SAP unveils vision for the clear enterprise to Middle East business leaders

"The Middle East market is one of the most rapidly developing in the world, and while many companies have thrived in this fast-paced environment, recent shifts in the business landscape mean that organizations need to consider how they can continue to expand their business in the long-term,"

said José Duarte, President of SAP, EMEA.

"They must build a sustainable business, of which there will be several different elements all relating to either economic, social or environmental concerns. Managing the sustainability spectrum is a complex undertaking requiring clarity, efficiency and flexibility across the business," he added.

Duarte was in Dubai to deliver the keynote address at SAP Forum 2009 to more than 1,000 invitation-only C-level executives, IT decision makers, and business managers from across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

'See Your Way Clear: Strategies for Success in the New Reality' was the theme of SAP Forum 2009, SAP's largest annual business event for the MENA region, which is taking place on 3 - 4- November in Dubai. This year, the event's core purpose is to explore how regional organizations can achieve transparency in every area of their operations and become sustainable, Best-Run businesses.

"As an exemplar of sustainability SAP is showing its customers and partners how the innovative use of IT can promote end-to-end visibility within their organizations. This intelligence enables informed and swift decision-making, which in turn allows companies to develop sustainable business models to outpace the competition, reduce cost and risk, limit exposure and ensure business longevity," added Sergio Maccotta, Managing Director of SAP Middle East and North Africa.

In addition to keynote addresses and in-depth sessions delivered by SAP executives and solution experts, SAP also hosted a customer panel session where a number of recognized industry leaders explained how they are benefiting from SAP solutions to become clear enterprises and develop their businesses for the long-term. Customers represented were Al Futtaim Group, Electricity & Water Authority Bahrain, Emirates Steel Industries, Abu Dhabi National Hotel Compass Middle East and Tasnee.

Attendees also have the opportunity to learn more about how SAP can facilitate these goals by industry and business area, and how an increasing number of organizations are benchmarking against their peers and re-thinking IT investments in terms of high impact value creation.

SAP Forum also provides an exclusive opportunity for attendees to share best practices and ideas with other top-level executives, SAP customers and partners, and receive exclusive previews of future SAP applications.