Governance can’t be a checkpoint that agents wait in line for. It has to travel with the data.

Uma, your career has taken you from electricity transmission operations at Entergy to enterprise AI at C3 AI, strategy at McKinsey, and now global go-to-market leadership at Kore.ai. What has that journey taught you about earning enterprise trust in new technology?

I’ve seen enterprise technology from three seats: as the customer, the vendor, and the advisor. At Entergy, I was responsible for critical transmission operations, and when someone walked in with a new technology, my first question wasn’t what it could do. It was what would happen to the grid, and to the business, if it failed. During my early days at C3 AI, I was the one fielding those same questions, with the responsibility of developing the right products for customers across different sectors. At McKinsey, I was counseling executives on how to plan and execute large scale enterprise transformation projects.

The lesson from all three seats is simple: vendors sell capability, but customers really buy accountability. The excitement about what a technology can do is usually shared. The difference is that the customer is the one who lives with the consequences when it goes wrong. That gap is wider with agentic AI, because agents no longer just inform decisions. They make them and act on them inside core operations. More than 70% of Kore.ai’s customers are in regulated industries, so for us, earning trust starts with seeing the risk the way the customer sees it, and standing behind what we deliver by guaranteeing outcomes.

At Entergy, you worked in an environment where reliability and continuity were critical. What lessons from managing essential infrastructure still shape how you think about deploying AI in business-critical operations?

I co-led restoration work at Entergy after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and that’s where I learned what reliability actually means. When the power is out, hospitals, businesses and families are waiting on you. What got us through wasn’t heroics during the storm. It was the planning we’d done long before it. We knew which parts of the network had to come back first, who had the authority to make the calls, and how crews would keep working when the usual systems were down. Our process included a lot of detailed scenario analyses that informed where we would pre-position crews before the storm hit, so they were prepared and ready to begin restoration immediately.

Business-critical AI deserves the same discipline. Before an agent goes live, you should be able to answer three questions: How will it behave when something goes wrong? Who can step in? And how quickly can the work get back on track?

As AI agents move from answering questions to taking action across enterprise systems, the stakes around data access and privacy are changing. What should organizations rethink before allowing agents to work with sensitive information?

The first thing to rethink is identity: whose authority is the agent using? Today, many agents simply inherit the permissions of whoever built or deployed them. That was tolerable when an agent only answered questions. It isn’t when the agent can update a customer’s account, approve a refund or change a record. Now it’s acting on someone else’s authority, and the business needs to be able to say exactly what the agent was allowed to do, who authorized it, and what it actually did.

That means giving each agent its own identity, scoped to its role, with a named owner who is accountable for its behavior and an audit trail that ties every action back to a policy. None of this is new thinking. It’s how we already govern people who handle sensitive data. The mistake is assuming agents can skip it. If an agent is going to touch sensitive customer information, those controls have to be in place before it gets that responsibility, not after the first incident.

Also Read: ITDigest’s Interview With Borno Akhter, Head of Development at Epic Hello World 

Gartner’s 2026 research found that only 13% of organizations believed they had appropriate governance in place for AI agents. What separates governance policies that look good on paper from controls that work reliably in live enterprise environments?

Most enterprises already have AI governance policies, and on paper they say the right things. The problem isn’t the policy. It’s enforcement at scale, when you have hundreds of agents, built by different teams, changing every week. Our own research this year found that 79% of enterprises have had to reverse an action an agent took, and 70% have dealt with a failure their teams couldn’t trace. Those organizations had policies. What they lacked was enforcement and visibility.

Two design choices make the difference. First, the rules that can’t be broken shouldn’t be left to the model. Let the model do the reasoning, but enforce critical business rules, eligibility checks and guardrails deterministically, outside the model, so they hold every single time. Second, governance can’t stop at go-live. You need to see what agents are actually doing in production, measure that against your rules and your business goals, and feed what you learn back into the agent. That’s the thinking behind Autoloop, the optimization engine we launched in October. It evaluates agents against real production traces, pinpoints what caused a miss, and scores every fix against all of the agent’s goals, including safety and compliance, so improving one thing never quietly breaks another.

Enterprise agents increasingly need to work across applications, data sources and workflows. How can organizations give them enough access to get useful work done without exposing information or permissions they should never have?

It’s tempting to give agents broad access, because broad access is what makes them useful across applications. But usefulness comes from the right access, not the most access. Even when an agent works across a CRM, a billing system and a knowledge base, access should be managed centrally and scoped to the task in front of it, so sensitive information stays where it belongs.

The bigger distinction is between access and authority. Being able to retrieve information doesn’t mean an agent should be allowed to share it, change it or act on it. In regulated industries especially, leaders should decide, deliberately and in advance, what an agent can do on its own, what needs human approval, and what it should never do at all. Then expand that autonomy as the agent earns it, with evidence, the same way you’d give a new team member more latitude once they’ve proven themselves. The boundaries can move with demonstrated performance, but they should never disappear.

As AI becomes part of everyday business operations, resilience means preparing for more than system outages. Drawing on your experience in critical infrastructure, how should organizations plan for agent errors, disrupted workflows and recovery when something goes wrong?

Critical infrastructure teaches you to plan for the worst case. On the grid, you don’t wait for a failure to figure out your response. You watch for early warning signs, and you have a recovery plan ready. Agents add a harder twist: an agent can complete a task that looks successful while the business outcome is wrong.

So, recovery has to be designed in from the start. Three things matter most. 1) Continuously evaluate real production interactions, not just test cases, so you catch the silent failures. 2) When something does go wrong, contain the impact first and keep the work moving, even if that means handing it to a person. 3) Treat every failure as input: trace it to its root cause, fix precisely that, and verify the fix against your business goals and existing controls before it goes back into production. In our experience, the organizations that recover fastest are the ones that learn fastest.

You led C3 AI’s hyperscaler partnerships and worked across strategic partnerships. As enterprises build AI systems across different models, clouds and business applications, where can partnerships make the biggest difference to security, governance and reliable deployment?

No single vendor can deliver enterprise AI on its own. You have cloud infrastructure, models, agent platforms and business applications, and they all have to work together. But the harder challenge is making them work with what the customer already has. Enterprises have spent years and significant capital on their technology estate. You can’t ask them to rip it out to adopt AI.

Running hyperscale partnerships at C3 AI taught me that “our products integrate” is the easiest sentence in any partnership, and the least meaningful. What matters is whether the partners have worked out, together, how the solution gets deployed, how the customer’s security and governance requirements are met, and who owns what when something breaks. That’s how we approach partnerships at Kore.ai. Our latest platform launched natively on Microsoft Azure, integrated with the identity, security and agent management tools Microsoft customers already rely on. With Atos in the UK, we’re delivering sovereign agentic AI for organizations that need to keep data and control in-country. And because we’re model- and cloud-agnostic, customers keep the freedom to choose, while governance and traceability stay consistent across every agent, whatever it runs on.

You have worked on enterprise AI strategy, pricing and value propositions. When governance, security and resilience require additional investment, how should leaders evaluate their value alongside more visible gains such as productivity and cost savings?

Enterprises need to change how they calculate AI ROI. If we measure agents the way we’ve always measured automation, by tasks completed, hours saved and costs cut, we miss half the ledger. An agent can complete thousands of tasks, but if a handful of them trigger rollbacks, customer remediation or a compliance finding, those gains can disappear quickly.

I’d evaluate governance, security and resilience on three lines. First, risk avoided: the cost of the errors, reversals and incidents that stronger controls prevent. Second, value unlocked: the higher-stakes work agents can take on only because the controls exist, work that would otherwise stay manual. Third, compounding returns: when governance is built into the platform, it becomes shared infrastructure, so the controls you build for your first agent carry over to your hundredth, and each new agent costs less to deploy safely than the last. Put those three lines on the same page as productivity and cost savings, and governance stops looking like a tax. It starts looking like the thing that makes the rest of the business case real.

As Chief Commercial Officer, you bring sales, partnerships, marketing and strategy together at Kore.ai. How does that broader commercial perspective shape the way you help customers balance the promise of agentic AI with concerns about data exposure and operational risk?

Bringing sales, marketing, partnerships and strategy together gives me a clear view of what customers want from AI and what’s holding them back. One shift stands out: AI buying decisions that used to sit within a single department now put the CIO, the CISO and the CFO at the same table. Each is asking a different question: Will it work? Is it safe? Will it pay off? A credible answer has to satisfy all three.

My starting point is always the business outcome, not the technology. Many companies are agentifying workflows without asking whether those processes should exist in their current form. If a process is poorly designed, an agent just helps it fail faster. And once agents are accessing data and taking actions across systems, those flaws become new risks. So, we work with customers to rethink the process first, then decide what data each agent needs, how much autonomy it should have, and where the business must retain control. That’s how you capture the upside of agentic AI without taking on risk you never needed to take.

As AI agents become more deeply embedded in enterprise operations, what will distinguish organizations that scale with confidence from those that struggle to move beyond pilots? And what role do you see Kore.ai playing in that transition?

Too many companies adopt AI before they’ve decided which business problem it should solve. The biggest difference I see is whether an organization makes AI part of its business strategy or treats it as one more automation tool. The organizations that scale start with business goals and rethink how the company operates: redesigning workflows, dividing responsibilities between people and agents, prioritizing investments, managing risk and measuring returns. Those decisions need business leaders to own them. Without that ownership, you can end up with a hundred successful pilots and very little business value.

At Kore.ai, our role is to help customers turn that strategy into production. We start with one high-value use case, define measurable outcomes and bring the right teams together around it. Our platform then builds the agent and its tests from the customer’s own operating procedures, enforces governance before anything goes live, and keeps optimizing against those same goals once it’s in production. The aim is to get that first use case live within weeks, prove the value, and then expand into more complex workflows with the same governance underneath. Scaling with confidence isn’t about deploying more agents. It’s about deploying agents you can trust, measure and improve.

Thanks Uma!

The technology can be sound and we work with clinical, IT, and operational stakeholders to design new development, but if it doesn’t map to how people actually behave when they’re anxious, overwhelmed, or navigating an unfamiliar system, it won’t do what you built it to do. That’s why those immersion trips are so important!

Borno, you’ve spent more than 15 years at Epic, moving from software development into team leadership while staying close to healthcare technology. What early lesson still shapes how you decide what a healthcare product should solve?

At Epic, we never really move out of development. Part of my job is staying close to where the industry is heading, not just writing code but setting direction for what we develop next to help patients.  One thing I’ve learned is that it’s important to know what’s happening on the ground how staff communicate, what patients are confused by, where the friction is in a real clinical environment. That grounding shapes every product decision I make. Epic expects all developers, from day one onward, to complete immersion trips every year. These were helpful early in my career to gain a stronger practical understanding of how my development impacts real patients’ lives, and that learning has continued to grow over time.

You’ve seen healthcare software evolve from core clinical applications and digital records toward connected patient experiences and AI. What has that journey taught you about the difference between building software that works and building software that genuinely works for the people using it?

You have to get out of the building. For me, that means time in clinics with doctors and nurses, and it means working directly with patients. And everyone has firsthand or secondhand experience as a patient, and that experience is one of the most honest lenses you can bring to product development. The technology can be sound and we work with clinical, IT, and operational stakeholders to design new development, but if it doesn’t map to how people actually behave when they’re anxious, overwhelmed, or navigating an unfamiliar system, it won’t do what you built it to do. That’s why those immersion trips are so important!

Your work has increasingly moved closer to the patient experience through products such as MyChart Bedside. What changed in the way you think about engineering when the person on the other side of the product became a patient navigating an unfamiliar or vulnerable moment?

Patient experience has always been the core of what we build. I grew up professionally on our MyChart team, and one thing that has sharpened my thinking over time is scale. We have more than 195 million MyChart users today, and that means both volume and diversity of needs. Someone managing a routine primary care visit, someone coordinating cancer care for a family member, and someone recovering from surgery are all using the same platform and when someone finds themselves in an unfamiliar or vulnerable moment, familiarity can be one of the things that sets them at ease. That’s what keeps me going.

A 2026 study using Epic Cosmos data found that patient-authored portal messages increased 153% between 2020 and 2025. As digital communication becomes more central to care, what needs to change so greater patient access does not simply translate into greater workload for care teams?

MyChart has always been a self-service engine, patients don’t want to wait on hold for ten minutes to get a simple answer, and they shouldn’t have to. The opportunity ahead is broader adoption of patient self-service for the interactions that still default to a phone call or a staff member, like scheduling an appointment. Emmie represents a meaningful step in that direction, too by helping patients get answers quickly, it allows access and efficiency to improve together without trading off against each other.

Your work with Hello World has taken patient communication beyond the portal into SMS and voice, with newer capabilities designed to help patients recognize healthcare calls. What has building these experiences taught you about the role trust plays in getting patients to actually respond to technology?

First, don’t overcommunicate. Set expectations with patients so they know what’s coming and why. Second, make every message genuinely useful and easy to act on. A two-line message with a yes-or-no question is much more likely to get a response than a verbose notification. Third, respect preferences. If a patient doesn’t want text messages, sending them text messages doesn’t help anyone. Hello World draws communication preferences from a patient’s medical record, and we also personalize timing someone who tends to engage with their phone in the evening is less likely to respond to a lunchtime message. That level of personalization is what earns the kind of trust that makes patients more likely to respond the next time.

You’ve worked on products where the technology can be complex, but the experience needs to feel simple. What signals tell you that a new feature has removed meaningful friction for patients rather than simply added another digital capability?

Interaction rates are the clearest signal. The distinction between a patient replying within 10 minutes and not taking action on it at all tells you a lot. That applies whether you’re talking about a text message, a prompt in MyChart, or anything else we build. Action tells you the feature fit into something the patient was ready and willing to do.

You’ve also been closely involved in Epic’s patient-facing AI work, including Emmie, which is moving beyond answering questions toward helping patients understand what to do next. What separates an AI system that can generate a good answer from one that can genuinely understand its place in a patient’s healthcare journey?

Tens of millions of people are already asking general-purpose chatbots health questions. But that chatbot doesn’t know that you had a procedure last month, that your lab results came back yesterday, that your cardiologist wants to see you in six weeks, or that you still haven’t scheduled that appointment.

What sets Emmie apart is that it works from the patient’s own chart, so it can account for what comes before and after the conversation. Before a visit, Emmie can ask patients what they want to talk about and share that with the clinician, so both arrive with the same understanding. Afterward, it helps patients finish the tasks that came out of the visit. It’s one step in a connected journey.

After more than a decade as a software developer and team lead in healthcare, how has your definition of a good engineering decision changed when reliability, usability, and performance can ultimately affect someone’s care?

One thing is that our responsibility doesn’t end when we release software. We’re also responsible for how it performs in the real world, how it holds up when something outside your control goes wrong, and how quickly you can support customers and patients during those moments. You have to build for resilience, redundancy, and observability, not just for functionality.

The second is a simpler principle that’s easy to forget under pressure: less is more. The best solutions tend to be the simpler ones, and simpler systems are more reliable systems.

You’ve watched healthcare technology move from digitizing information to connecting experiences, automating communication, and now introducing AI into the patient journey. What problem still feels surprisingly unsolved to you, and what would you personally enjoy helping solve next?

I’ll start with the one that has nothing to do with healthcare: conference room AV. Screen sharing should not still be this hard.

In all seriousness, as a longtime MyChart fan, it still surprises me how many appointments are still booked over the phone, which requires significant staff time and makes patients wait. But patients who prefer the phone should be able to use it without those burdens. We’re working on letting Emmie handle those calls answering, scheduling, rescheduling so patients get what they need quickly and staff can direct their attention to where it matters most. Branded Calling helps phone-first patients too, by letting them see when a call is really from the health system they know and trust. That’s the part of this work I enjoy most: helping health systems meet patients where they are, however, they prefer to communicate.

Thanks Borno!

The key to building a durable business comes down to one simple question, are we able to solve a customer need, at scale? An API that can be demonstrated to solve a customer need will gain attention.

Fredrik, your career has moved across product management, business strategy, customer relationships, partnerships, and large-scale network leadership. What early experience still shapes how you distinguish between technology that is impressive and technology that creates lasting customer value?

Over the years, what continues to be a clear sign of technology that resonates and that has lasting power is simplicity in adoption. If a capability requires the customer to fundamentally change how they work to benefit, adoption is always an uphill struggle. If it slots into a workflow they already have and a need they have in their business, the path to value is much shorter. That discipline starting from the customer’s reality rather than the technology’s potential is something I try to bring into every product conversation I have today.

You spent several years leading Network Systems and Verification at Ericsson, with responsibility for architecture, quality, performance, and more than 1,500 engineers. What did working at that scale teach you about removing unnecessary complexity without losing the technical depth that makes a network dependable?

Complexity for its own sake never works but oversimplification is not the answer either. What I have learned is that the two are not mutually exclusive if you are disciplined about where and how complexity makes sense. The complexity belongs inside the system, managed by the people who understand it best. What faces outward whether that is an interface, a process, or an API should be as clean and simple as possible. The engineering depth does not disappear; but is abstracted to the right level. That principle has directly shaped how I think about Network APIs today. The sophistication of a mobile network is extraordinary, and that sophistication is what makes the capability valuable. Our job is to make it accessible.

Your time with Swisscom brought you close to both network strategy and customer experience, including the early rollout of 5G in Europe. What did that partnership teach you about the gap between what a network can technically deliver and what customers actually experience as valuable?

Switzerland is probably one of the most challenging countries in the world to build and run mobile networks considering its topology combined with strict regulation on radio emissions. At the same time, Swiss subscribers tend to be highly quality and performance sensitive. They expect coverage, high data speeds, excellent voice quality whether in downtown Zurich, hiking the Alps, or traversing the country’s valleys and tunnels by train. Our joint mission, in the virtual joint venture between Swisscom and Ericsson, was to deliver on customer expectations under those challenging conditions. Success was visibly measured in public benchmarks, where we were proud to emerge as clear winners across all types of benchmarks over a period of many years and the first European operator to launch 5G services. My learning from this remarkable achievement is that you need a combination of deep expertise, performant products and services, and a highly dedicated team that is performing at its best. This is what Swisscom and Ericsson were able to bring together, and this is what Vonage is committed to in the CPaaS industry.

You now work on making capabilities that once lived deep inside the mobile network accessible through APIs. When you look at a new network capability, what tells you it is ready to become something developers and enterprises should be able to build into their products?

There are a few signals I look for. The first is standardization, whether the capability is expressed through a consistent, interoperable framework such as CAMARA, which means a developer does not have to learn a different integration for every operator. The second is whether the capability solves a real problem that developers and enterprises are already trying to solve, even imperfectly. SIM Swap detection is a good example: enterprises were already trying to address account takeover risk through other means, and network-level signals give them something significantly more reliable. The third, and perhaps most important, is whether we can abstract the operational complexity sufficiently. The carrier registration, the consent frameworks, the geographic variation, so that a developer can access the capability without needing to become a telecom specialist. When all three conditions are met, the capability is ready to move from the network into the product layer.

Open Gateway now spans more than 300 mobile networks representing over 80% of global mobile connections. As that ecosystem scales, what becomes possible for developers and enterprises when network capabilities can be accessed through a common platform rather than through fragmented operator-by-operator integrations?

Fragmentation has historically been the single biggest obstacle to developer adoption of network capabilities. The underlying capabilities existed, but accessing them meant a different negotiation, a different integration, and a different contract with each operator. Most developers simply could not justify that investment, and most enterprises could not operationalize it at scale. What Open Gateway changes is the addressable reach. When a developer writes once to a standardized API and can reach the majority of global mobile connections through a single integration, the economics of building on network capabilities become fundamentally different. Applications that depend on real-time network intelligence – fraud prevention, identity verification, quality-of-service management – can now be designed with genuine global reach from the outset. That shift from fragmented to federated is what unlocks the market, and it is what we are focused on at Vonage: ensuring that our platform sits at that point of access, so that complexity stays on our side of the integration and developers can simply build.

Much of your earlier career involved business cases, pricing, profitability, customer value, and P&L, while your current work spans communications and Network APIs. When you look at this market commercially, what separates an API that attracts attention from one that can become a durable business for developers, enterprises, and operators?

The key to building a durable business comes down to one simple question, are we able to solve a customer need, at scale? An API that can be demonstrated to solve a customer need will gain attention. However, for it to offer a real business value, for us and for our customers, it has to scale. This involves aspects such as ease of adoption, performance and reliability, and of course hitting the right cost points for the business case to fly.

You recently wrote about using network-level signals such as SIM Swap and number verification to strengthen digital identity. As fraud prevention becomes an early Network API use case, where do you see the biggest opportunity to make digital trust stronger while making the user experience feel simpler rather than more restrictive?

The fundamental challenge in fraud prevention has always been that the measures designed to protect customers often create the most friction for them. SMS one-time passwords are a useful illustration: they were introduced as a security layer, but they are increasingly exploited through SIM swapping and social engineering, and they add a step the customer has to complete every time. Network-level signals work differently because they operate silently in the background. A bank can check whether a SIM swap has occurred on a device in the last 48 hours before authorizing a high-value transaction without imposing a manual interaction on the customer. If the signal is clean, the journey is frictionless. If the signal is anomalous, the additional step is justified. That is the model I find most compelling: using the network to make invisible the checks that should be invisible, and reserving friction for the moments where it corresponds to genuine risk. The opportunity is to make customers feel more trusted by their institutions, not less, precisely because the underlying verification is more robust.

Vonage now brings communications APIs, Network APIs, fraud prevention, and developer tooling into a broader API platform. What becomes possible when these capabilities are designed as one connected developer experience, rather than asking developers to navigate the underlying complexity of telecom themselves?

The telecom stack is genuinely complex carrier relationships, network registration requirements, consent frameworks, geographic variation in operator coverage. When we absorb that complexity inside the platform and expose a unified developer experience on top, we fundamentally change what developers can build and how quickly they can build it. A developer building a financial services application today can use our messaging capabilities to communicate with their customers, our network APIs to verify identity and detect fraud signals, and our quality-of-service tools to manage connectivity for critical transactions – all through a single integration layer, with consistent authentication, consistent documentation, and consistent support. What that enables is not just convenience: it enables a class of application that could not previously be built without multiple specialist vendor relationships and significant integration engineering. The platform becomes the capability. I think that shift – from APIs as individual tools to APIs as a connected infrastructure – is where the most interesting enterprise value gets created over the next few years.

AI is changing not only what applications can do, but also how they interact with infrastructure. As AI agents increasingly discover and use services on behalf of users, what changes for API design when the consumer of a network capability is no longer always a human developer?

This is one of the more consequential design questions facing the API industry right now. When a human developer integrates an API, they bring context, judgement, and a degree of interpretive flexibility. They can read documentation, make inferences, and course correct. When an AI agent is discovering and invoking capabilities dynamically, the requirements shift significantly. The API needs to be self-describing in a way that a machine can act on reliably. The authentication and consent models need to handle non-human actors. The rate limiting, error handling, and fallback behavior need to be deterministic rather than recoverable through human intervention. At Vonage, we are adapting our platform design for agentic consumption – not just exposing network capabilities but expressing them in ways that AI systems can discover, evaluate, and use safely and appropriately. APIs that are not designed with this in mind will become harder to use as AI-driven architectures become more prevalent, not easier.

You’ve consistently emphasized long-term improvement, quality, and finding more efficient ways to build products. As programmable networks, AI, and the next generation of telecom architecture converge, what principle from your own career do you most want to carry forward into the products you help shape?

The most enduring products are the ones that make something difficult feel straightforward to the people who depend on them. Not by hiding the difficulty but simplifying it so that it can be managed most effectively and, sometimes, removing it entirely. Mobile networks are some of the most sophisticated engineering systems humanity has built, and the programmability we are building into them through Network APIs represents a real step change in what is possible. A developer building an application in 2027 should be able to access the intelligence of a 5G network the same way they access a database or a payment processor today: reliably, predictably, with clear documentation and sensible pricing, and without needing to understand the decades of infrastructure engineering underneath it. Getting this right – technically, commercially, and operationally – is the work I care most about, and it is the standard I want to hold our products to.

Thanks Fredrik !

In this episode of the IT Digest Podcast, we delve into the transformative world of AI and cloud computing with Briana Frank, VP of Product and Design for IBM Cloud. Briana brings her expertise and insights from leading IBM Cloud Kubernetes, where she has driven innovations in data-driven decision-making and powerful user experiences.

Join us as Briana shares her perspectives on the evolving state of generative AI, the journey of companies adopting this technology, and the intricate balance of harnessing AI’s power while maintaining security and compliance. She explores the challenges of enabling employees to leverage AI, while safeguarding sensitive data. As enterprises move toward responsible AI, Briana emphasizes the need for private, encrypted models that allow companies full control over their data.

We also explore the role of Kubernetes in scaling AI, its orchestration benefits, and how organizations can streamline deployment to accelerate innovation. Briana offers valuable guidance for CIOs, highlighting the balance of nurturing a culture of innovation with strong governance structures. She also discusses the rising importance of sustainable AI practices and IBM’s commitment to renewable energy across its data centers, and the impact of smaller, tailored large language models on sustainability.

If you’re a tech enthusiast, business leader, or anyone interested in the future of AI, this episode provides rich insights into the ethical, practical, and strategic aspects of AI in the enterprise space.

Be yourself and be authentic; you don’t need to change your personality to be a good leader.

With Riyadh being positioned as a global events hub and the success of recent events like InFlavour Expo, how does Tahaluf plan to address the current limitations in exhibition space, and what are the future plans for expanding venue capacities in Riyadh to accommodate the growing scale of these large-scale events?

The Saudi landscape is constantly evolving, and this is mirrored in the cybersecurity field as well. To meet this expanding demand, we are constantly on the lookout for venues that can accommodate larger-scale events. The 2023 edition of BlackHat MEA was held at a smaller venue within the Riyadh Front Exhibition and Convention Centre. With the event’s significant growth, however, this year we have transitioned to the much larger Riyadh Exhibition and Convention Centre, Malham, which will provide the space needed for a truly successful event.

Following our announcement in 2023, Tahaluf is undergoing a significant expansion to solidify its position as the leading event organiser in Saudi Arabia. We plan to launch 20 new industry-specific trade and consumer events within the next 18 months, an expansion that is expected to generate substantial economic impact through increased foreign investment and tourism spending.

Annabelle, can you tell us about your professional background and your current role at Tahaluf. Also, tell us how Tahaluf differentiates itself from other companies in the same space?

 I am the Senior Vice President at Tahaluf, where my primary focus is on the development and expansion of our business, ensuring alignment with the Kingdom’s vision. Additionally, I am the custodian of the Food and Tech Portfolio, which has been making tremendous strides with historic events such as LEAP, Black Hat MEA, DeepFest, InFlavour, and our new launch, 24 Fintech. We are looking to expand further, and I am excited about the opportunities that lie ahead.

Tahaluf sets itself apart through strategic partnerships, a national focus, and its ability to generate economic impact. Our unique shareholder structure – involving Informa PLC and Saudi Government entities – grants us unparalleled resources and expertise. By aligning our events with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, Tahaluf plays a crucial role in national development. The large-scale events, designed to attract foreign investment and foster collaboration, significantly contribute to economic growth, while the combination of Informa’s global reach and local Saudi knowledge enables us to offer events appealing to both international and domestic audiences. Tahaluf’s emphasis on economic impact,  strategic partnerships, and national development, which encompasses hiring exceptional talent and building an industry leading team, distinguishes us within the event organising sector.

Annabelle, given your leadership in spearheading the cybersecurity shows at Tahaluf, can you share your insights on the current cybersecurity landscape in the MENA region, particularly in Saudi Arabia? How do you see the region evolving in terms of cybersecurity threats and preparedness, and what role do events like Black Hat MEA play in addressing these challenges?

 KSA is in a unique position with its ambitious vision, strong focus on technology, global investments, and a thriving young population. The Kingdom currently boasts the highest CAGR growth rate in cybersecurity worldwide. Through Black Hat MEA as well as our tech events at Tahaluf such as LEAP, we aim to bring this ecosystem together, equipping them to operate seamlessly and enabling the region to reach its full potential.

We also aim to support the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 by attracting top brands and talent from around the world to the region. This allows for invaluable networking opportunities, helps safeguard giga-projects, and fosters growth, knowledge, and a community that stands as a testament to history in the making.

Also Read: ITDigest’s Interview With John Mitchell, Sr Global Marketing Operations and Analytics Manager at Minitab 

Can you discuss the specific cybersecurity threats that are most prevalent in the MENA region and how events like Black Hat MEA are addressing these issues?

Cybersecurity is evolving at an exponential rate, with new threats emerging every day. This makes it difficult to isolate a few specific attacks. However, at Black Hat MEA, we are addressing this by staying at the forefront of the field.

We bring together world-renowned CISOs to share tangible insights, strategies, and business cases on how they defend their organizations’ assets. Additionally, hackers discuss the latest threats and how to prevent them. On the briefing and arsenal stages, industry experts host demo sessions and share their latest tools and research papers to help combat these attacks.

Our commitment to being a leading platform for cybersecurity discussions ensures that we continue to address and mitigate the most prevalent threats in the MENA region.

 Tahaluf, inspired by Vision 2030, is a strategic alliance with a mission to set new benchmarks in the international events industry. Can you elaborate on how Tahaluf plans to accelerate economic diversification and attract international investment to Saudi Arabia through your events?

 Tahaluf typically launches brands in Saudi Arabia’s most strategic sectors that align with Vision 2030. This is evident from the current sectors we are operating in, such as tech, real estate, food and beverage, health, and more. We are also launching new brands in   and beyond.

As part of our strategy to launch in Saudi Arabia’s most strategic sectors, we target attendance from international hubs that are most relevant to the dedicated sectors. We aim to attract a global audience interested in doing business in Saudi Arabia, ranging from global CEOs of multinational companies to startups looking to either open business operations in the Kingdom or to scale their efforts across the Middle East.

We aim for our international attendees at our Riyadh events to number a minimum of 20 per cent of the overall attendance. With massively scaled operations and Tahaluf running events throughout Q1 and Q4, you can imagine the significant impact this has on business tourism and the economic impact on Riyadh.

 What advice would you give to other leaders which helped you personally?

 Be yourself and be authentic; you don’t need to change your personality to be a good leader. This advice has stuck with me until today. When I first stepped into a senior leadership position, I didn’t necessarily fit the mould in terms of what our industry might have expected at the time, and that was intimidating at first.

I quickly realised though that you can be empathetic and approachable; there doesn’t need to be a huge divide between people just starting out in their careers and management. It creates a culture of innovation as everybody feels empowered to come forward with ideas.

I would encourage people to be themselves, be kind, and have fun along the way. If you hire the right people and build the right team, they will lift you and everyone around them up.

The success at Tahaluf is an outcome of having the right team and the right culture.

 What is the biggest problem you or your team is solving this year?

This year, our biggest challenge is managing our rapid growth. We are scaling our events and team, while also building a brand-new office in Riyadh. The key is to keep up with this expansion while maintaining our team spirit and culture – while continuing to execute our events to the highest standards.

Thanks Annabelle!

Data hygiene. We have a great setup and data, but insights into any data source will be improved as the data is adequately cleaned and organised. So we continue to drive our belief of data management in our company – I am a true believer in eating the food we make!

How have you effectively utilized your expertise as a Communications & Digital Marketing Specialist in the computer software industry? Specifically, could you detail the strategies and tools you’ve found most impactful? Additionally, how do you incorporate automation and  marketing infrastructure into your digital campaigns, and what advantages have you noticed in terms of campaign efficiency and effectiveness?

If there is one tool I have found most useful for execution of Marketing campaign that would be HubSpot. It not only allows to deploy a range of assets and implement flexible automation but also allows for easy and in depth integrations with other tools that have been very effective in delivering content such as ON24 and OktoPost. With HubSpot in place we can launch campaigns nurture programs and convert leads with accurate insights into the reason for conversion and tracking engagements effectively. The CRM and custom events allow reporting to have a wealth of data at hand with easy build dashboards.

John, can you tell us about your professional background and your current role at Minitab. Also tell us how does Minitab differentiate itself from other companies in the same space?

Minitab is the leader in providing solutions to provide data analysis for companies in arrange of industries to gain insights to improve performance and deliver high quality products and services. My role within the Marketing team, as the Senior Marketing Operation and Analytics manager, is support their efforts to run campaigns with operational and analytical needs. This includes enhancing the customer journey, campaign specific support and implementing a range of tools and processes.

Could you tell us how software and technology companies can leverage structured problem solving approaches and data-driven solutions to enhance efficiency and innovation across their organizations, ultimately leading to faster product development, better understanding of customer needs, and improved overall performance?

Data driven problem-solving techniques deliver insights on the challenges and issues that are not instantly apparent. They enable rapid detection of the drivers/metrics that need to be addressed to improve efficiency, which delivers the  visibility on challenges need correcting and in what order to have the most significant impact

Also Read: ITDigest’s Interview With Andrew Weisselberg, VP of Marketing at SoundHound AI 

What specific features does Minitab’s marketing solutions offer to assist marketers in effectively planning, executing, and analyzing their campaigns amidst the overwhelming abundance of data and channels in today’s marketing landscape?

Marketers can leverage Minitab’s comprehensive suite of solutions to navigate the complex landscape of modern marketing with ease and precision:

• Minitab Workspace: Ideal for campaign strategy and planning, this tool helps marketers visualize processes, map out campaign flows, and identify opportunities for improvement, ensuring a well-structured approach to marketing initiatives.
• Minitab Statistical Software: Essential for A/B testing, it allows marketers to analyze the effectiveness of different campaign variations, providing data-driven insights to optimize performance and maximize ROI.
• Predictive Analytics: This feature empowers marketers to forecast campaign performance across various channels, enabling them to allocate resources efficiently and focus on strategies with the highest potential for success.
• Minitab Connect: A powerful tool for data integration, it collects and consolidates data from multiple sources, streamlining reporting and providing a holistic view of campaign metrics, which aids in making informed decisions.
• Minitab Engage: Perfect for campaign management, it facilitates brainstorming sessions, task assignments, and responsibility tracking, ensuring seamless collaboration and execution of marketing projects.

These tools collectively enable marketers to plan, execute, and analyze their campaigns more effectively, transforming data into actionable insights and driving successful marketing outcomes.

How does Minitab Model Ops streamline the transition from model creation to model deployment, offering a bridge between the two stages, and what features does it provide to simplify ML Ops for business analysts and engineers?

Minitab Model Ops makes it easy to move from model creation to deployment with a simple one-click feature, simplifying what is usually a difficult and time-consuming process. Seamless integration with Minitab Statistical Software provides users with a singular platform for building and deploying models. You can monitor performance metrics in real-time and get alerts for any issues you designate, allowing for proactive management.

Additionally, the platform helps to ensure compliance and security with features like audit logs and access control. By centralizing model storage and supporting REST API integration, Minitab Model Ops simplifies deployment, making the deployment process more efficient and painless for business analysts and engineers. Most importantly, Model Ops can help increase innovation and productivity from all members of your team.

What strategies can marketers employ to optimize the performance of their promotional emails, particularly in terms of open rate and click-through rate, and how does A/B testing play a crucial role in achieving this optimization?

Well, I would say experiment with A/B testing, rinse and repeat so glad you mentioned it. We explore A\B testing and run statistical analysis on the results to determine if there is statistical significance.

What advice do you have for other leaders who are looking to drive growth for their brand?

Buy Minitab, get trained up and start your journey to improved growth – our experts and solutions will support your organization every step of the way.

What is the biggest problem you or your team is solving this year?

Data hygiene. We have a great setup and data, but insights into any data source will be improved as the data is adequately cleaned and organised. So we continue to drive our belief of data management in our company – I am a true believer in eating the food we make!

Is there anything that you’re currently reading, or any favourite books, that you’d Recommend?

I always recommend Dale Carnegie’s “How to win friends an influence people” as it is a great read and can be helpful for personal and professional life. I have recently finished “The speed of trust” which is also a great way to approach work.

Thanks, John!

Building the right marketing infrastructure means finding the right people and the right tools, and avoiding the wrong ones. In high-growth environments like startups, you often need to build this infrastructure from the ground up.

How has your extensive experience in various marketing and advertising roles, from your recent position as VP of Marketing at SoundHound AI to your earlier work at advertising agencies and startups shaped your approach to building marketing strategies and driving demand generation in the tech industry?

Throughout 25 years in marketing and advertising, from my current role as VP of Marketing at SoundHound AI to previous positions at agencies, and various startups, I’ve gained a deep understanding of brand, marketing, and demand generation strategies. Working closely with Fortune 500 companies at Ogilvy and McCann taught me strategy and creativity, but when I transitioned to working with startups, I quickly realized that approaches used by large corporations and brands don’t always work for smaller, hyper-scaling companies. I learned the importance of having a tiered approach, building a highly capable team working with finite resources, and prioritizing activities that deliver quicker impact.

At SoundHound AI, we applied this approach by focusing on priority verticals like restaurants, automotive, and customer service. Instead of immediately investing in overtly complex digital campaign management tools, third-party data, and account-based marketing platforms, we concentrated on creating high-quality content such as webinars, eBooks, and white papers. From there, we worked with trade media companies, essentially serving as a shortcut to reach hard to find B2B audiences, complemented with LinkedIn advertising where we can do account-based targeting without the need for expensive third party platforms. This approach allowed us to generate more than three times the number of leads we had the previous year.

The point is, when you’re building a demand generation capability from the ground up, don’t focus on fancy tools and building out an elaborate infrastructure before your company is ready for it. Instead, find the right partners who can provide access to the necessary data, leverage the out-of-box targeting power of core advertising platforms like LinkedIn, Google and Meta, and focus on creating high-quality content that is hyper focused on what’s relevant to your target audience. This will provide your demand generation a foundation to build-out more sophisticated capability over time.

Andrew, can you tell us about your professional background and your current role at SoundHound AI. Also tell us how does SoundHound AI differentiate itself from other companies in the same space?

When I started my career at ad agencies in New York City, I focused on marketing strategy, creative development, research, and analytics. Over time, I worked across every discipline within marketing including B2B, B2C, e-commerce, demand generation, content marketing, public relations, even branded entertainment. Transitioning into the startup and technology world, I moved into customer experience and worked closely with the engineering, product and sales teams to launch products and e-commerce businesses, becoming directly responsible for driving revenue. That was a big shift in accountability, as I became fully enmeshed in all commercial aspects of the business.

At SoundHound AI, I lead our marketing capability across multiple verticals including restaurants, automotive, IoT, and smart devices. My primary focus is demand generation and hyper-scaling new AI businesses while establishing our brand’s credibility and educating industries on the benefits AI can provide.

SoundHound AI differentiates itself through its deep AI expertise, evidenced by over 200 technology patents. We also know what works for consumers, having deployed speech technology across various different industries. Unlike other available options, SoundHound’s customer service technology is based on complete end-to-end AI, and is not a human-assisted system. That means it relies entirely upon intelligent automation to deliver a fast, accurate, scalable, and consistent service right across locations and channels (including kiosk, phone, and other devices).

Also Read: ITDigest’s Interview With Abdallah Abu-Sheikh, Founder at Astra Tech 

How does SoundHound’s Independent Voice AI Platform utilize its advanced conversational AI technology to provide faster, more accurate, and highly customizable voice experiences?

At SoundHound, we believe speaking is the most natural way to interact with devices and services. Our independent voice AI platform – which has been developed over 20 years – is deployed across verticals including automotive, IoT devices, restaurants, and customer service to provide faster, more accurate voice experiences.

For automotive and device manufacturers, SoundHound provides fully-branded digital assistants for physical products like cars, TVs, and IoT devices. Our voice assistant offers seamless, conversational access to information and services from both real-time and generative AI domains to any device that carries even a small, inexpensive microphone. This helps manufacturers reinforce their brand and relationship with consumers, and even create opportunities for new revenue streams while maintaining control of critical customer data.

For the restaurant industry, our voice AI ordering technology revolutionizes customer service by enabling faster, more efficient, and personalized interactions. This addresses key industry challenges such as labor shortages, supply chain issues, and rising costs due to inflation. Our AI-powered solutions for phone and drive-thru ordering allow employees to focus on essential tasks, and also frees their burden from routine tasks to be able to provide more attentive service to dine-in customers. Additionally, our Employee Assist technology can deliver instant, hands-free answers to crucial questions via headsets or tablets – acting as a personalized coach to enhance employee training and efficiency. Ultimately, in a quick service restaurant setting, what many customers value most is getting their order quickly and accurately. Our AI enhances this experience, which has led to increasingly satisfied customers.

Wherever it is deployed, SoundHound’s advanced system uses patented voice AI that understands natural human speech, ensuring that customers never have to modify their language or interact awkwardly with the system. Our technology currently powers the voice experience in millions of products from leading global companies including Hyundai, Stellantis, White Castle, Snapchat, Jersey Mikes, VIZIO, KIA, and more. We have a total reach of over 2 billion consumers worldwide, and this year we had a run rate of over 4 billion queries.

How can businesses strike the right balance between the empathetic human touch and the efficiency of AI in call centers to enhance customer service, reduce employee burnout, and maintain cost-effectiveness?

Voice AI has made significant leaps and bounds in its capabilities over the past several years, but there is still a role for humans in business interactions. In this business, it is essential to strike the right balance between the empathetic human touch and the efficiency of AI to maintain the quality of customer experiences and satisfactions. This technology should be used to solve problems, such as handling routine inquiries that often burden employees. We want to create easy, natural interactions. But the technology should also provide options to transfer calls or take messages when needed, as some people still prefer to speak to humans.

Customer feedback is important in maintaining this balance, and it has been a critical asset for our marketing and sales teams here at SoundHound. That way, we can design products with the needs of our customers in mind.

How can businesses leverage advancements in Voice AI technology to enhance customer engagement and streamline operations, and what are the potential challenges and ethical considerations associated with its implementation?

Voice AI technology is now the best it has ever been, and this presents some great opportunities for businesses to enhance customer engagement and streamline operations. Voice assistants can automate routine tasks, offer faster, more efficient, and personalized service, train employees on the job, and provide increasingly meaningful, branded interactions. They can also drive profits and create new revenue streams through upselling and advertising.

However, as with any advanced technology, implementing voice AI comes with its own challenges and ethical considerations. With new developments in generative AI, many businesses think creating a customer experience is just a case of plugging into an API, but this isn’t the case – generative AI can be prone to hallucinations and other issues. But thanks to SoundHound’s long experience in the field of AI, we were able to build a proprietary approach that uses software engineering and machine learning to thoughtfully integrate this powerful new technology with our existing voice platform and help to manage these risks. We recommend that businesses work with a partner that has a true understanding of the technology, as well as the industry they operate in.

How do you stay updated with the latest developments and innovations in the marketing and advertising industry?

I learn on the job every day. In my current role, we touch every marketing discipline, building new capabilities, testing and learning against a multitude of channels, and frequently demoing and testing the latest marketing tools and platforms. So my day-to-day work is the primary way I stay on top. If there’s a particular topic I want to deep dive into, I typically go to YouTube where there’s tons of great content I wish was available to me earlier in my career. Continuous learning is a fundamental part of my job, and I expect I’ll never stop learning and growing.

What advice do you have for other leaders who are looking to drive growth for their brand?

For leaders looking to drive growth, it’s crucial to identify your goals and the capabilities needed to achieve them. Building the right marketing infrastructure means finding the right people and the right tools, and avoiding the wrong ones. In high-growth environments like startups, you often need to build this infrastructure from the ground up. Assess what kind of team you need – content marketers, performance marketers, digital strategists, etc. – and the tools required to support them. Once you have this capability in place, you can start investing on top of that to continue to drive strategies forward. Additionally, maintaining flexibility and agility in your marketing strategies is important to be able to adapt to new opportunities and priorities.

What is the biggest problem you or your team is solving this year?

The demand for AI products is incredible right now. One of the biggest challenges my team has faced this year is managing our marketing tactics against this period of high-demand. We sometimes need to reduce our marketing efforts to avoid overstretching our company’s capacity to meet customer demand. This requires opting for more flexible strategies and tactics to manage priorities effectively. Patience and discipline are also crucial. Being nimble and practicing agile marketing is essential to pivot quickly and accommodate fast-moving opportunities.

Is there anything that you’re currently reading, or any favorite books, that you’d recommend?

One of my favorite marketing books is “Positioning” by Al Ries and Jack Trout. Although it was published in the1970s, it remains one of the best and most enduring marketing strategies. It is a must-read for anyone in the industry.

 Thanks Andrew!

“We have a better view of how to make virtual, in-person, and hybrid events a more integrated experience — so that even if an event feels big it can also feel small, which is a powerful way to think about events.”

What strategies and approaches did you employ as the CEO of Tahaluf to achieve such remarkable success, including the substantial revenue growth from $2 million to over $125 million in just four years, and the recognition through multiple prestigious awards, such as the AEO Excellence Awards, Middle East Event Awards, Stevie® Awards, and Global IM Awards?

The most important structural reason for our initial successes was to employ some of the best people in the industry and empower them – give them near total decision making authority over their roles, and to encourage them to devolve that power to their team leaders. Like a startup, we are geared towards employing people with a Founder mentality, and by employing great talent, the positive results have so far greatly outweighed the negative ones. Conversely, I rarely make a decision about the business without firstly consulting all my senior managers, getting their input, and co-deciding on the way forward – this might make me sound like the least powerful CEO in the business, but sharing decision making this way allows for a more motivated and enfranchised senior team, whilst drawing upon a far deeper well of experience and knowledge.
Aside from that, a special strategy was to ensure the company was allied to powerful, relevant and motivated partners – this is why Tahaluf is a strategic joint venture between Informa PLC, the Saudi Federation for Cyber Security and Programming (SAFCSP), the Events Investment Fund, and imminently SELA. So it’s fair to say everything we have achieved so far, this remarkable success, is down to a combination of strategic initiatives involving each of these entities and all of it aligned with the Country’s Vision 2030 goals.
I think the awards we’ve won, and the revenue and profit growth we’ve achieved, is largely because of these strategies: talent, enfranchisement and alliances.
The final reason for our success is Saudi Arabia itself. There are few, if any, countries that are as large a market, with such a massive executive decision making authority on spend, than the Kingdom. Its obvious that if we were operating in another country, with the same people and level of political support, the events wouldn’t be impactful – the reforms made by Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman have ensured a red hot business environment, which is uniquely positioned for launching iconic, impactful and large-scale events.

What were LEAP’s key achievements in 2022, and how has it surpassed them in 2023, becoming the world’s largest tech event with 172K attendance? How does LEAP24’s move to a larger venue support Saudi Arabia’s digital transformation and align with Vision 2030?

In 2022, LEAP made significant achievements by setting new industry records during its debut. The event garnered unprecedented attention by attracting registrations from more than 100 countries, making it the largest debut of any technology event in history. The 2023 edition continued to break records by confirming 172,000 attendance, solidifying its position as the world’s largest technology event by attendance, investor funds size, and speaker quality and quantity.

LEAP 2023 demonstrated remarkable growth compared to its predecessor, with a 32 per cent year-on-year increase in on-event transactions, exceeding US$9 billion. The event played a crucial role in injecting fresh foreign direct investment into Saudi Arabia’s digital ecosystems and startup economy. Major announcements included significant infrastructure investments, new data centres, billion-dollar-plus public-private partnerships, and initiatives to foster local talent.

Also Read: ITDigest’s Interview With Abdallah Abu-Sheikh, Founder at Astra Tech 

The move to a larger venue for LEAP in 2024, with a doubled floor size of more than 125,000square-metres (1.345million Sq.ft), reflects the event’s commitment to accommodating more innovative technologies, digital entrepreneurs, tech startups, and high-profile speakers. This expansion aligns with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, aiming to position the Kingdom as the largest digital market in the Middle East and North Africa. LEAP 2024, powered by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) and organised by Tahaluf, is poised to galvanise growth in the international technology arena, supporting the nation’s ambitious economic diversification strategy. The larger venue symbolises the continued momentum and ambition of LEAP in driving Saudi Arabia’s digital transformation.

Mike, can you tell us about your professional background and your current role at Tahaluf. Also tell us how does Tahaluf differentiate itself from other companies in the same space?

There’s several of the senior management that all share a long history of working in the events industry, and our approach to building a culture at Tahaluf has been based on (1) what we experienced that we liked, and knew worked well; (2) what we experienced that made for a negative work environment, and doing the opposite to that.
The first example is easy enough and I’m sure is shared by all leaders – to pick up best practice and emulate it in your future workplaces is what is sometimes called experience and knowledge transfer. I’ve been fortunate to work with many excellent leaders and practitioners, as have my colleagues, and so we bring to Tahaluf the things that worked well at previous places of work in order that we succeed as best we know how.
The second example is less common I’d expect. But my history of working in events has also been one of working in environments I’ve not felt are conducive to motivating people the best way, or creating an enjoyable workplace. My management team and I are determined not to have these factors replicated at Tahaluf. There’s several examples I can give:
Enfranchise and empower people. This way they feel they can manifest their creative ideas, feel ownership over the business, and a sense of purpose.
Never take credit for someone else’s work. Always celebrate others’ achievements.
Only employ people who display a degree of humility or kindness. This business is hard enough to also have to deal with bad attitudes.
Pay fairly, reward well, allow the opportunity that through success, people can get ahead and improve their lives and financial situation.
Don’t keep secrets from your team. The key to all relationships really – transparency and honesty can feel risky, especially if you’re admitting a mistake, but you’d be surprised how many people are rooting for you, and can help overcome a challenge if you’re just honest with them.
Of all these things, if there were any Golden Rules at Tahaluf they would be: to be transparent about all business decisions and the reason we are taking them; consult with the team before making a decision; be kind and generous; and aim big, take risks, just go for it without fear that failure will impact you negatively.

What notable investments were unveiled during the LEAP 2023 technology event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and what impact do these investments have on advancing the Kingdom’s digital transformation, solidifying its standing as the foremost digital market in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region?

LEAP 2023 showcased several notable investments during its four-day run, reinforcing the Kingdom’s position as a leading digital market in the MENA region and contributing to its ongoing digital transformation under Vision 2030. The investments, totalling in excess of US$9 billion, were announced by His Excellency Engineer Abdullah bin Amer Alswaha, the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, during the opening day.

Key investments included Microsoft’s US$2.1 billion in a global super-scaler cloud within the Kingdom, Oracle’s US$1.5 billion to expand its MENA business with new cloud areas, Huawei’s US$400 million in cloud infrastructure, and the establishment of a Zoom cloud area in partnership with Aramco. These initiatives, backed by a total of US$4.5 billion in global and local assets, showcase substantial commitments from major players within the global technology sector.

The investments also underscored the support of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and aligned with his vision to empower the technology sector, a pivotal aspect of growing Saudi Arabia’s digital economy. The infusion of funds into future technologies, digital entrepreneurship, and tech startups aims to accelerate the Kingdom’s digital transformation across sectors such as the Internet of Things, healthtech, space, fintech, and open source software.

LEAP 2023’s impact proved to extend beyond financial transactions, too, injecting fresh FDI into Saudi Arabia’s evolving digital ecosystems and startup economy. Major on-event announcements included infrastructure investments, multiple new data centres, and the launch of academies to foster local talent, further emphasising the event’s pivotal role in driving the Kingdom’s technological advancements.

The event’s success in attracting global tech experts and fostering unprecedented investments positions Saudi Arabia as a digital hub.

How do you leverage social media and digital channels to amplify your company’s presence before, during, and after tech events?

To leverage social media and digital channels effectively, the company adopts a comprehensive strategy before, during, and after the events we organise. Prior to the event, we employ targeted campaigns across platforms such as Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram, showcasing teaser content, engaging industry influencers, and utilising event-specific hashtags to build anticipation. This helps create a buzz and attracts attendees and stakeholders.

During the event, we maintain an active social media presence with live updates, real-time coverage of key announcements, and multimedia content like videos and infographics. We engage with the audience through interactive elements such as polls, Q&A sessions, and behind-the-scenes glimpses, fostering virtual participation for those unable to attend in person. Collaborating with event organisers and participating companies, we ensure cross-promotion to maximise reach.

Post-event, our strategy focuses on sustaining momentum. We share highlights, recap key moments, and express gratitude to attendees, exhibitors, and partners. Content includes interviews with thought leaders, in-depth analyses of major announcements, and user-generated content, all of which help foster a sense of community. Leveraging event-generated data, we tailor follow-up communications to nurture leads and maintain engagement, driving ongoing conversations about the industry’s future.

By integrating these strategies, we aim to amplify our company’s presence across social media and digital channels, extending the impact of tech events beyond their duration and solidifying our position as a key player in the ever-evolving technology landscape.

How can event organisers balance enhancing participant engagement through open digital ecosystems and innovative event services with implementing strong cybersecurity measures to protect sensitive information and maintain attendee trust in today’s interconnected world?

As event organisers, we are obligated to ensure that we navigate the delicate balance of fostering participant engagement through open digital ecosystems and innovative event services while implementing robust cybersecurity measures to safeguard sensitive information, thereby maintaining attendee trust in our interconnected world. To achieve this, we begin with a comprehensive risk assessment to identify and understand potential challenges specific to the event. We then prioritise the selection of secure event management platforms and collaborate with reputable vendors that adhere to industry best practices.
It is also vital that, as organisers, we educate participants about cybersecurity best practices, such as recognising phishing attempts, as it contributes to a more informed and secure event environment. Regular security audits and assessments of event platforms, along with prompt application of updates and patches, help mitigate emerging threats. Transparent communication with participants about the security measures in place, coupled with a well-defined incident response plan, builds trust and reassures our attendees of their safety during the event. By incorporating these strategies, we ensure to successfully manage the dual objectives of participant engagement and cybersecurity in our interconnected digital landscape.

In the rapidly evolving tech landscape, how do you stay ahead of trends and ensure that your company’s participation in events remains innovative and relevant?

Tahaluf employs a multifaceted approach to stay ahead of trends and ensure innovative and relevant participation in the events and exhibitions landscape. We conduct market surveys and generate industry-focused reports to gather insights into emerging technologies and shifting market demands. Engaging exhibitors on local, regional, and international scales allows us to stay abreast of diverse markets, fostering a comprehensive understanding of industry dynamics.

Furthermore, our commitment to innovation is reflected in our choice of world-renowned specialists as speakers at our events. By bringing thought leaders and experts to the forefront, we provide attendees with insights and facilitate discussions on the latest trends. This strategy ensures our participation remains at the forefront of technological advancements, creating a platform that not only responds to current industry needs, but also anticipates and shapes future developments.

What advice do you have for other leaders who are looking to drive growth for their brand?

My advice would be to, firstly, prioritise a strong market or market sector. We went with LEAP (Technology) sector as our first launch, because we knew it was one of the hottest markets. We did it in Saudi, because we knew Saudi was the strongest market in the region. Weather plays a major factor in the success of campaigns.

Then my advice is to not seek large profits from the outset. Growth in events is achieved by creating a better product than your competitors. Our overwhelming advantage is we have the appetite to reinvest profits into our events and create excellent products by doing so. The market can smell immediately when the value has been extracted. Big profits can come later on. You can’t grow by sucking out the value of the events at an early stage.

Cultivate relationships with sponsors, industry influencers, and renowned specialists to elevate the credibility and appeal of your exhibitions. Additionally, prioritise the attendee experience. Understand your audience’s needs and preferences, and tailor events to provide meaningful and immersive experiences. This includes curating engaging content, leveraging technology for interactive elements, and ensuring seamless logistics.

Lastly, always ensure to invest in marketing and brand visibility. Utilise both traditional and digital channels to promote your exhibitions and build a strong brand presence. Establish a compelling narrative that communicates the unique value proposition of your events.

By combining market forces, growth-first mindset, attendee-centric approaches, and effective marketing, leaders can drive sustained growth for their exhibition brands, solidifying their position in a competitive landscape.

What is the biggest problem you or your team is solving this year?

Dealing with the substantial growth and expansion that Tahaluf is currently undergoing is undeniably a challenge, though it’s a nice one to have. This year, our primary focus is addressing the monumental task posed by the announcement of the single biggest events expansion programme in Saudi history. Our strategic joint venture between Informa PLC, SAFCSP, and EIF has laid out plans to introduce 20 new sector-specific trade and consumer events in the Kingdom within the next couple of years via our partner Informa.
This ambitious expansion, including the debut of some of our renowned Informa brands such as CPHI and Cosmoprof in Saudi Arabia, is set to serve the global pharmaceutical and beauty industries. In addition to this, we aim to strengthen existing flagship brands such as Cityscape Global and introduce new titles and concepts aligning with the strategic objectives of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. We are also launching several Saudi-made brands such as 24Fintech which we aim to be a global powerhouse in the fintech, finance and insurance sectors.
While navigating this extensive growth, Tahaluf is positioned to solidify its standing as the largest event organiser in Saudi Arabia, both in terms of square metres, revenue, and profit, and emerge as one of the largest across the Middle East.
As the CEO, I look forward to the scaling up of our successful portfolio as an unprecedented growth curve in the global events industry. It not only reinforces our leadership position, but also aligns with national ambitions, contributing to job creation, generating new business opportunities, supporting economic diversification, and delivering tangible economic impact. This comprehensive initiative is projected to contribute more than US$1.5 billion in economic impact to Riyadh, reflecting exhibitor and delegate spending on travel and hospitality.
While this growth brings with it a unique set of challenges, we approach it with enthusiasm and determination, recognising that it places us at the forefront of shaping the future of the events industry in the region.

Is there anything that you’re currently reading, or any favourite books, that you’d recommend?

I read a lot, but find its largely current affairs, or sports news about my favourite football team Nottingham Forest. However, when I think back on which books give me the most enjoyability, there are two authors: Roald Dahl, so that I can read his stories to my 7 year old daughter whilst putting on theatrical accents; and Evelyn Waugh, because there are few authors you can read that have such a masterful command of the English language than him – I really appreciate fine craftsmen like Waugh.

Thanks Michael !