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6 3 8

SHAPING THE FUTURE OF DIGITAL SAFETY,

2026

PROTECTING TODAY SECURING TOMORROW STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP IN DIGITAL SECURITY BUILDING TRUST. STRENGTHENING FUTURES.

Fábio Szescsik Executive Director INN Tecnologia

Building Cyber Resilience Through Trust, Governance, & Strategic Security

COVER STORY

Fábio Szescsik

CONTENTS Guest Articles

Leading Through the Algorithmic Age: Law, Technology, and Strategy in the GCC

The AI Wake-Up Call: Why True Transformation Starts with People, Not Just Technology

The Evolution And Distinction Of AGV And AMR Concepts In Mobile Robotics

Articles

Healing the Digital World

Leading the Fight for a Safer Digital Future

6 3 8

SHAPING THE FUTURE OF DIGITAL SAFETY,

2026

PROTECTING TODAY SECURING TOMORROW STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP IN DIGITAL SECURITY BUILDING TRUST. STRENGTHENING FUTURES.

Fábio Szescsik Executive Director INN Tecnologia

Building Cyber Resilience Through Trust, Governance, & Strategic Security

EDITORIAL Guarding Digital Trust Against the Threats of an Evolving Cyber World The digital world has never been more connected, and with that connectivity comes an equally significant vulnerability. Every day, organisations depend on digital infrastructure to communicate, operate, serve customers and create new opportunities. Yet behind this progress lies a persistent and evolving threat landscape — data breaches, ransomware, identity theft, cyber fraud and increasingly sophisticated attacks that can leave lasting wounds on organisations and the people who depend on them. In this environment, cybersecurity leadership has become more than a technical responsibility. It has become a responsibility to protect trust, continuity and the digital foundations of modern society. CIO Business World’s feature, “Top 10 Cybersecurity Leaders Shaping the Future of Digital Safety, 2026,” recognises leaders who are standing at the forefront of this challenge. Their work represents a commitment to protecting organisations not only from the threats they face today, but also from the risks emerging in an increasingly intelligent and interconnected future. What makes this recognition meaningful is the complexity of the cybersecurity landscape these leaders are navigating. Artificial Intelligence is transforming both cyber defence and cybercrime. Cloud environments are expanding. Connected devices are increasing the attack surface. Digital identities and sensitive information are becoming increasingly valuable targets. At the same time, organisations are expected to innovate rapidly without compromising security. The leaders featured in this edition are helping address these challenges through strategic thinking, technological innovation, resilience and responsible leadership. Their contribution goes beyond building stronger firewalls or deploying sophisticated security tools. They are helping organisations understand that cybersecurity must become part of organisational culture. Employees need awareness, leadership teams need preparedness and technology must be designed with security from the beginning. Perhaps most importantly, these leaders recognise that cybersecurity is ultimately about people. Behind every compromised account is an individual. Behind every data breach is a customer or employee whose trust may have been affected. Behind every disrupted organisation are people trying to restore normality. Cybersecurity therefore carries a human responsibility — to prevent harm where possible, reduce its impact when incidents occur and help organisations recover when their defences are tested. The journey does not end when a threat is stopped. True cybersecurity leadership is also about healing after disruption. It means restoring systems, rebuilding confidence, learning from vulnerabilities and creating stronger defences for the future. The recognition by CIO Business World celebrates leaders who are contributing to this larger mission. Their work demonstrates that digital safety requires continuous learning, collaboration and the courage to anticipate threats before they become crises. As AI and emerging technologies continue to reshape the digital landscape, cybersecurity leaders will increasingly serve as guardians of digital trust. Their ability to balance innovation with responsibility will determine how confidently organisations can embrace the opportunities of tomorrow. Being featured among the “Top 10 Cybersecurity Leaders Shaping the Future of Digital Safety, 2026” is therefore more than an industry recognition. It represents an acknowledgement of leadership in a field where the stakes continue to rise.

C o v e r S t o r y

Executive Director | INN Tecnologia

Fábio

Szescsik Building Cyber Resilience Through Trust, Governance, and Strategic Security

Mahmoud Mahmoud Shafik Shafik Youssef Youssef Group Group General General Counsel, Counsel, Foodics Foodics 22

Leading Leading Through Through the the Algorithmic Algorithmic Age: Age: Law, Law, Technology, Technology, and and Strategy Strategy inin the the GCC GCC

regulation regulation alonealone will not willsolve not solve this. this. Companies Companies needneed to to hy the hyGCC's the GCC's Biggest Biggest Competitive Competitive embed embed transparency transparency and explainability and explainability into their into their Advantage Advantage Isn't Isn't Technology? Technology? It's It's product product DNAnot DNAnot as anasafterthought, an afterthought, but as buta design as a design Governance. Governance. I have I have spentspent my career my career principle. navigating navigating the intersection the intersection of law, of law, business, business, principle. and technology. and technology. But IBut willI be willhonest: be honest: the pace the pace of change of change The organizations The organizations that treat that treat AI governance AI governance as a strategic as a strategic we are wewitnessing are witnessing rightright now now is unlike is unlike anything anything I have I have advantage, advantage, rather rather than than a compliance a compliance checkbox, checkbox, will earn will earn experienced experienced before. before. Artificial Artificial intelligence, intelligence, lasting lasting trust.trust. In financial In financial services, services, trust trust is theisonly the only cryptocurrency, cryptocurrency, data data sovereignty, sovereignty, legallegal technology, technology, currency currency that truly that truly compounds. compounds. hesethese are not aredistant not distant trends trends on a on conference a conference slideslide deck.deck. TheyThey are reshaping are reshaping everyevery contract contract we review, we review, everyevery risk risk Cryptocurrency: The The Speculation Speculation Phase Phase Is Over Is Over framework framework we build, we build, and every and every boardroom boardroom conversation conversation Cryptocurrency: we join. we join. As Group As Group General General Counsel Counsel of Foodics, of Foodics, a a I remember the frenzy the frenzy the breathless the breathless predictions predictions that that eading leading fintech fintech and SaaS and SaaS platform platform operating operating across across the the I remember crypto would would replace replace traditional traditional finance finance overnight. overnight. GCCGCC and the andMiddle the Middle East,East, I findI find myself myself at theatcenter the center of of crypto hesethese converging converging forces forces everyevery single single day. day. ThatThat did not didhappen. not happen. WhatWhat happened happened is that is digital that digital assets assets forced forced the global the global financial financial system system to confront to confront Artificial Artificial Intelligence: Intelligence: We Need We Need Honest Honest Governance, Governance, fundamental fundamental questions questions aboutabout payments payments infrastructure, infrastructure, Not Just Not Just HypeHype sovereignty, sovereignty, and regulatory and regulatory design. design. Let me Letbe medirect. be direct. AI isAI noislonger no longer experimental, experimental, it is it is In theInGCC, the GCC, this reckoning this reckoning has been has been productive. productive. SaudiSaudi operational. operational. At most At most of theoftech the tech companies companies and across and across Arabia, Arabia, the UAE, the UAE, and Bahrain and Bahrain are building are building regulatory regulatory he fintech the fintech landscape, landscape, machine machine learning learning drives drives pricing, pricing, frameworks frameworks for licensed for licensed exchanges, exchanges, regulated regulated fraudfraud detection, detection, creditcredit scoring, scoring, and customer and customer custodianship, custodianship, and structured and structured tokentoken offerings. offerings. For For personalization. personalization. But deploying But deploying AI isAI theiseasy the easy part.part. Foodics, Foodics, which which operates operates at the at crossroads the crossroads of payments of payments Governing Governing it is where it is where leadership leadership is truly is truly tested. tested. and SaaS, and SaaS, thesethese developments developments are deeply are deeply practical practical touching our payment our payment rails,rails, anti-money anti-money laundering laundering I have I have watched watched too many too many organizations organizations rush rush to integrate to integrate touching obligations, and consumer and consumer protection protection responsibilities. responsibilities. AI without AI without asking asking the harder the harder questions. questions. Can Can we explain we explain obligations, how how this model this model reaches reaches its decisions? its decisions? WhoWho is is The crypto The crypto conversation conversation here here is noislonger no longer driven driven by by accountable accountable whenwhen an algorithm an algorithm fails?fails? In theInGCC, the GCC, speculation speculation but by butinstitutional by institutional architects architects who who regulators regulators are rightly are rightly stepping stepping in with in with data data protection protection understand understand that sustainable that sustainable innovation innovation requires requires awslaws and emerging and emerging AI governance AI governance frameworks. frameworks. But But regulatory regulatory clarity. clarity.

Data Centers: Sovereignty Is the New Competitive Battleground

Culture: The Advantage No Algorithm Can Replicate

If oil defined the strategic calculus of the last century, data defines this one. But the analogy goes deeper than people realize. Just as oil required pipelines, refineries, and geopolitical alliances, data demands infrastructure—physical, legal, and political—that is far more complex than a server rack.

After years of leading legal functions across multiple jurisdictions, I hold one conviction that no amount of technology can shake: culture is the ultimate differentiator. You can deploy the most sophisticated AI and build the most resilient infrastructure, but if your organization treats compliance as friction rather than foundation, none of it will hold.

Across the GCC, governments are investing aggressively in hyperscale data centers and digital sovereignty programs aligned with Vision 2030. For cross-border SaaS providers like Foodics, data residency is not just a configuration setting it is a legal and tech strategy requiring deep collaboration between legal, engineering, and infrastructure teams. When geopolitical tensions shift trade alliances, they also shift where data can live and who can access it. Governance cannot be siloed in a legal department. It must be woven into the fabric of how we build technology. Legal Tech: Elevating the Profession, Not Replacing It We sometimes encounter the fear that technology will replace lawyers. I believe the opposite. Legal teams that embrace contract lifecycle management, automated compliance monitoring, and AI-assisted due diligence become more valuable, not less freed from repetitive tasks to focus on judgment, strategy, and the human dimension of risk. At Foodics, we are building systems, not just drafting documents. Risk registers, compliance playbooks, and data protection frameworks are structured, measurable tools that allow us to scale governance alongside product innovation. The modern General Counsel cannot be the “department of no.” We must be strategic enablers who help the business move fast without moving recklessly.

Operating across the GCC means navigating multicultural teams, diverse regulatory regimes, and rapid scaling pressures. The companies that succeed cultivate clarity of purpose, accountability at every level, and genuine adaptability. Board alignment, shareholder transparency, and proactive regulatory engagement are not administrative burdens—they are the pillars that sustain growth. The GCC: Shaping the Future, Not Just Responding to It What excites me most about this region is its posture. The GCC is not merely reacting to global technological shifts—it is actively shaping them. Strategic neutrality, sovereign investment power, young demographics, and ambitious digital agendas provide a foundation few other regions can match. The defining challenge of this era is what I call governance velocity, the gap between how fast innovation moves and how fast institutions can keep pace. AI must be explainable. Crypto must be regulated. Data must be protected. Legal systems must be modernized. And culture must anchor everything we build. The future belongs to organizations that refuse to choose between innovation and integrity. Technology without governance creates fragility. Governance without innovation creates stagnation. Sustainable leadership demands both. We are not simply participants in this transformation. We are its stewards.

Healing the Digita World

The AI Wake-Up Call: Why True Transformation Starts with People, Not Just Technology

Leading the Fight for a Safer Digital Future

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