3rd Annual Smart Data Summit puts the spotlight on big data-driven innovation

In a bid to stay competitive, companies across industries are generating a significant amount of data and utilizing different tools and techniques to gain useful insights. Against this backdrop, the Smart Data Summit that commenced today explored how organizations can harness the power of big data and analytics to derive maximum business value. Supported by Federal Competitiveness Statistics Authority (FCSA) and organized by global conference producers, Expotrade, the summit attracted over 300 senior IT, marketing and business intelligence specialists. The summit was opened by Dr Kai L. Chan, Special Adviser - National Competitiveness, Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority (FCSA). He delivered the keynote session on the topic using robust data and modelling to win Expo 2020. He emphasized upon the importance of data-driven analysis (DDA for policy and planning). Yousuf Mohammed Al Shaiba, Director - Smart Services Development Dept., Ajman Municipality & Planning Department took the discussion further during his session on creating a Smart Government, emphasizing on the smart services offered by Ajman Municipality. The summit saw over 20 prominent experts and sector specialists including Mohammad Shokoohi-Yekta, Data Scientist, Apple; Sayan Dasgupta, Senior Data Scientist, LinkedIn; Usama Qasem, Regional Digital & Content Marketing Manager, IKEA and Michael Sultan, Senior…

Data science: how is it good for government?

By Tala El Issa via Wamda.com (15 May, 2016) All those zeros and ones - how can you make the most of them? (Image via Digitalgov.gov) “Understanding and innovating with data has the potential to change the way we do almost anything for the better,” said Barack Obama at the start of 2015. That’s why, he explained his administration established data.gov, a portal with almost 200,000 data sets open for the public. In 2015, DJ Patil became the first US data chief scientist. Patil believes data science can improve transparency, create efficiency and provide security. His team is using the data to extract insights for the health and social justice sectors. In a similar vein, Arab countries, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and most importantly UAE, are starting to endorse data policies into governance in the hope of creating knowledge-based societies. In fact, the UAE has developed an ‘open data portal’ that covers sectors including health, agriculture, and education. Kai Chan shares his advice on how government can utilize data. (Image via Kailchan.ca) Kai Chan is an economist and distinguished fellow at Abu Dhabi’s INSEAD, an innovation and policy initiative. He advises the UAE government on national competitiveness, especially in relation to…

Managing in today’s economy

At Institute of Management Technology Dubai, a panel of experts discussed management strategies for today's economy BY JEANETTE TEH | COMMENT | PUBLISHED: 28TH MARCH 2016 AT 12:53 Navigating the current times of uncertainty with low oil prices, a slowdown in economic growth, and geopolitical crises can provide challenges for management. At Institute of Management Technology Dubai last Tuesday, a panel of experts discussed management strategies for today’s economy. Global slowdown and its impact on corporate strategy The average growth rate in 2016 for the world is less than 3 per cent, with all countries growing at a slower pace than the previous year, including China whose slowdown will have effects reverberating across the globe. DP World director of global operations Patrick Bol described the current state of affairs as one wrought with ambiguity and uncertainty where markets act in a way that cannot be easily understood with data, and complexity is characterised by a new way of thinking that presents both challenges and opportunities. Within this global economic framework, IMT Dubai director Dr Rakesh Singh advised corporations to address strategic issues on three different levels: Managing macro-economic fundamentals into corporate strategy. It was also advocated during the panel discussion…

Need to look deeper into UAE’s global rankings

Decline in some key indexes fails to account for marked progress made elsewhere By Dr. Sami Mahroum and Dr. Kai L. Chan, Special to Gulf News [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="460"] Image Credit: Jose L. Barros/©Gulf News[/caption] Published: 07:24 March 23, 2016 With 2015 left behind and the new year ahead, it is a good time to pause and take stock of the UAE’s competitiveness as the country edges closer to 2021, and as the KPIs (key performance indicators) of the National Agenda loom closer. The UAE has set many of its development goals based on measures of competitiveness, as reported by third-party international organisations. These include the Global Competitiveness Report (GCR), Global Innovation Index (GII), Human Development Report (HDR), and the World Happiness Report (WHR). The big headline in 2015 was the oil shock: Crude price fell by half. Although the UAE economy is well diversified (oil counts for less than a third of gross domestic product, or GDP), a steep drop in the price of the country’s primary export has not gone unnoticed. Government coffers continue to rely heavily on oil revenues and, subsequently, public investments in large infrastructure projects slow down. The UAE is also impacted by low…

Emirates Business interview/profile

Web link: http://gulftimes.ae/success-lies-in-smart-strategies/ (Success lies in smart strategies (4 Feb 2016))

World Strategy Summit concludes in Abu Dhabi

ABU DHABI, 18th November 2015 (WAM) - Participants at the World Strategy Summit, which was held under the theme of ‘Strategic Leadership for the Future’, emphasized the importance of establishing an international platform for strategy, leadership, and innovation. This platform would contribute to building governmental and business sector leadership and would be based on a comprehensive vision to understand the nature of future opportunities and challenges. The platform could then be used to create measurable scientifically-based strategies that are flexible enough to tackle emerging changes to ensure sustainability. They also noted that the summit that was organized under the patronage of Lt. General HH Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, provided an opportunity for the world’s leading authorities to come together with senior businessmen and to discuss topics regarding strategy, leadership, and innovation. It also provided an unprecedented opportunity for governments and private companies to interact through the learning and exchange of ideas. This enables various competent parties to build strategic competencies to ensure a better future and to contribute to developing performance and enhancing their competitive edge. They also praised the interest of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and its efforts in…

Trudeau Cabinet reflects more diversity in new House

Trudeau Cabinet reflects more diversity in new House By CHRISTOPHER GULY | Published: Monday, 11/16/2015 12:00 am EST While women represent half of the 30-member Cabinet, they only account for 27 per cent of the Liberal caucus, or 50 of the record 88 female MPs elected from all five parties in this year’s election.   Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Cabinet might not perfectly reflect Canadian society, but it’s a better representation of the country’s diversity than the composition of the last Parliament, according to political economist and self-described “knowledge junkie” Kai Chan, an expatriate Canadian currently based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While he said that the share of female, minority, and French-speaking ministers in the new Liberal Cabinet, excluding Mr. Trudeau (Papineau, Que.) are essentially in line with their share in national demographics (at half, a quarter, and a quarter, respectively), there are no members from East Asian, black, Southeast Asian or Latin American communities, despite the fact those groups together account for 13 per cent of the Canadian population (and half of the minority population) with East Asians—the single largest ethnic minority group—representing 5.3 per cent. “There are also no Southeast Asians in the Liberal caucus, but…

The six workforce challenges you must tackle now

The six workforce challenges you must tackle now Author: Mark Townsend Something is stirring in the GCC. The flatlining oil price and the newfound maturity of many local economies are forcing organisations to think afresh about their business models, and to call time on the era of short-term, expat-reliant workforces in search of something more sustainable. But what does that mean for HR professionals and business leaders planning for the future? People Management speaks to a range of experts to build a comprehensive picture of the challenges organisations face in a reset GCC economy – and the innovative ways they are finding to flourish. 1 Find and develop talented nationals The GCC workforce faces profound challenges if it is to match the productivity levels of G20 economies: local businesses must be at the forefront of a drive to work both smarter and harder. But if their endeavours are to result in the widest possible and most sustainable prosperity, they must harness local talent at a time when the Emirates, Saudi Arabia and others are desperately trying to rebalance their economies away from oil and an over-reliance on the public sector. Dr Kai Chan, distinguished fellow at INSEAD’s Innovation and Policy…

Replace this archaic institution with a citizens’ senate

Replace this archaic institution with a citizens’ senate CLAUDIA CHWALISZ Contributed to The Globe and Mail Published Monday, Jun. 15, 2015 3:00AM EDT With the expenses scandal and the unpopular Bill C-51 being passed, the Canadian Senate has recently come under fire from the New Democratic Party and the Greens. After the Senate vote on C-51, NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair tweeted, “The unelected, under investigation Senate just passed #C51. Canadians can count on an #NDP government to repeal this dangerous law. #Abolish.” While the NDP has pledged to abolish the unelected, ever-growing institution for a long time, these recent events have reignited a new flame around the issue. With the party now leading in the polls, the chance of reform in the next Parliament is, for once, reasonable. Yet, what’s less clear is with what, if anything, the Senate will be replaced? Does the party want Canada to become a unicameral system, with only one legislative body? It seems this is implied, as calling for “reform” would maintain the need for a second chamber. While calling for unicameralism would be a mistake – it would reduce the government’s legitimacy due to lack of oversight – the more radical proposal of…

Minorities visibly absent in Canadian politics

Minorities Visibly Absent in Canadian Politics Written by  New Canadian Media Friday, 22 May 2015 12:58 by Mark A. Cadiz (@markacadiz) in Toronto Many Canadians boast about their country’s diversity. There is a sense of pride attached to it. Yet, when it comes to the foundation of Canada’s democracy, proportionate representation fails miserably. From municipal levels straight up the parliamentary halls of Ottawa, the demographic remains largely the same — middle-aged, white males. A study by macro economist, Kai L. Chan titled “Canada’s governing class: Who rules the country?”, reveals that as of September 2014 there were, “relative to the makeup of the [country’s] population, 107 ‘extra’ white males in Parliament, 64 ‘missing’ white females and 45 ‘missing’ minorities.”   “The numbers are the numbers . . . and the under-representation is relative to the general population,” Chan says. “I am not surprised by the findings, but it was interesting to note that women and minorities are equally under-represented relative to their levels in the population.” Chan, a government and public policy professional who moved from China to Toronto when he was four years old, conducted the study to highlight the political issues he felt were important to address in…