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Saeed Al Tayer invited to the World Economic Forum

Professor Klaus Schwab visits Dewa and briefed on Dewa’s best practices in digitisation and adopting the Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, managing director and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa), received Professor Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum (WEF), who extended an invitation to Al Tayer to attend the forum in Davos from May 22 to May 26, 2022. Professor Schwab was also briefed on Dewa’s best practices in digitisation and adopting the Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies.

Waleed bin Salman, executive vice-president (EVP) of Business Development and Excellence; Marwan bin Haidar, EVP of Innovation and the Future; and Dr Yousef Al Akraf, EVP of Business Support and Human Resources at Dewa, also attended the meeting.

Al Tayer welcomed Professor Klaus Schwab and highlighted Dewa’s key projects and initiatives to achieve the vision and directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. He said that the energy strategy in Dubai aligns with the wise leadership’s directives to expand clean energy projects and increase the use of Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies, digitisation, promote world-class infrastructure, the highest standards of reliability, efficiency, and availability, and accelerate investments in disruptive technologies.

Developing disruptive technologies

Al Tayer said that in line with DEWA’s efforts to keep pace with the Fourth Industrial Revolution and develop disruptive technologies in power and water, it joined the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution of the WEF as a partner in 2018. Dewa is the first government utility to join the San Francisco-based centre to keep up with the rapid developments, anticipate opportunities and challenges, and develop long-term proactive plans and disruptive technologies. Collaborative areas include Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain technologies, autonomous mobility, and drones. Dewa also aims to participate in developing international policies and criteria related to Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies. This supports its vision to be a globally leading sustainable innovative corporation.

Al Tayer emphasised that Dewa’s plans are aligned with the most promising government strategies and plans, including the UAE Strategy for Artificial Intelligence 2031, which aims to develop an integrated system that employs AI in key areas in the UAE; the UAE Strategy for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, to strengthen the UAE’s position as a global hub towards achieving a competitive national economy that is based on knowledge, innovation, and future technological applications; and the Dubai 10X initiative, which mandates the Government of Dubai to lead the way to the future and make Dubai 10 years ahead of other cities through government innovation and redefining the traditional work mechanisms.

— muzaffarrizvi@khaleejtimes.com