Registration & Morning Hour
Opening Address by Digital Insurance
Welcome Address & Chairman's Address
Dr. Bassel Hindawi, Senior Advisor and Board Member
Lead through Change
Panel: The Future of Digital Transformation: Unlocking Opportunities and Innovation in the MENA Insurance Market
Moderator:
· Mr. Frederik Bisbjerg, CEO | Senior advisor | Shaping the Future of Insurance
Panelists:
· Mr. Ayman Y. AL-Ajmi, Group Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Braxtone Group
· Ms. Ebtehal Tantawy, Chief Officer, Enterprise Project Management, AXA Egypt
· Dr. Nasser Aljehani, Senior Advisor to the CEO, Tawuniya
· Mr. Mohamed Seghir, Chief Executive Officer, HAYAH Insurance Company
· Mr. Siddhaarth (Sidd) Iyer, Head - Digital & CX (CDO), GIG Gulf
The CEO Panel: Lead the Change and Drive Growth in the Digital Age
Moderator:
· Mr. Philip Story, Chairman, DIFC Insurance Association & Senior Executive Officer & Head of Distribution EMEA, Investors Trust Assurance
Panelists:
· Mr. George Kabban, CEO, United Insurance Brokers (DIFC)
· Mr. Khaled Abd El Sadek, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, Mohandes Insurance
· Mr. Mohammad Danish Eqbal, Chief Executive Officer, Liberty Uganda & Chairman - Data & Analytics Committee (IAM Africa Regions), Standard Bank Group
· Mr. Hasheer P. Kottal, Senior Vice President, Bancassurance, Mashreq Bank
· Mr. Anuj Agarwal, Chief Executive Officer, Gulf General Cooperative Insurance Company (GGI)
Networking Coffee Break
The CIO/CTO/CDO Panel: Building a Digital-First Enterprise and Unlocking the Power of AI
Powered by Dark Horse Digital Solutions
Moderator:
· Mr. Narendra Shukla, MD & CEO, Dark Horse Digital Solutions
Panelists:
· Mr. Arsalan Iqbal, Head of Technology, GIG Gulf
· Mr. Anup Dhingra, Managing Director - FINPRO® India, Middle East, Africa (IMEA), Marsh
· Mr. Rakesh Sudhakaran, Chief Commercial Officer, SALAMA - Islamic Arab Insurance Company
· Mr. Prashant Vinod, Chief of Business and Delivery, A Tawuniya Company
QIC Ecosystem: how to create products which really matters to customers
Mr. Alibek Tnaliyev, Senior Vice President Business Development MENA Region, Qatar Insurance Group
Networking Luncheon
Chairman's Address
Mr. Abdullah Faisal Biary, Chief Information Security Officer, United Cooperative Assurance
Implementation of Value Based Healthcare Insurance
Dr. Ahmed Aldammas, Executive Director Data Management Cybersecurity and Risk, The Council Of Cooperative Health Insurance
TBA
Mr. Mohamed Seghir, Chief Executive Officer, HAYAH Insurance Company
Responsible Innovation: Policy Priorities and the Insurance Industry’s Paradigm Shift
Mr. Makoto Okubo, General Manager, International Affairs, Nippon Life Insurance Company
Panel: Execution Excellence in Large-Scale Change: Ensuring a Smooth Transition to Modern Insurance Technologies in MENA
Moderator:
· Dr. Nilay Ranjan Singh, Chief Executive Officer, State Bank of India
Panelists:
· Mr. Carlos Piedade, Head of Digital Strategy and Transformation, Emirates Insurance Company
· Dr. Erdoğan Çiftcioğlu, Vice Chairperson, Koru Sigorta
· Mr. Makoto Okubo, General Manager, International Affairs, Nippon Life Insurance Company
· Mr. Wael El-Bsat, Growth Strategies and Business Transformation Leader
· Mr. Simon S. Price, Digital Transformation Leader
· Mr. Varghese Skariah, Group Data Director, LIVA Group
Networking Coffee Break
Panel: Operational Excellence: Refining Operation in Insurance through Digital Transformation and Process Optimization
Moderator:
· Mr. Mohamed Atef, Chief Financial Officer, Liva Insurance Oman
Panelists:
· Mr. Rizwan Munir, Director Partnerships & Ecosystem, Tawuniya
· Mr. Shammi Kapoor, SVP & Head - Operations, CS and Health Claims, Magma General Insurance
· Ms. Khadijetou Mohamed El Maouloud, Head of Information Systems Department, CNASS
· Mr. Dilshan Perera, Chief Transformation Officer, HNB General Insurance
· Mr. Martin Sebastian, Chief Information Officer, Watania Takaful
· Mr. Sreedhar Suragouni, Chief Operations and Technology Officer, Sukoon Insurance
Panel: InsurTech on the Global Stage: What’s Next for Innovation and Scale in MENA?
· Dr. Goetz Friedrich Kuras, Partner, Leader Insurance / Pensions / Social, Arthur D. Little
This panel is not open
"Digital Insurance Award 2026 (MENA Region)" Ceremony - Celebrating Global Excellence in Insurance Digital Transformation
As one of the leading global events for the insurance industry, Digital Insurance is dedicated to fostering the advancement of digital transformation within the sector. This platform highlights the significant achievements insurers, reinsurer, brokers, insurtechs, and all other digital partners have made, which have driven insurance digital transformation, by honoring the trailblazing pioneers, innovators, and leaders.
In 2026, Digital Insurance is proud to introduce the "Digital Insurance Award 2026 (MENA Region)", a prestigious global recognition celebrating the leaders at the forefront of insurance digital transformation in the MENA region.
Moderators:
· Ms. Vidya Veerapandian, Founder- FWD and Co- Founder- FS Brew
· Mr. Renjit Philip, Managing Partner- Futureu Strategy Group and Co-founder of FS Brew Insurtech and Insurance Podcastt
Award Presenters:
· Mr. Fareed Lutfi, Secretary General, Emirates Insurance Association and Gulf Insurance Federation
· Dr. Bassel Hindawi, Senior Advisor and Board Member
· Mr. Philip Story, Chairman, DIFC Insurance Association
· Dr. Aftab Hasan, Founder & Chairman, Global Association of InsurTech Professionals (GAIP) & Founder & Chairman, Risk Exchange DIFC Limited
· Mr. Jochen A. Haug, Transformational Insurance Leader