Business Club

Leila Serhan, Senior Vice President and Group Country Manager leading Visa's business in North Africa, Levant and Pakistan region was featured among Forbes' Global Meets Local list of the world's most powerful regional executives.

Forbes Middle East has introduced 2022's top regional executives from the world's largest companies in its Global Meets Local list for 2022.

The list included top regional executives from the world's largest companies representing 27 countries and 18 sectors

Sarhan, a Lebanese who resides in the UAE, who is also the founder and president of the Women in IT Association in Lebanon, joined Visa in 2021.

Visa launched its global initiative “She’s Next” in MENA in July 2022, which granted 19 women entrepreneurs a total of $190,000 and one year of mentorship each.

The list featured executives from top companies on the annual Forbes Global 2000 list that have regional offices in MENA; the executives include Senior Vice President of General Electric Nabil Hanayeb, Vice President of Amazon MENA Ronaldo Mouchawar, and regional CEO of HSBC Bank Middle East Limited in MENA and Turkey Stephen Moss, among others.

Our decision to establish branch in Iraq exemplifies Bank’s strategy towards expanding its business activities in region — Fakhouri

The Bank of Jordan announced the launching of its operations in Iraq, with the inauguration of its first branch in Baghdad; having obtained all the required licenses from both the Central Bank of Jordan and the Central Bank of Iraq, together with fulfilling the requisites and completing the procedures pertaining to initiating business operations in the Iraqi market.

Shaker Fakhouri, Chairman of the Board at Bank of Jordan said: “Our decision to establish a branch in Iraq serves to boost our regional presence and exemplifies the strategy adopted by the Bank; namely expanding its business operations in the region, where markets are witnessing substantial growth and promising opportunities". 

"This is expected to reflect positively on the services offered to both our current and prospective clients. Furthermore, we strive to develop our banking scheme in a manner that reflects the Royal visions of boosting investments and achieving economic coordination and collaboration between the two states; thus consolidating our robust economic and historical relations with Iraq,” Fakhouri added.

He also pointed out that the Bank is currently finalising the preparations for establishing its first branch in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, having recently acquired the license permitting it to partake in banking activities within the Kingdom. 

He announced that Jawdat Mahmoud Jawdat had been appointed as a Chief Executive Officer of Bank of Jordan –Iraq.

In the modern era, businesses need connectivity more than ever to enable swift communication, greater efficiencies, and faster decision-making. Connectivity dictates how people work, how fast we transact business, and how we can better collaborate. Reliable, robust connectivity is the backbone of digital businesses. And 5G is currently the gold standard for connectivity speed.

Jordan already possesses strong ICT credentials, providing a solid foundation to build a digital economy. The ICT sector accounts for 3.8 per cent of the country's GDP, with total annual revenues exceeding $2.3 billion. Figures reveal there are more than 900 active companies in the sector, directly employing around 22,000 people. What's more, figures show that 27 per cent of tech entrepreneurs in the Middle East and North Africa region are Jordanian — even though the country accounts for just 3 per cent of MENA's population. What's more, 50 per cent of the population is under 24, with 22 per cent of that group holding degrees in IT, computer science, and engineering.

The Kingdom has a mission to reinforce these capabilities with next-generation technology under a government blueprint, Jordan Vision 2025. 5G will fast-track these developments by powering an array of next-generation digital services. For businesses, state-of-the-art connectivity allows Jordan's entrepreneurs to advance business operations, enter new markets, access more finance and attract better talent. For operators, 5G networks hold great promise for greater revenues, thanks to new customer experiences.

In the new digital era, 5G fulfills the need for access to new applications that are only accessible via advanced technologies. These include lag-free HD video meetings over wireless, smart city applications, telehealth, and remote education.

Cutting-edge applications such as the metaverse are on the rise with increased AR/VR use cases for business, government and consumer services. Autonomous mobility solutions such as self-driving cars and air taxis also wholly rely on good connectivity. For Jordan to claim its rightful place in the bold new Web 3.0 era, its ambitions must be shored up by world-class connectivity.

Building such future-proof networks requires broad collaboration. The government, the telecommunications sector and private enterprises need to join forces to ensure future technology is fully embraced, or risk getting left behind.

We are fortunate that the government strives to explore and keep abreast of new concepts to boost the burgeoning digital ecosystem, such as the Jordan Source project, which aims to encourage the growth of business process outsourcing (BPO) and information technology outsourcing (ITO) sectors to help Jordanian business capture part of the multi-billion global outsourcing business.

Another key element of the growth of a digital, knowledge-based economy is robust cybersecurity. Telecommunication networks require strong security elements built-in to ensure smooth operations. And the global nature of connectivity means we cannot afford to leave the country's networks open to attack. We must train the human talent pool in good cyber hygiene and ensure the youth possess the skills to tackle the cybersecurity challenge.

With these goals in mind, Huawei Jordan has inked an agreement with Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST) to establish an on-campus cyber-security, artificial intelligence (AI) and 5G technology academy. Each year, the academy will train around 200 students in 5G technology, IA, ICT, cloud computing and big data, for example, via Huawei's bleeding-edge hardware and software solutions.

Huawei also recently launched public cloud services in Jordan and initiated a start-up program to support SMEs with advanced cloud services and communication platforms in partnership with venture capitalists. Jordan enterprises now have seamless access to the fastest-growing cloud services provider in the world, operating in 65 Availability Zones in 27 Regions. HUAWEI CLOUD has attracted more than three million developers, 28,000 consulting partners, 9,000 technical partners, and 19 data centres and released more than 250 cloud services, over 210 solutions, and 7,400 KooGallery products five years since its launch.

In the 5G business, in particular, Huawei has helped some Middle Eastern countries to build high-speed 5G networks and reach 11 million 5G users, including 1.3 million home users. In addition, the company partnered with carriers to explore 5GtoB services for critical sectors such as the oil and gas and ports, helping them to improve production efficiency and safety, reduce operational costs, and create opportunities for operators to enter the new blue ocean of the industry.

We have seen the rise of Jordan's technology business sector, driven by sound infrastructure, a liberalised telecom sector, geographical position and strong government support. The country has provided an excellent business environment for the last 17 years we have operated here. With advanced technologies like 5G, cloud and the fast-advancing AI field, Huawei plans to make more contributions to Jordan and look forward to an open, fair and just business environment for all enterprises.

While technology's role in advancing economic and social progress cannot be disputed, we need to ensure the strength and security of connectivity, open collaboration between the private and public sectors, government and regulators, and a local tech-savvy talent pipeline for Jordan to fully embrace the opportunities of the digital age.

Ethan Wang, CEO, Huawei Jordan

AMMAN — Jordan welcomed the Four Seasons Private Jet Experience for its Ancient Explorer journey from October 15-17.

Guests experienced an unforgettable three-day adventure at the world-famous archaeological site of Petra and the charming desert of Wadi Rum.

On this inaugural trip to Jordan, the Four Seasons Private Jet guests enjoyed expertly curated experiences with personalised services including exploring the highlights of the ancient city of Petra, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World; an evening of Bedouin-style hospitality with a barbeque prepared by Jordanian Banquet Chef Khaldoun Al Momani in an underground pit known as ‘Zarb,’; and a seated gala dinner at the hands of Jordanian Executive Sous Chef Loay Ali. 

The gala dinner took place at one of the locations featured in Disney’s live-action adaptation of the animated classic Aladdin. The refreshing drinks, served to guests during dinner, were locally infused with thyme, cactus or Arabic coffee, and made at the hands of Bar Manager Ibrahim Baker.

Carlo Stragiotto, General Manager at Four Seasons Hotel Amman, said: “The Four Seasons Private Jet Experience welcomed guests to Jordan for the first time with genuinely personalised services combined with authentic Jordanian hospitality. The value of the Four Seasons Private Jet Experience in Jordan extends far beyond luxury and exclusivity —it’s about the locals our guests met, the new flavours they experienced, the sights and sounds they took in, and the incredible memories that will last a lifetime. We look forward to future stays with the Four Seasons Private Jet for more unique experiences that Jordan has to offer.”

This comes as part of the Ancient Explorer itinerary, a journey to ten captivating destinations aboard the custom-designed Four Seasons Private Jet. Over 24 remarkable days, guests experience the legendary wonders of the world like never before, from the Great Barrier Reef and the Pyramids to remote Easter Island and the Lost City of Petra.

The Four Seasons Private Jet will return to Jordan as part of the next Ancient Explorer journeys, from October 27 to November 19, 2022 and August 16 to September 16, 2023.

It is operated and sold by TCS World Travel, while the aircraft is operated by Titan Airways.

AMMAN — The Emirates Group, the world’s largest international airline, and dnata, a leading global air and travel services provider, is calling for information technology (IT) and tech professionals in Jordan to join their company at an invite-only info session to be held November 8 in Amman.

According to a statement from event organisers, any IT professional who wishes to be shortlisted for the session and meet the Group’s IT specialists and Recruitment team, to register using this link.

Over the next few months, the group is looking to recruit more than 800 IT experts for a range of roles in software engineering, DevOps, hybrid cloud, Agile delivery, technical product management, digital workplace, cybersecurity, IT architecture, innovation and service management, the statement said, also noting that additional training is available for company employees.

Adel Al Redha, Chief Operating Officer, said: "As a global airline, we’re looking for continuous product improvements and efficiency across our operations, and are investing in tomorrow to take advantage of technological evolution and to upskill our employees. We are keen to attract talent to be part of our IT workforce. We have an array of exciting and challenging tech and innovation projects in the pipeline, some of which will shape many of our day-to-day processes and activities. We know these will form the bedrock of dream careers for tech professionals.”

AMMAN — Over 300 healthcare professionals from India, the Middle East, and Africa joined international experts to share knowledge and best practice about the importance of taking a multidisciplinary approach to manage type 2 diabetes (T2D) at the ‘CRM 360 Meeting’.

The meeting was hosted by Boehringer Ingelheim, one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies, and took place in Dubai on October 21-22.

Key topics included the latest guidelines on treatment adherence, focusing on the burden of chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular disorder associated with type 2 diabetes.

The CRM 360 Meeting was presented by international speakers from Finland and the UK. The meeting was moderated by leading specialists, including Adel El Etriby, Professor of Cardiology at Ain Shams University in Egypt; Khalid Almatham from Saudi Arabia; and Jalal Nafach, American Board-Certified Endocrinologist, University of Nebraska Medical Centre in Nebraska in the US.