Akshay LambaAl Futtaim Technologies
Akshay Lamba is the leader for strategic businesses and new initiatives for Al Futtaim Technologies. He has a commendable background in the telecommunication vertical across the globe including his last stint in the region as part of the business and technology consulting team leading KPMG’s telecommunications practice. Prior to joining Al Futtaim, Lamba has led high impact, strategic initiatives, for large telecommunications, financial services and consulting organisations in US, Canada, India and Middle East.
Lamba’s forte has been in the build-up of innovative business models, with a focus on creating sustainable competitive business advantage. Leveraging on strategic partnerships for both, in-house services delivery and joint go-to-market constructs. Akshay has been associated with innovative projects such as the first large IT outsourcing deal in the telecommunications industry, extending enterprise data to mobile platforms and leading edge costing methodologies within the telcom arena.
Akshay's stint with telecommunications networks began within academic environments over a decade ago, in India and the US. His research on heterogeneous telecoms and data network environments at the University of Michigan built the foundation for creating business models for IT and value added services in telecoms companies, as part of his MBA research work.
Jawad AbbassiFounder & General Manager
Arab Advisors Group
Jawad Abbassi has more than 10 years experience in the fields of telecommunications, internet and datacommunications. As General Manager of Arab Advisors Group, Abbassi directs the research and consulting activities of the company in addition to steering its marketing operations. Abbassi led and coordinated Arab Advisors Group's research projects to date in addition to overseeing the research reports and literature produced by the team. Abbassi is a frequent guest speaker at conferences and seminars related to technology and communications in the Arab World.
Milan SallabaHead of Office
Oliver Wyman, Dubai
Milan Sallaba is a senior Partner and lead practitioner in Oliver Wyman’s Communication, Media and Technology vertical in Dubai. Oliver Wyman is an international management consulting firm with deep industry knowledge and specialised expertise to deliver sustained shareholder value growth. Milan has over 15 years of consulting experience primarily focusing on the telecoms space, and today serves as personal advisor to selected senior executives of client organisations across the globe.
Milan's experience spans strategy development, operational launches and improvement programmes for both fixed and mobile players, covering a broad spectrum of technologies, and he has deep expertise in project management and implementation. Now working across the Middle East and Africa, Milan has been able to build a solid understanding of local environments and their peculiarities, and his perspective frequently draws on comparisons and contrasts from the insights he gained through his longstanding international career.
As a widely acknowledged industry expert, Milan comments live on television news channels including the BBC, CNN and Sky, and is a frequent speaker at leading industry conferences