Obtaining health insurance is crucial in the UAE.

Currently, around 60 per cent of healthcare costs are covered by private insurance, with the remaining 40 per cent funded by the government.

“Without private insurance, the government would bear the financial burden of healthcare costs. With the UAE’s growing population and economy, it is essential to have private insurance to share the financial risk,” said Andrea Tithecott, Partner and Head of Regulatory Practice at Al Tamimi & Company.

Tithecott also emphasised that healthcare-related regulations in the UAE are designed to be efficient and foster innovation. However, she noted that these rules are neither better nor worse than those in other countries—they’re simply different, aligning with the region’s goals for rapid growth and modernization.

The regulations are expanding insurance coverage beyond Abu Dhabi and Dubai to the northern Emirates, which will extend coverage to an additional 3 million people by 2030. Insurance is critical for ensuring the sustainability of healthcare in the UAE, she added.

Read: UAE launches basic health insurance for private sector workers, domestic staff

In December 2024, the UAE’s Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) announced the launch of a basic health insurance plan for private sector employees and domestic workers. The plan was designed for staff members not already covered by insurance and will extend nationwide starting January 1, 2025.

The UAE government also issued a Federal Decree-Law in December 2024 to regulate medical products, pharmaceutical entities, and the profession of pharmacists. The law applies to all medicines, cosmetics, dietary supplements, healthcare products, medical devices, and genetically modified organisms intended for medical use.

Important: Senior citizens in the UAE get new health insurance plan

Additionally, the law covers controlled and semi-controlled substances, as well as hazardous or toxic materials for human and veterinary use.

Not only does the UAE have laws and regulations regarding medicines and medical products, but it also oversees the use of technology in the healthcare sector.

In 2018, the Department of Health in Abu Dhabi became the first entity in the region to implement a policy for the use of AI (artificial intelligence) in healthcare.

Mohamed Hamad Al Hameli, Acting Undersecretary of the Department of Health Abu Dhabi, stated that applied AI has substantial potential for the healthcare sector. It plays a significant role in improving safety, access, and delivery of healthcare services, while also enhancing evidence-based care, as well as population and patient research.

Abu Dhabi-based global healthcare giant M42 is at the forefront of transforming healthcare delivery by leveraging cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) to improve physician productivity, diagnostic accuracy and patient outcomes.

With a background in medicine and global health research from renowned institutions like Harvard and Oxford University, Dr Maaz Shaikh is the VP of Product Management at M42. Dr Shaikh leads the development of innovative digital health solutions at the company and has played a key role in developing Med42, a suite of clinical large language model (LLM) -powered tools designed to enhance medical practice with safe, scalable and impactful AI solutions.

In this interview, Dr Shaikh shares his insights into how AI is reshaping the global healthcare landscape, M42’s innovative role in this transformation, and the future potential of AI in addressing some of healthcare’s most pressing challenges.

How is AI reshaping the healthcare industry and what are the key challenges that persist?

Artificial intelligence, advances in diagnostics, administrative workflow optimisation, personalised treatment options and predictive healthcare are reshaping the industry like never before. However, challenges such as sustainability concerns and labour shortages continue to persist.

M42 is addressing these challenges by leveraging AI and digital technologies to transform healthcare delivery. Despite these innovations, there is a need for healthcare professionals to embrace these tools, as adoption can be met with resistance. It is crucial to ensure AI-driven healthcare solutions are implemented cost-effectively, especially in low-resource settings. Ultimately, AI and digital technologies, when combined with human expertise, hold the power to revolutionise healthcare.

How have AI and digital technology revolutionised healthcare?

AI and digital technologies are revolutionising healthcare, driving improvements in care, outcomes and cost efficiency. One key innovation is predictive analytics, where AI analyses large datasets to predict patient outcomes, identify high-risk individuals, and optimise resource allocation. It can predict patient readmissions, manage chronic diseases, and even anticipate future disease outbreaks.

Digital technology has transformed healthcare, revolutionising personalised medicine by combining AI with genetic, clinical and lifestyle data to tailor treatments. During Covid-19, telemedicine surged, enhanced by AI-driven tools like symptom checkers and virtual assistants.

In diagnostics, AI achieves radiologist-level accuracy in scan analysis and automates tasks like scheduling, billing, and record-keeping, freeing professionals to focus on patient care.

Generative AI, speech recognition, and imaging AI further ease workflows by automating clinical documentation, alleviating administrative burdens, and reducing physician burnout.

How would you describe the current global healthcare landscape?

The current healthcare landscape is complex globally as it is rapidly evolving to recover from the post-Covid phase. The pandemic affected the healthcare ecosystem of countries in a unique manner, amplifying its existing challenges and gaps.

The overburdened health systems in developing countries were further overwhelmed, leading to workforce burnout. In developing countries, the existing deficits in the health workforce and supplies were amplified, widening the access and health equity gaps. Recovering from such a critical juncture will require transformative changes to the health ecosystem.

While innovations are improving care delivery and outcomes, challenges like health inequities, rising costs, and new patterns and threats from rising chronic conditions underscore the urgent need for transformative changes to create resilient, inclusive, and adaptive healthcare systems.

In response, health systems across the world are undergoing a transformation like never before, driven by AI and supported by other technological advancements, demographic shifts, and changing patient behaviours and needs. The Covid-19 pandemic introduced new ways of working, accelerating the adoption of solutions for telemedicine and remote delivery.

From administrative tasks to patient care, AI is playing an instrumental role in enhancing the efficiency of healthcare processes. Growing health and wellness awareness in younger populations is driving a shift towards preventive and personalised care. The accessibility of genomics has made personalised medicine and biomarker use central to diagnosis, treatment planning, and driving new drug discoveries.

What healthcare challenges need addressing and why is there a need for sustainable solutions that are applicable across the world?

Ageing populations in high-income countries are straining healthcare systems, overburdening clinicians, and reducing care quality. AI can automate administrative tasks, freeing clinicians to focus on patient care and fostering better patient-doctor relationships. This shift enables a move from reactive to proactive, precision-based care, improving outcomes.

In developing countries, chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular conditions now lead to mortality rates, compounded by threats like antimicrobial resistance and zoonotic diseases. Many healthcare systems lack the resources and workforce to manage this burden, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) projecting a global shortage of 10 million healthcare workers by 2030. Rural and underserved populations face severe health inequities, often lacking basic care. Deploying AI can empower clinicians with decision support for diagnosis and treatment, enhancing their capabilities and addressing these disparities through more equitable resource distribution.

Sustainability is vital for healthcare, where rising costs from new therapies challenge affordability. AI-driven drug discovery and testing offer a promising way to accelerate innovation, improve outcomes, and reduce costs, ensuring accessible care for all. This should be a priority for everyone, including healthcare companies like ours.

The healthcare sector is a top global emitter of greenhouse gases, consuming vast energy and water and generating significant waste. According to Health Care Without Harm, if healthcare were a country, it would rank among the top ten largest emitters of greenhouse gases globally. Adopting green practices, reducing waste, and integrating renewable energy can create a healthier planet and healthier populations.

Can you share some of M42’s key contributions to improving healthcare in the region?

M42 is leveraging AI and digital technologies to address critical healthcare challenges. One of its key innovations is AIRIS-TB, an AI-powered imaging tool to digitise X-rays and pathology, improving accuracy and efficiency.

Tuberculosis (TB), a leading cause of death, remains a global health threat. The WHO aims to end the TB epidemic by 2030, making screenings essential. In May 2024, M42 launched AIRIS-TB, an AI-based chest X-ray screening tool for TB. Since its introduction, the Capital Health Screening Centre (CHSC) has expanded its capabilities, conducting up to 2,000 AI-assisted chest X-rays, which is ten times more than before. The AI system boasts 99.73 per cent sensitivity in distinguishing normal from abnormal chest images, reducing diagnostic time and enabling radiologists to focus on complex cases. This expansion accelerates the early detection and treatment of TB.

Artificial intelligence-powered screening tools like AIRIS-TB have the potential to scale operations and improve diagnostic accuracy globally. These systems can reduce radiologists’ workload by up to 80 per cent while ensuring comprehensive TB detection. The technology could also be trained to identify other conditions, like lung cancer, pneumonia, and emphysema, further expanding AI’s role in health diagnostics. In developing country settings, AI tools like AIRIS-TB can empower scaling screening programmes for these conditions at both population and national levels even with a limited number of radiologists.

Additionally, M42 has integrated with telemedicine platforms to improve access to healthcare, especially in remote areas. These platforms include the BioButton remote monitoring wearable, an award-winning product developed by BioIntelliSense. The BioButton tracks vital signs like heart rate, respiratory rate, skin temperature, and other biometrics. Dr James Mault, founder and CEO of BioIntelliSense, and an advisory board member of M42, has led the successful launch of the device, which has conducted over a billion vital sign measurements across the world.

Med42, a large language model developed by M42, aims to improve healthcare by providing AI-powered insights. Med42’s latest version scored 94.5 per cent in a zero-shot evaluation of USMLE Sample Exam questions, which reflects its high performance in understanding medical information and data and its ability to provide clinically backed responses to medical questions. The availability of cutting-edge and clinically reliable AI technology like Med42 can power multiple purpose-specific solutions for some of the most pressing global health challenges. These include reducing the administrative burden on clinicians, enabling healthcare professionals to dedicate more time to building meaningful relationships with their patients, improving diagnostic accuracy, and supporting patients in self-care outside clinical interactions with personalised, evidence-based materials.

M42 is also advancing personalised healthcare through initiatives like the Emirati Genome Programme (EGP) using genetics, precision medicine, and AI-powered solutions to improve the early detection of genetic disorders, and the overall wellbeing of the Emirati population.

Beyond Malaffi, (Abu Dhabi’s health information exchange platform) M42 is partnering with global organisations, research institutes, and technology companies to drive innovations in genomics, AI and preventive healthcare. These efforts align with regional and global priorities through partnerships such as those with the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi.

Despite the advances in AI, what areas still require improvement in digital health adoption?

Despite significant progress in AI and digital health, challenges remain. Data integration and interoperability are key hurdles, as siloed healthcare systems hinder comprehensive, patient-centred care. Additionally, establishing robust regulatory frameworks is crucial for safe AI implementation, ensuring patient safety, data privacy, and responsible technology use. Without these safeguards, AI deployment could lead to unintended consequences.

Reducing bias in AI algorithms is also critical. These systems can inherit biases from the data they are trained on, potentially contributing to disparities in care. Ensuring AI delivers fair and impartial outcomes is essential for the healthcare industry. M42 has developed the MEDIC Framework for evaluating LLMs across critical domains — Medical Accuracy, Ethics and Bias, Data Understanding, In-Context Learning and Clinical Safety. This framework places ethics and bias at its core in AI development and implementation.

AI tool training and adoption must balance utility, safety, and clinician workload, addressing resistance to change and ensuring professionals can use technology effectively while retaining clinical discretion.

Affordability and accessibility, particularly in low-resource settings, are essential for equitable access to AI-driven healthcare solutions, promoting global healthcare equity and enabling all populations to benefit from technological advancements.

Looking to the future, what is the potential for AI to further revolutionise healthcare, and how is M42 contributing to this vision?

AI has the potential to revolutionise healthcare, much like the invention of X-rays and antibiotics. By analysing complex clinical and genomic data, AI enables earlier, more accurate disease detection and diagnosis. It allows real-time health tracking, empowering doctors to provide personalised care and early interventions, transforming outcomes beyond what was previously possible.

Advanced genomics is another promising frontier. The impact of AI in biotechnology extends far beyond the basic understanding of human genetics, as AI will continue to decipher the complexities of the human genome, engineering gene therapies quicker than ever before, and allowing tailored treatment plans that address the specific genetic makeup of everyone.

One of the biggest promises of AI lies in AI-powered drug discovery, development, and testing with the potential to cut down the time and cost of bringing new therapies to market. The possibility of bringing newer and better drugs to market faster and at a more affordable price will improve access to new treatments, improving patient outcomes at scale.

Using GenAI like LLMs to help people understand their medical and genetic information will drive health engagement via digital platforms. This will enable people to have a more active role in their healthcare journey with tools to educate themselves, manage their health, and communicate easily with providers.

This is evidence of the remarkable capabilities we have with AI and digital technologies to reinvent healthcare, enhancing its efficiency, personalisation, and availability for everyone.

Read: UAE’s M42 restructures operations to foster growth, innovation

Launched in 2024 as a subsidiary of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), Folk Maritime is positioning itself as a pivotal force in enhancing the kingdom’s logistics infrastructure.

Through its innovative feeder and regional liner services, the company is helping solidify Saudi Arabia’s ambition to become a global logistics hub while promoting economic diversification and trade connectivity.

Here, CEO Poul Hestbaek outlines the company’s vision to accelerate regional trade and contribute to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030.

Folk Maritime was launched in 2024 with a mission to catalyse regional trade. What inspired its establishment, and how does the company contribute to Saudi Arabia’s vision of becoming a global logistics hub?

Folk Maritime was founded to meet the growing need for efficient, scalable maritime connectivity in the region. Saudi Arabia’s strategic position, coupled with Vision 2030’s focus on economic diversification, made this the ideal time to build a company that directly contributes to the kingdom’s ambition of becoming a global logistics hub.

Through our feeder and regional liner services, we help enhance Saudi Arabia’s logistics infrastructure, supporting the kingdom’s goals of diversifying its economy and promoting trade.

The company offers both feeder services and regional liner services. How do these services complement each other in supporting the region’s logistics ecosystem and enhancing trade connectivity?

Folk Maritime’s feeder services connect smaller Saudi ports to global hubs, ensuring critical cargo flow even in remote areas. This vital ‘last-sea-mile’ service ensures seamless integration of Saudi ports into the global supply chain, contributing to supply chain resilience.

Additionally, our regional liner services, such as the India Gulf and North Red Sea services, directly link Saudi ports to neighbouring regions, facilitating the movement of key goods like petrochemicals and consumer products.

By expanding these services, we help secure the kingdom’s supply chain, better ensuring the continued flow of cargo during crises, such as pandemics or geopolitical instability, leading to enhanced trade connectivity and regional economic growth.

With Folk Maritime’s focus on innovation, how are you leveraging cutting-edge technologies like AI, blockchain, and IoT to improve operational efficiency and customer experience?

We use IoT-enabled smart containers to track cargo in real-time, enhancing transparency and minimising delays. We intend to use AI to optimise route planning, predictive analytics, and reduce paperwork, ensuring more efficient and reliable service.

These technologies allow us to stay ahead in the competitive shipping industry, offering improved operational efficiency and a better customer experience.

Folk Maritime operates key regional services such as the India Gulf Service and North Red Sea Service. Can you discuss how these routes are reshaping trade and logistics in the Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent?

The India Red Sea Service connects key ports in India to Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea ports, enhancing trade in petrochemicals and consumer goods. It supports the trend of “friend-sourcing”, where countries trade with geographically closer, trusted partners.

Similarly, the North Red Sea Service links Saudi ports to neighbouring countries, strengthening regional logistics and reinforcing Saudi Arabia’s position as a global logistics hub. These services expand trade and improve regional connectivity.

As the first independent feeder services operator in Saudi Arabia, how do you ensure the reliability and efficiency of these services in connecting smaller Saudi ports to larger international hubs?

We ensure reliability through modern vessels like Folk Jeddah and real-time cargo tracking. These technologies minimise delays and enhance efficiency.

Our flexible, scalable feeder network ensures that even smaller Saudi ports remain integral to global trade, strengthening the kingdom’s logistics network.

Sustainability is a central part of Folk Maritime’s operations. How is the company aligning with Saudi Arabia’s Net Zero 2060 strategy, and what steps are being taken to reduce its environmental impact?

Folk Maritime supports Saudi Arabia’s Net Zero 2060 strategy by integrating sustainable practices, such as smart containers made with recyclable materials.

Our M/V Folk Jeddah meets energy-efficient standards, reducing fuel consumption and emissions. We also explore alternative fuels and optimise route planning to reduce our environmental footprint, helping the kingdom meet its sustainability goals.

How does Folk Maritime prioritise compliance with IMO regulations, maritime decarbonisation, and the adoption of alternative fuels to ensure sustainable shipping practices?

Folk Maritime complies with IMO regulations and prioritises decarbonisation by adopting energy-efficient technologies.

We optimise routes to reduce fuel consumption and minimise emissions. By setting high sustainability standards, we comply with regulations and drive innovation, ensuring our fleet operates efficiently and sustainably.

Folk Maritime is committed to the Saudi Arabia Local Content Partnerships Initiative. How does your company contribute to the kingdom’s economic goals through local content, and how are you supporting the development of a skilled, national workforce?

As a Public Investment Fund (PIF) company, Folk Maritime contributes to the local economy by sourcing materials locally and operating Saudi-flagged vessels.

We also support workforce development by offering training programmes in maritime logistics, ensuring the growth of Saudi talent and preparing the next generation for leadership roles in the maritime industry.

What challenges do you face in the rapidly evolving logistics and maritime industry, and how are you addressing these challenges?

A key challenge is balancing rapid growth with operational efficiency while adapting to shifting global trade dynamics. The logistics industry is sensitive to geopolitical shifts and changing regulations.

To address these, we are expanding into new markets like India and enhancing regional connectivity. Our objective is to stay agile and have the operational flexibility to quickly react to changing trade pattern and cargo flows.

What are the next steps for Folk Maritime as it expands its services and strengthens its position in the regional and global shipping market? How do you see the future of Saudi Arabia’s logistics industry evolving over the next five to 10 years?

Folk Maritime is focused on achieving a 15-20 per cent market share in the four-million TEU* regional market by 2030. We aim to expand our fleet, with plans to acquire four-five ships in the next 18 months, increasing our fleet ownership to 60-65 per cent, alongside vessel partnerships.

Our strategic goal is to position Folk Maritime as a leading regional liner service provider, strengthening our feeder services to smaller ports while maintaining flexibility to meet evolving market demands.

With Vision 2030 driving infrastructure growth, Saudi Arabia is poised to become a global logistics hub, and Folk Maritime will play a pivotal role in this transformation.

* Twenty-foot equivalent unit: a measure of volume in units of twenty-foot long containers

In a rapidly evolving digital landscape, creativity and technology are becoming increasingly intertwined. For Accenture Song, the global tech-powered creative group, this fusion is at the heart of its approach. As the company continues to push boundaries in the realm of creativity, technology, and AI, its vision for the future involves elevating the human element of creativity while embracing the transformative power of AI.

In an exclusive interview, CEO of Accenture Song and founder of Droga 5 David Droga shares insights on how technology is transforming creativity, the role of AI in shaping marketing strategies, and what sets Accenture Song apart as a driving force in the industry.

Accenture Song is the world’s largest tech-powered creative group. How do you envision the intersection of creativity and technology evolving in the next five to 10 years?

Creativity has always had a robust relationship with technology. Every time there’s a technology breakthrough; an argument inevitably follows about how it’s going to devour all jobs and then eventually humanity. Those working in the creative industries have an unhelpful reflex where craft is pitted against tools in an adversarial way. We’re seeing that precise dynamic play out right now with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI)-based tools.

My view is the opposite. Technology will make creativity more effective and more human. Creativity needs technology to make it real, and technology needs creativity to make it human. It always has.

On the one hand, AI will provide opportunities for individuals from all circumstances and backgrounds to become creators. And AI-powered algorithms will play an ever-greater role in how we discover brands and products. The risk that comes with this democratization of tools is that it precipitates a wave of creative mediocrity.

Great marketing gives way to a flood of ‘slop’ (a catch-all term for low-quality content). The challenge for creatives is to keep pace with technology while striving for excellence, making sure that we’re surpassing the ‘average’ and using technology as a tool to elevate our craft.

What gives me confidence is that originality, curiosity, and morality cannot be outsourced. In a landscape where everyone has access to similar tools, it’s ultimately taste and context that sets creative output apart.

Over the next five to 10 years, while we might see some existential tussling, we’re also going to see technology enabling creativity – but not replacing it. Yes, technology drives change. But technology alone is blind. It neither dreams, nor reflects. It is humanity – the insight, empathy, playfulness, ambition and adaptation – that gives it purpose.

Your approach integrates design, marketing, commerce, and customer service. How does this holistic strategy drive growth and relevance for your clients in a digital-first world?

When clients come to Accenture Song, they are not just walking in through the marketing door. Every challenge comes back to the customer – from awareness and conversion to customer service and the aesthetic of their stores. And that’s a good thing – businesses need to act holistically because that is ultimately how their customers think. Nobody is standing in a supermarket aisle thinking “I’m currently in the conversion phase of my relationship with this brand”!

We offer an integrated approach because consumers live integrated lives. So, it only makes sense that it’s the key to accelerating sustained business growth. For a business to achieve growth, it needs to be relevant, and relevance depends on everything from product innovation to marketing, commerce, sales and service. Our unique position within a consulting giant means we’re equipped to deliver on that for clients.

We’ve found that clients are looking for multidimensional partnerships that go beyond surface-level solutions in pursuit of longer-term growth. In a complex customer landscape where inaction poses the greatest risk, we’re bringing our expertise to every aspect of a business’s relationship with its customers so that they can navigate that complexity with confidence.

With generative AI playing a central role at Accenture Song, can you share some examples of how it has delivered tangible business results across marketing, sales, and customer service?

In 2023, Accenture announced that it’s investing $3bn in our AI and data practice to help our clients navigate this seismic transformation. And it’s paying off: Accenture saw bookings in a total of $3bn for generative AI for FY24. It’s paying off for our clients, too.

For example, we developed a pioneering gen AI solution for hotel chain, Radisson, that involved creating personalised ad content based on hotel and guest characteristics. Now Radisson employees can identify the most effective messaging for each hotel location, highlighting the relevant features to each audience’s interests throughout the year. This not only improved the relevance of the ads but also increased the likelihood of attracting the right audience. The end result: The company boosted the productivity of its ad teams by more than 50 per cent, while increasing revenue from AI-powered campaigns by more than 20 per cent.

Accenture Song is often compared to traditional advertising companies. What do you believe sets your offering apart, particularly in combining AI with creativity?

Our main industry buyer has evolved from the CMO to the chief growth officer to the CEO. The CMO’s role has greatly expanded too. It’s no longer just about business marketing but about the company’s entire ecosystem and ultimately growth. Who drives that growth? The customer.

In some corners of the market, they still think of us as being just in the ‘attention’ space (advertising) but what we do is so much broader than that. Song is responsible for everything related to the customer – from attention, motivation and inspiration to buying, conversion and scale. And we’ve organised our business around meeting each one of those touchpoints.

The way we apply creativity goes beyond traditional marketing. As the world’s largest tech-powered creative group, we’re infusing it in novel ways that are unique to Song. For example, we’re pioneering the use of advanced generative AI and real-time graphics capabilities with JLR’s Defender using NVIDIA’s Omniverse platform.

Accenture has made significant investments in data and AI. How do these investments shape your creative strategies, and what new opportunities do they create for clients?

It’s true that we’ve been transforming our organisation. By rapidly and responsibly embedding generative AI into our services, we’re demonstrating the steps businesses can take to both drive profitable growth and fuel reinvention at the pace of the customer. An example of that is our AI Refinery platform developed with NVIDIA to help the world’s enterprises rapidly scale their AI adoption.

We’re working with clients across many industries to leverage generative AI in creating new products and services; re-invent marketing and commerce by powering, creating, and scaling content and building intelligent sales and services.

We want our clients to realise the opportunity to set themselves apart by using these technologies to understand their customers better and create content that resonates with specific audiences. Innovative and ethical applications of AI that maintain a strong human element with storytelling and customer interactions will stand the test of time.

It’s this AI-powered human creativity that people see and experience in the world that is critical for continued relevance.

You’ve been recognised with prestigious awards like Cannes and the Emmys. How does this creative success shape the future direction of Accenture Song, and what project are you most proud of?

The awards are of course an honour and validate the hard work and creativity that goes into client work, but the ultimate accolade is when our work sets new precedents. Having such recognition helps inspire us all to push the boundaries of innovation and creativity and makes us a magnet for the absolute best talent in any market.

There are many projects that I’m proud of. But it is the diversity of our accolades that sets us apart from anyone else. As an example, last year we won the Cannes Lions Film Grand Prix for our beautiful film for the Sydney Opera House. Being great wherever necessary is a powerful mandate.

With AI becoming more integral to creative industries, how do you ensure the human touch remains a core part of the process, especially when it comes to customer experience?

There’s no doubt that technology is going to raise standards and turn what we might currently see as ‘best practices’ into the norm. But that opens up a space for the ‘next’ and ‘fresh’ practices that only imagination, audacity, irreverence, care and exploration can create.

Those human qualities are still necessary to steer technology, ensuring that creativity is relevant and meaningful to people’s lives. Technology is an ever-more sophisticated tool, but as tastemakers and curators, humans still make a difference.

Looking ahead, what excites you most about Accenture Song’s future, and how do you see the company continuing to lead at the intersection of creativity, technology, and AI?

We’re excited about the future because we recognise the transformative shifts in consumer behaviour and values. Businesses are facing such a huge variety of headwinds on a scale I don’t believe we’ve seen before. But Accenture Song is built to help clients reinvent – navigating consumer behavior and anticipating and adapting to change is what we do best. There’s no problem too large that we can’t solve. Our clients don’t seek machines, they seek meaning. Their problems are as complex and kaleidoscopic as the modern world itself.

Global competition regulatory quagmires, volatile markets, technological changes and the ever-elusive and shape-shifting consumer. They don’t just turn to us for answers but for the confidence to ask better questions.

Our advantage is that 100 per cent of major tech firms are both clients and partners. With these unique relationships we can look around corners to understand the next phase of technology-based acceleration. We represent relevance, ideas and growth. Our remit is to grow business into the future and we’ll keep doing that.

Read: Global digital creative economy to reach Dhs27tn by 2030, finds study

Etihad Water and Electricity (EtihadWE) has unveiled a new corporate identity as part of its ongoing commitment to sustainability, innovation and community empowerment.

The announcement was made during a ceremony held at the Al Zorah Golf Club, coinciding with the Etihad Golf Championship.

Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure and chairman of the EtihadWE Board, emphasised the company’s alignment with the UAE leadership’s vision for the energy and utilities sector.

“The company is on the right track to achieve its sustainability and expansion strategic objectives and fulfill the UAE leadership’s vision for the sector,” he said.

EtihadWE: A new look for the future

The company’s revamped logo, featuring vibrant blue and orange hues, symbolises the seamless and dynamic services provided by the utility.

The design reflects leadership and empowerment — core concepts driving the company’s strategy.

The event showcased EtihadWE’s milestones, including significant progress in Emiratisation, with UAE nationals comprising 80 per cent of its workforce and 70 per cent of leadership roles. Women represent 56 per cent of the company’s workforce, further demonstrating its dedication to empowerment and inclusivity.

EtihadWE’s new identity marks a significant step in its mission to lead the UAE’s utility sector toward a sustainable and technologically advanced future, while continuing to play a vital role in the nation’s developmental and economic goals.

Read: CEO Yousif Al Ali shares how EtihadWE is enabling sustainability