CxO Global Forum launched its two-day (18-19 January 2023) event “Global Digital Summit Expo 2023” at Pak China Friendship Center, Islamabad. The summit brought more than 300 Stakeholders, thought leaders & innovators together belonging from different fields including IT / Tech, FinTech, HealthTech and multiple industries including Cloud Computing, Gaming, Software Development, AI/Machine Learning, Digital Transformation, ERPs, E-Commerce and many more!
CxO Global Forum is an emerging knowledge sharing platform designed to bring together global thought leaders and empower them to create a global impact in the areas of Technology, Disruption, Transformation & Innovation. CxO believes that change can best be achieved by bringing together thought leaders from all walks of life to contribute to our ever-expanding knowledge economy.
Global Digital Summit was a dream for CxO Global Forum which came true with the tremendous support of our Sponsors & Partners who stood together with us in such difficult times to achieve this milestone for highlighting the Digital Importance for business, individuals and communities.
Then we have a long list of our Exhibitors, who gave the life to our GDS-23 by their presence. The exhibitors set up their stalls for both days, and exhibited their products, services and future plans to the audience. This also provided everyone an amazing chance to interact each other in our Business Lounge, which was specially setup for exhibitors, participants and partners to discuss their creative ideas with each other and it played a gateway for them to initiate new startups, businesses and partnerships. CxO Global Forum also honoured some industry leaders with CxO Excellence Awards 2023 at GDS-23.
Here is the list of our GDS-23 Sponsors & Partners:
Here is the list of our GDS-23 Exhibitors:
The two days Global Digital Summit was inaugurated by Country Director & CEO, CxO Global Forum Kanwal Masroor, his opening sentences highlighted the purpose and idea behind the foundation of CxO Global Forum. He stated that CxO is a think tank working on knowledge economy everyday by providing a platform to all the industry leaders to come together and discuss & implement the innovative ideas for the betterment of Pakistan. He also told the audience that Global Digital Summit will play an important role in shaping up the platform’s roadmap for our future planning. Moreover, he welcomed wholeheartedly everyone including all our Sponsors, Exhibitors and Speakers.
After his welcome note, a keynote speech was delivered by Mr. Akif Saeed, Chairman SECP. He explained the role of SECP in shaping up the ground for different businesses. He said that SECP truly realizes the role of Regulators. Moreover, he also focused that how SECP is strategically aligning their role in country’s growth.
He also explained few points on which SECP is working efficiently. It includes Ease of Doing Businesses, for which SECP is formulating policies, digital implications, making the process digital, registering business online, WhatsApp services etc. He further explained that these steps helped in ranking up Pakistan in ease of doing business.
Moreover, he explained that we are always appreciating SMEs and facilitating the startups in raising capital, funding and Stock Market. He further told that SECP is using technology in in recolonization of sector, which includes regulatory interventions, support of PSX, digital account opening, facilitating overseas in Payment processes. He also told about “Imlaak” which is Pakistan’s first Digital platform for mutual funds. At the end, he agreed that we should all move towards digitization and we need a transformation in the way we interact with the market. He also appreciated the efforts of CxO for organizing a unique and amazing event!
After that, Maj Gen (R) Tariq Qaddus was invited for his keynote speech. He presented his unique startup idea names as “Komal Hills”. Then he told his personal journey where he developed the idea of such hills, which further led him to convert it to a startup. Moreover, he told us that The Komal Hills Resort is a blend of harmonious modern architecture and is intended to welcome you to a completely natural sanctuary.
There are six distinct Chalet options with 1, 2, and 3 bedrooms available at the Komal Hills Resort. All Rooms are furnished and commencing a spectacular view. Our breezy restaurant offers delicious, fresh, and creatively presented meals. Try our light menus or discover dining that is truly unique, Great Food, Great Living.
Our resorts provide physically demanding sports like mountain climbing and trekking. The region’s best selection of outdoor activities. Take a ride on our cutting-edge Zipline, put your archery abilities to the test, or play some paintball.
Our activity manager may also organize enjoyable daytime activities like scavenger hunts, bonfires, camping, etc. At the end he said, what we value most is the spacious and quiet area. The early birds may catch a deer in the garden. Walk from the house directly into the forest. Enjoy the evenings at the open bonfire outside or in the house, chill out and unwind.
After that, a keynote speech on “Digital Transformation” was presented by Fatima Asad Said, CEO Abacus Consulting Technology. She linked the rapid changes of the world with technology, and the role of Digitization in our lives specially after COVID-19. Then she put light on the way the world is strategizing and the impacts of digital transformation. Moreover, she advised that we should have a long-term strategy while transforming to digitization. She explained how we need innovation & collaboration in this journey. Then, she explained the emerging technology trends in different fields.
She presented Six Pillar of Digitization:
- Digitization and sustainable transformation of industries
- Strategic development of new technologies
- Universal Adoption of New Services
- Digital Skills and Human
- Trust, Security and protection
- Cross Border, Trade and cooperation
She concluded that we cannot survive in the market without collaborations and she asked CxOs to play their roles in Leadership, Focus, Transforming Organizations and Shift in Experience to make this possible. We need to think where are we as a nation in this? How can we create value from it to create opportunities for our next generations?
After the keynote speech, a panel discussion started on “Will 5G be a Game-Changer in Pakistan?” In this panel discussion, relevant industry thought leaders came together to share their views on it. Zarrar Hashim, CBO PTCL shared his views by saying that 5G will definitely be a good thing for Pakistan, but first we need to make ourselves ready for such a shift, and we should not keep ourselves away from the digital shift. He also explained how PTCL is always trying to give the best digital services in collaboration with Ufone.
Haaris Mahmood Chaudhary, CEO USF shed light on 5G availability in terms of spreading awareness first. He shared how USF played its role with the government to spread the benefits of the telecom revolution to all corners of Pakistan.
Pervaiz Iftikhar, ICT Consultant explained that the government should consider the conditions which are put while auctioning the spectrum. The regulators do not participate in the spectrum if the cost is too high, and the conditions are not suitable.
Abdul Rahman Mehmood, CEO Digit agreed with all of the panel in the point that we as a country should not delay the process of transformation like we did in early 2000s which caused us a lot of lag in technology. He also explained how Digit is playing its role in making Pakistan more Digital.
Zouhair Khaliq, Founder & GP Teamup Ventures shared his views on the impact of 5G on the nature of businesses. Most of the businesses are now operating on Hybrid bases. We should now understand and accept that this is the future of work. The quality is no more depending on the hours you are giving. You can deliver your KPIs from any corner in the world. Then he told how Teamup Ventures combines 100+ years of experience across launching companies, strategy, finance, operations, high value scale-ups and a proven track record in the technology space. Teamup Ventures is uniquely positioned to act as a trusted partner to high-potential startups with a focus on Pakistan. Our goal is to help those startups achieve their full potential.
After that, Dr. Sushanth Pillai, MD Meditech South Africa delivered a Speech on HealthTech. He discussed how HealthTech is shaping up the future of the healthcare industry. Then he explained how digitization is helping both health experts and patients. Moreover, he also presented how Meditech South Africa is working on digital transformation. MEDITECH South Africa (Pty) Ltd provides integrated software solutions to meet the information needs of healthcare organizations in Africa and the Middle East.
MEDITECH South Africa was established in 1982 in Johannesburg, South Africa by John Tresling. The relationship with MEDITECH Inc. USA is fundamental to our success. As a significant shareholder in the South African business, MEDITECH has been able to grow the brand internationally. Healthcare is overdue for disruption and innovation. So, we’ve redefined what an EHR can do for your patients and your productivity. MEDITECH’s integrated solutions, comprehensive approach to patient safety, and dedication to sustainability are impacting care like never before.
Then, there was a special segment of Fireside Chat with Samina Rizwan on the topic of “Leveraging Civic Tech to Achieve Good Governance in a Participatory Process”. Samina Rizwan is Country Director, Code for Pakistan. She told how Civic Tech is important for the greater good of the society and why it is important. Then she presented the example of her organization, Code for Pakistan, which is a not-for-profit, non-partisan, non-political organization facilitating government digital transformation, promoting open data and open source applications, building capacity for government innovation, fostering civic engagement and participation, and creating solutions that meet citizens’ needs.
Moreover, she also focused that it is not enough to provide the people with technology, but it is also very important to educate the masses to spread awareness of technology. So that it could play a positive role in shaping up civic lives.
After then, a panel discussion started on the topic of “Remote Patient Monitoring: Current Capabilities and Future Directions”. In this panel discussion, some prominent personalities from the Health Sector joined us and shared their views. Dr Hina Ghole, CMO BIMA took the responsibility of moderating this panel discussion. Wasim Irshad, CEO WoW Health shared his views on remote patient monitoring that few years ago, it was not possible to imagine that a health expert will be able to examine the patient remotely. But today we are experiencing remote monitoring and it is not only efficient but also helpful to those who cannot travel far.
He also shared that Wow Health Pakistan is revolutionizing the health sector by providing remote and online services to its clients through Awami Package. Bilal Amjad, CEO InstaCare told us that we all have observed how technology can help us out in monitoring everything remotely. As patient monitoring is a bit tricky, we need to take precautionary steps too and I hope that in future, we will be covering such aspects too.
Moreover, he explained how InstaCare is assisting the health sector in Clinics Patient Management, Medical billing, easy payments, electronic prescriptions, appointment scheduling and much more! Samad Saleem, CEO DigiTrends shed light on current capabilities in remote patient monitoring. He also explained what sort of measures we should take in designing our future strategies in this regard.
He also explained how DigiTrends, Award Winning Digital Agency for Pharmaceutical Industry, is working efficiently on providing a one window solution in Digital Transformation.
The next panel discussion was on the topic of “Business Automation & Transformation Support of Startup Ecosystem & SMEs”. The panelists for this session were Nilofar Gardezi, CRIC, Misbah Ali, CMO Vastmesh & Obaid Arshad, CEO Ginkgo. The panel shed light on how to make the businesses more efficient. The steps which every business should take while transforming itself to the digital world.
Moreover, we see new startups coming every passing day, they should also develop strategies and roadmap for them to boost their business and enhance the level of grip in the market. SMEs can play a very important role in making this successful, as they can guide, provide opportunities and make collaborations with other businesses. The government should also support Startups and SMEs.
The last panel discussion of day 1 was on the topic of “IT Exports & Way Forward”. The panel included IT Experts from different organizations as Miqdad Ali Nasser, COO RedBuffer, Omer Khokhar, Dir Operations OZI Technology, Bilal Mahmood, MD Contour Software, Umair Azam, Founder & CEO, Integration Xperts and Arsalan Ijaz, CEO Taar Consulting. They had a very fruitful and informative discussion on IT Exports.
They presented some amazing figures of Pakistan’s IT exports which was proof of how the IT industry can play its very important role in bringing huge capital and growth to Pakistan. Along with this, the panel also agreed that the government should give relaxations in terms of taxes etc. The terms and rules defined by the government should be relaxing so that the IT industry can work at its full potential. This will also be helpful for the IT industry to work closely with the regulators and authorities.
“The IT sector in Pakistan has shown consistent growth over the last few years, giving us a glimpse of its potential. Support from the government and the academia towards improving ease of doing business, tax concessions, promote research and development, and producing skilled human resources can do wonders for Pakistan,” said Umair Azam, Founder and CEO, Integration Xperts. “By focusing on niche markets, building strong relationships with international partners, there is no reason Pakistan cannot exponentially grow its IT exports by 2025.”
Day 2 of GDS-23 started with a Technology Session. This session was presented by Furqan Aziz, CEO Invozone. He first discussed the importance of IT in our lives, and how it has helped us with time to become efficient and quick. Then he explained how Invozone is trying to work more and more on technology. InvoZone is a leading software development company that excels in industry-focused software development solutions and consulting services across multiple industries.
We empower your business with unparalleled software solutions that keep you ahead of the competition while catering to all your business needs. Our community of top-notch developers blends in-depth technical expertise with agile methodologies to deliver the promise of technology and human inventiveness, helping your organization leverage the most productive outcomes.
Then a HealthTech session was presented by Shaukat Ali Khan who is Global CIO at Aga Khan University and Hospitals. He demonstrated how Aga Khan is playing its part in HealthTech in the form of multiple new projects and services. He also explained the economic planning of Aga Khan for its HealthTech and other projects. Moreover, he shed light on the humanitarian work Aga Khan is doing around the globe especially in Pakistan.
After that, a panel discussion was presented on the topic of “Technology Embedded Education for Augmented Learning”. The panel included Zeeshan Rehman, Business Manager DigiTrends, Fajer Rabia Pasha, PAGE, Sumbal Manzoor, ICE, Dr. Ali Raza Nemati, iQualify & Todd Shea, CEO CDRS. They discussed the current status of the education sector and how much this is useful for the younger generations. The experts also discussed the curriculum designed for different grades.
They raised a very important question on Pakistan’s current education system: Is the current system and curriculum up to the mark? Can we compete with the world with this system? The panel agreed that we need to make continuous changes in the education sector to make the sector updated. They also agreed that it is the need of the hour that our education sector should be transformed digitally.
The technology embedded in education will definitely be efficient and useful for our generation to come. This will provide us with many more gateways to make augmented learning possible and convenient.
The next panel discussion was on the topic of “Tech Services and Role of Startups & SMEs”. The panel included Shahqaan Qasim, VP of Engineering RedBuffer, Mudasser Abbas, CEO VizzWeb & Muhammad Hussain, CEO Boundless Technologies. The panel discussed some interesting things in the session. They discussed how Technology is shifting the paradigm of businesses.
The nature of provision of services is changing. Today, we are experiencing home delivery, contactless delivery, online shopping etc. and this is all possible because of Tech services which are updating the systems on a daily basis to facilitate us. This Tech played its very important role in giving birth to new startups and SMEs. Moreover, every startup is now transforming itself to the digital paradigm.
The next panel discussion was on “The Future of Digital Banking: How Artificial Intelligence and Open Banking are Revolutionizing the Industry”. The panel included Obaid Saleem, Head of MFS Delivery, Ericsson, Noman Azhar, Chief Officer, Zindigi & Sohail Aziz, Chief Digital Officer, ABL. The experts in the panels discussed how the banking industry works in Pakistan and how it can get used to AI. They agreed that technology has revolutionized the banking industry, but it is very important for banks to keep their safety as priority.
So, it can take some time for AI to be embedded in our banking industry but it will definitely happen soon. They also discussed the possibilities of open banking. Although they agreed that we have a long way to go to revolutions in terms of the banking industry.
After the panel discussion, a speech was presented on “Leadership in fast paced companies in challenging times” by Murtaza Khalil, CEO Milvik (BIMA). He discussed the traits of leaders and how they react to tough situations. Then he initiated explaining Trust which is very important for a leader and also advised companies to coach the individuals to make them more efficient.
He quoted Pakistan’s Banking industry in this regard as how they sent their employees abroad for training and coaching. At the end, he concluded that a leader needs to develop a culture where everyone feels comfortable, and leadership is about managing people.
President of Pakistan:
Then finally the moment came everyone was waiting for. The president of Islamic Republic of Pakistan Dr. Arif Alvi arrived at the venue as the Special guest. CxO’s CEO & Founder Kanwal Masroor shared his welcome remarks for the president. Then Michelle O’Connor, President & CEO Meditech USA delivered a speech by explaining the importance of Global Digital Summit 2023 for all the businesses and industry leaders.
Then Mr. President distributed CxO Excellence Awards to:
| Ashfaque Ahmed | Head of digital | Bank Islami Pakistan |
| Prof Dr Farhan Essa Abdullah | CEO | Dr Essa Laboratory and Diagnostic Center |
| Syed Arsalan Ali Shah | Founder & CEO | Connected Pakistan |
| Shaukat Ali Khan | Global Chief Information Officer | The Aga Khan University |
| Arsalan Ijaz Anwer | CEO | Taar Consulting |
| Syed Arsalan Ali Shah | Founder & CEO | Connected Pakistan |
| Azhar Nawaz | Group Chief Information Officer | Engro Corp |
| Sahibzada Ali Mahmud | Managing Director and CEO | KPITB |
| Irfan Malik | Founder & CEO Xeven Solutions | Xeven Solutions (Pvt) Ltd. |
| Samad Saleem | Chief Executive Officer | DigiTrends Pvt Plt |
| Noman Azhar | Chief Officer | Zindigi – powered by JS Bank |
| Samina Rizwan | Country Director | Code for Pakistan |
| Bilal Mahmood | Managing Director | Contour Software |
| Usman Sheikh | Group CEO | OZI GROUP |
| Umair Azam | Founder & CEO | Integration Xperts |
| Bilal Amjad | CEO | InstaCare |
| Qazzafi Qayum | CEO | TenX |
| Javaid Iqbal | CCO | STZA |
| Mudasser Abbas | CEO | VizzWeb |
| Murtaza Khalil | CEO | BIMA |
| Furqan Aziz | CEO | Invozone |
Then Mr. President shared his closing remarks by appreciating CxO and everyone to make Global Digital Summit 2023 possible. He shared his views that we need to pace ourselves up to compete with the world. The world is becoming advanced every day and digital transformation is very important for the communities, cultures and businesses. He also shared the plans of government to implement different initiatives to make people interacting more with the digital facilities.
Moreover, he said that we are always here to support our business community which is doing every effort to make Pakistan proud and progress. He also said that we should organize more summits of such nature so that our youth can understand and be involved with Technology and digitization. Then Mr. The President visited and appreciated the Business Lounge and Stalls of Exhibitors.
The historical technology speech by Honorable President of Pakistan at Global Digital Summit 2023 on 19th Jan 2023 by CxO Global Forum.
#cxoglobalforum #DigitalSummit #GDS
After that, a panel discussion started on “Managing Organizational Change in a Digital Transformation Era”. The panel consisted of M Tahir Nawaz – GM Operations MILVIK, Imran Lakhwera, GM/Div Head Engro Fertilizer & Aliya Zafar, Group HR BOP. They discussed very important points on managing organizational change while digital transformation. For any organization, it is very important to transform. But this transformation is not good for all, because some employees are not ready to transform themselves. In such situations, every organization takes a few hard steps. Moreover, they all agreed that we should all keep ourselves updated with digital transformation for the sake of our progress, growth and survival.
The last panel discussion of GDS-2023 was on the topic of “Building the Decentralized Web: Challenges and Opportunities”. The panel consists of Azhar Nawaz, Group CIO Engro & Jawad Khalid Mirza, CISO Askari Bank. The panel discussed the paradigm shifts in technology from last century to this century. They discussed the possible challenges which can be faced while building the decentralized web. They also discussed the opportunities which can be created in this process. At the end, they also showed a possible pathway & solutions to the possible challenges which can come this way.
Special Message on Global Digital Summit:
A message on Global Digital Summit from Dr Amjad Saqib, Founder Akhuwat Foundation.
CxO Excellence Awards:
A main segment of Global Digital Summit 2023 was to give CxO Excellence Awards to tribute the achievements, services and works of the Industry Leaders working to make Pakistan Proud.
The Awardees are as:
| Nahil Mahmood | CEO, Delta Tech | DELTA TECH |
| Muhammad Hussain | Founder & CEO | Boundless Technologies |
| Ahmed Uzair | Partner | AUC | LAW |
| Muhammad Kashif Siddiqui | SVP Manager | KMBL |
| Hussan Rasool Khokhar | General Manager | Premier Group |
| Fatima Asad-Said | CEO | Abacus Consulting Technology Limited |
| Obaid Arshad | Co-Founder & CEO | Ginkgo Retail |
| Nilofar Ambreen | Associate Director | Corporate Research Investigations |
| Wasim Irshad | CEO | WoW Health |
At the end of Global Digital Summit, Mr. Kanwal Masroor along with event Host Anza Saqib & his team thanked everyone for participating in Global Digital Summit. Then he closed the session with a new hope and mission of bringing more and more such platforms for the youth of Pakistan.
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 event “Global Digital Summit Expo 2023” at Pak China Friendship Center, Islamabad.){kind=link}