Digital Transformation in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA): AI, Smart Investments

Optimizing the IT budget in 2025–2026 has become a key task for CIOs worldwide. Budgetary pressure has intensified: companies must maintain technology efficiency, advance digital initiatives, and at the same time retain specialists amid strong competition for talent.

Digital transformation projects stall — not because of budget shortfalls or weak technology, but because the entire organization resists. In this article, Pavel Poteev, Head of Project Management Office at a major industrial holding, draws on 20 years of transformation practice to break down where resistance comes from and how to work with it. The author covers the General Electric resistance framework, four change strategies, the McClelland model for identifying individual drivers, and the fear–gossip–double standards triad that paralyzes digital initiative before transformation begins.

How do you take a strong IT career and turn it into a global one? Andrey Gorelov, Senior Manager and CTO at Amazon Web Services, shares what most career guides leave out: why calling yourself an "IT specialist" can quietly close doors in Western companies, how Amazon manages a queue of 500 applicants for a single vacancy, and what a Dublin salary actually looks like after taxes. He also covers the cultural intelligence gap that trips up even experienced leaders and the personal costs of relocation that people rarely discuss until they are already abroad.

A few years ago Vietnam was most often mentioned as a cheaper alternative to China. Today that formula is rapidly becoming obsolete. The country is moving into a different league: from a model of large-scale manufacturing to a model of managed, digital and technologically mature industry. And it is precisely this that makes Vietnam one of the most interesting markets for Industry 4.0 in Southeast Asia.

Svetlana Potapova, Head of Artificial Intelligence Cluster at a major steel manufacturing company, talks about the implementation of AI in metallurgy: automatic control accelerated rolling by 50%, computer vision increased productivity by 5%, and the adoption rate was 90%.

While companies are considering introducing corporate AI tools, employees are taking action on their own. The trend of “shadow artificial intelligence” — using external AI services without IT department or security approval — is gaining momentum.

On January 30, 2026, the winners of the international 'Project of the Year' contest were announced during the online Awards Ceremony. The contest provides IT leaders from around the world with a unique opportunity to showcase their achievements and gain recognition from their peers. It was organized by the international professional IT community Global CIO.

How do personal athletic achievements impact the professional effectiveness of IT managers? Yuriy Glushchenko, CIO of iStapel and founder of SigmaSport.pro, joined experts and practitioners to discuss the connection between regular training and the ability to manage complex projects without burnout. This article features the experiences of participants in the Global CIO summer challenge and an honest conversation about when sport becomes a working tool.

How do CIOs stop being "support services" and gain real business influence? At the Global CIO panel, executives from Tele2/Altel, MBANK, Kolesa.kz, and Kazzinc shared hard-earned lessons: alignment starts not with translating tech into business language, but with financial literacy and upfront stakeholder work. A candid conversation about crises, talent development, and the path to CEO.

Today, discussions about data centers almost always start with the “hardware”: which UPSs to choose, how many air conditioners are needed, which chiller is better. But if this is the starting point for a project, it is beginning from the wrong place.

As the holiday season approaches, we are happy to share New Year greetings from members of the Global CIO community — IT executives and digital leaders from different countries, industries, and cultures.

When CIOs from manufacturing, pharma, aviation, and banking met virtually this year, one question dominated: where is all the money going? The answer surprised even seasoned technology leaders.

In the context of energy shortages and growing ESG requirements, investments in digital infrastructure are becoming a source of strategic advantage for Central Asia. Digital twins, drones for monitoring gas networks, and blockchain payments are forming a new digital "Silk Road", where energy technologies are the key commodity.

Implementing a corporate communications system is a complex process. On paper, it all seems simple: there's a product, a team, and a deadline. In practice, there are dozens of participants, overlapping responsibilities, user resistance, and endless approvals from the information security department.

Ekaterina Belyatinskaya, business coach and executive coach for IT leaders, held a master class on team communications for members of the Compass CIO IT Leaders Club. The focus was on the Bruce Model Tuckman's four stages of team development: formation, storming, stabilization, and effectiveness. Participants learned how to adapt their leadership style at each stage to create a high-performing team.

Today, monetizing services and services is no longer just a financial process – it's now part of the customer experience. Companies that can flexibly manage pricing, respond more quickly to market changes, and forecast revenue more accurately win.