Tech Visionaries The Influential CTOs Reshaping the Industry

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7. Company Featuring Descrip?on Ali is a pioneer in digital transforma?on. His knowledge Ali Safri Avanza Innova?ons ranges from legacy systems to cu?ng-edge technology, www.avanzainnova?ons.com Chief Technology Officer enabling corporate evolu?on and change. Transforming cybersecurity, Dmitry Marinov, ANY.RUN's CTO, ANY.RUN Dmitry Marinov empowers the Middle East's digital landscape, se?ng new www.any.run.com Chief Technology Officer standards for safety and innova?on. Ebrahem Hegazy Innova?ve Founder and CTO revolu?onizing industries through Dark Entry Founder and groundbreaking technological solu?ons, driving product www.darkentry.net Chief Technology Officer development, and fostering a culture of crea?vity. Strategic leader shaping technological vision, driving Erol Kaya Buna innova?on, and ensuring seamless integra?on of technology Chief Technology Officer www.buna.co solu?ons as Chief Technology Officer. With 30+ years of experience, Gil masterfully navigates the GlobalPla?orm Gil Bernabeu complexi?es of technology to ensure data and systems remain www.globalpla?orm.org Chief Technology Officer secure in an increasingly digital world. Dynamic CTO leveraging emerging technologies, leading AYM Solu?ons Mohamed Youssef cross-func?onal teams, and architec?ng scalable IT systems www.aym-solu?ons.com Chief Technology Officer for opera?onal efficiency and market leadership. Visionary CTO orchestra?ng technological ini?a?ves, fostering Prashant Janaswamy Petrofac innova?on, and op?mizing IT infrastructure for sustainable Chief Technology Officer www.petrofac.com growth and compe??ve advantage. Seasoned CTO pioneering cu?ng-edge technologies, aligning Sco? Benzi CORETRAX IT strategies with business objec?ves, and spearheading digital Chief Technology Officer www.coretrax.com transforma?on for organiza?onal excellence. Vijay boasts over 30 years of tech experience. He thrives on Vijay Jaswal IFS innova?on and solving complex business challenges with Chief Technology Officer www.ifs.com cu?ng-edge technology solu?ons. With 25+ years of experience in IT management, Wan is a Wan Yussman AirAsia mentor and a leader who's passionate about using Chief Technology Officer www.airasia.com technology to solve real-world problems.

8. ON Cover story Mr. Wan Yussman IT Management Executive with 25+ Years of Expertise 28. 15 Challenges CTOs Will Soon Face (And How to Get Ready) 36. How Can CTOs Ensure the Successful Adoption of AI in Their Organizations?

9. NTENTS Ali Safri Dmitry Marinov Revamping the Paradigm of Digital Combating Cyber Threats with Transformation & Achieving Technical Mastery and Creative Exemplary Business Acumen Flair Gil Bernabeu Vijay Jaswal De?ning and Implementing A 30-Year Journey in the the Technical Roadmaps Technology Industry

10. Mr. Wan Yussman Chief Technology Officer AirAsia

11. Mr. Wan Yussman IT Management Executive with 25+ Years of Expertise , , C O V E R S T O R Y

14. , ,

18. CIO

19. , , The number one thing you need to understand is that technology is a tool. It is not something for you to get mesmerized by or become obsessed with. It is a tool to overcome a constraint today, to overcome a problem you have today or a pain point that you have today.

20. Ali Safri Chief Technology Officer Avanza Innova?ons

21. Tech Visionaries: The Influen?al CTOs Reshaping the Industry Ali Safri Revamping the Paradigm of Digital Transforma?on & Achieving Exemplary Business Acumen , , Biggest challenge is the retention of the skillset as when you work in an emerging technology area not many people understand the tech stack and as soon as you train them, they nd better opportunities. , , 19 March, 2024 www.thecioworld.com

22. research and develop, experiment, and use our maturity in developing software products and platforms around the concept, and we show our target customers the efficiency and effectiveness that nascent technology adoption will bring along with a proper value realization. At the same time, implementation of such huge multi-level organization projects is a challenge when you take enterprise blockchain, for example; thus, the platform must be robust, based on low code with a lot of micro-services as well as security, performance, and quality baked in, and not via a custom product fitting one specific requirement. Thus, our maturity in quick platform development and deployment gives us an advantage in the implementation of production-grade systems faster with less budget and more repeatable outcomes. The three most prominent platforms created are CIPHER for enterprise blockchain (which won many international awards, e.g., APICTA), ORION for metaverse, and Impulse to cater to Generative AI Adoption, and am humbled to have an opportunity at Avanza to ideate and develop the same. At the same time, internal processes to scale the resource pool based on customer demand are mature, so we deliver as per our client expectations or overachieve. Can you share an example of a successful technology implementation that you have overseen and its impact on the organization? We, Avanza and I, as CTO and Architect, have delivered many success stories of multi-organization Enterprise Blockchain and boast to hold the most market share in the GCC for big enterprise-grade production blockchain consortiums, working in 3+ years in production, some of which are below. • UAE Trade Connect is a platform of 14+ UAE Banks I was nominated as the CTO and co-founder of this new catering to Trade Finance and invoice duplication company named "Avanza Innovations." The name of the fraud. Built for the Banks and by the Banks company reflects its mission as Avanza Innovations! We https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyZGPH9Qpus love to innovate! • ARMACO Invoice Verification is ARMACO's first What strategies do you employ to drive innovation and blockchain success story for quick invoice verification technological advancement within your organization, with its suppliers and captures the contractual and how do you prioritize technology projects and conditions of extremely complex long-form contracts, initiatives to align with the company's goals and the life cycle data of the Procure to Pay process objectives? captured on blockchain, and automatic blockchain- enabled invoice and supporting document generation We are a technology provider, and the most important thing with mutual trust. It is used by ARAMCO and its 10+ for us is our customers and their journeys with innovation supplier network. and emerging technology. The strategy is based on three https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSW- steps: knowing the Trends, Quickly Built Platforms, and wLuWuJM&t=29s Deliver Quality Implementations. We keep ourselves updated with the evolving technology, 20 March, 2024 www.thecioworld.com

23. • The lost passport use-case is a blockchain-enabled How do you ensure the security and integrity of the solution utilized by Dubai Police, GDRFA, Dubai organization's technology infrastructure? Courts, and Prosecution for issuing lost passport certificates. Security is an integral part of our software development https://www.khaleejtimes.com/news/emergencies/dubai methodology and a core part of the software development -police-use-blockchain-to-issue-nearly-4000-lost- lifecycle. passport-certificates • The development phase has code reviews, threat • BENEFIT KYC is the blockchain-enabled KYC modeling, misuse case design, and verification using sharing network for 40+ Banks and financial real-time vulnerability-checking tools. institutions utilized in Bahrain.https://avanzainnovations.com/blog/portfolio/b • The platform thus created has application security enefit/#:~:text=Idea%20of%20eKYC%20is%20to,this baked in. %20network%20seamlessly%20and%20effectively. • The platform is hardened, so any implementation gets • Dubai Customs, E-Commerce Chain, is a consortium in-built security, and the implementation engineer of a of 40+ logistics, Couriers, E-Commerce companies, specific project has less chance of violating the security and 3 free zones spearheaded by Dubai Customs and as it is built into the platform. aims to have a clear trace of e-commerce transaction journeys end-to-end on a blockchain, facilitating quick • Deployment is done on client infrastructure using a customs processing and getting appropriate subsidies to secure automatic DevOps process. optimize the e-commerce supply chain. https://mediaoffice.ae/en/news/2023/September/11- • Security is a continuous process, and we take it very 09/Dubai-South-completes-blockchain seriously. • K-Companies in Kuwait, shipping nomination use • Our enterprise-grade platforms have cleared with flying case, is a consortium of KNPC, KPC, KOC, KOTC, colors security assessments from multiple and its group of inspectors, shipping lines, and other organizations that are part of the blockchain players aimed at automating the end-to-end shipment consortiums listed above and have been in production nomination process to generate electronic verifiable for the last 2–3 years. documents backed by blockchain via mutual consensus. 21 March, 2024 www.thecioworld.com

24. What steps do you take to stay up-to-date with the latest continuous learning happens as an outcome automatically trends and advancements in technology? as people are passionate about their core. Cultivate a culture of passionate tech guys who love Compare that to managers who are just reporting from technology and keep on exploring what is happening in the lower layers to upper layers without adding any value of market in terms of emerging technologies. Allocate their own; then such organizational culture becomes resources to experiment and hack these emerging political, the blame game starts, and the desire to shine by technologies and bake your enterprise experience to create virtue of knowledge, skill, and creativity declines. platforms that deliver value. What are your thoughts on emerging technologies such At the same time, participate in thought leadership by as artificial intelligence, blockchain, and the Internet of attending and speaking at various top-notch conferences so Things, and how do you see them impacting your that selected topics push and challenge you more to industry? innovate. Blockchain, AI, Metaverse, Quantum Computing, and IoT How do you foster a collaborative and productive are the future technology stack, and all these emerging relationship between the technology team and other technologies will converge and mutually boost each other in departments within the organization? their adoption. We at Avanza are passionate about all of them and have solutions to help enterprises adopt and As a technology provider, 99% of our organization is implement them as we are technology providers. technology itself. Rather than using technology internally, we are technology partners with our customers and help Generative AI is a promising technology that will allow them in their journey of adoption and implementation of generating content at super speeds and accuracy, which in nascent technologies, showing them what is possible. turn will create the problem of fake paper documents that look 100% genuine, which will result in the adoption of Can you discuss any challenges you have faced as a blockchain as a verifiable, authentic, and traceable digital CTO and how you have overcome them? record. The biggest challenge is the retention of the skillset, as Similarly, vulnerability analysis of code, which is, by the when you work in an emerging technology area, not many way, 80% open source utilized across the world, will people understand the tech stack, and as soon as you train become easy and in the hands of the masses if generative them, they find better opportunities. That is why we have AI-based vulnerability tools mature, thus adding to the matured our training pipeline and baked the most power surface area of cyber security and putting pressure on into the platforms that we have built. By hiring fresh talent, centralized databases as they will become targets of data we can train them on our platform and derive mutual value integrity violations, which again will result in blockchain for the company as well as value for the employee by adoption as the only viable solution. growing their skillset, behavior, and ability to challenge what is possible. We are always happy to see our workforce Real-time voice and audio-generated social engineering will grow, either with us or if they wish to leave us. They are advance via generative AI, which will question the very much more refined and polished, and anyone working for existence of a true identity and blockchain-based traceable Avanza can vouch for the same. identity will be the only cure. How do you promote a culture of continuous learning IoT is the ears and eyes of the real world, which would be and professional development within your technology relaying data into immersive experiences based on team? metaverses, which have a touch of the physical world and the power of the digital world. Generative AI will be used A culture of continuous learning and professional to create 3D realms and fantasy worlds faster, thus both IoT development comes from examples. The CTO knows how and Generative AI will advance the discipline of the to get problems solved, even at the code level, if required. metaverse. The Alpha managers, the managerial layer below, are people with a software background who love technology See my talk here on my predictions on the convergence of and get into code if required. All lower layers should all the emerging technologies. always look at their managers as smarter, more https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsnYuEOgjMw&t=1s knowledgeable, more tech-savvy, and leaders who solve problems. If that is a culture at the grass-roots level, then 22 March, 2024 www.thecioworld.com

25. Success is not how high you have climbed, but how you make a positive difference to the world. - Roy T. Bennett www.thecioworld.com

26. Dmitry Marinov CTO ANY.RUN 24 March, 2024 www.thecioworld.com

27. Tech Visionaries: The Influen?al CTOs Reshaping the Industry Comba?ng Cyber Threats with Technical Mastery and Crea?ve Flair 25 March, 2024 www.thecioworld.com

28. I always had a deeper commitment to making the digital world safer, which is why, as a CTO, I make sure that every step we take as a company equips our clients with be?er tools to combat cyber threats. 26 March, 2024 www.thecioworld.com

29. Secondly, I recognize AI's rapid expansion in virtually all I focus on creating an environment where growth stems areas, and cybersecurity is no exception here. At from daily activities. Team members are encouraged to ANY.RUN, I've initiated a policy for every engineer to take engage in projects that spark their passion, making learning a basic AI course. This essential understanding fosters an integral and fulfilling part of their work. Staying current innovation and helps us anticipate how AI can shape future is essential, so I emphasize continuous self-improvement projects. and staying ahead in this fast-evolving field. Our team explores and engages with new technologies, nurturing an Finally, I firmly believe that prioritizing a strong computer innovative mindset driven by curiosity and experimentation. science foundation allows our team to readily adapt to new Regular knowledge-sharing sessions foster collaboration technologies and be proactive in our solutions. This and strengthen our team spirit. approach ensures we're not just keeping pace but contribut- ing to the industry’s evolution. What are your thoughts on emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, and the Internet of How do you foster a collaborative and productive Things, and how do you see them impacting your relationship between the technology team and other industry? departments within the organization? AI is revolutionizing cybersecurity by automating threat At ANY.RUN, collaboration between the technology team detection and response. Its ability to learn and adapt and other departments is crucial. Open and frequent significantly enhances our capabilities. At ANY.RUN, we communication across all levels ensures everyone's voice is leverage AI to analyze vast amounts of data efficiently, heard. Regular cross-departmental meetings and joint identifying anomalies that could indicate cyber threats. planning sessions align our tech initiatives with broader Recognizing its critical importance, we're actively working goals. on and continuously investing in AI malware research within ANY.RUN to further refine and enhance our services’ We create opportunities for mutual learning where team capabilities. members share insights and expertise, fostering understand- ing and respect for each other's roles. Feedback mecha- However, it's a double-edged sword; as much as AI nisms and celebrating successes together build unity and a advances our defenses, it also empowers cybercriminals shared purpose. This collaborative spirit, with empathy, with sophisticated tools for attacks, necessitating ongoing understanding, and a user-centric approach at the forefront, innovation on our part. drives productivity and fuels innovation through diverse perspectives. Please give us a few testimonials from your clients and awards or recognition that accurately highlight your Can you discuss any challenges you have faced as a achievements in the corporate niche. CTO and how you have overcome them? Our work at ANY.RUN has received recognition from both The Threat Intelligence Lookup presented a significant top awards and users around the world. In 2023 alone, the challenge. Venturing into this new territory involved platform was awarded: creating a unique value proposition, not just copying what others have done. • Fortress Cyber Security Award (2023): Winner in the Threat Detection category. I identified what competitors weren't offering and led the • Malware Monitoring and Analysis Innovator of the development of a unique solution with in-depth search Year capabilities, presenting new ways to hunt for malware. And 2023 (Innovation in Business). we’re not stopping there, as this year we will expand the • Most Innovative in Malware Analysis service’s capabilities even further. (The Cyber Defense Awards). How do you promote a culture of continuous learning Additionally, ANY.RUN boasts over 60 verified reviews on and professional development within your technology G2, a popular review service, with a 4.6 out of 5-star rating. team? 27 March, 2024 www.thecioworld.com

30. Challenges CTOsWill Soon Face 28 March, 2024 www.thecioworld.com

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32. - Alaya Brown 30 March, 2024 www.thecioworld.com

33. them with ethical excellence., , , , The true test of compliance is not just meeting regulatory requirements but exceeding www.thecioworld.com

34. Tech Visionaries: The Influen?al CTOs Reshaping the Industry 32 March, 2024 www.thecioworld.com

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38. How Can CTOs Ensure theSucce?ful Adoption of AI in Their Organizations?

39. - Alaya Brown

40. Tech Visionaries: The Influen?al CTOs Reshaping the Industry Vijay Jaswal CTO IFS

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45. The advance of technology is based on making it ?t in so that you don't really even notice it, so it's part of everyday life. - Bill Gates www.thecioworld.com

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