SAP Co-CEO and ictQatar deliver keynotes in Doha

[News]

SAP Co-CEO and ictQatar
deliver keynotes in Doha

SAP Co-CEO Bill McDermott's keynote speech
shared insights on top IT trends - including mobility,
cloud computing and analytics - that will drive long-term
growth for years to come.

Bill McDermott - Co-CEO and executive board member of German IT giant SAP - delivered a keynote speech on IT-driven innovation in Doha, Qatar. Forming a key part of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) leg of the SAP World Tour 2011, the high-profile speech was complemented by a keynote from Hassan Al-Sayed, Assistant Secretary General, Government Information Management Office, ictQatar.

Entitled 'Business in the Moment', McDermott's keynote shared insights on top IT trends - including mobility, cloud computing and analytics - that will drive long-term growth for years to come, as well as the importance of analyzing massive volumes of data in real time to enable companies to move faster and have more choices than ever before.

The SAP World Tour 2011 road show is an integral part of McDermott's visit , which is a nuanced, multileveled initiative designed to enable dialog with influencers, customers and members of the ecosystem interested in partnering with SAP.

Through interactive formats, including industry- and product-specific breakout sessions, participants will learn how the SAP solution portfolio can deliver customer value, consistently executing on strategy and growing profitably and sustainably.

In addition to today's event in Qatar, McDermott delivered a keynote in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia yesterday and will do the same in the United Arab Emirates tomorrow.

The MENA-leg of the tour comes at a time of notable success for SAP in the region.

In addition to consistently robust growth, SAP MENA has hired 100 new employees since August 2010 and recently opened new offices in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt and Qatar. In November 2010, SAP MENA announced it would double its resources within the next two years, with the majority of headcount focused on solution delivery. Today, the region hosts more than 2100 qualified consultants and 75+ partners.

The company's work in the region is not all about the bottom line, however.

Last year, the knowledge and vocation-inspiring University Alliance program welcomed seven new members, bumping up the Middle Eastern membership total to 21, strengthening the company's value among government entities and further cementing its 'Employer of Choice' credentials. Other recent initiatives to support regional industries include launching a Centre of Excellence to assist Saudi Arabian Chemical companies and an MoU with ictQatar to become an anchor tenant at the Digital Content Cluster, providing cloud computing services for start-ups and small and medium enterprises.


AMEinfo press release