Women Board of Directors (WBD), in partnership with Standard Chartered and Diligent, hosted an exclusive ‘AI & Leadership’ roundtable on 25 September at the Standard Chartered offices in DIFC, Dubai. This half-day event convened industry leaders, across various sectors, to explore how Artificial Intelligence is transforming leadership, governance, and risk management. Diligent acted as the Impact Champion for this initiative, driving efforts to empower and advance women in technology.
The roundtable featured a series of keynote addresses, fireside chats, and panel discussions designed to move beyond theory and provide actionable insights. Attendees gained strategic perspectives on scaling AI initiatives, measuring ROI, and developing talent for an AI-driven future.
“Partnering with Diligent and Standard Chartered for this event underscores our shared commitment to governance excellence and the vital role technology plays in building better, more efficient, and more informed boards,” said Poonam Chawla, Chief Visionary Officer, WBD.
The opening keynote featured Rahul Gupta, Director of Data Science & Innovation at Standard Chartered, who explored a theme that set the tone for the agenda: ‘The human-brain bank: How AI is augmenting — not replacing — leadership’. This was followed by a fireside chat on ‘Scaling AI: Moving beyond pilot projects’, where Amit Gupta, Vice President and Head of Data, AI and Fintech Practice at e& enterprise, exchanged insights in conversation with Benedicte Hennebo, Ambassador of Women in Tech, Women Board of Directors.
The panel discussion ‘The ROI of AI: measuring value and driving investments’ had Joe Devassy (Director, Strategic Alliance and Generative AI, KPMG), and Olivia Bellingham (Senior Vice President, EEMEA, Mastercard) brainstorm ‘The ROI of AI: Measuring value and driving investments’; the session was moderated by WBD’s Poonam Chawla.
‘How is AI reshaping leadership’ got together Qais Gharaibeh, Regional Director, Middle East and North Africa, Diligent; Eng. Fatma Al Ali, AI Engineer, Artificial Intelligence Office, UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP); and Laura Jane Thomson, General Counsel, EWEC. The discussion was moderated by Dana Alomar, Future Editor, The National News.
The roundtable wrapped up with Dr Pallavi Ranjan from Murdoch University having an engaging conversation with Ahmed Ibrahim, AI GTM Executive (Middle East, Africa, Turkey, Romania, and CIS), Cisco, on ‘Talent in the age of AI — Rethinking workforce strategies’.
The gathering marked a pivotal step in redefining leadership for the AI era, where human wisdom and artificial intelligence converge to build more resilient, ethical, and forward-thinking organizations.
