Waheed Y . Khayyat , CIO of United Cooperative Assurance , discusses how his firm is utilising technology amidst transformation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

W ith the role of a Chief Information Officer ( CIO ) transforming on a daily basis due to the speed at which technology is evolving , it has become , now more than ever , increasingly vital to embrace and leverage the latest trends in order to achieve an edge over the competition . For Waheed Y . Khayyat , CIO of United Cooperative Assurance ( UCA ), the importance of adopting and utilising new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence ( AI ), Data Analytics ( including predictive analytics ) and Blockchain ahead of rivals cannot be underestimated . “ For these technologies to succeed in its implementation , and to realize their benefits and ROI for an organization , there is a great importance for talent and knowledge management . I believe those two key areas are necessary for any organisation in order to remain competitive ,” he says . “ The change in technology over the past few years is huge . Everyone ’ s talking about AI , IoT , data and data science all of a sudden . However , just a few years ago , these weren ’ t big topics and IT departments inside organisations