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Connecting the data center ecosystem to design, build & operate sustainable data centers for the AI age

Bringing together more than 1500+ senior leaders working on the Middle East & North Africa's largest data center projects, DCD>Connect | MENA - Dubai will drive industry collaboration, help you forge new partnerships and identify innovative solutions to your core challenges.

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  • 3 Co-located events
  • 60+ Exhibitors showcasing the latest tech
  • 130+ Expert speakers
  • 1500+ Senior Data Center Professionals
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    Jasim Al Awadi

    Chief ICT Officer, du

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    Jasim Al Awadi

    Chief ICT Officer, du

    Jasim Al Awadi, Chief ICT Officer is a remarkable leader, who has been in the technology field for over 23 years and has worked for du for more than 17 years. In his journey at du, he has been an integral part of functions like technology and commercial where he was heading the government segment. Jasim Al Awadi is now leading du’s ICT department to accelerate the digital transformation agenda for the company for government entities, large / medium enterprises, start-ups and individuals representing du Tech sub-brand. To enable a seamless digital economy, where digital trust, digital infrastructure and digital innovation are the key driving pillars and lie in the heart of everything.

    Jasim Al Awadi has a strong commercial acumen and leadership qualities where he has contributed in generating billions of dirham worth business projects that drive critical digital growth initiatives and has been in the forefront of the development of the right cutting-edge 5G and ICT solutions enabling the vision of the Ruler of UAE to create a future ready country. His passion to lead and work closely with the ICT team to drive the vision of becoming a more purpose-driven, performance-focused and customer-centric organisation with a secure and agile ecosystem and a huge portfolio of digital solutions is outstanding.

    To name a few projects he has played a key role in include, hyperscale cloud and sovereign AI services powered by AI GPU as a service for government & public sector entities in UAE, launched the first NVIDIA supercluster in GCC that will leverage cutting-edge liquid cooling technology to enhance AI processing efficiency, sustainability, and performance in Dubai which marks a significant advancement in the Data Centre and AI technology landscape of the region. Unique Industry 4.0 Technology robotics automation deployed, first of its kind agritech platform, 5G Drones with Digital Dewa, Digital Twin for RTA, Fednet UAE Smart Government, Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA), the launch of 5G in the UAE, the development of the first-ever full-insight customer portal, the leadership of the virtual CPE [customer premises equipment], and the cloud.

    Jasim has won several recognitions and awards, some of them include, “Government Leader of the Year” from Edge Middle East, “Security Leader of the Year” from ITP Media. “Innovation in cooling 2024” at Dubai Cloud & Data Centre Convention & Awards 2024 from W.Media. “ICT Champion Award 2024” from the Integrator. “The Best Cloud Provider” and “The Best Government digital transformation initiative in 2023, at Telecom Review Summit. “The Best Middle East 5G Innovation” and “The Best Asian CSR Initiative” at Telecom Review Regional Excellence Awards 2022. As well as “Smart Data Excellence Awards -Telecom” at Smart Data Summit Awards 2022.

    Prior to joining du in 2007, he worked for telecom industry in UAE and for Canar in Sudan. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Electronics Engineering from Etisalat University of UAE and a post-graduate digital transformation leadership program at Henley Business School in London.

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    Keynote Presentation: Accelerating Innovation with Cloud & AI Sovereignty in the Digital World

    • Main Stage
    • Open Session
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    Majid AlNaqbi

    Head of Data Centre Business, du

    Majid Al Naqbi - photo

    Majid AlNaqbi

    Head of Data Centre Business, du

    Majid AlNaqbi, joined du in 2006 and has 18+ years’ experience within du, where he has played an integral part in various roles he has been performing. He has a vast rich experience in multiple areas that include Technology, Commercial and Customer & Channels team. He has excelled in functions like Transport Network, Fixed Access Network, Network Infrastructure, Datamena & broadcast, managed services, technology operations and in his last role he was heading Customer Operations in the Customer & Channels team.

    Currently, Majid is the Head of Data Centre Business at du in the ICT department under the new sub-brand du Tech. He has the commercial acumen and technology knowledge with a customer

    experience mindset to drive the Data Centre Business for du Tech at such an exciting time where he in 2024 has been able to achieve major milestones and successfully explore new horizons to achieve the ambitions to grow the business by signing a one of its kind deal in partnership to launch the first NVIDIA supercluster in the GCC. The supercluster in Dubai will leverage cutting- edge liquid cooling technology to enhance AI processing efficiency, sustainability, and performance. The project marks a significant advancement in the Data Centre and AI technology landscape of the region.

    Under his leadership, he has recently won an awards for the Data Centre Business in less than one year’s time for, “Innovation in cooling 2024” at Dubai Cloud & Data Centre Convention & Awards 2024 from W.Media. Presently in his role, he is heading multiple data centre locations that are mostly fully consumed taking the Data Centre Business to the next-level.

    Majid has a Bachelor’s degrees in Computer Engineering and Masters degree in Engineering systems management from American University of Sharjah.

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    DCD>Keynote Panel: Building competitive AI infrastructure in the Middle East

    • Main Stage
    • Investment & Markets
    • Open Session
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    Hassan Al Naqbi

    CEO, Khazna Data Center

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    Hassan Al Naqbi

    CEO, Khazna Data Center

    CEO of Khazna Data Center, Hassan Al Naqbi has held various positions with du and TECOM and was a member of the UAE Armed Forces. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering management and a higher diploma in computer engineering.

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    Dame Dawn Childs

    Chief Executive Officer, Pure Data Centres Group

    Dame Dawn Childs - Headshot

    Dame Dawn Childs

    Chief Executive Officer, Pure Data Centres Group

    Dawn is an accomplished engineer and operator who was honoured with a Fellowship from the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2020. Prior to joining Pure her career spanned several engineering sectors and industries including UK Change Director for National Grid across both the gas and electricity transmission businesses; Group Engineering Director for Merlin Entertainments with responsibility for engineering delivery, standards, practices and processes across the worldwide portfolio of more than 130 theme parks, resorts and attractions; Head of Engineering at Gatwick Airport covering the infrastructure and technical services at the airport; and over 20 years as an Engineering Officer in the Royal Air Force where she held various positions including Head of Engineering at RAF Waddington looking after the Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance aircraft fleets and Deputy Chief Engineer for the Air Transport and Air to Air Refuelling aircraft fleets.

    She has a track record of developing women in her organisation as well as working to bring more women and girls into engineering and has been the President of the Women’s Engineering Society since 2018.

    Dawn now leads the operational arm of Pure Data Centres Group ensuring the delivery of resilient 24/7 operations globally.

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    DCD>Keynote Panel: Building competitive AI infrastructure in the Middle East

    • Main Stage
    • Investment & Markets
    • Open Session
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    Nader Alanazi

    Data Center Engineer, Oracle

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    Nader Alanazi

    Data Center Engineer, Oracle

    Nader Alanazi is a Data Center Engineer with a strong background in network engineering and cloud infrastructure. Currently, he work at Oracle, where he focuses on data center operations, cloud solutions, and IT infrastructure management. He hold certifications like CDCTP, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), and ITIL, and he earned my Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Tabuk University.

    He is passionate about cloud computing, networking, and system administration, always striving to optimize performance and efficiency. Whether it’s designing solutions, troubleshooting complex issues, or ensuring seamless operations.

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    DCD>Debate: The double-edged sword: Is AI a path to operational efficiency or a source of chaos?

    • Management & Operations
    • Energy & Sustainability
    • Open Session
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    Priyanka Nagpal

    Data Centre Lead, Consulting, MEA, JLL

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    Priyanka Nagpal

    Data Centre Lead, Consulting, MEA, JLL

    With over 12 years of real estate research, pricing and acquisition strategy, consumer analytics and data centre experience, Priyanka holds a reputation as an ethical and reliable advisor in the corporate real estate domain across the region. She has an extensive skill set specific to data centre advisory, with over five years of dedicated experience working on data centre projects.

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    DCD>Major Panel: Beyond the giants - Regions ready for data center growth

    • Main Stage
    • Investment & Markets
    • Open Session
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    Kamel Al Tawil

    Managing Director, MENA, Equinix

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    Kamel Al Tawil

    Managing Director, MENA, Equinix

    Kamel Tawil joined Equinix in September 2020 as Managing Director MENA (Middle East and North Africa) and he is responsible for developing MENA markets to deliver world class digital infrastructure solutions, building a network dense ecosystem. Prior, Mr. Tawil spent 18 years at Oracle in various leadership roles across ECEMEA (East Central Europe, Middle East and Africa) where he led major digital transformation projects.

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    DCD>Keynote Panel: Building competitive AI infrastructure in the Middle East

    • Main Stage
    • Investment & Markets
    • Open Session
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    Panel: AI-driven growth - How is it reshaping data center investment in MENA?

    • Open Session
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    Safaa Adbel Baki

    Digital Strategy & Sustainability Consultant, LTA

    Safaa Adbel Baki

    Safaa Adbel Baki

    Digital Strategy & Sustainability Consultant, LTA

    DCD>Major Panel: Conservation conversations - Shaping a sustainable data center landscape

    • Main Stage
    • Energy & Sustainability
    • Open Session
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    Aslihan Gurescier

    Managing Director Turkey, Equinix

    aslihan gurescier equinix turkey

    Aslihan Gurescier

    Managing Director Turkey, Equinix

    Aslihan Güreşcier joined Equinix in 2019 as Managing Director for Turkey. Aslihan has more than 25years experience in the Digital & Data Center industry, including three years at Zenium Data Centers, where she was the Country Manager for Turkey. Most recently, Aslihan worked as a freelance cloud and data center consultant for various firms, including Tradefive, the exclusive partner of Alibaba Cloud in Turkey, to establish a local cloud presence.

    Prior to Zenium, Aslihan was with the Systems Integration, data center and technology solutions firm, KoçSistem, where she progressed to Sales Group Manager for more than 20 years with the company.

    Aslihan graduated from Bosphorus University with a BA in Foreign Languages in 1995 and an MA in Business Administration from Marmara University in 1999.

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    DCD>Major Panel: Beyond the giants - Regions ready for data center growth

    • Main Stage
    • Investment & Markets
    • Open Session
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    Scott McCarry

    Head of Procurement, Pure Data Centres Group

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    Scott McCarry

    Head of Procurement, Pure Data Centres Group

    Scott is the Head of Procurement for Pure Data Centres, where he is responsible for developing and implementing equipment supply chains across Pure’s global fleet of data centre construction projects. Working exclusively in the data centre industry since 2012 delivering projects across the Middle East, Europe and Asia; Scott has developed a deep understanding of the supply chain value, associated risks, challenges and economics.

    Scott possesses a degree in Quantity Surveying from Edinburgh Napier University and has a background in the commercial management and procurement of global hyperscale data centre projects

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    DCD>Debate: Is local manufacturing key to resilient supply chains across this region?

    • Management & Operations
    • Data Center Construction
    • Open Session
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