Innovation i tech High

CONTENTS 

55 

COVER STORY 

Enter the next Era 

of Human-Machine 

Partnership 

28 

INTERVIEW 

Implementing Holistic 

Business Strategies: 

Cornerstone, making 

Good Companies Great 

08 

WHITE PAPER 

State Of Manufacturing 

In The UAE 

Outlook 2018 

Robert Odink 

Founder and Managing Director 

Cornerstone Consulting 

(UK, EUR and UAE) 

52 

ENTERPRISE 

Tackling the Holy Grail 

of E-Commerce: Why 

We Need Technology to 

Play a Stronger Role in 

Real Estate 

60 

SME World Summit 

A Grand Celebration of 

Entrepreneurship 

DIGITAL ECOSYSTEM 

33 

Artificial Intelligence 

- AI not IQ 

46 

Cancer Prognosis & 

Prediction using AI 

40 

Is a new Industrial 

Revolution Beginning? 

48 

How Retail Stores 

Transform the Customer 

Exeperience Using IoT

50 

BIG DATA 

How Businesses Face 

Data Loss at the Hands 

of third party Cloud 

Providers 

43 

INNOVATION 

Seven Innovation Killers 

that Companies should 

Keep in Mind 

SPI Group 

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Publisher & CEO: 

Shantanu A.P. 

Consulting Editor: 

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Content Manager: 

Jem Elizabeth Mathew 

Expert Contributors: 

Harish Krishnamoorthi 

Radhika Iyer 

Diksha Vohra 

Mohamed Khan 

Rohan Nathan 

Sirish Kumar 

SECURITY 

36 

Why is Healthcare 

a Major Target for 

Cybercriminals? 

Designer : 

Rahul A. Chauhan 

Distribution Department 

Jerry P. Sam 

38 

10 Essentials for 

Businesses in the 

Middle East to Stop 

Ransomware Cyber 

Attacks 

58 

2018 Security 

Predictions: Automation, 

Boardrooms and GDPR 

Disclaimer 

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Publisher's Note 

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STATE OF MANUFACTURING 

IN THE UAE 

OUTLOOK 2018 

White Paper

Contents 

1. The World of Manufacturing – Overview ---------------10 

2. Through the magnifier----------------------------------------12 

• FMCG 

• Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals 

• Machinery 

• Real Estate and Construction 

• Aluminium and Metals 

• Aviation and Maritime 

3. Vision of the Government -----------------------------------22 

4. Financial Outlook-----------------------------------------------25 

5. Into the Future – Artificial Intelligence-------------------26

WHITE PAPER ON UAE's STATE OF MANUFACTURING 

1. The World of Manufacturing 

The manufacturing 

sector is the backbone 

of a country’s economy. 

Apart from creating a 

large number of jobs, 

industrialization improves 

productivity and boosts 

research and development. 

While the brand United Arab 

Emirates is most strongly 

associated with oil and 

burgeoning metropolises, 

manufacturing is a central 

component of the UAE’s 

growth story. 

Following the discovery of 

oil in the UAE, there was a 

huge construction boom 

which necessitated all sorts 

of materials and equipment, 

along with an influx of 

workers. Over the years, the 

economy has become highly 

industrialized and has come 

a long way from its roots in 

the fishing and pearl industry. 

Today, the manufacturing 

sector in UAE is a fastgrowing 

sector with a vast 

reservoir of untapped 

potential. This field is the 2nd 

strongest growth driver in 

the economy among all nonoil 

sectors. In terms of GDP 

contribution, manufacturing 

accounted for a share of 

12.9% in 2007 and 12.2% in 

2008, second at both times to 

the hydrocarbon sector. 

The government is 

targeting an increase in the 

contribution of manufacturing 

to the overall GDP to about 

21% by 2021 and further, to 

25% by 2025. This increase 

will be supplemented by 

the government’s push 

to implement a uniform 

industrialization strategy. The 

Vision 2021 National Agenda 

of the UAE focusses on 

creating national policies that 

promote sustainable growth. 

10 www.innovationandtech.ae


The thrust is on diversification 

and reducing reliance on oil 

revenues, as well as on the 

creation of industrial clusters 

to boost economic growth and 

reduce urban congestion. 

The Dubai Industrial Park 

has been set up over an 

area of 55 square kilometres, 

and currently houses over 

680 companies. The overall 

profits of manufacturing 

companies in the UAE have 

been increased by nearly 50- 

100% in the past few years. 

The factors driving growth 

in the manufacturing sector 

include physical capital 

investment, greater exposure 

to trade, healthy competition 

in the sector, and aggressive 

advertising through various 

channels. 

The aviation industry is one 

of the hallmarks of the UAE’s 

diversified economy. With 

the world’s busiest airport 

in Dubai among three major 

international airports, UAE is 

one of the global leaders in 

the sector and further growth 

is expected in the field of 

aviation. 

In a survey by Cluttons, 

Dubai overtook London as 

the most preferred property 

investment location for 2017. 

In 2016, the total foreign 

investment in the Dubai 

real estate market was 

approximately $ 12 billion 

(Dh 44 billion). 

Brands from the UAE are 

fast establishing a name 

for themselves in global 

markets. RAK Ceramics is 

the world’s largest producer 

of ceramic tiles, with an 

annual production capacity 

of 110 million square metre and 

a turnover of more than $1 billion 

(Dh 3.6 billion). Headquartered 

in Ras-Al-Khaimah, UAE, the 

company’s network is present in 

more than 160 countries across 

the globe. Gulf Pharmaceutical 

Industries (Julphar) is the 

largest generic pharmaceutical 

manufacturer in the Middle East 

and North Africa (MENA) region. 

Emirates Global Aluminium 

ranks among the five largest 

primary aluminium producers 

in the world, with a production 

capacity of 2.34 million tonnes 

per annum. 

Many manufacturers are proudly 

carrying the Made in UAE label 

abroad, including Al Nassma 

and Camelicious, manufacturers 

of camel milk products. Strata, 

an Al Ain based manufacturer of 

aeronautic components for top 

global companies like Airbus, 

INNOVATIONANDTECH 

January | 2018 

11


Boeing and ATR, has “Made 

with Pride in the UAE” as its 

slogan. W Motors is the first 

manufacturer of sports cars 

in UAE, with such offerings 

as the Lykan HyperSport and 

Fenyr SuperSport. In addition 

to the above, industries in the 

UAE are also involved in the 

production of construction 

materials, textiles, paper, 

perfumes and cosmetics, and 

food and beverages. 

Abu Dhabi has emphasized 

more on heavy industries, 

while Dubai and Sharjah have 

focused on light industries 

and the service sector. 

Significant strides have been 

made in the manufacturing 

sector by the Emirate of 

Sharjah. According to 

the Sharjah Economic 

Development Department, 

the industrial GDP of Sharjah 

amounts to 48% of the total 

industrial GDP of UAE. The 

city of Dubai is expected to 

become the biggest trade 

hub in Asia by 2021. 

Over the past few years, UAE 

has received a significant 

amount of investment 

from many internationally 

renowned brands across 

many industries for 

establishing manufacturing 

facilities in the country. The 

country aims to attract an 

investment of $75 billion 

by 2025 into the industrial 

manufacturing sector. The 

manufacturing sector in UAE 

is growing from strength and 

strength and is an important 

pillar in the nation’s upwardly 

mobile economy. 

2. Through the Magnifier 



Fast-moving Consumer Goods 

The fast-moving 

consumer goods 

(FMCG) sector has 

been recognized by experts 

as an important contributor 

to the UAE’s GDP. The 

in the UAE continues to grow, 

buoyed by positive demand 

and the changing lifestyles of 

aspirational consumers. The 

FMCG manufactures are best 

positioned to benefit from the 

levels and a lower per capita 

consumption rate. As such, 

there is intense competition 

between the organized and 

unorganized sectors of the 

UAE’s FMCG economy. 

FMCG sector in the Middle 

East and Africa (MEA) 

region has been growing at 

steady double-digit rates. 

The field is expected to 

maintain the high growth 

momentum moving forward. 

The consumer goods market 

rising consumer demand. 

The FMCG industry is 

characterized by a very 

well-established distribution 

network and low operating 

costs. The main challenges 

facing the sector are the 

relatively low penetration 

One of the world’s biggest 

FMCG companies, Unilever, 

has invested a huge amount 

of money in expanding its 

capacity in the region over the 

past few years. The company 

has multiple manufacturing 



13


sites across the region and 

sells a diverse range of 

products locally. 

Even during the time of the 

global economic crisis, the 

FMCG sector remained 

recession-resistant though 

not fully recession-proof. 

However, the impact on the 

FMCG industry has still not 

been as severe as on some 

of the other industries. The 

forward-thinking leadership 

of the UAE has provided 

investors with ample 

opportunities to grow despite 

the challenging environment. 

The region is attractive also 

due to a stable government 

which is amenable to 

business interests. A large 

number of free economic 

zones have been set 

up to provide incentives 

including tax exemptions, 

less regulations and stateof-the-art 

infrastructure. The 

foreign direct investment 

as a percentage of GDP is 

higher here than in many 

countries elsewhere. Even 

during financially weaker 

times, companies have not 

hesitated from bringing forth 

innovations to the market and 

have not resorted to reducing 

their investments. 

There are several challenges 

facing the FMCG sector. As 

an example, manufacturers 

are required to also do 

business with baqalas, 

family-owned neighbourhood 

shops that constitute a highly 

fragmented retail network. 

Modern retail channels 

such as hypermarkets and 

convenience stores are 

growing fast, but baqalas still 

account for a considerable 

fraction of retail sales. The 

strong cultural traditions 

are underpinned by a large 

expatriate population, 

reaching as high as 82 percent 

of the population in the UAE. 

As a result, many marketing 

and sales approaches that 

succeeded in Western 

markets may fall flat or even 

be counterproductive. 

The UAE faces stiff competition 

in the FMCG sector from 

other local players, which not 

only is healthy for a growing 

business but also leaves 

room for further improvement 

and innovation. As can be 

expected for a price-sensitive 

sector, the leading players 

follow a disciplined, datadriven 

approach to setting 

and adjusting prices. This 

includes examining pricing 

gaps with the competition, as 

well as brand equity or brand 

health. It is also important 

to focus on consumer price 

elasticity. 

The most important factor 

affecting the FMCG business 

over the next five years is 

projected to be the growth 

of modern trade channels 

at the expense of traditional 

trade. Hypermarkets are 

acknowledged unanimously 

as the biggest driver of sales 

growth in the region. The 

FMCG sector has seen a 

major push for sustainability, 

from sourcing and 

manufacturing processes to 

the customers and the society 

at large. "Think Global, Act 

Local” is the challenge facing 

the companies in this sector 

today. 

There is tremendous 

headroom for growth 

in all categories of the 

FMCG sector, including 

bringing in more customers, 

increasing their frequency 

of consumption and by up 

trading them to higher order 

benefits. However, the key 

is to be more proactive 

towards nurturing customer 

relationships and to build 

substantial sales capabilities.


Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals 

The healthcare sector 

has proven to be one 

of the most resilient 

sectors in the UAE. The 

country has witnessed a 

dramatic expansion of its 

healthcare industry over the 

past four decades. When 

the UAE was founded in 

1971, there were only seven 

hospitals and 12 health 

centres. Today, the country 

has over 70 public and 

private hospitals and 150 

centres and primary care 

clinics. 

Healthcare is one of the 

most rapidly growing sectors 

globally, with expenditure 

totalling $7,682 million in 

2015. According to estimates 

by the EIU, health spending 

will accelerate in most 

countries, rising to an average 

of 5.2% a year in 2014- 18, 

equalling $9.3 trillion. This 

increase will be driven by the 

needs of aging and growing 

populations, the prevalence 

of chronic diseases, 

emerging market expansion, 

infrastructure improvements, 

and advances in treatment 

and technology. The most 

rapid growth in healthcare 

spending is expected to 

be in the Middle East and 

Africa. The region could see 

an annual average increase 

of around 9% over 2014-18, 

due in part to population 

growth and efforts to expand 

access to care. 

Following this global trend, 

the UAE healthcare market 

will grow by leaps and 

bounds in the coming years. 

The UAE’s pharmaceutical 

market was expected to 

have sales of around AED 

9.6 billion by 2016. These 

sales are estimated to 

grow at a CAGR of around 

8% and by 2020, the UAE 

pharmaceutical market is 

estimated to be worth around 

AED 13 billion. 

Most of the healthcare 

expenditure in the UAE was 

government expenditure 

that was estimated to be 

around AED 42 billion, 

while private healthcare 

expenditure was estimated 

to be around AED 18 billion. 

Another major trend is the 

growth of local production 

of pharmaceuticals which is 

estimated to grow at a CAGR 

of around 10% from 2015 to 

2018. 

Population growth is one 

key driver of this expansion. 

High birth rates and longer 

life expectancies among 

Emiratis are increasing the 

UAE’s indigenous population. 

Meanwhile, an increasing 

number of expatriates are 

moving to the country to 

pursue work opportunities 

As such, a 2015 U.N. report 

predicted that the UAE’s 

indigenous and expatriate 

population would grow from 

9.16 million to 10.98 million 

by 2030. Demographic shifts 

are also at work, as the UAE’s 

population slowly begins 

to age. The percentage of 

Emiratis above the age of 60 

is set to double from around 

5.2% at present to 11% 

by 2032. This will increase 

demand for healthcare in 

general and geriatric care in 

particular. 

There are several other 

reasons for the growth of 

the UAE healthcare market. 

These include moves toward 



15


the introduction of universal 

health insurance. Another factor 

is increasing affluence, which is 

leading to demand for higherquality 

healthcare. 

The UAE’s 2021 Vision states 

that “the UAE [will] …invest 

continually to build worldclass 

healthcare infrastructure, 

expertise and services in order 

to fulfil citizens’ growing needs 

and expectations.” 

The tremendous growth of the 

UAE’s healthcare market poses 

two major challenges for the 

UAE These challenges include 

the recruitment and education 

of enough quality medical 

personnel, and to contain 

healthcare costs from 

spiralling out of control. 

Patients in the UAE tend 

to overconsume highly 

priced medical services, 

resulting to a high per 

capita healthcare and 

wellness spending. The 

rising costs can also be 

attributed to the industry, 

since the cost of surgery 

and healthcare treatments 

has risen by 30-40% in 

the last 3 years. This is 

due to overconsumption 

of medical services, 

increasing costs of 

medical equipment and 

competition for qualified 

Machinery 

professionals, and an 

increasing incidence of 

chronic diseases. 

To address these, the 

government aims to focus on 

the development of Public 

Private Partnerships, since 

70% of the government’s 

expenditure goes to 

healthcare services. The 

goal is to encourage private 

sectors’ participation to 

improve both hard and soft 

infrastructure. Because of 

Dubai’s political stability, this 

is very likely to be achieved. 

It is common knowledge that 

the economy of the UAE is 

heavily dependent on oil. The 

UAE’s income and exports are 

both heavily influenced by oil 

price fluctuations. However, in 

the wake of the global trend of 

falling oil prices, the country’s 

government is hoping to change 

that. 

There is a sense of agreement 

that the past year has been a 

year of challenges for the UAE’s 

construction and machinery 

sector. The performance has 

been below the par for recent 

years, mostly due to sluggish 

demand amid a construction 

slowdown and reduced 

government spending on 

infrastructure. Oil prices remain 

weak, suggesting that the 

growth will remain sluggish in 

the year ahead. Globally too, 

this scenario is repeated with 

scattered growth pockets in a 

largely depressed market. 

However, the construction 

machinery industry 

continues to progress 

and new projects are 

constantly being executed. 

Despite slowing demand 

elsewhere, the hardware 

and tools market remains 

robust in the UAE. The 

current market for tools 

and machinery in the UAE 

has been estimated at 

Dhs10 billion and this is 

expected to grow further, 

making the country an 

attractive destination for 

global brands. With the 

recent economic crisis, the 

lone saving grace for most 

infrastructure companies 

is the Gulf, because of 

its committed long-term 

project investments. 

While the oil-based 

economy of the UAE is 

not heavily diversified, 

the country has long had 

a competitive presence 

in industries with higher 

complexity, particularly in 

chemicals, machinery and 

construction materials. These 

sectors are key to the future 

development of the country, 

by increasing the export 

diversity and populating the 

product space. 

As the machinery sector 

matures in the country, 

more and more challenging 

projects are being executed. 

The year 2016 also witnessed 

the opening of the first 36 km 

stretch of one of the most 

challenging road projects 

ever executed in the country, 

and indeed in the entire 

region – the Jebel Jais road 

in Ras Al Kahimah. 



Machinery manufacturers are 

now focussing on eliminating 

the role of the operator. 

In addition to improved 

efficiency, this also reduces 

accidents by eliminating 

human error. A number of 

unmanned machines can 

execute their work under 

the supervision of a single 

controller, providing the 

biggest gains in safety. 

their predictive abilities by 

harnessing the power of big 

data. The increasing focus 

on “green” machinery has 

also been an important issue 

in the UAE. The advanced 

economies, such as the EU, 

US and Japan, are phasing in 

stricter emission norms. The 

major machinery suppliers 

are all racing to offer the 

most environmentally-friendly 

also come with a lower risk. This 

trend has benefited equipment 

rental companies, as well as 

machinery auctioneers. 

Recently, the UAE climbed 

from the 12th to the 5th position 

on the Nabarro infrastructure 

index, which rates 25 countries 

in terms of their investment 

attractiveness. While the 

investments in the manufacturing 

With more and more complex 

projects being executed, 

safety issues have come to 

the fore as well. The current 

global trends have seen 

falling sales of super large 

equipment and a greater 

interest in the mini equipment 

segment. 

Manufacturers and end 

users are embracing the 

digital age and improving 

products, including hybrid 

machines and even further 

with fully electric equipment. 

With private investors wary 

of the market and slashed 

government budgets, many 

big-ticket projects are 

progressing slowly. Given this 

scenario, most machinery is 

now being rented rather than 

bought. Used machines are 

not only cost-effective, but 

and machinery industries 

will take time to considerably 

reduce the country’s heavy 

dependence on oil and gas, the 

UAE is positioned much better 

than its compatriots to reduce its 

economic focus on fossil fuels. 



17


Real Estate and Construction 

With some 

major political 

transformations 

around the world, significant 

impact on markets round the 

globe could be seen. The 

benchmarks have changed 

and the traditional model 

that distinguished the world 

into developed and underdeveloped 

is set to become 

obsolete. 

The world has seen the Middle 

East rally ahead of all nations 

in the recent times, making 

it globally one of the fastest 

growing real estate markets. 

Take for example, the city of 

Dubai, has grown massively 

in less than a decade, and 

transformed to become a 

world of superstructures. 

Now pioneering into an all 

new kind of real estate, the 

city and the surrounding 

is all set to attract a whole 

new bunch of creative 

professionals, designers and 

entrepreneurs. The Middle 

East has ferociously proven 

its ability to reinvent & rebuild 

itself time and again. With 

special arenas for industrial 

purposes being setup across 

the region, it offers a great 

opportunity to real estate 

developers to join the era of 

rapid economic growth. 

The Gulf Cooperation 

Council (GCC) countries 

are taking a multi-faceted 

and calibrated approach 

at initiating infrastructure 

projects bearing the potential 

to diversify their economy 

and revenue streams. The 

rationale includes avoiding 

excessive exploitation of 

fossil fuel resources and 

prolonging the foreign 

exchange component of its 

exports. The government 

aims to bring about economic 

growth with major inputs from 

private sector and is ready 

to hold up a helping hand to 

prospective investors. Most 

of the projects are likely to be 

public-private partnerships 

(PPP), thus offering new 



openings to investors. The 

contracts are open for both 

local and international firms. 

As part of Saudi Arabia’s 

Vision 2030 strategy, the 

government has outlined 

infrastructure projects 

spanning the power, water, 

hydrocarbons, construction, 

road, rail, seaport and airport 

sectors. 

the oil sector. Emirates NBD 

predicted that the UAE’s 

economy would register a 

3.4 per cent growth this year, 

compared to 3 per cent in 

2016. Tourism has had a huge 

role to play in laying the base 

and acting the launch pad for 

growth in the Non-Oil Sectors. 

Riyadh overlooked its strict 

social code and announced 

projects to be completed by 

late 2018. Overall, more than 

$200 billion has been assigned 

for the tournament-related 

projects. With such strong 

base to support the hospitality 

industry, the hotel market in the 

Middle East remains robust and 

is open to investment too. 

Linking a country’s infrastructure 

to its business potential and 

Now pioneering into an all new kind of real estate, the 

city and the surrounding is all set to attract a whole 

new bunch of creative professionals, designers and 

entrepreneurs. 

The country has been 

spending huge on the 

power sector, mainly 

renewable energy. Looking 

for sustainable means of 

development clearly shows 

intent of ascending beyond 

the conventional in the long 

run. Saudi Arabia is expected 

to launch a renewable energy 

programme between 2017 

and 2023 to produce 10 

gigawatts of power. This 

involves an investment of 

between $30 and $50 billion. 

Growing stability of oil market 

and heavy investment in 

tourism in the Middle East, 

coupled together, give 

strength to the currency and 

invites major investment flow 

to the region. Growth in the 

Oil Markets has been the key 

driver for economic growth 

in the area. However, non-oil 

sectors are growing multifolds 

to compete closely with 

plans in April 2017 to build 

the kingdom’s largest 

entertainment, cultural and 

sports city near the capital. 

The project is scheduled to 

begin in 2018, with the first 

phase expected to open 

in 2022. The government 

revealed that about $500 

million is being spent every 

week on the infrastructure 

projects associated with 

the FIFA event. With 90 per 

cent of the contracts already 

awarded, Doha expects 

two-thirds of the World Cup 

performance shall be the 

wisest thing to do, when talking 

about the UAE. The Middle 

East has seen exponential 

growth in regions like Dubai, 

Doha and Abu Dhabi, wherein 

the early birds and globally 

aware investors have flagged 

the win, while scoring great 

profits due to their investment 

in the knowledge market. With 

such great growth prospects 

appearing again at the upfront, 

this chance to invest is a must 

not miss. 



19


For decades, the UAE 

has been making 

efforts intensively on 

diversifying away from the 

oil sectors towards nonoil 

sectors and industries 

to benefit from its highly 

innovative and efficient 

human resources. It is 

certainly preparing itself well 

for sustained development 

in the distant future, when 

the last drop of oil is finally 

extracted. 

Metals Industry forms to 

be a major contributor in 

the economic growth and 

development of the Gulf 

Countries, one of its key nonoil 

industries. UAE leads the 

Gulf’s Aluminium Production 

Charts accounting for an 

entire 50% of the total 

production of the metal in 

the Middle East. It is also 

a global producer, ranking 

4th amongst the largest 

producers of the metal in 

the world and continues to 

lay a foundation for robust 

economic growth for the 

country. Not only does the 

production is supporting 

the boom in a majority of 

new infrastructure projects 

domestically, but the exports 

have seen a significant rise 

in the recent past. Nine per 

cent of total global primary 

aluminium production will 

come from the Middle East 

by 2020. 

The future of the Metals 

industry in the UAE is very 

exciting. The challenge and 

focus over the next years will 

be to enhance efficiency of the 

production of existing plants. 

Aluminium and Metals 

Aluminium metal, which is 

mainly exported to Japan, is 

considered the second most 

important export item in the 

UAE after oil. Aluminium use 

is growing in applications 

ranging from automobiles 

to aerospace, where its low 

weight and high strength are 

crucial. It is also benefiting 

from growing attention to 

sustainability thanks to the 

ease with which it can be 

recycled. Aluminium is truly 

an ecologically advantaged 

metal and it is one of UAE’s 

priorities to make the most of 

it. 

The metals industry has 

become a sophisticated 

industry, and that itself has 

played an important role in 

the training of UAE nationals 

in technology. The user 

industries are also getting 

increasingly demanding. This 

motivates firms in the Metals 

industry to constantly improve 

their competitiveness, 

via innovative products 

through higher quality, 

thereby improving their 

global competitiveness. 

Two decades of focused, 

diligent work in research and 

development, improving the 

efficiency of the smelting 

process and reducing waste 

and energy consumption, is 

all that it took to build, for 

UAE, a global standing. In 

successive generations, 

they have introduced 

refinements that have 

allowed them to cut and 

save up on their energy 

costs considerably. Such 

a Cost leadership and 

differentiation brought 

about through efforts on the 

innovation front has made it 

a real competitor on the world 

stage. 

It shall be of interest to 

the major industry players 

globally, that high growth 

being witnessed in the 

region is most likely to lead 

the company’s expanding 

to the Middle East to reach 

its highest potential. In the 

words of His Excellency Eng. 

Suhail Mohamed Faraj Al 

Mazrouei, the UAE’s Minister 

of Energy, "aluminium stands 

as a flagship industry in our 

nation's development and 

on-going diversification." 

The growth potential is 

reflected in the prospects for 

expansive growth in the near 

future, in those industries that 

aluminium is a key production 

element for. The production 

expansion that UAE-based 

smelters have undergone 

emphasizes that view. "We 

look forward to meeting 

like-minded companies 

and individuals who share 

that drive for continuous 

development and breaking 

new barriers," he added. 


The UAE Government 

has successfully 

pursued a strategy to 

create an enabling business 

environment that is conducive 

to economic growth. This 

has contributed to the worldrenowned 

status of the UAE 

as an international centre for 

trade, finance and services 

and has attracted reputable 

global companies. 

The UAE has the most 

advanced and developed 

infrastructure in the region. 

From roads to airports, 

to harbours and ports to 


Aviation and Maritime 

telecommunications, the 

UAE is home to world class 

facilities that have supported 

economic growth and 

enabled the development of 

business. 

Aviation was one of the 

earliest drivers of non-oil 

economic growth in the UAE. 

Today, the UAE is a global 

aviation hub. The growth of 

aviation capacity throughout 

the country is set to continue 

with expansions planned 

at several of the country’s 

airports, the biggest of which 

is the development of Al 

Maktoum International at Dubai 

World Central, expansion of 

which once completed, will also 

be the world’s largest airport. 

The UAE’s strategic location has 

not only allowed the country to 

become a global aviation hub, 

but also a center for maritime 

activity and transportation. The 

country has numerous port 

facilities catering to general 

cargo, container shipping, and 

the oil and gas industry. The 

UAE as a country has a lot more 

to offer with other major shipping 

hubs in particular in Abu Dhabi, 

Sharjah and Fujairah; each 

having its own unique offering. 



21


Passenger and cargo 

transportation has risen in 

importance over the last 

few years. UAE airline 

companies are updating their 

fleets and are pursuing a 

forceful strategy to capitalize 

on the increased passenger 

demand by pursuing several 

strategies, including the 

adoption of transportation 

options that focus on superior 

passenger experiences 

as well as options that 

emphasize affordability. 

The UAE's air industry 

has been continuously 

growing. The UAE intends 

to capitalize on its transport 

and communications 

infrastructure by introducing 

new aircrafts for the five flag 

carriers in the UAE, huge 

investments for new airport 

capacity throughout the 

seven emirates, and plans 

for Abu Dhabi to become a 

regional centre for aircraft 

maintenance, manufacturing 

and flight training. 

In addition, the UAE has 

developed as a regional hub 

for maritime transportation 

and logistics. UAE ports 

handle a large volume to and 

from the region, and ship and 

boat building are emerging 

as strategic competencies. 

The maritime industry in the 

UAE is constantly evolving 

and the UAE is now ready to 

voice its ambitions to become 

the leading international 

shipping hub. 

By 2030, the six largest 

airports in the country are 

expected to have a total 

combined capacity of 300m 

passengers per annum. The 

addition this level of capacity 

has left some critics openly 

questioning the feasibility 

of this expansion. However, 

local aviation insiders counter 

that the increased capacity 

will cater to the global market. 

The 2017 Menon Economics 

report on The Leading 

Maritime Capitals of the World 

ranked the cities on the basis 

of the following five factors: 

shipping, finance and law, 

maritime technology, ports 

and logistics, attractiveness 

and competitiveness. In this 

rating, Dubai was ranked a 

respectable number ten. The 

experts predict that it will rank 

number six globally by 2022. 

UAE’s current scenario 

seems to offer once in a 

life opportunity as the most 

viable investment proposition 

to industry leaders globally, 

for experiencing real time 

expansive economic growth, 

alongside the boom in these 

sectors across the country. 

3. Vision of the Government 

The United Arab 

Emirates has been 

a regional leader 

in building infrastructure, 

developing industrialisation 

and pioneering innovation. 

The government of the 

UAE stresses on these as 

essential keys to sustainable 

development. In the recent 

past, the visionary leaders 

of the UAE have announced 

several new initiatives and 

policies in these fields. 

Currently, the UAE is involved 

in charting a roadmap for the 

nation’s future after oil. The 

strategy is expected to include 

ideas and inputs from the 

manufacturing community, 

bringing together leaders 

in business, government 

and civil society to shape 

a vision for the sector’s 

future. The government is 

working hard to strengthen 

the competitiveness of the 

established sectors in the 

economy, as well as to 

gradually introduce new 

sectors, which will help 

bolster the UAE’s economy in 

accordance with the highest 

international standards. 

The UAE is the de facto capital 

of the new age Silk Road 

with sea lanes, airports and 

a logistical hub. The country 

has a strategic advantage, 

thanks to the excellent 

geographic location between 

emerging markets like India 

and China and developed 

markets in Europe and North 

America. 

The UAE plans to attract a 

total of $75 billion by 2025 into 

the country’s new industrial 

manufacturing sector. The 

manufacturing sector is 

expected to contribute 25 per 

cent of the country’s GDP by 

the year 2025. 

Of late, the UAE has em- 



barked on a new strategy towards 

GDP growth by adopting 

a new Investment Law, 

which would foster new foreign 

investment relations and 

create a favourable business 

environment for foreign investors 

across the globe. The 

Law also allows one hundred 

per cent ownership to foreign 

entities, which will significantly 

boost the manufacturing 

sector. The amended legislation 

is expected to increase 

the GDP of the UAE by three 

to four percent. The 

nation’s GDP is projected 

to increase 

even further to 5.4% 

after having won the 

bid for Expo 2020. 

The changes in 

legal regulations 

have had a very 

positive impact on 

the development 

of the country 

and the business 

and investment 

environment. 

The 

legal 

modifications have 

also moved towards 

making the UAE a 

more favourable place for 

business and life. 

The UAE has prepared a 

comprehensive strategy to 

further its overall economic 

and social well being and to 

diversify its national income, 

based on a sustainable, 

knowledge-based economy. 

In January 2012, H. H. Sheikh 

Mohammed bin Rashid Al 

Maktoum launched the Green 

Economy initiative under the 

slogan of “A green economy 

for sustainable development”. 

This initiative envisions the 

UAE as a global hub and a 

model of a green economy. 

This will not only enhance the 

country's competitiveness 

and sustainability, but also 

preserve its environment 

for future generations. The 

program emphasises the 

importance of a sustainable 

environment to support longterm 

economic growth. 

In 2014, H. H. Sheikh Mohammed 

launched the National 

Innovation Strategy that aims 

The UAE government 

is supporting the 

development of the 

manufacturing sector 

by focusing on creating 

national policies that 

promote sustainable 

growth, investments in 

education and strong 

global partnerships. 

to get the UAE in the league 

of the most innovative nations 

in the world within seven 

years. The strategy targets 

seven key sectors, namely 

renewable energy, transport, 

education, health, technology, 

water and space. 

In November of 2015, H. 

H. Sheikh Mohammed 

launched the Fund to Finance 

Innovation, with an initial 

amount of AED2 billion. The 

Fund is a federal initiative 

designed to provide financing 

solutions for innovators across 

various sectors within the UAE. 

Priority will be given to the above 

seven sectors for funding from 

the Ministry of Finance. 

In addition to traditional 

manufacturing, the UAE is 

also putting its weight behind 

technology-supported 3D 

printing. In April 2016, H. H. 

Sheikh Mohammed launched 

the Dubai 3D Printing Strategy. 

This initiative plans to exploit 

technology for the benefit of 

society and to make the UAE, 

and especially Dubai, as a 

leading hub of 3D printing 

technology by 2030. 

The UAE government is 

poised to introduce one 

of the biggest tax reforms 

ever in the country, with 

VAT being introduced 

across the country from 

the 1st of January, 2018 

at a standardized rate of 

5%. VAT, as a general 

consumption tax, will 

apply to most transactions 

of goods and services, 

except those specifically 

exempted by law. Items 

that will be subject to 

the VAT include cars, 

electronics, mobile plans and 

apparel, just to name a few. 

All levels of the UAE government 

- Federal and Emirate - provide 

citizens and residents with a 

host of public services, including 

hospitals, roads, public schools, 

parks, waste control, and police 

services. These services are 

paid for from the government 

budgets. VAT is intended to help 

improve the economic base of 

the country. The Tax will provide 

the country with a new source 

of income, which will contribute 

to the continued provision of 



23

high quality public services. 

VAT is considered to be a 

more sophisticated approach 

to taxation as it makes 

businesses serve as tax 

collectors on behalf of the 

government, helping cut 

down on misreporting and tax 

evasion. 

Foreseeing the future of not 

being economically driven 

by a single industry - Oil and 

Gas - which accounts for 

40 per cent of the country's 

GDP, the UAE government 

has undertaken massive 

steps to shift the focus of 

its economic growth to 

various other sectors, with 

manufacturing leading the 

way. Government-led focus 

on the manufacturing sector 

has fostered the growth 

of trade, export, national 

development and also 

contributed significantly to 

employment opportunities 

within the region. 

In line with the government's 

vision of economic 

diversification and following 

the Vision 2021 National 

Agenda, the UAE government 

is supporting the development 

of the manufacturing sector 

by focusing on creating 

national policies that 

promote sustainable growth, 

investments in education and 

strong global partnerships. 

The government recognises 

industrialisation as the key 

to economic development. 

According to The Annual 

Economic Report 2015 

produced by Ministry of 

Economy, the manufacturing 

sector was the third highest 

sector by percentage of 

employees hired during 

the year 2013. The sector 

hired 11.6 per cent of 

all employees that year. 

The UAE's manufacturing 

sector accounts for 53% of 

the country's total non-oil 

exports, and is expected 

to contribute 25% to the 

country's overall GDP by 

2025. The growth trajectory of 

UAE's manufacturing sector 

has seen it become the 

second largest contributor 

to the UAE's economy. Over 

the past 6 months alone, the 

country has seen significant 

investment from some of the 

top global brands across 

industries for setting up its 

manufacturing facilities within 

the country. 

Moving forward, the UAE 

government is determined 

to pursue its economic 

diversification program 

by promoting the UAE 

manufacturing sector to 

reduce its reliance on income 

earned from the export of 

hydrocarbons. The focus is 

on trade liberalisation and 

exports to ensure long-term 

and sustainable progress of 

the manufacturing sector. 

By achieving progress in 

manufacturing, the UAE will 

benefit from the introduction 

of highly advanced 

technologies as well as 

enhanced competitiveness 

of the Emirate in international 

markets. 


4. Financial Outlook 


The United Arab Emirates 

has proven crude oil 

reserves, accounting 

for a significant 10% of the 

world’s total reserves. Not just 

crude, it boasts substantial 

reserves of natural gas as 

well, approximately 3.2% of 

the world’s gross reserves. 

The bulk of the oil and gas 

wealth is concentrated in 

Abu Dhabi, which contributes 

approximately 90% of the 

total oil production of the 

country and holds over 90% 

gas reserves. In the light of 

increasing diversification to 

the non-oil sectors, UAE has 

also become an important 

financial center because 

of an incentivized boost in 

the manufacturing sector & 

technology and large-scale 

infrastructure investment in 

transport & tourism. 

Together, the emirates have 

emerged as a few of the most 

important economies in the 

region with a stable economic 

and political system. The gulf 

countries have an ambition 

to emerge as a financial and 

service sector leader in the 

Middle East. While most of 

the increase in spending 

is expected to come from 

Abu Dhabi, other emirates 

in the UAE will also benefit, 

due to the proximity and the 

involvement of its own banks 

in Abu Dhabi’s Economic 

Vision 2030 program, the 

emirate’s roadmap for future 

economic development. 

The economic outlook 

remains expansionary in 

the foreseeable future to 

support the diversification 

program, which will continue 

to have a positive impact on 

the banking sector as the 

backbone of the economy. 

Among the Gulf Cooperation 

Council (GCC) countries, the 

United Arab Emirates has the 

highest degree of banking 

intermediation in terms of 

assets, loans, and deposits. 

The high level of banking 

penetration in the UAE reflects 

its relatively developed 

banking infrastructure. 

2017 has been the year of 

‘convergence’ in financial 

services. There has been 

increased cooperation 

between financial services 

and startups, blurring 

lines between traditional 

products (retail, payments 

& insurance in particular), 

and the acceleration of the 

convergence of technologies 

including mobile, distributed 

ledgers, IoT and cognitive 

computing. The UAE 

improves by one place to 

16th (out of 138 countries) as 

it continues to lead the Middle 

East and North Africa region, 

building on improvements 

in competitiveness in recent 

years. This year gains in 

areas such as technological 

adoption and business 

sophistication. 

The value of manufacturing 

projects currently underway 

serve as an indicator of the 

increased investment in 

the manufacturing sector 

which will boost capacity 

for future growth. A high 

degree of concentration in a 

few key sub-sectors highlights 

the potential for the growth of, 

and diversification at large and 

within, the manufacturing sector. 

The value of manufacturing 

projects currently underway 

serve as an indicator of the 

increased investment in the 

sector which will boost capacity 

for future growth. 

Lending to the manufacturing 

sector expanded higher than 

the 21.4% growth recorded in 

2015, in the last 2 years. Loans 

to this sector accounted for 

5.1% of total bank loans. Bank 

credit to the manufacturing 

sector reached AED 62.3bn. 

Within the manufacturing 

sector, base metals and 

products credit accounted for 

23.7% of manufacturing loans 

followed by chemicals (19.5%). 

Not only would there appear 

to be scope to further increase 

the availability of credit to the 

manufacturing sector as a whole 

over the coming years, but there 

also appears to be the potential 

for bank credit to further support 

the manufacturing sub-sectors 

in order to diversify the base. 

On the other hand, the 

government has been taking 

various initiatives for the 

promotion of the insurance 

sector. The aims are to ensure 

a suitable environment for the 

development of the insurance 

sector; to enhance the role 

of the insurance industry to 

secure lives, properties, and 

liabilities against risks in order 

to protect the national economy; 

to collect, develop, and 



25


invest the national savings 

to sustain the economic 

development of the State; to 

encourage fair and effective 

competition; to provide the 

best insurance services with 

technically sound premiums 

and adequate coverages; 

and to Emiratize jobs in the 

insurance markets. 

The UAE economy is 

distinguished with a stable 

investment, economic, and 

political environment that can 

continue economic growth 

despite the instability seen 

in the world economy during 

various periods, including 

periods when oil prices are 

dropping. This stability is 

due to adopting economic 

policies that promote 

economic diversity in which 

the UAE has succeeded in 

increasing the contribution of 

non-oil sectors to the national 

economy and in providing the 

State with financial reserves 

which enable continuous 

funding needed for all its 

projects. In addition, the 

adopted open-door economy 

policy is bringing in foreign 

investments. Qatar is the third 

largest insurance market in 

the GCC, for example. 

These two sectors don’t just 

contribute directly to the 

formation of national income, 

but also lead to widespread 

economic development 

across sectors by creating 

value added, while playing 

a significant role in providing 

funds to form the capital base 

and tools for indemnification 

of investments. With a strong 

infrastructure, they welcome 

the growth of non-oil sectors 

in the fastest developing 

region of the world. 

5. Into the Future – Artificial 

Intelligence 

Artificial intelligence 

(AI) , or the ability of 

computer systems 

to perform tasks that would 

otherwise require a human 

being, is the a trend in the 

manufacturing sector with 

several benefits. 

“Artificial intelligence is now 

growing exponentially in all 

industry sectors,” says Mr. 

Haytham Omar, an expert 

in Business Intelligence. 

“One prominent use now in 

the manufacturing industry 

is preventive maintenance 

i.e. predicting potential 

breakdowns of equipment or 

parts especially for critical 

items.” Now that artificial 

intelligence is being used for 

prediction of breakdowns, 

it makes the entire process 

more cost effective for the 

manufacturers as now they 

not only need to hire less 

people or depend on human 

abilities and inabilities, but 

they can also ensure having 

a secure backup in case 

of emergencies. As such, 

many big accidents and 

subsequent losses can also 

be avoided. 

In addition to the abovementioned 

benefits, Mr. 

Omar highlights that AI also 

reduces the problems caused 

by rationalisation of technical 

requests and repairs 

issued by manufacturing 

department. Another trend 

which he foresees a growth 

in is industrial robotics which 

depends mainly on robots 

recognizing what they see, 

analyse and take actions 

using algorithms. This would 

further reduce the chances 

of human error and increase 

efficiency and productivity. 

“All of this would lead to 

what we call industry 4.0 

or the fourth industrial 

revolution,” says Mr. Omar. 

Industry 4.0, as explained 

by Mr. Aseem Khafaili, 

Executive Vice-President 

Business Development and 

Strategy, Siemens: “…refers 

to implanting the digital 

technology in industrial 

application and developing 

the related new business 

models.” 

Such technologies are 

enabling the manufacturing 

value flow to become smarter, 

effective and more efficient. 

Deploying technologies 

like digital twin, artificial/ 



machine inelegance, remote 

monitoring and IOT will 

bring the process very close 

to perfection. According 

to Mr. Khafaili, the digital 

technologies would without 

a doubt have direct impact 

on business profitability as 

the return of investment can 

be fully optimized to suit the 

investors priorities, like more 

outcome focus, quality focus, 

energy optimization focus 

etc. 

Digitization for sure has 

already streamlined 

operations in the 

manufacturing sector, 

Information systems 

are prominent in 

all companies now 

which allows for 

tracking, reporting 

and identifying errors 

within operations. 

This further enables 

manufacturing 

companies to 

focus on their core 

competencies. 

Needless to say, 

digitization also allows 

better flow planning 

of raw materials that 

are procured from 

suppliers and efficient 

manufacturing 

scheduling, 

Overall, these improvements 

have led to better 

manufacturing output, less 

production cost and more 

satisfied customers. 

UAE, interestingly, is one of 

the first adapting countries 

in the region to artificial 

intelligence. Recently, 

HH Sheikh Mohammad 

Bin Rashid Al Maktoum 

announced the first minister 

of its kind for AI with a clear 

strategic vision on how UAE 

would rely on AI during the 

coming years. 

Delighted at this move, 

Mr. Omar says: “With 

systematic and structural 

adaptations of AI in the 

UAE, the manufacturing 

industry will see huge cost 

savings in the near future, as 

adopting AI will streamline 

operations from transport to 

manufacture, enhance the 

already excellent paperless 

environment the UAE enjoys 

and I wouldn’t be surprised 

if I see many manufacturing 

companies adopt driverless 

cars, industrial AI robotics in 

the near future.” 

In terms of the challenges, 

Mr. Khafaili explains how 

one of the major drivers 

of digital transformation is 

global coverage which is 

directly related to developing 

a network of manufacturing 

through different locations/ 

countries and most of the 

international manufacturers are 

benefiting from the technology 

enabler there. It can become 

a big economic driver for large 

companies (more competitive 

cost positions and much bigger 

market penetrations through 

good brand positioning). But 

this can also pose a major 

challenge for our regional small 

to mid-size manufacturing 

companies who may not open 

their minds quick enough to 

these disruptive technological 

changes. 

“Indeed, this technology will 

provide wide enablers for 

these SME’s but their flexibility 

and adaptability towards the 

new technology and business 

models will be a key success 

factor for them," concludes 

Mr. Khafaili. 



27

INTERVIEW 

Robert Odink 

Founder and Managing Director 

Cornerstone Consulting (UK, EUR and UAE) 


Implementing Holistic 

Business Strategies: 

Cornerstone, making Good 

Companies Great 

INTERVIEW 

Robert Odink is the Founder and Managing Director of 

Cornerstone, the Operational Excellence firm that helps 

organisations to achieve world-class performance, working 

at both ends of the P&L; revenue enhancement and cost base 

reduction through positive, people-centric change. 

What picture do you 

get of the challenges 

that companies face 

in the industries 

that they serve and 

how is Cornerstone 

addressing them? 

The challenge for most of 

our clients is to timely adjust 

their business to a rapidly 

changing environment. 

Increased demand requires 

our clients to change and 

utilise manufacturing assets 

better. Increased competition 

requires our clients to change 

and get a more effective 

sales force to secure revenue 

growth. Cornerstone would 

help clients to accelerate 

change and stay ahead 

of the game. Cornerstone 

typically starts with clients 

to improve and re-design 

their processes to increase 

sales and throughput; to 

reduce operating costs and 

overheads that usually does 

not require any significant 

Capex. In parallel, we 

work with clients to create 

a management operating 

systems to install rigour 

and discipline, through a 

set of coherent, operational 

indicators, providing 

immediate visibility of past 

and predictable underperformance. 

This will 

almost automatically prompt 

the corrective managerial 

actions. We help clients to 

embrace Visual Performance 

Management tools. 

Ultimately, we help our clients 

to create a performance 

driven culture, so to sustain 

the new levels of productivity 

and profitability. This involves 

behavioural analysis and 

training, coaching and 

communications to enhance 

skills and embrace change at 

all levels of the organisation. 

The cash tangible benefit 

associated with the 

operational excellence 

implementations can be 

reinvested into the company: 

1. Major opportunities to 

directly invest into new 

technologies and production 

capabilities. 

2. Hugely important to invest 

in developing the right set of 

labour force capabilities to 

capitalize on the manufacturing 

transformation. 

What are some of the 

current technological 

trends existing in the 

markets that you serve 

and how do you inject 

those trends into the 

effective solutions you 

offer? 

Major trend is Industry 4.0 

and our professional offering 

is to help clients to implement 

world class manufacturing or 

boost operational excellence. 

We also provide clients 

program management of their 

manufacturing transformation 

journey. 

What were the 

key elements that 



29

INTERVIEW 

stimulated the 

conception of 

Cornerstone? Can 

you give us a quick 

snapshot of the 

company’s history 

and its evolution 

over the years? 

For over a decade, 

Cornerstone has delivered 

cash tangible benefits ($) 

to clients, by driving up 

productivity and profitability. 

We do that through revenue 

enhancement or cost-base 

reduction programs. The 

Cornerstone methodology 

and resources have 

successfully delivered 

sustainable business 

improvements, with a 

Return on Investment of 

300%. Clients business 

performance improvement 

is dramatically accelerated 

through the use of our 

Cornerstone mythology 

and resources. We have 

successfully delivered 

projects with clients in the 

UK, Europe and UAE, in 

various sectors such as 

Aerospace and Defense, 

Manufacturing, Automotive, 

Food and Drinks, 

Superyacht. 

Could you brief us 

about the unique 

methodology 

that Cornerstone 

implements to 

improve the 

effectiveness 

and efficiency of 

organizational 

performance? 

A lot of knowledge and 

experience has gone into a 

refined approach on how to 

drive business performance 

up, regardless if its sales 

effectiveness or productivity 

improvement and cost-base 

reduction. 

According to you, 

what are the key 

differentiating factor 

that set Cornerstone 

ahead of the 

competition curve? 

Cornerstone is “Driven 

by Results. Powered by 

People.” That is more than 

marketing; that is actually 

our mantra. We live and 

breathe by delivering 

cash tangible, measurable 

benefits (P&L impact) to 

clients. Our people are our 

most valuable assets; they 

are trained and experienced 

in our methodology and have 

the skills and mentality to not 

stop until we’ve improved the 

clients’ business. 

If you were to give 

an analogy between 

any of your personal 

traits/hobbies and 

the way you manage 

the company/ 

thought leadership 

what would that be? 

I’m a passionate sailor. 

Everybody on board has got 

a role to play; the navigator 

is equally important as the 

guy on the winch. Everybody 

is aligned on the course 

and heading we are sailing. 

There’s only one captain and 

everybody stays on board 

until we’ve reached the safe 

habour. Common practice 

on a sailing boat, but not 

very commonly applied in 

business. 

What is 

Cornerstone’s next 

big step to move 

forward? 

From our more established 

footprint and client base 

in the UK and in Europe, 

we are currently rapidly 

expanding into the UAE 

and the rest of the GCC. 

There is an incredible desire 

and need for clients here 

in the region, to improve 

business performance. 

Our methodology and 

commitment to deliver is 

unique and distinguishes us. 

Clients in the UAE appreciate 

that. We are very excited 

about the tremendous 

potential we find in working 

with clients here in the UAE. 

Significant Insights 

on UAE Market 

1. The UAE is in a great 

position to be one of 

the 7 countries worldwide 

classified as High 

Potential for Manufacturing 

Transformation, with the 

ability to capitalize on future 

production opportunities. 

Companies in the UAE are 

agile enough in responding 

to challenges and unknown 

future shocks, and the 

country does not carry 

the weight of a legacy 

manufacturing structure. 

2. Speed of implementation 


INTERVIEW 

and getting it right first 

time are essential in a new 

competitive landscape. 

3. Cornerstone can help to 

make sure we develop the 

right set of organisational 

capabilities by recruiting 

and retaining the required 

skill sets, to train and 

coach the workforce and 

professionalising the quality 

of management on all levels. 

4. The UAE have a wonderful 

opportunity to transform into 

a successful manufacturing 

nation, in a way that brings 

prosperity the country as a 

whole. 

5. This year we are 

celebrating 100 years of 

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan 

Al Nahyan’s vision and 

leadership, and now we are 

essentially at the heart of the 

biggest transformation of 

the UAE economy, driving 

diversification and economic 

growth. Cornerstone is very 

much a part of that. 

We work with 

clients to create 

a management 

operating systems 

to install rigour and 

discipline, through 

a set of coherent, 

operational 

indicators, providing 

immediate visibility 

of past and 

predictable underperformance. 

Case study: 1 

Problem 

A large commercial bakery 

needed to improve its 

ability to deliver complete 

orders on time to its retail 

customers in order to avoid 

performance penalties and/ 

or lost business. The client 

had built-up additional 

finished goods inventories 

in an effort to improve ontime 

performance but slow 

moving items went out of 

date and performance did 

not improve. 

Cornerstone Approach 

Following a thorough 

assessment, Cornerstone 

determined that the 

Scheduling team was not 

planning the correct stockkeeping 

units (SKUs) and 

volumes to meet customer 

demand. Additionally, 

customer requirements 

were not well understood. 

Management needed to gain 

better control of schedules 

and manufacturing 

execution. There was no 

easy solution. Success could 

only be achieved through 

rigorous application of basic 

fundamentals: understanding 

customer requirements; 

identifying order patterns 

and volumes; minimising 

schedule variance and, 

therefore, SKUs. 

Results 

- Reduced finished goods 

inventory levels by 35%. 

- Achieved zero penalties for 

poor performance. 

- Achieved 98% fill rate (up 

from mid 80s %). 

- Achieved 95% on time 

delivery. 

- Gained a better 

understanding of customer 

service needs and levels 

across the organisation. 

- Improved inventory 

management. 

Case study: 2 

Problem 

A UK based Yacht-builder 

sought to increase market 

share in a growing market. 

Cornerstone was asked to 

assist in determining the 

cause of recent sales losses, 

define a new, optimised Sales 

and Marketing process, and 

achieve Sales goals. 

Cornerstone Approach 

Cornerstone conducted 

analysis of the client’s Sales 

and Marketing function, 

including understanding 

internal and external 

customer processes, defining 

opportunities for improvement, 

designing and implementing 

new procedures to maximise 

sales, and putting structures 

in place to support increased 

volume and ongoing growth. 

Results 

- Increased sales over current 

year field plan by 15%; on 

target to double sales over the 

next five years. 

- Created Sales management 

operating system focused 

on active high value selling 

as opposed to administrative 

tasks. 

- Trained all Sales office 

personnel in new roles & 

responsibilities as well as the 

new process. 

- Exceeded plan for the 

addition of new dealers to the 

network. 



31

cornerstone.ae


Prof. Dr.rer.nat. Leo Brech 

Professor at the University of St. Gallen,Switzerland 

Artificial 

Intelligence 

– AI, not IQ 

Machines have long been more than 

just high-performance, but ultimately 

simple-minded robots. Machines 

are constantly learning, just like 

intelligent humans—and even better. 

Even today, there is still no universal definition of 

intelligence, but experts are already putting all 

the computing power available to work on artificial 

intelligence, or AI for short. One practical example of this 

technology has been the often-mocked smart refrigerator, 

but AI has now evolved into a great deal more than just 

nice-to-have play things. AI touches on existential issues, 

such as the future of one's own job or entire sectors of the 

economy. With artificial intelligence, intelligent machines 

and the underlying “Deep Learning” technology either 

already affect everyone or will soon do so, whether 

consciously or unconsciously, voluntarily or not. 

Are machines also just 

human? 

Learning machines are similar to 

learning humans: Through diligent 

memorization, a student may be 

able to obtain a high school diploma, 

but that does not mean that he is 

intelligent. The same applies to a 

computer that—which although vastly 

superior to humans where speed 

and precision is concerned and 

able to work tirelessly, whether it is 

calculating an Excel table or the next 

moon landing—is simply performing 

the rules and commands previously 

programmed into it by humans. Until 

now, the following held true: Everything 

that can be formulated in the form of 

rules and calculated can be done 

better, faster, and more precisely by 

a machine. Intelligence, on the other 

hand, is reserved for humans, as only 

they can collect experience and learn 

from it, recognize problems, come up 

with solutions, make mistakes, and do 

things better. 

However, machines have now 

learned how to learn, even in areas in 

which homo sapiens has thought itself 

irreplaceable: Understanding spoken 

language and communicating with it 

meaningfully, as well as recognizing 

emotions and reacting to them. Like 

humans, intelligent machines learn 

by observation, imitation, trial and 

error, and even find their own solution 

paths. This is made possible above all 

by powerful Deep Learning Systems 

(see explanation of terms). 

What does this mean for the 

world of work? 

The answer is: “Nobody can reliably 

predict how exactly individual 

professions will develop in the future”, 

says Ulrich Walwei, deputy director 

of the Institute for Employment 

Research (IAB). Despite this, there 



33


exist numerous studies on 

this topic, which occasionally 

result in sensational 

headlines: “The Job-Takers 

Are Coming” (Spiegel 

Online). 

In the USA, 47 percent of 

jobs are seen as being 

in danger, including taxi, 

bus, and truck drivers— 

due to autonomous driving 

technology—as well as 

postal workers, which could 

increasingly be replaced with 

logistics drones. According 

to a study by ING DiBa, the 

situation in Germany is more 

dire, with 59 percent of jobs 

in danger of being replaced, 

above all administrative 

positions and jobs which 

mostly require low- to 

medium-level qualifications. 

On the other hand, 

management executives 

and academics in scientific 

and creative professions 

are unlikely to be replaced 

by robot colleagues—even 

if robot doctors are already 

appearing on the deep 

learning horizon which can 

make diagnoses and issue 

prescriptions. Generation Z, 

which is currently growing 

up in this era, might soon be 

able to look forward to online 

marriages or utilize divorceto-go 

services, reducing 

the need for registrars, 

lawyers, and courts, or even 

making them superfluous 

altogether—all made 

possible by the blockchain. 

Out with the 

programmers, in with 

the data scientists 

According to the IAB, 70 

percent of manufacturing 

jobs in particular could be 

automated now or in the near 

future, with similar figures 

for jobs in the finance and 

accounting sector. Even 

professions which until 

lately have been viewed as 

guaranteed job security are 

now becoming outdated 

faster than the latest iPhone 

model. In particular, jobs in 

IT and the natural sciences 

comprise a large number of 

routine tasks, giving them a 

high substitutability potential 

of more than 65 percent. 

On the other hand, those 

who stand to benefit the 

most are highly specialized 

IT and technical staff such 

as data scientists—for the 

foreseeable future, we will 

still require humans with 

natural intelligence in order to 

provide artificial intelligence 

with sufficient momentum 

until it is able to—someday— 

develop on its own. One 

other sector which stands to 

gain is the service industry, 

and numerous new tasks 

will arise which require both 

a great deal of digital knowhow 

as well as competencies 

which (as yet) cannot be 

digitalized, such as creativity, 

communication skills, and the 

way to work in a team. 

Currently in development 

are excavators which can 

excavate hazardous materials 

without human intervention, 

drones which can inspect 

vents from the air, and 

polymorphous robots which 

can independently service 

bridges, canal systems, and 

machines. However, Ulrich 

Walwei dismisses highly 

dramatic future scenarios: 

“Digitalization does not 

mean mass unemployment”. 

In May 2016, he wrote the 

following on ZEIT Online: 

“From the current standpoint, 

a massive reduction in the 

demand for labor as a result 

of digitalization is rather 

unlikely. The loss of jobs... will 

probably be balanced out by 

new jobs in other areas.” 

But what is clear is that AI can 

no longer be dismissed with 

a smile and a smug remark 

about the utility or absurdity 

of smart refrigerators. 

Startups emerge virtually 

daily, like new synapses in a 

learning brain, that translate 

the infinite possibilities of AI 

into concrete applications 

and develop new products, 

services, and business 

models. 

AI Startups from 

Germany and 

Switzerland 

EyeEm, Berlin 

With EyeEm, each of the photo 

app's 20 million members 

(as of June 2017, according 

to the website) can sell their 

photos. In order to do so, 

appropriate keywords and a 

meaningful description are 

important. A neural network 

has learned to use millions of 

sample images to correctly 

identify objects in photos and 

to label the images correctly. 

www.eyeem.com 

TwentyBN, Berlin 

The company “Twenty Billion 

Neurons” develops deep 



learning solutions for German 

industrial companies, such as 

for the development of selfdriving 

cars, highly efficient 

speech, image, and video 

analyses, for dialog systems 

and medical diagnostics; 

i.e., for all applications which 

require data to be analyzed 

in an intelligent manner. 

www.twentybn.com 

TerraLoupe, Munich 

This startup specializes in 

the analysis of aerial images 

and satellite photos. These 

analyses are then used e.g. 

by insurance companies or 

map providers who require 

precise information on the 

type of buildings. www. 

terraloupe.com 

Parlamind, Berlin 

The AI application of the 

startup analyzes e-mails 

and other messages from 

customers and provides 

service staff with suggested 

replies. The information is 

based on several million 

conversations which were 

evaluated using Deep 

Learning. Currently, the 

system understands more 

than 200 different reasons 

for establishing contact and 

is constantly learning. www. 

parlamind.com 

Parquery, Zurich 

This spin-off from ETH Zurich 

develops Smart City Technologies 

specifically for traffic 

congested (inner) cities. 

Smart Parking delivers occupancy 

information from parking 

lots in real time, which 

serves as the basis for optimal 

parking administration. 

www.parquery.com 

Starmind, Küsnacht 

Starmind develops selflearning 

Deep Learning 

systems for companies. It is 

a type of central brain of all 

employees, which allows for 

collective knowledge to be 

utilized optimally for questions 

and solutions to problems. 

The development of Starmind 

was based on work done on 

virtual brain tissue and selflearning 

neural networks. 

www.starmind.com 

Brief explanation of 

terms 

Artificial Intelligence (or AI for 

short) is an area of computer 

science that emphasizes 

the creation of intelligent 

machines that work and 

react like humans. Some 

of the activities computers 

with artificial intelligence are 

designed for include: Speech 

recognition. 

Artificial neural 

networks 

A neural network consists 

of an interconnected group 

of artificial neurons, and it 

processes information using 

a connectionist approach 

to computation. In most 

cases an ANN is an adaptive 

system that changes its 

structure based on external or 

internal information that flows 

through the network during 

the learning phase. Modern 

neural networks are non-linear 

statistical data modeling tools. 

Deep learning 

refers to teaching artificial neural 

networks to identify patterns in 

information, to classify them, 

and to categorize them. Every 

piece of information and every 

decision will then be examined 

once again through Deep 

Learning. If an assumption 

is confirmed, a particular 

information link is assigned a 

higher level of importance; if it is 

revised, it receives a new, less 

important link. Over time, this 

results in the development of an 

increasingly intelligent system, 

such as what takes place in 

human brains—in ideal cases. 

About the Author 

Prof. Dr.rer.nat. Leo Brecht is 

Executive Director of the Institute 

for process and technology 

management of the faculty of 

economics and mathematics at 

the University of Ulm, Germany 

and Adjunct Professor at 

the University of St. Gallen, 

Switzerland. His work focuses 

on innovation and technology 

management to improve 

company performance. He is 

founder of several companies 

and currently acts as chairman 

of ALPORA. ALPORA is an 

investment research company 

headquartered in Switzerland. 

ALPORA invests in most 

innovative companies and 

develops unique products how 

to invest in innovation. 



35

SECURITY 

Why is Healthcare a Major 

Target for Cybercriminals? 

The internet of things 

has transformed the 

healthcare sector, 

allowing practitioners to 

easily share information 

and deliver personalised 

treatments. Yet many 

experts in the security 

industry believe that of all 

the industries facing serious 

cyber threats, healthcare 

is possibly the most at risk. 

That’s because relatively 

speaking, healthcare 

organisations are still behind 

when it comes to security 

defences. 

It’s also well-documented 

that external attackers have 

set their sights on protected 

health information (PHI). The 

value of medical records on 

the black market is at least 

10X higher than credit card 

data. Why? PHI contains 

more personal data points 

and cannot just be reissued 

in the event of a problem. 

Bank account details and 

passwords can be changed 

following a breach; but 

information about allergies, 

disabilities, mental health or 

hereditary conditions, can’t. 

So, securing this data and 

a healthcare institution from 

these calculated threats 

should be a top priority. 

The nature of healthcare, 

requires that organisations 

within this sector keep highly 

sensitive patient data on 

file. Doctors need to have 

this information to make 

informed decisions about 

patients, and the ability to 

easily share this information 

within a healthcare network, 

has resulted in significant 

advancements in the way 

patients are treated. Personal 

and medical details are also 

used by staff who handle 

post care activities, from 

post-op follow-up to billing. 

This reduces the admin 

involved and makes it a far 

more efficient experience for 

patients. 

However, housing this kind 

of personal information 

poses a severe risk. Without 

the right security in place, 

this data is left exposed to 

external threats, as malicious 

actors use targeted threats 

to infiltrate networks. But 

when you’re dealing with 

something as important as 

people’s lives, it’s not enough 

to only have security in place, 

the continuity of services is 

vital. Take the WannaCry 

ransomware outbreak earlier 

this year for example, where 

entire hospitals in the U.K. 

were shut down. 

Healthcare institutions 

therefore need to have 

a cyber resilience 

strategy in place. This 

will help them defend 

against threats such 

as ransomware, allow 

continuous access to 

critical applications 

and information during 

an attack and provide 

the ability to recover 

data to the last known 

workable state, after a 

threat is neutralised. 


SECURITY 

But it even goes beyond external threats. Equally 

important is making sure the organisation is 

insulated from mistakes by both well-meaning 

employees and malicious insiders. Busy staff 

members are bound to make mistakes regarding 

PHI. With the ubiquity of email, it’s not uncommon 

to find a breach where employees accidentally (or 

carelessly) attached a spreadsheet or document 

containing PHI. A mistake like this could result 

in personal harm or defamation and will have 

severe implications for healthcare professionals 

in countries that have data protection laws in 

place. 

To prevent brand damage, fines, and audits, 

healthcare organisations must actively seek 

to identify and prevent PHI from leaving the 

organisation without the proper safeguards in 

place. However, this can be a monumental task 

without the right technology. For email, Mimecast 

recently introduced data loss prevention (DLP) 

capabilities that can help address this challenge. 

Healthcare organisations can scan, identify 

and take action on emails containing PHI. 

These actions include holding the message for 

review, encrypting the content, applying secure 

messaging between parties, converting the files 

and more. As part of the service, Mimecast can 

notify the sender, recipient, and administrator of 

a message flagged as containing PHI. 

Ensuring that PHI does not leave the organisation 

without the proper encryption and safeguards 

is just as essential as securing against external 

attackers. Healthcare is the only industry where 

employees are the predominant threat of a 

breach. 

The healthcare sector is at major risk. The time 

is now for them to rethink cyber security and 

implement strategies that make them resilient and 

prepared for both internal and external threats. 


By Brandon Bekker, Managing Director at 

Mimecast, Africa and the Middle East 



37

SECURITY 

Ashraf Sheet 

The Regional Director,Infoblox 

10 Essentials for 

Businesses in 

the Middle East to 

Stop Ransomware 

Cyber Attacks 

Ransomware is today the 

number one cyber threat 

to businesses. Since 

cyberextortion first appeared in 

1989 as “PC Cyborg,” it has grown, 

evolved, and come into widespread 

use among hackers—and today it has 

fully come of age. Hundreds of new 

variations have sprung up this year. 

Ransomware is a relatively brazen 

attack where a malware infection is 

used to seize data by encrypting it, 

and then payment is demanded for 

the decryption key. There has been 

a seismic shift in the ransomware 

threat, expanding from a few actors 

pulling off limited, small-dollar heists 

targeting consumers to industrialscale, 

big-money attacks on all 

sizes and manner of organizations, 

including major enterprises. 

It’s not always about the money 

though. Some ransomware is not 

designed primarily to make you pay 

up, but instead to disrupt operations 

or wipe data from computer systems. 

The Role of DNS in 

Ransomware Attacks 

DNS is the address book of the 

Internet, translating domain names 

such as www.google.com into 

machine-readable Internet 

Protocol (IP) addresses such 

as 74.125.20.106. Because 

DNS is required for almost 

all Internet connections, 

cybercriminals are constantly 

creating new domains and 

subdomains to unleash a 

variety of threats including 

exploit kits, phishing, and 

distributed denial of service 

(DDoS) attacks. 

Most modern malware used 

in a ransomware attack, uses 

DNS at one or more stages 

of the cyber kill chain. DNS 

may be used during the 

reconnaissance phase when 

it is a targeted attack. It is 

used in the delivery phase as 

potential victims unknowingly 

make DNS queries for IP 

address involved in the attack. 

It will also be used in the email 

delivery process when the 

ransomware propagates via 

spam campaigns. Likewise, 

the exploitation phase 

may involve DNS queries 

when the victim’s system is 

compromised and infected. 

DNS is frequently used when an 

infected system checks in with 

the command and control (C&C) 

infrastructure. Given that DNS 

plays such an important role 

in the ransomware kill chain, it 

becomes a crucial control plane 

to prevent, identify, and detect 

such attacks and resolve them 

faster. 

Organizations in 

the Middle East can 

stop Ransomware 

with the following 10 

essentials: 

Watch your Back - Always 

backup your essential data. 

Stay Current - Prioritize 

and apply the latest security 

updates and patches. 

Segment for Safety - Limit 

spread of ransomware with 

network segmentation. 

Get the Word Out - Train 

employees in safe email 

and Microsoft macros best 

practices. 


SECURITY 

Implement DNS Response 

Policy Zone (RPZ)- - 

Enforcement to prevent 

data exfiltration and block 

DNS communications 

with malicious sites and 

command and control 

servers. 

Monitor DNS Requests - 

To identify suspicious DNS 

activity and to detect “kill 

switch” domains that can be 

used to disable some types 

of ransomware attacks (e.g., 

by redirecting requests to 

internal “sinkholes”). 

Improve Visibility and 

Discovery - With tools that 

can detect unauthorized or 

compromised devices and 

virtual machines anywhere 

on your network so you 

can automatically block 

their access and ensure 

compliance. 

Use Data from DNS, 

DHCP and IP Address 

Management 

To gain valuable insights that 

help you see ransomware 

attacks in context so you can 

better understand risk and 

prioritize remediation. 

Harness Threat 

Intelligence - Consolidated, 

curated, and updated— 

to detect, prioritize, and 

anticipate evolving threats. 

Integrate Security 

Response - 

To accelerate remediation by 

sharing threat data, malicious 

events, and context across 

entire security ecosystem 

including endpoint security, 

NAC, SIEM and other 

technologies. 


Ashraf Sheet is the Regional 

Director, Middle East and Africa 

at Infoblox. He is responsible 

for leading the strategic 

development of the business 

in the region and further 

accelerating the high-growth 

rates that the company has been 

experiencing in recent years. 

Ashraf is a network and security 

expert in the Middle East and 

has held various progressive 

roles including senior security 

consultant, leader for Managed 

Security services and head of 

Security Business Unit for local 

and multinational companies. 



Sandhya Prakash 

M.D Beacon Energy Solutions & Technology 

Is a New 

Industrial 

Revolution 

Beginning? 

The 21st century is challenging what we think we know 

about nature and technology. 

- Machine learning 

- The Machine is indeed learning 

- To be more human 

- Human being 

- The Human is becoming more like a machine 

Our machines are becoming more biological. They can 

think and communicate with one another. They can 

sense and react to the world around them. And thanks 

to the all-pervasive wireless networks, our gadgets can 

now connect into new kinds of ecosystems that turn our 

cities and homes into smart, responsive environments. 

Ironically, humans are the ones programming the 

machines and enabling this shift. 

Gartner, Inc. had forecasted that 8.4 

billion connected things would be in use 

worldwide in 2017, up 31 percent from 

2016, and that the number would reach 

20.4 billion by 2020. 

Total spending on endpoints and services 

reached almost $2 trillion in 2017. 

Regionally, Greater China, North America 

and Western Europe are driving the use 

of connected things and the three regions 

together approximately represented 67% of 

the overall Internet of Things (IoT) installed 

base in 2017. 

Today the inter-connectivity of everything 

from urban transport to medical devices 

to household appliances is signifying a 

convergence, a merger: fusion in action. 

The concept of an "Internet of living things" 

has been proposed to describe networks 

of biological sensors that could use cloudbased 

analyses to allow users to study DNA 

or other molecules. 

Thanks to new tools and swift advances in 

our ability to read, write, and edit DNA, we’re 

gaining a much deeper understanding of — 

and greater control over — how life works. 

Scientists are cataloguing the trillions 

of microbes living in and around us that 

we depend on, while so-called synthetic 

biologists are engineering new ones to 

do and make things for us. The more we 

learn, the more we’ll be able to use biology 

as a tool to, say, treat diseases, improve 

agricultural yields, and even develop new 

kinds of cosmetics. 

The blurring line between nature 

(environment, biology & zoology) and 

technology could mean the beginning of a 

new industrial revolution. 

So how do we, humans, cope with this 

merging of nature and technology? 

How do we know whether we are helping 

ourselves and the planet or not? 

Are we stuck in making a choice between 

trekking across the mountains looking for a 

rock and surfing on the web looking at what 



our friends are doing across 

the world? 

Are we sacrificing our native 

habitat for the short-term 

exhilaration of change? 

We see this conflict all around 

us. Instead of enjoying 

sunsets, humans are “more 

focussed on merging 

themselves into a frame with 

the setting sun in the form of 

a “selfie” while thousands of 

tonnes of toxic ‘e-waste’ are 

being dumped in wetlands 

each year. Words such as 

'acorn', 'adder' and 'willow' 

have been eliminated from 

the Oxford Junior Dictionary 

to make way for 'broadband', 

'analogue' and 'cut and 

paste'. 

We complain about the 

colonisation of our wild places 

with wifi, yet declare internet 

access to be a human right. 

We dream of relaxing on 

tranquil Seychelles islands, 

but demand unsustainably 

cheap flights to get us there. 

No wonder we're so 

conflicted. 

As the scientific philosopher 

Christopher Potter points out 

in his book “How To Make 

A Human Being, “Humans 

never were part of nature. 

We were always part of 

technology.” 

From the moment modern 

humans harnessed the power 

of fire, it put us on a path to 

global domination and we 

never looked back. 

Having said that, more 

humans today than ever 

before are waking up to the 

new realities. 

Although many of our digital 

inventions serve to estrange 

us from the world they were 

created to enrich, technology 

and nature are also 

continually cross-pollinating 

in powerfully positive ways. 

It is also important to 

discuss the use of tech to 

support conservation and 

sustainability projects. 

Technology For Nature is a 

unique partnership between 

Zoological Society of London, 

University College London 

and Microsoft Research 

designed “to rapidly scale 

up our global conservation 

response” by bringing 

together technologists and 

zoologists. 

Current projects include 

FetchClimate, a fast, free, 

cloud-based service that 

allows experts to access 

accurate climate change 

data from any geographical 

region around the world, and 

Mataki, which develops new 

devices for recording the 

behaviour of animals in the 

wild. 

The conservation issues 

we most urgently need to 

tackle right now include 

the monitoring of protected 

areas, tracking of species 

with a high commercial value, 

and the online detection 

of illegal wildlife trading. 

In the past 10 years, our 

emerging ability to achieve 

near constant monitoring of 

valuable natural assets, such 

as protected areas and rhinos 

has created a powerful nexus of 

information 

Of course, nature isn’t all 

puppies and waterfalls, and tech 

is also helping people manage 

her crueller side. Hashtagged 

tweets and geotagged 

Instagram photos have become 

a valuable way to share real-time 

updates as natural disasters 

unfold. Google’s Person 

Finder, which was created to 

reunite relatives during 2011’s 

Japanese tsunami, is currently 

live in Nepal. And various 

apps like Federal Emergency 

Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) 

app, allow stricken communities 

to crowdsource crisis relief. 

Consider the field of biomimetics, 

where natural design elements 

and processes are used as 

a model for new materials, 

devices and tools. One famous 

historic example is the invention 

of Velcro, which was developed 

by Swiss engineer Georges de 

Mestral in 1941 after he observed 

how cockleburs in the mountains 

caught on his clothing and in his 

dog's fur. 

In the field of construction, 

companies such as ours focus 

on sustainable methods and 

push environment-friendly 

designs with use of sustainable 

materials. Together with 

visionary architects, engineers 

and suppliers we need to devise 

sustainable and commercially 

viable alternatives to traditional 

construction materials. 

During the entire lifecycle of a 

construction project, we help 

developers decide what to do with 



41


construction and demolition 

waste; how to ensure their 

energy consumption is at 

the lowest possible level 

and what products will help 

reduce their greenhouse gas 

emissions. 

There are challenges in 

bringing together people 

from different disciplines 

that have traditionally been 

at opposing ends of the 

sustainability debate. Their 

languages, terminologies 

and motivations are different, 

but I believe that bridging 

those differences is more 

than worth the effort. 

Technology is not going 

away. Making technology 

work for nature and the 

larger good of all habitants 

on this planet in a balanced 

and sustainable way is the 

challenge ahead for this 

generation of us to tackle. 


Sandhya Prakash, Founder 

& Managing Director 

Beacon Energy Solutions & 

Technology. 

With 20+ years of 

experience, Sandhya is 

a Dubai based business 

expert, entrepreneur and 

EnviroTech professional. 

With her visionary approach 

combined with an eye for 

detail, she champions 

growth for companies by 

balancing people, planet, 

processes and profit. A 

TEDx speaker, singer, artist 

and energy activation trainer, 

she is known globally as a 

passionate woman leader in 

the field of sustainability. 

Currently heading Beacon 

EST – an end to end energy 

management and renewable 

energy firm in the UAE, she 

is an alumnus of BITS Pilani 

in India. 



45

INNOVATION 

Tom Koulopoulos 

Industry’s leading futurists 

Seven 

Innovation 

Killers that 

Companies 

should keep 

in mind 

You can’t live without innovation. It’s why 

you’re in business. But as you grow, 

innovation also becomes a threat. It 

threatens to disrupt your existing business 

model, products, and services. It threatens 

to upset your customers, who have become 

accustomed to a certain way of doing things. 

It threatens your partners and employees, 

who have developed expertise in the way 

things currently work. That’s the real reason 

innovation is so hard. While we espouse its 

values, we also build defenses against it. 

I call these the innovation killers. The 

innovation killers are almost always neatly 

disguised as protectors of the organization. 

Few people use these behaviors to try to kill 

innovation outright. Their intentions are always 

good ones: to minimize risk, to deliver predictability 

and operational excellence, and to satisfy market, 

customer, and analysts’ expectations. The 

innovation killers are staffed with armies of wellintentioned 

corporate citizens, ready to defend 

their turf and keep innovation at bay, lest it disrupt 

the certainty of the status quo. 

Guess what? If you’re looking for certainty, you’ve 

picked the wrong century. Get used to it, and get 

familiar with this list of seven innovation killers. 

These are the weeds that threaten to choke your 

garden; when you see them, pull them out by their 

roots. 

1Believe that innovation will just happen. 

Believing that innovation will just happen 

makes about as much sense as believing that 

a garden of perfectly formed roses will sprout in 

your backyard without any planting, weeding, or 

watering. The mistake most organizations make 

is that they expect innovation to come naturally, 

as part of their interactions with customers and 

the marketplace. The reality is that unless you’ve 

created an innovation-ready culture and an 

innovation practice, the clues that you get from 

the market will go largely unnoticed, since many 

of them will threaten the profitability of your current 

business model, products, and services. 

2Tell everyone to “think outside the box,” 

hold a brainstorming session, and then call 

it a day. 

Few companies I’ve worked with lack an abundance 

of good ideas. But ideas are not innovation. Ideas 

do not create value. Yet the focus in many of these 

companies is coming up with even more ideas, when 

what they should be doing is asking how they can 

evaluate and validate the best ideas. Companies 

that sustain innovation build, implement, and 

communicate a process to support innovation; they 

are constantly harvesting, evaluating, testing, and 

measuring the impact of ideas. 

3 

View “different” and “new” as bad. 

The number of very smart people I’ve heard 

say, “That’s just not the way we do it around 

here!” is the single most incredible aspect of my 



43

INNOVATION 

job. So the next time you want 

to say “That’s not the way 

we do it here,” try instead 

saying, “We prefer to let 

someone else do it that way 

and succeed in figuring it 

out, so that they can take our 

customers away from us.” 

Doesn’t sound as comforting, 

does it? Here’s a news 

flash: The greatest threats 

to any business come from 

4Hand over the good 

ideas to the Legal 

and Accounting 

departments. 

Ideas are fragile, easily broken 

or squashed. On the surface, 

giving the care of those ideas 

to Legal or Accounting may 

make sense, since two of 

the most pressing issues are 

protecting and funding new 

ideas. In practice, I’ve seen 

most important ingredients 

in creating an innovative 

culture. Here’s the scary 

truth: If you succeed 

in creating a culture of 

innovation then you will 

experience many failures. 

The question is: Are you 

the kind of organization that 

can fail fast and embrace 

innovation in spite of it? As 

a leader, you need to spell 

automatically rejecting ideas 

that seem to make the least 

business sense because 

they are the most antithetical 

to your current business 

model. Think it won’t happen 

to you? You’ll recognize the 

next big thing, especially if 

it’s right under your nose? So 

did Kodak, which invented 

digital photography and 

then summarily killed it, and 

themselves. 

more ideas killed off by well 

intentioned accountants and 

lawyers than by virtually any 

other innovation killer. If you 

really want to protect and 

fund the best ideas, create 

an Innovation Zone within 

your business. 

5 

Be very, very afraid of 

failure. 

Failure-tolerant 

leadership is one of the 

out what constitutes an 

acceptable failure. If you 

don’t, then don’t expect 

people to attempt anything 

that might fail. I recall 

working with a multibilliondollar 

company on an 

innovation initiative. The 

CEO had gathered his staff 

of 60 strong to talk about 

innovation. At the end of the 

meeting, he proclaimed, 

“Great meeting! I just want 


INNOVATION 

you to keep in mind that in 

our business, the upside is 

limited and the downside is 

unlimited!” Yeah, that pretty 

much killed any hope of 

innovation. 

6Innovate only when 

you need to. 

It’s tantalizing to try 

to innovate on demand. 

It appears to cost less, 

focuses on specific issues, 

and provides a rallying cry 

when a crisis looms. But 

this is like trying to stay 

healthy by waiting for a lifethreatening 

condition to 

arise before paying attention 

to your health. A crisis is 

a great motivator, but it is 

also the most expensive 

way to innovate, and it 

rarely changes long-term 

behaviors. Consider that only 

20 percent of all people who 

experience a serious cardiac 

event go on to modify their 

behaviors over the long term. 

In the same way, you’ll never 

sustain innovation by just 

waiting for the next crisis. 

7Encourage everyone 

to drop any and all 

ideas into an electronic 

submission box. 

The suggestion box is my 

all-time favorite innovation 

killer. It’s the roach motel of 

innovation. Organizations 

make two fatal mistakes when 

they take this path. First, they 

put one part-time person at 

the narrow end of a very large 

funnel of new ideas. That’s 

a setup for disaster. No one 

person can keep up with 

the flow, and it’s too easy to 

shoot down ideas that don’t 

pass some unwritten code 

of acceptability. Second, 

the submitter almost never 

knows what happened to 

his or her idea, and soon 

gives up on even trying. 

Ideas need to be treated with 

respect. Our ideas are our 

children. We want them to be 

acknowledged, cared for, and 

nurtured. Ignoring ideas is the 

best way to convince your 

associates that innovation is 

nothing more than a hollow 

mantra. 

Although each of the seven 

innovation killers is familiar, 

overcoming them requires 

constant diligence on your 

part. As a leader, it may 

well be the most important 

responsibility you have to the 

long-term success of your 

company. It’s hard work– 

you have to create a culture 

that embraces uncertainty, you 

have to define the boundaries 

of acceptable failure, and you 

have to recognize and reward 

measurable innovation. In short, 

innovation has to become a set 

of habits that is consciously kept 

alive through your leadership. 

The good news is that if you 

work to keep the innovation 

killers at bay, you will create a 

culture that not only thrives on 

innovation but can’t live without 

it. 

About the author 

Tom Koulopoulos is 

acknowledged as one of the 

industry’s leading futurists. He 

is the author of ten books and 

founder of Delphi Group, a 

25-year-old Boston-based think 

tank, which was named one 

of the fastest growing private 

companies in the US by Inc. 

Magazine. Delphi provides 

advice on innovation practices 

and methods to Global 2000 

organizations and government 

agencies 

A crisis is a great motivator, but it is also 

the most expensive way to innovate, and 

it rarely changes long-term behaviors. 



45


Khalid Shaikh 

CEO of Prognica and Affaan Technologies 

Cancer Prognosis 

& Prediction 

Using AI 

Our goal is to develop intelligent, 

scalable and affordable disease 

screening solutions which can empower 

medical experts and facilitate quality 

healthcare delivery to the masses. 

The Purpose 

Cancer is usually characterized as a heterogeneous disease 

with different types and subtypes that involve uncontrolled 

cellular growth and reproduction. It is one of the leading 

causes of death in the developed and the developing world; 

almost a million people around the globe are losing the fight 

against cancer every year. The early diagnosis and prognosis 

of a cancer type have become inexorable in cancer research. 

In UAE, approximately 4500 new cases of cancer are reported 

every year, which equals to 12 new cases a day, according to 

Abu Dhabi Health Authority. Cancer 

is the third leading cause of death in 

UAE, after cardiovascular disease 

and accidents. 

Prognica, an AI powered healthtech 

startup, aims to improve 

clinical outcomes and accelerate 

the discovery of breakthrough 

advancements in the fight against 

cancer. Prognica analyses medical 

images and generates information 

and data to help predict and 

diagnose cancer using artificial 

intelligence and deep learning. 

The Technology 

Our goal is to develop intelligent, 

scalable and affordable disease 

screening solutions which can 

empower medical experts and 

facilitate quality healthcare delivery 

to the masses. Our initial focus is on 

the solutions for the screening tests 

so that we can positively impact a 

larger population not only in UAE 

but the entire region. 

The company is now collaborating 

with few reputed healthcare 

providers and institutions across 

UAE to develop its product. 

The Challenges 

The UAE healthcare sector poses 

two major challenges: 

1. Recruiting, educating and 

sustaining enough quality 

medical personnel 

2. Medical costs. 

According to HAAD projection 

report, Abu Dhabi will need 4,800 

new doctors and 13,000 new nurses 

by 2022. And the Director General 

of the DHA estimated that Dubai will 

need 7,323 more doctors and 8,510 

nurses over the next decade. 

The high cost of medical treatments 

and limited super specialized care 

in areas such as oncology and 

cardiology are driving outbound 

medical tourism. 



The Solution and the 

Process 

We have a clear vision: 

to reinvent cost effective 

disease management 

through early detection 

and intervention. We are 

tackling this long term goal 

by making cancer screening 

and diagnostics as accurate 

and accessible as possible, 

by using advanced analytics 

tools like image processing 

and deep learning, Natural 

Language Processing (NLP) 

to improve patient care, 

hospital administration, 

supply chain and logistic 

efficiencies. 

The process is to first digitize 

the sample slides through 

a microscope, scan whole 

slides and upload onto the 

cloud by converting the large 

image into a binary metadata. 

AI engine then takes over, 

which classify and tag the 

visual data, not only to churn 

out results, but also support 

it with visual evidence (like 

tagging & annotations) to 

make it easily verifiable. 

With the advancement of 

AI, as more and more new 

data keeps coming in, the 

machine continues to learn 

itself like humans. And it 

starts generating solutions. 

There is no need for a manual 

review by a pathologist 

by putting a slide under 

a microscope. Remote 

diagnosis is made possible, 

because the pathologist 

need not be sitting next to 

the microscope or blood 

slide. They can access from 

anywhere, anytime. 

Our method is primarily 

based on a convolutional 

neural network (CNN) and 

the Wide Res Net 50 residual 

network formulation. In our 

approach, we first trained the 

CNNs on a suitable set of test 

datasets. Then we applied 

the trained deep model to 

partially overlapping patches 

from each whole slide image 

(WSI) to create prediction 

heatmaps. 

By utilising machine learning 

on whole slide images 

(WSI), we have developed 

a prototype for automatic 

detection of metastasis in a 

lymph node. Our early results 

of detection were shown to 

have an accuracy of upto 73 

percent. 

Our deep learning expert team 

and a pathologist is needed 

to work closely to translate the 

deep learning algorithms to 

digital pathology tasks. 

It is not that AI will entirely 

replace histopathologists, but 

rather it will provide increased 

efficiency and accuracy to 

the diagnosis, by providing a 

preliminary diagnosis much 

faster. 


Khalid Shaikh is the Founder, 

CEO of Prognica and Affaan 

Technologies. An Entrepreneur, 

a Technocrat and a Business 

Strategist, he is passionate 

about disruptive ideas that 

transform the human experience 

and create meaningful lasting 

change. Parallel to this, he 

has been involved in few tech 

startups as an advisor and 

mentor. 

50 www.innovationandtech.ae 



47


Jon Moger 

Senior Director at Aruba 

How Retail Stores 

Transform the 

Customer 

Experience 

Using IoT 

"New research finds retailers 

adopting IoT are reporting a return 

of investment and 88% notice 

increased business efficiency" 

IoT adoption by retailers from monitoring and maintenance 

to location-based services, is already leading to improved 

customer experience and increased profitability – according 

to research conducted by Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise 

Company. 

Thanks to IoT technology, bricks and mortar stores can 

compete with online shopping, offer unique, personalised and 

engaging in-store experiences for consumers. By 2019, 79% of 

retail organisations will have adopted IoT technology and 77% 

believe it will transform the industry. 

The reality of IoT differs 

depending on industry. 

Aruba’s report, IoT Today and 

Tomorrow, finds some of most 

popular connected devices in 

retail and distribution include: 

barcode readers, personal 

mobile devices and smart 

speakers/TV/sound systems. 

The report also 

discovers: 

1. IoT is already being used 

in retail, from monitoring and 

maintenance (68% of people 

surveyed said they were using 

it for this) to location-based 

services (57%). 

2. The benefits of IoT 

include: improved customer 

experience (reported by 81% 

of those surveyed); improved 

visibility across organizations 

(78% agreed); and increased 

profitability (said 74%). 

3. Threats from IoT span 

malware (41%), spyware 

(31%) and phishing (25%). 

The benefits speak for 

themselves, but adopting 

IoT technology is not 

without security risks. Of the 

organisations (surveyed by 

Aruba) who are incorporating 

IoT into their business, 84% 

have experienced an IoTrelated 

breach. Over half, 

report external attacks as a 

key barrier to the adoption of 

this technology. 

However, IoT technology can 

be protected and user data 

– useful. Aruba ClearPass 

technology enables wired 

and wireless access control 



and its features include 

attack detection. Retailers 

can reduce the risk and 

vulnerabilities associated 

with IoT technology by 

using the ClearPass solution 

to secure their network. 

User data, captured from 

consumer interactions in 

store and online, can help 

retailers better understand 

their customers and inform 

business decisions. 

Case study: Home 

Depot 

Home Depot, an American 

retail company, were 

seeking technology solutions 

to improve their in-store 

experience across 2,282 

stores. A need for location 

services and more detailed 

customer analytics was 

identified, and Aruba was 

chosen as the provider. 

Home Depot successfully 

bridged the gap between 

the online (digital, mobile) 

experience and what 

happens in store. 

By adding to their 

official app – which 

has 13 million 

customer 

downloads 

– the 

functionality to 

find products 

across huge store 

sites, the speed 

and efficiency of 

the experience 

for customers and 

employees increased 

dramatically. Home 

Depot hopes to take this 

one step further in the future 

and track product locations 

to their exact position on the 

shelf, not just the aisle. 

Jon Moger, Senior Director 

at Aruba, commented: “The 

impact of IoT within the retail 

sector has huge potential. 

We are already seeing 

transformations in retail stores 

as the realisation of what 

IoT technology can achieve 

prompts the standard of the 

in-store experience – and 

consumer expectations – to 

increase. 

The benefits of IoT are widely 

reported, as are the potential 

security risks. But with the 

right security solutions, 

like ClearPass, network 

access can be controlled 

and the threat of infiltration, 

eliminated.” 

Research methodology 

A total of 3,100 IT and 

business decision makers 

were interviewed in November 

and December 2016. The 

respondents were from 

organizations of at least 500 

employees, and were from both 

public and private sectors, but 

with a focus on the industrial, 

government, retail, healthcare, 

education, construction, 

finance, and IT/technology/ 

telecommunications sectors. 

Interviews were conducted both 

online and via telephone using 

a rigorous multi-level screening 

process to ensure that only 

suitable candidates were given 

the opportunity to participate. 

Respondents were interviewed 

in the UK, Italy, Germany, 

France, the Netherlands, Spain, 

Sweden, Norway, Turkey, UAE. 


Jon Moger is the Senior 

Director at Aruba, a 

Hewlett Packard Enterprise 

company & Board Member 

Business Marketing 

Club. He is a passionate 

marketing professional 

with a focus on 

customer insights that 

drive sales productivity 

and pipeline. 



49

BIG DATA 

How Businesses Face Data 

Loss at the Hands of Third 

party Cloud Providers 

An excerpt from Kaspersky Lab, the global cybersecurity company 

Swift adoption of cloudbased 

services and 

a lack of well-defined 

security strategies is leaving 

organizations struggling to 

keep control of their data, 

across a sprawling number 

of services and applications. 

According to new research 

from Kaspersky Lab, 35 

percent of businesses 

admit that they are unsure if 

certain pieces of corporate 

information are stored on 

company servers or on those 

of their cloud providers. This 

makes the safeguarding 

and accountability of data 

extremely hard to achieve, 

putting its integrity at risk and 

paving the way for potentially 

severe security and cost 

implications. 

With cloud services enabling 

companies to take advantage 

of key technologies to support 

day-to-day operations and 

growth plans—without 

worrying about maintenance 

or the hefty price tag—it’s 

no surprise that 78 percent 

of businesses are already 

using at least one Softwareas-a-Service 

(SaaS) based 

platform. The same number 

(75 percent) of businesses is 

also planning to move more 

applications to the cloud in 

the future. When it comes to 

IaaS, nearly half (49 percent) 

of enterprises and 45 percent 

of SMBs are looking to 

outsource IT infrastructure 

and processes to third parties. 

However, for many 

organizations, the speed of 

adoption and lure of cost and 

operational savings has been 

to the detriment of security, 

with many using cloud 

services with no strategy 

in place for the security of 

their information. Uncertainty 

around who is responsible 

for the security of data in the 

cloud can often be the basis 

for this approach. Indeed, our 

research found that 7 out of 

10 (70 percent) businesses 

using SaaS and cloud service 

providers have no clear plan 

in place to deal with security 

incidents which could affect 

their partners. A quarter 

admit to not even checking 

the compliance credentials 

of their service provider, 

suggesting an assumption 

that they will pick up the 

pieces if something goes 

wrong. 

However, with 42 percent 

of businesses not feeling 

adequately protected from 

incidents affecting their cloud 

service provider and a quarter 

(24 percent) of businesses 

having experienced a 

security incident affecting the 

IT infrastructure hosted by 

a 3rd party, over the last 12 

months—a reliance on cloud 

providers alone to provide 

complete protection could be 

a risky strategy. 

This lack of planning and 

accountability by cloud 

adopters for the security of 

their information, could have 

serious consequences for 

companies, with enterprises 

suffering an average $1.2m 

financial impact as the 

result of a cloud-related 

security incident, compared 

to $100k for SMBs. Where 

data has been compromised 

as the result of a 3rd party 

incident, the top 3 types of 

data to be affected were: 

highly sensitive customer 

information (experienced by 

49 percent of SMBs and 40 

percent of enterprises); basic 

employee information (35 

percent for SMBs, 36 percent 

for enterprises); and emails 

and internal communication 

(31 percent for SMBs, 35 

percent for enterprises). 

Therefore, businesses have to 

find ways to get the cloud zoo 

under control. Every package 


BIG DATA 

of data needs to be protected 

wherever it happens to be 

at any one time. To do so, 

companies need spotting 

anomalies within their cloud 

infrastructures, and that can 

only be achieved through a 

combination of techniques 

including machine learning 

and behavioral analytics. This 

ability to identify and defend 

against unknown threats 

is absolutely fundamental 

to cloud infrastructure 

security. Besides that, 

enabling visibility of the 

cloud ecosystem and its 

cybersecurity layer will give 

businesses a clear view on 

where data resides and if 

its current protection status 

meets corporate security 

policies. Only this way 

business will be able to tame 

the cloud zoo and have 

complete control - no matter 

how much and where data is 

stored. 

"Kaspersky Lab has proven 

experience in protecting 

cloud infrastructures. Our 

cybersecurity portfolio is 

‘cloud-ready’ and is already 

supporting our existing 

customers in their transition 

from on premise datacentres 

to private and public clouds 

and hybrid infrastructures 

with multiple solutions and 

applications, all centrally 

managed." said Alessio 

Aceti, Head of Enterprise 

Business, Kaspersky Lab. 

"Today’s rapid pace of digital 

transformation is bringing 

more efficiency and flexibility 

to business operations, but 

it is also presenting new 

security challenges that put 

business agendas in danger. 

To address these cloud 

security shortcomings, we will 

continue to expand our offering, 

taking the protection of cloud 

infrastructure to an entirely 

new level. Our customers will 

benefit from agile security for 

their cloud infrastructures of any 

size and shape. This includes 

the protection of Amazon 

Web Services and Microsoft 

Azure-based workloads, as 

well as Microsoft Office 365 

cloud applications, while also 

ensuring security orchestration 

and visibility across the entire 

hybrid cloud." 

Enabling visibility of the cloud 

ecosystem and its cybersecurity 

layer will give businesses a clear 

view on where data resides 



51

ENTERPRISE 

Omar Chihane 

CEO of SellAnyHome.com 

Tackling the 

Holy 

Grail of 

E-Commerce: 

Why We Need 

Technology to 

Play 

a Stronger Role 

in Real Estate 

20 

years ago, buying a suit 

online was an absolute 

“no no”, how far have we 

come? not far enough! 

Technology drives 

transparency and speed and 

in doing so, value! 

Anytime an industry develops many 

friction points and multiple layers 

between buyers and sellers it is bound 

to be disrupted by a technology driven 

marketplace. The real estate market 

has operated with the same model 

well before the term “Realtor” was 

penned in the early 1900’s. Slight 

modifications to the model have since 

taken place with the introduction of the 

internet but even classified ads first 

appeared online in 1994, that’s nearly 

24 years ago! While the construction 

industry is constantly being disrupted 

by technology be it in material 

development or building technologies 

the buying and selling process— 

barring a few (cool I might add) tech 

features added to online listings 

along the way—at its core, has not. 

There are as much as 16 touch points 

between real estate buyers and sellers 

where at each juncture lies a potential 

miscommunication, misinterpretation 

or simply lost data. 

The value of real time market 

coordination 

Once information is transparent, risk 

is reduced and decisions could be 

made faster and once that happens, 

a marketplace is created which 

inevitably attracts more buyers 

thereby increasing values. Imagine a 

world without the Stock Market. What 

would happen to companies’ stock 

prices? The answer is simple, they 

remain low or suboptimal. Not having 

a marketplace where transactions 

happen seamlessly, transparently 

and quickly discourages new entrants 


ENTERPRISE 

(buyers) which in turn keeps 

prices low. Creating real 

time market coordination 

where sellers can easily and 

seamlessly sell their property 

is no different, it attracts 

more buyers to the market 

which in turn drives prices 

up. Ensuring this happens 

on an impartial platform, like 

SellAnyHome.com, where the 

only focus is transparency 

and efficiency, delivers more 

trust in the process and in 

turn reduces risk and cost of 

ownership which of course 

increases value. 

If emotions play a role 

in buying property, 

then you need MORE 

technology not LESS 

“People need to feel 

connected to the home, 

technology strips that away!” 

Put aside that I run a tech 

startup that is driving people 

to buy properties online, my 

fundamental issue with this 

statement is actually a lot less 

biased than you think, it’s that 

this statement is simply not 

true. 

Of course, there is merit in 

perhaps viewing a property 

and SellAnyHome.com 

does incorporate that into 

its processes, but to think 

technology strips away 

emotions is equivalent to 

refusing to listen to music 

unless you’re seeing the artist 

live in concert. 

Back to property, one’s knee 

jerk defense in this case 

would be to compare buying 

online to buying property offplan, 

where you’re literally 

in some cases buying an 

idea, a plan, a design—of 

course with the necessary 

regulatory structure in place 

to safeguard your investment 

etc.—but I will elaborate 

beyond that point to explain 

just how much technology 

could enhance our emotional 

experience rather than 

diminish it. 

Let’s look at the emotional 

touch points or signals 

that normal buyers look for 

to make a “buy decision” 

and compare that to what 

technology can do to emulate 

those signals. 

- Seeing is believing: 

Of course, the first touchpoint 

and perhaps the strongest 

signal would be to actually 

physically see the property. 

Well that one is easy, camera 

technology has come a long 

way in just the past decade 

and I’m not only talking 

about 20 Megapixel phones 

that can take high resolution 

images and video, I’m talking 

about Virtual Reality and 360 

degree pictures that literally 

give you eyes on the back of 

your head. 

- Hearing: 

Of course, basic and easy 

for technology to relay this 

information, but let’s go a 

step further shall we? You’re 

55 years old sitting in your 

home in Cairo enjoying a 

nice virtual tour of a property 

you’re interested in Dubai, 

and all of a sudden, umm 

kulthum starts setting the 

mood, while simultaneously, 

another viewer in NY, same 

age, starts listening to 

Sinatra; Technology can 

seamlessly, instantly and in 

a very relevant way enhance 

one’s experience, even when 

making such an emotional 

decision like buying a home. 

But what about imagination? 

Easy! 

- Instant staging: 

How many of us walked into 

our future property and tried to 

picture where the sofa goes? 

Well how about a software 

instantly staging your home 

while on your virtual tour? 

Wouldn’t that not only enhance 

your experience but also 

enable you to literally see what 

your next home will look like? 

- Smell: 

Fine, perhaps not entirely 

solved remotely… yet! 

We can of course go on and on 

about technology that we could 

easily incorporate to other 

technology we could easily 

develop, the point is, we can 

harness the power of technology 

to positively impact the home 

buying experience. Imagine a 

world where someone sitting 

not just in the UAE but in India, 

China or Saudi was able to 

browse, view and buy property 

from their mobile phone! The 

beauty of technology is that it 

simplifies our lives and is bound 

to change the way people 

buy and sell property simply 

because it makes it easier! 


Omar Chihane, Co-Founder 

and CEO of SellAnyHome.com. 

He is a Lebanese/Canadian 

Entrepreneur who is reshaping 

and disrupting property 

investment. 



53

COVER STORY 

Mohammed Amin 

Senior President of META Dell EMC 

Enter the next 

era of 

Human-machine 

Partnership 

Our research partners at The Institute for 

the Future (IFTF) recently forecasted 

that we’re entering the next era of 

human machine partnership, and that between 

now and 2030 humans and machines will work 

in closer concert with each other, transforming 

our lives. 

We’ve worked with machines for centuries, 

but we’re about to enter an entirely new phase 

– characterized by even greater efficiency, 

unity and possibility than ever before. 

Emerging technologies, such as Artificial 

Intelligence (AI), Augmented Reality (AR), 

Virtual Reality (VR), and advances in Internet of 

Things (IoT) and cloud computing - made possible 

through exponential developments in software, 

analytics, and processing power - are augmenting 

and accelerating this direction. 

This is evident in our connected cars, homes, 

business and banking transactions already; even 

transforming how farmers manage their crops and 

cattle. Given this dizzying pace of progress, let’s 

take a look at what’s coming down the pike next. 

AI will do the ‘thinking tasks’ at speed 

Over the next few years, AI will change the way we 

spend our time acting on data, not just curating 

it. Businesses will harness AI to do data-driven 

“thinking tasks” for them, significantly reducing 

the time they spend scoping, debating, scenario 

planning and testing every new innovation. It will 

mercifully release bottlenecks and liberate people 

to make more decisions and move faster, in the 

knowledge that great new ideas won’t get stuck 

in the mire. 

Some theorists claim AI will replace jobs, but these 

new technologies may also create new ones, 

unleashing new opportunities for humans. For 

example, we’ll see a new type of IT professional 

focused on AI training and fine-tuning. These 

practitioners will be responsible for setting the 

parameters for what should and shouldn’t be 

classified good business outcomes, determining 

the rules for engagement, framing what constitutes 

‘reward’ and so on. Once this is in place, the 

technology will be able to recommend positive 

commercial opportunities at lightning speed. 

Embedding the IQ of Things 

Starting in 2018, we’ll take gargantuan strides 

in embedding near-instant intelligence in IoTenhanced 

cities, organizations, homes, and 

vehicles. With the cost of processing power 

decreasing and a connected node approaching 

$0, soon we’ll have 100 billion connected devices, 

and after that a trillion. The magnitude of all that 

data combined, processing power with the power 



55

COVER STORY 

of AI will help machines better 

orchestrate our physical and 

human resources. We’ll evolve 

into ‘digital conductors’ of the 

technology and environments 

surrounding us. Technology 

will function as an extension 

of ourselves. Every object will 

become smart and enable us 

to live smarter lives. 

We’re seeing this in our cars 

- the “ultimate mobile device” 

- which are being fitted out 

with ultrasonic sensors, 

technology that makes use 

of light beams to measure 

distance between vehicles 

and gesture recognition. In 

time, these innovations will 

make autonomous driving an 

everyday reality. Well before, 

we’ll get used to cars routinely 

booking themselves in for a 

service, informing the garage 

what needs to be done and 

scheduling their own software 

updates. 

We’ll don AR headsets 

It also won’t be long until the 

lines between ‘real’ reality 

and augmented reality begin 

to blur. AR’s commercial 

viability is already evident. 

For instance, teams of 

construction workers, 

architects and engineers 

are using AR headsets 

to visualize new builds, 

coordinate efforts based on a 

single view of a development 

and train on-the-job laborers 

when a technician can’t be on 

site that day. 

Of course, VR has strong 

prospects too. It will 

undoubtedly transform the entertainment and gaming space in 

the near term, thanks to the immersive experiences it affords, but 

smart bets are on AR becoming the de facto way of maximizing 

human efficiency and leveraging the ‘tribal knowledge’ of an 

evolving workforce. 

A deeper relationship with customers 

Dell Technologies’ Digital Transformation Index shows that 

45% of leaders in mid to large organizations believe they could 

be obsolete within 5 years and 78% see start-ups as a threat 

to their business. It’s never been more important to put the 

customer experience first. 

Over the next year, with predictive analytics, machine learning 

(ML) and AI at the forefront, companies will better understand 

and serve customers at, if not before the point of need. 

Customer service will pivot on perfecting the blend between 

man and machine. So, rather than offloading customer 

interactions to first generation chatbots and predetermined 

messages, humans and automated intelligent virtual agents will 

work together as one team. 

Bias check will become the next spell 

check 

Over the next decade, emerging technologies 

such as VR, AI, will help people find and act on 

information without interference from emotions 

or external prejudice, while empowering them to 

exercise human judgment where appropriate. 

In the short-term, we’ll see AI applied to hiring 

and promotion procedures to screen for 

conscious and unconscious bias. Meanwhile 

VR will increasingly be used as an interview tool to 

ensure opportunities are awarded on merit alone, e.g. 

by masking a prospective employee’s true identity with 

an avatar. 

By using emerging technologies to these ends, ‘bias check’ 

could one day become a routine sanitizer, like ‘spell check’- 

but with society-wide benefits. 

Media & Entertainment will break new 

ground with esports 

In 2018, we’ll see increasingly vast numbers of 

players sitting behind screens or wearing VR 


COVER STORY 

headsets to battle it out in 

a high-definition computergenerated 

universe. As 

hundreds of millions of 

players and viewers tune-in, 

esports will go mainstream. 

The esports phenomenon 

points to a wider trend. Namely 

that even quintessentially 

‘human’ activity like sport has 

been digitalized. Technology 

has widened ‘sport’ to all 

types. You don’t need to 

have a certain physique 

or build. If you have quick 

haptic responses and motor 

skills, you can play and claim 

victory. 

Additionally traditional sports, 

like cycling, have upped their 

game by harvesting data 

to identify incremental but 

game-changing gains. In the 

future every business 

will be a 

technology 

business, 

and our 

leisure time 

will become 

a connected 

experience. 

We’ll journey 

toward the 

“mega-cloud” 

Cloud is not a 

destination. It’s 

an IT model where 

orchestration, automation 

and intelligence are 

embedded deeply into 

IT Infrastructure. In 

2018, businesses 

are overwhelmingly 

moving toward a 

multi-cloud 

approach, taking 

advantage of the value of 

all models from public to 

private, hosted, managed 

and SaaS. However, as more 

applications and workloads 

move into various clouds, the 

proliferation of cloud siloes will 

become an inevitability, thus 

inhibiting the organization’s 

ability to fully exploit data 

analytics and AI initiatives. 

This may also result in 

applications and data landing 

in the wrong cloud leading to 

poor outcomes. 

As a next step, we’ll see 

the emergence of the 

“mega cloud”, which will 

weave together multiple 

private and public clouds 

to behave as a coherent, 

holistic system. The mega 

cloud will offer a federated, 

intelligent view of an entire 

IT environment. To make the 

mega cloud possible, we will 

need to create multi-cloud 

innovations in networking (to 

move data between clouds), 

storage (to place data in the 

right cloud), compute (to 

utilize the best processing 

and acceleration for the 

workloads), orchestration 

(to link networking, storage 

and compute together 

across clouds) and, as a 

new opportunity, customers 

will have to incorporate AI 

and ML to bring automation 

and insight to a new level 

from this next generation IT 

environment. 

The year to sweat the 

small stuff 

In this increasingly 

interconnected world, 

our reliance on third parties 

has never been greater. 

Organizations aren’t simple 

atomic instances; rather, they 

are highly interconnected 

systems that exist as part of 

something even bigger. The 

ripples of chaos spread farther 

and faster now that technology 

connects us in astonishing 

ways. Consider that one of the 

most substantial data breaches 

in history occurred because 

attackers used credentials to log 

into a third-party HVAC system. 

Due to our increasingly 

interwoven relationship with 

machines, small subtle failures 

can lead to mega failures. 

Hence, next year will be a 

year of action for multinational 

corporations, further inspired by 

the onslaught of new regulations 

such as GDPR. Prioritizing the 

implementation of cybersecurity 

tools and technologies to 

effectively protect data and 

prevent threats will be a growing 

imperative. 


Mohammed Amin is the Senior 

Vice President, Dell EMC, 

Middle East Turkey and Africa. 

Prior to that, Mr. Amin served 

as Vice President and General 

Manager of Turkey Emerging 

Africa & Middle East Region at 

EMC Corporation since 2010. 

He served as the Regional 

Manager, EMC Middle East 

of EMC Corporation until 

September 2010. He served 

as the General Manager for 

EMC Middle East of EMC 

Corporation. 



57

SECURITY 

Brendan O'Connor 

Security CTO of ServiceNow 

2018 Security 

Predictions: 

Automation, 

Boardrooms 

and GDPR 

The security threats and breaches 

of 2017 have set astounding new 

records for personal data invasion. 

From WannaCry to Petya, the list of 

sophisticated and far-reaching breaches 

grows almost daily. In 2017, breaches 

impacted hundreds of millions of people 

globally. 

The security mission to protect, detect, 

and respond, has remained the same for 

everything from IT networks and data storage 

to payment systems and IoT devices. In 

the past ten years, a tremendous wave of 

technology innovation has been developed 

to help us protect and detect. Yet, the 

most neglected area of security is the part 

we can control – our response. Without 

question, the velocity and complexity of 

the attacks will continue in 2018. The question is, 

will security operations be able to fine-tune their 

responses to meet the ever-increasing volume 

and sophistication of these challenges? 

Prediction 1: Security “Haves” and 

“Have-nots” emerge 

Security teams struggle to quickly determine 

whether incidents are worth a response. Many 

organizations use dozens of security tools that 

create and funnel massive volumes of signal onto 

the desk of the security professional. Analysts use 

spreadsheets and email to manage reacting to 

this signal, and the sheer volume of alerts results 

in analysts spending too much time researching 

incidents. 

In 2018, we will see security Haves and Have-nots 

emerge between those that begin to automate this 

research portion of security response and those 

that don’t. Companies with the tools and culture to 

embrace automation, and put technology to work 

for real business enablement, will perform better 

than those that don’t. 

The Haves will be expected to report on security 

operations as a key part of their day-to-day 

business. They will have scalable processes in 

place and will be in a position to measure progress. 

Automation will help them better determine which 

systems to patch and when. They will respond to 

phishing attacks in minutes rather than days. For 

the Haves, this will be a point of pride. 

The beauty for the Haves is that their security 

people will be freed from mundane and timeconsuming 

manual research. They will have more 

time to focus on strategic projects that fortify the 

organization. This new approach extends beyond 

security. Automation is so effective it becomes a 

rising tide that lifts all ships, operating in virtually 

all areas of business. 

Prediction 2: Security gains a seat in 

the boardroom 

Security programs are about trade-offs and 

minimizing risk. To achieve greater success, 


SECURITY 

security teams need to better 

articulate those trade-offs by 

putting the risk and material 

consequences into business 

terms, fundamentally 

bringing security into their 

business strategy. CISOs 

need to help executives 

and board members 

understand the ROI, costbenefit 

analysis, and security 

program trade-offs by 

articulating the business risk 

versus business value. 

In the coming year, we 

will see CISOs do more 

to present their security 

concepts and programs 

in business terms. Talking 

about securing data is one 

thing, but demonstrating the 

value that security offers the 

business is something else. 

This will eventually apply to 

every aspect of the business, 

but most immediately applies 

to regulatory compliance, 

potential lost revenue, 

customer relationships, 

legal liability, competition, 

intellectual property, 

stockholder loyalty and 

brand protection. 

The boardroom needs to 

take a step toward security, 

and security operations 

needs to take two steps 

toward the boardroom. 

Bridging the knowledge gap 

between security leadership 

and the board provides the 

framework to ensure effective 

security by helping all parties 

assess the risks and decide 

how to mitigate them. 

Prediction 3: A breach 

enters our physical 

lives 

There is a difference between 

information and physical 

security. The breaches that 

plague organizations today 

are primarily information 

security violations. While 

painful, having credit card 

information, a social security 

number, or personal digital 

information stolen does not 

result in physical harm to the 

victim. In 2018, we will see a 

breach impact our physical, 

personal lives. It might be a 

medical device or wearable 

that is hacked and remotely 

controlled. Perhaps it will 

be an industrial IoT device 

or self-driving car that gets 

compromised. Or something 

closer to home – literally. 

Devices from the garage 

door to the refrigerator are 

becoming smarter and more 

connected. The impact of 

such an attack will force 

government, business and 

individuals to take a closer 

look at the security of our 

infrastructure. 

Prediction 4: The EU 

penalizes a company 

for a GDPR violation 

On May 25, 2018, the 

General Data Protection 

Regulation (GDPR) will be 

put into effect. GDPR will 

provide a legal framework 

to strengthen and unify data 

protection and distribution 

for individuals within the 

European Union (EU). While 

the regulation will protect 

EU citizens, it will impact 

organizations worldwide – 

every company that serves 

a customer or employee in 

the EU – and businesses can 

be held responsible for the way 

they process, store, and protect 

personal data. The maximum 

penalty is a fine of 20 million 

Euros, or 4% of global annual 

revenue, whichever is greater. 

The EU may choose to make 

an example out of one of the 

first companies it penalizes, 

sending a message that GDPR 

is to be taken seriously. 

The first company most likely 

won’t be a household name, 

but it will be known to be out 

of compliance in areas other 

than GDPR. As these penalties 

receive global publicity, other 

companies will be compelled 

to move forward with GDPR 

compliance plans. 

About the author 

Brendan O'Connor is Security 

CTO at ServiceNow. Before 

joining ServiceNow, Brendan 

spent 10 years at Salesforce 

as where he led Salesforce's 

global information security 

organization as CSO. Prior to his 

role as CSO, Brendan was VP 

Product Security at Salesforce. 

Brendan has also worked in 

the Financial Services and 

Communications sectors. His 

past experience includes work 

as a vulnerability researcher, 

security engineer, and privacy 

advocate. 



59

SME WORLD SUMMIT 

SME World Summit, 

the biggest 

entrepreneurship 

conference provides a 

unique experience. This is 

where over 2000 ambitious 

entrepreneurs come together 

to discover, learn, celebrate 

and shape the future 

together. 

We lookforward to hosting 

the 6th edition in April 2018 . 

We have built a reputation 

of attracting high value 

delegates 

Business Owners, C-level 

Executives, Accredited 

Investors, Service providers, 

Media and Government 

dignitaries will gather 

together to engage with each 

other and learn from today’s 

visionary leaders in business 

& technology. 

Benefits of attending 

This is a place where 

Entrepreneurs will 

experience everything they 

need to find success – the 

ideas, the connections and 

the practical skills. 

It is both inspiring and hands 

on learning. SME World 

summit is creative, strategic 

and tactical in spirit. 

UAE's No 1 B2B 

Knowledge exchange 

platform 

Our vision is to help 

Entrepreneurs and decision 

makers make substantial 

improvements in their 

performance and become 

better leaders. We want 

to assist them in building 

great firms that are efficient, 

lean and can attract and 

retain exceptional talent and 

contribute positively towards 

making the world a better 

place. 

We understand that running 

a company is lonely, and 

Entrepreneurs must make 

difficult decisions every day 

with imperfect information. 

We know, the best safety net 

is the advice and experience 

of fellow entrepreneurs. 

Since 2013, we have brought 

together over 21,000 

Entrepreneurs & Senior 

decision-makers to learn the 

battle tested strategies of 

building a great business. 

Interesting facets of 

SME World 

Created and curated by The 

Intelligent SME magazine, 

we are bringing together 

hundreds of entrepreneurs, 

hungry for the advice, 

proven strategies, and 

connections needed to grow 

a business. 

Through inspiring keynotes, 

panel discussions, 

workshops & educational 

breakouts, you will learn to 

be even more audacious 

and bold than you are now— 

free to grow your mind, grow 

your business, and grow 

your bottom-line. 

Powerful Agenda 

Let's learn the battle tested 

strategies of building a great 

business 

Meetings 

Meet quality service 

providers & entrepreneurs to 

forge long term partnerships. 

Insights 

Hear priceless business 

lessons from entrepreneurial 

legends who have walked 

the path before you 

for more: 

www.smeworld.ae 


THINK TANK 

Akshay Lamba 

CIO, Deloitte, Middle East 

Akshay is an industry leader in the technology arena and has been associated with innovative projects 

such as large IT outsourcing deal across multiple industries , extending enterprise data to mobile 

platforms and information security paradigms in a web 3 . 0 world . He is an alumnus of Harvard Business 

School , Boston and a revered speaker , invited to a number of international platforms , widely acknowledged 

as a next-gen technology expert . 

His forte has been in the build-up of innovative business models , with a focus on creating sustainable 

competitive business advantage . He is well known for leveraging strategic partnerships for both — 

in-house services delivery and joint go-to-market constructs . 

Anthony Sayers 

Internet of Things, Business Developer & Strategist at Dell 

A leading technologist with over 25 years of industry experience , Anthony Sayers is the Strategist and 

Business Developer for the Internet of Things , Dell OEM Solutions EMEA , responsible for designing 

Dell’s business and technology strategy for the commercial OEM market . In his day to day work , 

Anthony meets with customers , partners and industry experts to research customer needs and drive the 

relevant market solutions . Anthony regularly represents Dell at industry forums as well as speaking and 

writing about the future of emerging technologies . 

Haider Salloum 

Director, Small & Medium Business (SMB) Segment at Microsoft Gulf 

Haider’s professional experiences are best described by his work over the last couple of years at 

Microsoft Gulf . As the Director for the Small and Medium Business ( SMB ) segment , Haider is tasked 

with helping SMEs realize their full potential , through the adoption of innovative technology and cloud 

transformation . 

Working with SMEs across five countries , which were once emerging markets has provided Haider with 

significant scope and opportunity to learn , share and explore emerging trends in innovation within the 

SMB community . Whilst working with national governments , entrepreneurs and corporates , Haider 

seeks to continuously contribute to efforts to help SMEs thrive in their competitive landscapes . 

Jean-Luc Scherer 

Founder, Innoopolis 

Telecommunications veteran with more than 18 years experience in the Mobile Industry , Jean-Luc 

Scherer’s expertise crosses multiple domains going from Mobile Application Development , to Social 

Media , Big Data , M2M & Internet of Things . Passionate about the Networked Society , Jean-Luc is a 

regular Blogger , Social Media content curator and is also a regular speaker at IoT & Smart City industry 

events . As an entrepreneur , innovation coach & start-up mentor , Jean-Luc can help startups from the 

initial concept development phase all the way to successful market introduction . 

Kazi Monirul Kabir 

CIO, Spider Digital Innovations 

Kazi Monirul is a powerful , passionate , entrepreneurial , innovative and objective-driven leader with 

global perspective and strong empathy for emerging market realities . He posseses extensive Marketing , 

Communication , Innovation , Strategic Design and Business Development experience across Internet , 

telecom and consumer goods industries . Monirul comes with a successful track record of excelling 

across global enterprise , multinational , social enterprise and start-up environments . He is a great 

believer in the transformative power of Strategic Innovation in driving the growth and development of 

emerging countries and has chosen the digital realm as his current playground . 


THINK TANK 

Nadine Bitar 

CEO, Placemaking.me 

Nadine Bitar is the CEO of Placemaking.me focusing on innovation in design for sustainability and Place 

sourcing – a social enterprise to design for liveability in the MENA region . She has led and participated 

in the design development of more than 30 large scale flagship projects including leisure and entertainment 

clusters , commercial complex , mixed use developments , golf and residential communities , 

hospitality projects and branded destinations in the Middle East and North Africa . She is active in Dubai 

community as the chairwoman of the Advisory Board – Interior design at the American University in 

Dubai , an Executive Council Member of Ellevate International and is an International Associate in the 

American Institute of Architects . 

Roberto Ordonez 

Managing Partner, AlunaCatalyst ME 

Roberto Ordonez, Managing Partner, Aluna Catalyst ME, is an influencer and change agent with over 20 

years of industry experience in the energy sector (BP, Hess Corporation, and Occidental Petroleum). He 

has broad multidisciplinary expertise and has held senior management positions across the areas of 

Operations, Finance, Strategy, Planning, Business Development, Change Management, and 

Procurement. 

He is a Board Member of the Kellogg GCC Alumni Association, and member of Kellogg Innovation 

Network (KIN). Roberto has a BS and an MS in Petroleum Engineering from Texas A&M University and 

an MBA from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. 

Dr. Steve Griffiths 

Vice President for Research, Interim Associate Provost at Masdar Institute of 

Science & Technology 

Dr . Griffiths holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ( MIT ) 

and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management . At Masdar Institute , Dr . Griffiths has the overall 

responsibility for research , including large-scale , collaborative research programs and centers , research 

development , sponsored programs , technology transfer , and research laboratories . He serves as an 

advisor to the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science and is a Zayed Future Energy 

Prize Selection Committee member . He is the Associate Editor and member of the Editorial Board of the 

International Journal Energy Strategy Reviews and author of various works in the energy policy and 

energy strategy fields . 

Sulaiman Al Maazmi 

Vice President, Information Communication Technology, Expo 2020 Dubai 

Sulaiman’s role at Expo 2020 Dubai is to align business requirements with various stakeholders, support 

departments in order to streamline their processes when dealing with technology solutions as well as 

sourcing IT solutions based on current and future needs of internal and external stakeholders. Sulaiman 

has considerable experience in managing critical information technology projects in the Arab Gulf 

region, with positions in the Dubai office of the UAE Prime Minister, Thuraya Satellite Telecommunication 

and the Dubai Municipality, where he began his career. 

Prof. Dr.rer.nat. Leo Brech 

Professor at the University of St. Gallen,Switzerland 

Prof. Dr.rer.nat. Leo Brecht is Executive Director of the Institute for process and technology management of 

the faculty of economics and mathematics at the University of Ulm, Germany and Adjunct Professor at the 

University of St. Gallen, Switzerland. His work focuses on innovation and technology management to 

improve company performance. He is founder of several companies and currently acts as chairman of 

ALPORA. ALPORA is an investment research company headquartered in Switzerland. ALPORA invests in 

most innovative companies and develops unique products how to invest in innovation. 



63

Innovation i tech High

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