BBG Dubai and Northern Emirates relaunches IT Focus Group

The presentation and networking meeting, which took place on July 22nd 2009 at the Al Qasr Hotel, brought together a group of 30 members, a mix of IT and non-IT professionals.

The first event was chaired by newly appointed IT Focus Group Chairman, Duncan Adamson, GM of Intergence Systems Middle East, and addressed the subject of achieving operational excellence in IT. Participants at the meeting included representatives from the legal, telecoms, software, recruitment and financial services industries.

Speakers Julian Ashall and Lee Mascall, Chief Operating Officer, and Head of IT for Lloyds TSB Middle East, respectively, presented an insight into some of the challenges associated with operating an effective IT function in an emerging market. They focused on the twin challenges of aligning IT delivery with business strategy, and operating a business in line with local market conditions as part of a multi-national group.

IT Focus Group Chairman, Duncan Adamson, was pleased with the response for the first event under his stewardship: "The discussion touched on some of the core challenges in this region, including effective management of IT vendors, partnering for success where requirements are beyond an organisation's own core competencies, and harnessing available talent from the region."

"This meeting brought together senior speakers with a very mixed audience, which led to a really interactive meeting. This was a very encouraging first step and the group will be active with further meetings planned following the summer period," he added.

David Burns, Director Focus Groups of the BBG commented that he was very excited about the future of this group under Duncan's chairmanship. "All our Focus Groups are industry specific and provide valuable feedback to governments and organisations in relation to the state of the industry and potential opportunities," he added.