Flair Magazine As an extension of the Narrative Summit series, CC Plus recently held a Disruptors event on April 14th at the Nile Ritz Carlton. Under the Auspices of the Ministry of Communications & Information Technology and the Ministry of State for Emigration & Egyptian Expatriates’ Affairs, Narrative Disruptors brought under one roof a prominent lineup of speakers pioneering in digital transformation. The topics tackled revolved around migration into the era of IOT, artificial intelligence and reaching financial inclusion. Here is the scoop on this high-powered event.
Talking about the implementation of disruptive business models, the CEO of Orange Egypt Yasser Shaker said, “Many companies have become new empires governing the world. Technology and digital transformation are the sectors that control the global economy.” After playing a significant role in the technology sector for over 20 years, Shaker was promoted to CEO of Orange Egypt in 2018 after being the Senior VP Orange Middle East and Africa (OMEA). He explained the concept of how disruption is human nature since no one can be satisfied in staying exactly the same way for too long.
On the digitization of Egypt’s economy and reaching the mainstream audience, Eng. Ibrahim Sarhan commented, “Digital transformation is a state strategy that is currently being implemented in partnership with all sectors with the aim of providing citizens with special services through electronic transactions.” With extensive experience of almost thirty years, Sarhan is currently the Chairman & Managing Director of E-finance. He recognized the Disruptors event as a significant platform for spreading the culture of digital transformation and supporting initiatives to spread awareness on the importance of technology.
An undeniable highlight of the event was the speech by Karim Shafei about the value of preserving history and harnessing it for the future. “Disruption cannot come from the top down. Instead, it is up to us to harness the changes happening on a societal level to create inspiring solutions,” he said. As Chairman & CEO of Al Ismaelia Real Estate Investment, he talked about the role of the company in reviving Downtown Egypt and their awe-inspiring renovation projects.
Founder of Art D’Egypt Nadine Abdel Ghaffar also talked about the power to change the status quo. In a world where people just stereotype Egyptian art as Pharaonic art, she talked about our opportunity to introduce modern and contemporary art to the global scene, since “Egypt’s image-building lies within our hands.” With her interest and dedication to art and design, Nadine expressed her commitment to document Egypt’s modern art heritage and promote Egyptian art.
In a panel moderated by Hany Mahmoud, the former Minister of Communication and Technology in Egypt, Blerta Allko stated, “The social security program is characterized by its efficiency and can be considered a stepping stone towards financial inclusion of women, as Egypt implements the cash transfer program, Takaful and Karama.” If you don’t know who Blerta is, she is the UN Women Country Representative in Egypt, a passionate professional that brings over 22 years of experience along with new perspectives on how to transform intersecting gender-related issues in Egypt.
Last but definitely not least, another panel discussed the process of stepping up and finding your disruptive edge. Moderated by author and screenwriter Ahmed Mourad, the panel featured powerful people in the creative industry, including managing director of Nile Radio Hala Hegazi, actor Asser Yassin and designer Maha Al Sagheer. The main highlight was Yassin talking about his serendipitous story that pushed him towards acting and the fundamental need to take risks in order to become a disruptor.
By Sarah Guirguis
