In an exclusive interview with Telecom Review, Salvador Anglada, CEO, e& enterprise, shares his company’s ambitious path toward innovation and their endeavors to be a market leader in line with e&’s overall digital transformation mission.
How has e& enterprise’s journey been in 2023, and how have you contributed to the digital services landscape in the region?
e& enterprise has had a strong year in 2023, with significant progress in contributing to the digital transformation landscape by helping businesses adopt new digital technologies and supporting them to drive their transformation journey, technology disruption and enhanced security for businesses across the UAE and region. Through our expanding footprint, we have delivered growth, formed partnerships and created value for the group and all its stakeholders. Our innovative value propositions have enabled more sustainable developments, safer cities, better government services, connected healthcare, enriched education, the future of banking, highly automated industries, manufacturing and logistics.
We continued on our ambitious path of innovation and mission of becoming a market leader, remaining aligned with e&’s overall digital transformation from telco to a techco. The focus was on supporting large-scale enterprises in optimizing operational efficiencies, increasing customer engagement and empowering data-driven decision-making by enabling seamless, sustainable and secure transitions into the ever-evolving digital era while driving scale, revenue growth and operational excellence.
Our innovative digital solutions brought business value and addressed the specific challenges of organizations across industries seeking to maximize their digital capabilities. With our ability to deploy and operate complex solutions and the most resilient and flexible infrastructure in the region, we supported organizations to co-create and successfully navigate their end-to-end digital transformation journey and turn their vision into reality.
With sustainability a key focus area for businesses today, how do you think the businesses have evolved, and how are you supporting them to future-proof their business models?
Businesses today cannot afford the cost of not being sustainable. Taking proactive steps to make sustainability a central aspect of their strategic choices is imperative for future-proofing their business models. Embracing sustainability not only ensures compliance but also creates positive environmental and socio-economic impact, meeting the customer expectations of a responsible and forward-thinking business.
To tackle these sustainability challenges and realize the competitive advantage and impact that it brings, businesses must work within the right ecosystem of partners to drive value and integrate sustainability into their overall propositions. Today, no business can solve sustainability challenges on its own; collaborations and partnerships are the way forward. This is our mantra for the journey ahead with our customers and partners. As a global community, we need to embrace digital technology to create solutions that build symbiotic relationships between businesses, helping to remove roadblocks and speed up our sustainability efforts. Our core mission is to be a partner of choice for government and large companies that aim at working together towards a sustainable future, leveraging technology and innovative solutions.
Specifically catering to enterprise-level sustainability challenges, e& enterprise has embraced this transformation chapter, taking a crucial role in supporting companies in shaping a sustainable future through the use of technology. Innovation, transformation, and sustainability are more interconnected than ever, and e& enterprise is acting swiftly to address the need for sustainable transformation.
Sustainability isn’t an end state but a factor that will have to be embedded in the strategy of every company. To support companies more effectively in their transformation journey, we are intensifying our commitment to putting technology at the service of sustainability, working closely with partners like Microsoft and others, deepening our understanding of business requirements and designing solutions to help organizations deliver on their sustainability agenda.
One example of this is our collaboration with the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) for its Smart District. As part of DMCC’s Smart & Sustainable Strategy, DMCC and e& enterprise partnered to transform Jumeirah Lake Towers into a Smart District by implementing various smart city technologies focused on addressing the challenges related to fulfilling sustainability objectives. The solutions deployed integrated smart buildings, street lighting, waste management, parking, and environmental monitoring, resulting in reduced field operations, lower energy consumption while improving service utilization, and transforming JLT into the region’s first smart and sustainable district.
Moving forward, what are your priorities, and what can we look forward to in the company's future?
The future of e& enterprise is truly promising, filled with innovation, expansion, and a commitment to digital excellence. Our journey forward is characterized by several key elements that define our vision.
We are looking at expansion and a broader global reach. While we've established a strong presence in the UAE, KSA and Egypt, our ambition is to take our digital expertise to a global audience. This expansion will enable us to work with diverse industries, addressing unique challenges on a larger scale.
Staying at the forefront of technology is fundamental to our future endeavors. We're deeply invested in emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things (IoT), Cloud and Cybersecurity. Research and development will play a pivotal role as we strive to push the boundaries of what's possible in the digital landscape.
Sustainability is a core element of our vision. We're committed to creating and implementing digital solutions that positively impact the environment. This sustainability drive will extend across various sectors, including healthcare, smart cities, and more.
The healthcare sector holds immense potential for digital transformation. We're focused on expanding our healthcare offerings, leveraging IoT and AI to enhance patient care, streamline operations, and improve the overall healthcare experience.
Artificial Intelligence, particularly ChatGPT, is revolutionizing customer support and interactions. We'll continue to innovate in this domain, offering advanced solutions such as Converse-AI. These innovations aim to elevate customer experiences while driving operational efficiency.
Industry 4.0 is another area where we're deeply involved. Our partnership with Maxbyte in Industry 4.0 solutions exemplifies our commitment to reshaping manufacturing and digitalization. We aim to be at the forefront of this transformative wave, collaborating with industries to implement smart and efficient processes.
As AI becomes more integrated into our daily lives, ethical considerations become increasingly important. We'll continue to advocate for the responsible use of AI, addressing issues like bias and privacy, to ensure that AI benefits society.
Education and training are crucial components of our strategy. To realize our vision, we need a skilled workforce. Therefore, we're planning to invest in the next generation and training programs to nurture talent in fields like AI, IoT, and other digital technologies.
Lastly, collaboration is key to innovation. We're actively seeking partnerships with research institutions and universities to expand the boundaries of what's possible in the digital landscape.
Our future is marked by expansion, technological innovation, sustainability, healthcare transformation, AI-driven solutions, Industry 4.0 leadership, ethical AI, education, and research collaboration. We're thrilled to embark on this journey and contribute to a smarter, safer, and more sustainable world through digital excellence.
