FEATURE: CIO PRIORITIES
When innovation is tied to resilience in this way – through strategy, structure and shared ownership – it becomes something the entire C-suite can get behind. And that’ s when transformation really makes an impact.
David Boast, General Manager – UAE and KSA, Endava isolation. It emerges from on-going conversations across the organisation, with customers, regulators and partners. And just as importantly, those crossfunctional conversations continue when the rubber hits the road. They ensure innovation remains aligned with real business goals and market realities rather than becoming technology for technology’ s sake.
Through my many conversations with CIOs and business leaders across leading enterprises in the GCC, one theme stands out: this truly feels like the era of opportunity, but also of noise. The democratisation of AI, LLMs, and data capability means everyone now has access to powerful baseline tools. So the differentiator is how organisations apply them with purpose, resilience and speed.
The organisations that are able to drive long-term innovation are those doubling down on continuous organisational learning. In this AI-centric world, the best ideas may come from anywhere in the business. Every employee must therefore have the literacy to question, interpret and apply data-driven insights responsibly. Training, diversity of thought and adaptive thinking are no longer optional.
Striking that balance starts not with technology, but with people and process. Active stakeholder dialogue is vital. It’ s something I’ ve seen first-hand. Innovation doesn’ t come from the IT department in
Delivering Meaningful, Accurate Outcomes
Of course, technology is ultimately the enabler, and on this side of things, it is critical to establish a robust,
38 INTELLIGENTCIO MIDDLE EAST www. intelligentcio. com