About the 20th Annual Regional Audit Conference

The 10th Chief Executive Conference themed “Beyond All Barriers” will be held from November 16th – 18th, 2021 at Atlantis The Palm Hotel Dubai. The 10th CAE conference is a premier conference of the UAE Internal Audit Association (UAE IAA) and is being helf live and face-to-face after a gap of almost 2 years.

The conference will aim to give an insight on what the profession could look like in 20-30 years. This would require speakers who are doing extra ordinary things in the world of auditing using AI, Robotics, Fraud, Ethics, Economy, Business, Banking, etc.

What are the skills that our auditors/CAEs/CFO/CEOs will need to ensure that they are ready for the future? We must prepare them today. As the saying goes, in the digital future, value will lie in what makes us human. Leaders will need to demonstrate emotional and cultural intelligence, innovative and agile leadership styles, and our auditors must become not just digitally savvy, but literate in both existing and emerging technologies. Our future professionals need mental courage and perspective to cut through the noise of today, challenge paradigms and old mental models and assumptions, plan for multiple futures for the company of tomorrow, and work in and lead a workforce of different generations, cultures, employment models and compositions

Targeting professionals from the Middle East & North Africa region, the conference will give the delegates a great opportunity to interact with the who’s who and hear some great speakers and professionals who have in them the ability to influence change in the profession.

This is your chance to experience an event which is prepared by keeping in mind the way the upcoming future will influence the world of internal audit. With an opportunity to network with professionals and leaders, do not miss out on the chance to note the upcoming trends in technology which will reshape internal audit in the days ahead. Visit our key partners, sponsors and exhibitors and you will be surprised at how much they have to offer. Interact with them on a one-to-one and get to know their offerings to help you succeed.

To enable you to maintain your IIA certifications and qualifications, the conference provides an opportunity to earn up to 15 Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credit hours over the 2 main days of the conference. Earn an additional 6 CPEs when you attend the pre-conference workshops.

Last but not the least, enjoy your stay in the vibrant city of Dubai. Record-breaking architecture stands alongside traditional quarters, while man-made islands just out of the striking coastline. Dubai has turned into an international destination connect the West to East. Enjoy the experience from famous tourist destinations such as Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building or relaxing on pristine beaches or dashing off to the dunes for an adventure. Experience this and much more.

Anthony Pugliese

IIA President and CEO

Anthony J. Pugliese is president and CEO of The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), the internal audit profession’s most widely recognized advocate, educator, and provider of standards, guidance, and certifications. Over a career spanning more than 30 years, Pugliese has been a strategic, hands-on leader, directed strategic expansions into major global markets, pioneered innovative educational initiatives aimed at enhancing members’ professional growth, overseen the internal audit function of a major organization, and defined cultural norms toward greater diversity, equity, and inclusiveness (DE&I). As CEO of The IIA, he drives the vision and management of a nearly 80-year-old organization with 200,000 members, 156 chapters, and 112 affiliates in nearly 200 countries and territories. His focus is on enhancing membership services, creating new approaches to learning and competency development programs, fulfilling The IIA’s multimillion-dollar digital transformation initiative, and enhancing the value of internal audit, particularly in its role of addressing organizational risks and opportunities.

Alexander Williams

Director, Future Economy- Corporate Strategic Affairs Sector – Department of Economic Development and Tourism

Alexandar Williams is the Director of Future Economy, Department of Economic  Development, Dubai. His responsibilities include conceptualizing strategic initiatives for Dubai’s future economy, business  community engagement and fostering strategic partnerships.

He has deep experience and expertise in future sense making, technology start-ups & SME development, life cycle dynamics of firm growth, and economic, industrial & skills development policies for national development.

Alexandar holds a BA from the National  University of Singapore and a MSc in Public Policy and Administration from the London School of Economics.

Mohammed Tarik

Head of Quality, Services & Performance Department at Emirates NBD

Mohammed Tarik has 15 years of international experience within the financial services industry. He has worked as a consultant on large-scale transformation initiatives such as Digital & Agile transformations, Revamp of Operating Models / Policies / Processes. Currently heading the Quality, Services & Performance department at Emirates NBD since 2018.

Mohammed Tarik graduated from ENIB (M. Eng) and Ecole Centrale Paris (Post Graduate Masters) and obtained a certificate in Digital Transformation from MIT under Emeritus Program.

Laila Al Hadhrami

Lead “Oman Smart Cities and Governorates Project”

• Has 15+ years’ experience in Different National and global projects
• Lead “Oman Smart Cities and Governorates Project”
• Member of the National Program for AI and Advanced Technologies, MTCIT
• A senior Executive Digital Trasnformation in eTransformation team in Ministry of Transport and Communications and Information Technology MTCIT,
• Director of Building Capacity in Smart City Platform smartoman.om
• Head of Executive team in OITS (Oman Information Technology Society) oits.om leading Aman cybersecurity initiative.
• Founder of Smart City Ambassadors
• Founder of Smart Omanuna Initiative
• ITU Innovation Challenges Winning ideas from the Ecosystem best practice challenge category 2020
• Oman Woman Award of the Year 2020 in Innovation & Technology
• Change Management Consultant for digital transformation teams.
• Founder of Change Management Community of Practice
• Lead Government Innovation Project
• Founder of @oman_traveler- First tourism account in Oman with more than 250 K followers.
• Author of different translated and written books
• Keynote Speaker in different local and global events.
• A jury and mentor member participated in different competitions around the world.

Dr. Anuraag Guglaani

Partner- Strategy, Transformation, Technology & Cyber Security @ UHY James Chartered Accountants and Management Consulting

Ph.D( Entrepreneurial Skills), B.Engg( Electronics), MBA( Finance and Marketing), EMBA( Strategy and Transformation), CISM(ISACA USA), CGEIT(ISACA USA), CDPSE (ISACA USA)

• Recipient of TOP 100 Change Maker 2020 Award
• Speaker at Investment, Finance, Retail and Technology Forums
•  Judge at Start-ups and various business contests
•  Over and above his academic qualifications, Dr. Anuraag Guglaani has undergone a three years training to become an Armed Forces Officer and Fighter Pilot at the prestigious National Defence Academy.
•  Further to that, he has been a Gulf veteran, having lived in UAE/Saudi/Qatar and Oman while being instrumental in Strategizing and Implementing change for large family business groups to Enhance Profitability, Accelerate Growth, Turnaround underperforming businesses, Expand Globally, Undertake Organizational/Digital Transformation and Mitigate Operational/Technology Risk

Frederik Bisberg

Business Professional and Author

Bisbjerg (born 1973 in Denmark) is a highly respected international business
developer with expertise in digital transformation and business model innovation. His proven and numerous successes with worldwide business transformations comes from his belief in enabling and empowering people to execute on the change strategies.

He is Executive Director, Digitization at Daman National Health Insurance company, one of
the largest insurers in the GCC countries, where he oversees the company’s digital transformation initiatives, building a ‘digital-first’ flexible and resilient insurance company Besides Daman, he holds the position as Head of MENA and Digital Transformation specialist with the Digital Insurer, the world’s largest knowledge base on digital insurance with more than 35,000 active members. With the Digital Insurer, he is part of the World’s first mini-MBA in Digital Insurance, where he lecturers in the topics of Strategy and Transformation, Big Data and Best Practice Tech Architectures.

Based in the Middle East since 2013, he’s a sought-after keynote speaker and expert for
local and international business innovation and development, working with companies seeking to leverage digital opportunities Frederik has strong business acumen and is recognized for his ability to build businesses and create new, often previously unseen, alliances between business partners for mutual benefits; a skill refined and honed through many years of working  internationally for a toptier management consulting firm.

He’s and author on Insurance _Next, a practical guide on how to transform an incumbent insurer to a flexible, agile and resilient insurance company, prepared for the New Normal following the COIVD-19 outbreak.

Swamy Nunna

Strategy and Business Transformation

Swamy Nunna serves as Head of Risk and Audit for RMB Manufacturing Cos, one of the largest holding groups in the UAE. He is ex CFO for several manufacturing units in KSA, Qatar & India. Apart, he also serves as an Independent Director for various organizations.

Swamy is a qualified CPA, CMA, PMP, CISA, and certified Six Sigma Black Belt from IASSC, USA. He was part of the implementation of ISO 9001, 31000, 27001, GMP & DMAIC tools for several organizations and respective internal audits. Expertise in Process re-engineering, TQM, EPM, and Cost optimization projects.

He is an associate member of GCC Board Directors Institute and was associated with several local and international companies, particularly Indian navaratna BHEL, SASCO Group Qatar, Liz Claiborne USA, and Netherland MNC Dutch Arab Traders.

Abdulqader Obaid Ali

Chairman of the Board of UAE IAA

He led the Arabization projects of the “Certified Internal Auditor” (CIA) Certification as well as the “Sawyer’s Guide to Internal Auditing” and “COSO Framework”. He is also the winner of the prestigious Kano Medal Excellence Catalyst for the year 2011.   He has worked as Lead Assessor for the Dubai Quality Award, Dubai Government Excellence Program and King Abdullah II Award. He has served as Chair of the Jury for the Dubai Quality Award.   He is also the first UAE national recipient of the prestigious Wilfred Thesiger Award.

Michael Fucilli

Ex- Vice Chair of the Institute of Internal Auditors’ Board of Directors

Michael J. Fucilli (CIA, QIAL, CRMA, CGAP, CFE), is the CAE for a large Public Sector company with Revenues in excess of $15 billion. Mike has over 35 years of internal auditing experience that includes Financial Services, Public Sector, Inventory Management, Technology & SOX Reporting. Mike has an audit staff of 85 professionals and is on the Institute of Internal Auditors’ Research Foundation Board of Directors. He was recently on the IIA North American Board and Global Board. Mike is also an Adjunct Professor for Pace University where he teaches the IIA Learning System for the Certified Internal Auditor Exam.

Adil Buhariwalla

Partner, Internal Audit & Risk Consulting

Adil has extensive experience in internal audit, risk management, governance, and business process due diligence. He was vice president of internal audit at Emirates Group and managing partner at MASC International before becoming a partner for internal audit and risk consulting at Crowe Horwath. Buhariwalla has been active in The IIA since 1997; he is a member of the Committee of Research and Education Advisors and former vice-chairman of the Internal Auditing Standards Board. He was also a founding member and president of The IIA’s Dubai Chapter. Buhariwalla has been voted among the top speakers on internal auditing topics, including at The IIA’s GAM, All Star, and International Conferences.

Ben David

District Attorney, USA

Ben David has served as an elected District Attorney since 2004 and has been unopposed in the last four elections. He is a past president of the NC Conference of District Attorneys and
currently holds executive office in the National District Attorney’s Association, chairing the
commission on community outreach.

Ben has served on the Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism, the Governor’s Gang Task Force, and is a founding member of Law Enforcement Leaders to Reduce Crime and Incarceration. He currently co-chairs the Chief Justice’s Task Force on ACEs-Informed Courts focuses on making court officials more trauma informed. He has traveled extensively to over 50 countries and has served as a delegate on the American Council of Young Political Leaders.

Ben is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Florida (1992) and graduated in the top 10 percent of his class from Wake Forest University School of Law. He was an associate attorney in the trademark litigation section of the Intellectual Property group at Petree Stockton (now Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton) before joining the District Attorney’s Office in 1999.

Ben is the author of many articles that have appeared in magazines, newspapers, and journals. His book, Crime and Community in the Cape Fear: A Prosecutor’s Guide to a Healthier Hometown, was published in 2020. Ben is an adjunct professor at the University of North Carolina – Wilmington, and a certified instructor for law enforcement. He has served as a keynote speaker for numerous national and international conferences. Ben provides commentary on criminal justice issues on nationally broadcast television programs including the Today Show, PBS News Hour, and Dateline NBC.

To learn more visit Benjaminrdavid.com.

Mohamed Roushdy

Chief Information Officer

Multi-faceted information technology professional with more than 20 years of extensive experiences in different industries and business segments, financial services (conventional, Islamic), conglomerate, real estate, consulting/advisory services and software services, attaining 15 years’ experience as a Chief Information Officer (CIO) and CXO advisor in leading organisations in GCC. Demonstrated success leading and fostering teams in completing major business and digital transformation programs conforming to unique and challenging goals and timelines while keeping Customer Experience CX and Innovations as a key pillar. Nominated as one of the top 50 CIO’s in Middle East at the IDC CIO Summit 2021, top 50 Digital leaders in Middle East CXO50 by CXO insights Middle east in 2020, top 50 CIO’s in the Middle East by CNME magazine in 2012, and as Manchester Business School Distinguished Ambassador of the Middle East Centre where obtained MBA degree focusing on strategy management. Distinguished speaker at major regional and international conferences about Fintech, Proptech and disruptive technologies Blockchain, AI, IOT and Big Data, as well one of the main Fintech and Digital Banking contributors in the Middle East through TV and business portals interviews, and member of the Arab Monetary Fund (AMF) Fintech Working Group (FWG). Proven technology leader equipped with advanced communication and interpersonal skills, fluent in both English and Arabic. Technically proficient in multiple back office solutions, core banking, ERP, digital platforms and digital solutions spanning across different industries.

Giridhar L.S.

CEO, Robotech Solutions

Giridhar served as Director for Ernst & Young before joining as the CEO of Robotech solutions with 22 years of experience.

Giridhar is a Chartered Accountant from Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and a certified Information Systems Auditor, with more than 15 years of experience in Information Systems, Security and Accounting engagements with Ernst and Young. Giridhar was involved as an ERP implementation consultant for small and medium business enterprises prior to joining Ernst & Young.

Giridhar has contributed in various ERP integrity, application controls review and information systems audit related engagements in the banking / finance, manufacturing, industrial, insurance and oil / gas industries. His experience spans in the areas of  external audit, internal audit, IS/IT audit, IS security reviews, SOX404 implementation, developing Business Continuity Plans, IT Due Diligence, Data Analytics using Computer Assisted Audit Techniques (CAATs) RPA, data visualization and business process reviews.

Giridhar has been leading the MENA innovation projects in the areas of RPA and custom analytics. He Independently managed the Information Systems Audit of major clients (Banks, Insurance and multinationals) with complex IT environment.

Giridhar also has experience in training an offshore team on DA audits from creation to delivery. In the process achieving cost savings and gross margin improvements.

Indumon Das

Founder & Managing Director

An entrepreneur and an award-winning helmsman of Beinex Consulting – the group constituting six firms spread across three continents – Indumon Das has end-to-end experience in architecting, guiding, leading, and implementing solutions in Analytics, AI, and Machine Learning for the spheres of GRC, Risk & Audit Transformation as well as Digital Transformation.

He is a product champion for Auraa – Augmented Risk and Audit Analytics – a unique single platform solution for Integrated Risk Management, Governance, Audit, Compliance, and Analytics functions that streamlines risk and audit verticals for enterprises worldwide.

A thought leader who regularly interacts and inspires the next generation of promising entrepreneurs and problem solvers, Indumon is a regular invitee to premier industry-defining forums marking tectonic shifts in times. He finds himself deeply engaged in productive conversations in those arenas with visionaries who strive for permanent positive change.

Azzah Fawzi

Middle East Risk Assurance Partner, Energy and ESG Reporting Lead, PwC Middle East

Azzah is a partner with PwC Middle East and leads the firm’s Risk Services for ESG and the Energy, Utilities and Resources Sector across the Middle East. She is based in the UAE and has 25 years experience in delivering risk assurance and consulting advice to Energy, Oil & Gas, and Government clients around the world, including the US and GCC. She has worked across the entire energy supply value chain including marketing and shipping, new venture exploration, venture projects, operations, subsurface and reservoir engineering directly within organisations.

Rashid Khursheed

ESG Reporting Assurance Leader, PwC Middle East

Rashid Khursheed is an experienced partner with PwC and specialise in audit and assurance related services. Rashid leads PwC’s ESG reporting assurance practice for the Middle East.

Rashid has been with PwC for over 20 years, 16 of which have been spent servicing clients in the UAE. Rashid has considerable experience of providing audit and assurance services to high profile multi-national, regional, governmental and family owned businesses. Rashid has advised a number of our high profile clients on ESG reporting strategy and assurance, complex transactions such as: acquisitions, divestments, capital raise, debt restructuring, group reorganisation, valuations etc.

Alok Bishnoi

Partner – Risk Advisory

Alok Bishnoi is leading Risk Advisory Services in UAE for MBG Corporate Services. He has 20+ years on experience in Risk Advisory, Internal Audit, Enterprise Risk Management, Corporate Governance, Strategy, Business Process Re-engineering, Financial Reporting, Budgeting and Finance & Accounts. He has successfully led large teams to provide quality deliverables on a timely basis. He is an Indian Chartered Accountant with 10+ years of experience in the Middle East.

He has extensively worked for sectors such as Healthcare, Education, Oil & Gas, Manufacturing, Utilities, Investment, Transportation, Infrastructure, Financial Services, etc. in India, UAE, Qatar, KSA, US, Singapore, Europe and Africa. Alok has helped multiple investors in their quest for growth and expansion through successful Mergers and Acquisitions across the globe. He has also helped companies to create and implement a comprehensive business strategy. Alok is regular speaker and author for various publications and forums.

Khaled Al Huraimel

Group Chief Executive Officer

Khaled Al Huraimel is the Group Chief Executive Officer of Bee’ah, and has served in this capacity since August 2009. Under his leadership, Bee’ah has transformed from a waste management company to a sustainability pioneer that is setting new benchmarks for quality of life across the MENA region.

Khaled has been the driving force behind Bee’ah’s vision for the future, facilitating the achievement of several remarkable milestones, such as the company’s expansion into Egypt and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as well as
building the first waste-to-energy plant in the UAE through the Emirates Waste to Energy Company, a joint venture with Masdar. He has founded new ventures ION, the first sustainable transport company in the UAE; and founded EVOTEQ to lead digital transformation through the creation of disruptive, technological platforms.

Khaled is a regular contributor for leading media publications in the UAE, and is often quoted in the press for comments on sustainability, digitalisation, alternative energy and the environment. He has also spoken at various international events and conferences.

Khaled graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing, from King Fahd University, and an MBA from the University of Bradford. He also graduated from the Harvard Business School’s prestigious Senior Executive Leadership Program and the Dubai Leaders Programme at the Wharton Business School.

HE Dr Talal Abu-Ghazaleh

CEO and Founder

Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Group

Talal Abu-Ghazaleh is the chairman and founder of the international Jordan-based organisation, the Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization (TAG-Org). Dubbed as the godfather of Arab accounting, Abu-Ghazaleh has also been credited for promoting the significance of Intellectual Property in the Arab region.

Ramakrishnan Viswanathan (Ramki)

Managing Director & FS Tech Leader

Ramki comes with over 23 years of diversified experience in the financial services sector across Banking, Technology & Consulting of which ~13 years have been in this region. He is currently working as a Managing Director with Protiviti and heading the FS technology practice in the region.

Ramki is a banking domain expert with good understanding of Retail and Wholesale Banking functions and comes with rich experience of working with most of the Conventional and Islamic banks in the region to formulate and execute their strategy. He has successfully delivered several multi-million dollar business led technology transformation in the past and is now working with several clients on their digital transformation agenda leveraging the Fintech ecosystem. He is also involved with a lot of Fintech entities in his personal capacity as a strategic advisor to their management / funders.

He has a good working relationship with most of the product vendors, fintech solution providers, cloud service providers and alliance partners at the C-Suite level. He has been instrumental in establishing transaction banking practice in his previous firms and in growing the banking technology banking practice from running PMO to include all the functional domains & SI capabilities. Currently involved in growing the FS Technology Practice within Protiviti by launching new service offerings leveraging the FinTech ecosystem and alliance partners to deliver end-to-end value proposition to Financial Institutions in the region. He is a self-motivated individual with entrepreneurial mindset and proven ability to connect at all levels within a client organization.

He started as a transaction banker with Citigroup and have worked in other banks like HDFC and ABN Amro in India and South Asia. Before moving to the region, had worked with i-flex implementing their Flexcube Universal Banking Solution for banks in SEA, Far East. In this region, before Protiviti, have worked with Accenture, Deloitte, and Cedar in their FS & Technology consulting practice.

Ramki holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce from a leading university in India, master’s in business administration with specialization in finance from a leading business school in India. Also hold the CWA-I certification from ICWAI and a diploma in Computers from NIIT in India.

Firas Haddad

Partner, Internal Audit, Risk & Compliance

Firas is a Partner in the Advisory practice of KPMG Lower Gulf Limited.

Firas has over 20 years of audit and business advisory experience. Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) and a member in the Institute of Internal Auditors and in the Information Systems Audit and Control Association.

Relevant Experience:

• Firas has worked extensively in the development, design, and had led a range of risk advisory services to clients in the UAE with primary focus on Government and State Owned Entities. The scope of services provided ranges from Internal Audit Advisory work related to setting up internal audit departments, complete outsourcing and co-sourcing with in-house internal audit departments and other Business Control and Enterprise Risk Solutions.
• He has managed a portfolio of finance process outsourcing contracts with clients in various industries including: Telecommunications, Manufacturing, Media and Trading. Tasks included the following:
• Supervision of the engagement personnel,
• Proper understanding of the internal   controls implemented by the client and identifying the related risks and weaknesses, to help in developing internal policies and procedures to mitigate the identified risks

Maryam Zaman

Partner, Head of Governance, Compliance, and Internal Audit for Financial Services, KPMG Lower Gulf

Maryam has over 17 years of Advisory experience with KPMG. Prior to joining KPMG Lower Gulf, Maryam had 4 years of experience in providing Internal Audit, Corporate Governance, Business Process Improvement, Valuation, and Structured Finance related advisory services in KPMG in the United States.

Relevant Experience:

• Maryam has led more than 100 Internal Audit projects for local UAE clients across multiple sectors including banking and financial services,  insurance, government entities, free zones, financial services, etc.
• She has conducted more than 50 comprehensive corporate governance reviews by benchmarking the CG framework with leading practices from developed markets as well as regulations including Central Bank Regulations, SCA regulations, Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, King IV Code, UK CoCG and OECD Guidelines. She has managed various Corporate Governance assignments that have included developing CG manuals, Management Committee Charters, Code of Ethics, Company Secretary Policies and Procedures, Insider Trading Policies, Fraud Risk Management as well as Share Dealings Manual.
• She has conducted more than 10 Board Effectiveness Reviews in the UAE wherein she provided value-added insights on how Boards can enhance their structures, composition, operations, oversight over key control functions, and promote active participations amongst all board members.

Siddharth Behal

Partner, Head Governance, Risk and Compliance Services, KPMG Lower Gulf

Siddharth is a Partner in the Advisory practice of KPMG Lower Gulf with a particular focus on the consumer markets, retail, ecommerce, hospitality, logistics, media and IT/ITS sectors. His current leadership role entails assisting clients in their risk management and internal control assessment initiatives. Siddharth has been with KPMG for over 14 years and has over 20 years of overall work experience.  He is a Chartered Accountant from India as well has done his CPA from USA.

His clients have included Unilever, Castrol, Colgate, Novartis, Emaar, RTA, Union Coop, Miral, Meeras, Reliance Retail, Shoppers Stop, Flipkart, Ebay, Blue Dart Express, Aramex, Mattel Toys, Walt Disney, Sony Television, Hexaware Technologies, WNS Holdings, Dubai Tourism, Bateel, Cravia, Agthia Group, ESI, Strata, ITC, ADNOC, Emirates Steel etc.

Representative Client Experience

• Siddharth leads multiple engagements for clients in Internal Audit, Model Business Processes, Enterprise Risk Management, ICOFR, Process reengineering, COSO implementation and other Risk Advisory services.
• Siddharth’s portfolio of clients in UAE includes EMAAR (Enterprise Risk Management across hospitality, malls and properties), Meraas Holding & Miral (Standard Operating Procedures), Bateel (Risk Assessment, Internal Audit, Delegation of Authority), Union Coop & Planet Pharmacies (Internal Audit), Intigral (ICOFR implementation), DTCM (ERM), ADNOC, Agthia, NPCC, Strata, Emirates Steel (COSO implementation, SOPs), Modern Bakery (IA, DOA & SOPs), Novartis, Colgate (Dealer reviews) etc.
• Siddharth has worked expensively in rolling out the legal compliance solution in India and is leading the same in UAE.