, the Middle East Investment Forum, and the Forbes 30/50 Summit, to name a few. Ramia holds a MA in Global Diplomacy-International Relations from the University of London, SOAS, as well as a BA in Communications from the University of Winnipeg and an associate degree in Journalism from Red River College.