Saudi Arabia leading region’s transformative journey 

DAVOS: Technological innovation and its potential to reshape economies is inspiring growing optimism among business leaders despite a global backdrop of geopolitical tension, economic uncertainty, and the urgent challenges of climate change, the CEO of Publicis Sapient told Arab News.

Nigel Vaz, speaking at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, said he sees a moment of both caution and opportunity for businesses worldwide. 

“In many ways, businesses thrive on certainty,” Vaz said. “After years of unpredictability, there’s now a sense of optimism about what lies ahead. Investments in technology, particularly in AI, are helping unlock new economic opportunities, from reducing costs to driving transformational growth.”

While acknowledging lingering concerns over inflation and the impact of macroeconomic policies such as tariffs, Vaz believes the focus is shifting toward pro-growth initiatives, including government-led reforms to alleviate pressure on businesses.

“Governments are increasingly exploring tax reforms and other measures to create a more favorable environment for growth,” he said. “And alongside that, investments in AI and digital innovation are starting to deliver real results, moving from proof-of-concept to large-scale implementation.”

With artificial intelligence the hot topic of the day, Vaz said enthusiasm around AI is no longer solely about its potential but also its measurable impact on businesses.

“Last year, AI was something everyone was interested in. This year, they’re seeing the economic benefits of it,” he said.

Vaz pointed to several ways Publicis Sapient is leveraging AI to accelerate transformation, with one significant area in marketing, where AI-driven platforms are enabling businesses to personalize their messages and reach audiences more efficiently.

Publicis Sapient has partnered with its parent company, Publicis Groupe, to invest $300 million in advanced marketing technologies.

“It’s not just about content generation anymore,” Vaz said. “AI is helping with everything from content audits to ensuring the right message gets to the right person at the right time. The ability to connect identity and tailor communication is driving incredible acceleration.”

AI’s influence is also being felt in operational areas traditionally weighed down by inefficiencies.

Publicis Sapient’s work includes modernizing mainframe systems — once seen as expensive and slow — through AI-driven solutions.

“We’ve taken what used to be 10-year migration projects involving millions of lines of code and compressed them into just three years,” Vaz said. “This is digital red-tape removal in action, and it’s allowing businesses to innovate far more quickly than they ever thought possible.”

Vaz also highlighted the Middle East as a critical player in the future of AI and digital transformation. He pointed to countries such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE, where governments are making significant infrastructure investments to foster innovation.

“The Middle East is laying the groundwork for a truly transformational moment,” Vaz said. “If you think of AI as the electricity of the 21st century, the investments being made here are akin to building the power grids of the industrial revolution. It’s about creating an environment where businesses can innovate and thrive.”

He also praised the region’s commitment to developing local talent to drive these initiatives.

“I was speaking with a minister (this week), and he stressed that while they’re putting the infrastructure in place, it’s Saudi talent that’s building and leading these projects. That’s a powerful message about the long-term vision here.”

Looking ahead, Vaz urged business leaders to abandon a “wait-and-see” approach to AI and instead embrace the transformative potential of the technology.

He said that 2025 will be a pivotal year, adding that “the gap between those who adopt AI and those who don’t is going to widen dramatically. Businesses need to act now to ensure they don’t get left behind.”

Vaz added that leaders should move beyond treating AI as a technical tool and instead reimagine their entire business models. “This is not just about technology — it’s about fundamentally rethinking how your business operates and delivers value.” 

As Publicis Sapient continues to expand its footprint in key regions such as the Middle East, Vaz is clear about his priorities for the future. “Our focus is on enabling businesses to learn and iterate in real-world applications,” he said. “Whether it’s in travel, financial services, or retail, we’re seeing tremendous benefits from these transformations. The key now is to keep moving forward.”

In a world still grappling with uncertainty, leaders such as Vaz see the promise of AI and digital transformation as a beacon of opportunity. “The future is here — it’s just a matter of who seizes it first,” he said.

DAVOS: The Middle East’s rise as a global aviation hub has been “absolutely incredible” and should be a source of pride, according to Hassan El-Houry, chairman at Menzies Aviation.

Speaking to Arab News recently at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, El-Houry said the region’s aviation growth over the past two decades demonstrates that “the impossible is possible.”

“In 20 years the Middle East has become an absolute hub for aviation. It’s absolutely incredible. It really makes us proud.”

He added: “The Middle East started from a very low base. If you go back 20 years, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Saudi Arabia — they were not transit hubs.

“I remember traveling to London or Europe or East Asia, and in hotels, you’d see four clocks — San Francisco, New York, London and Tokyo. Today, there’s one in the middle: Dubai. Finally, the Middle East is now seen as a hub, and it’s great.”

Looking ahead, he said the projections for the region were positive. “We’re forecasting 300 percent growth over the next 10 years in aviation and almost $200 billion in investment in airports.

“This outpaces any other region. It’s absolutely incredible what we’re going to see over the next five (to) 10 years for the Middle East, particularly the GCC,” he said.

And globally, he said the outlook was similarly bright, while reflecting on the unprecedented challenges the industry faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“That shows two things: first, we’ve fully recovered from COVID-19, which is great, and second, it shows the resilience of the aviation sector,” he said.

“We had literally the largest and most impactful crisis, which challenged the aviation sector. We lost a lot of people who worked in aviation — they sought jobs elsewhere, and rightfully so. A lot of investment went elsewhere,” he added.

Despite these setbacks, El-Houry emphasized aviation’s crucial role in the global economy and its ability to connect people. “Governments were asking themselves, why should we invest in aviation when it’s so sensitive to shocks?

“What we can see now is that aviation is resilient and is absolutely critical to the global economy, to domestic economies, for people. Connectivity matters. People want to connect, people want to see each other.

“Just look around here at WEF in Davos — not a single person is wearing a mask. That just shows that people want the human connection, and aviation’s resilience makes that happen,” he said.

While optimistic about global and regional progress, El-Houry expressed some concerns. “One region which has not fully recovered is Africa, which has been struggling for many reasons — debt, inflation, some geopolitical issues, and lack of investment,” he said.

“Africans make up 17 percent of the world’s population but only 2 percent of the world’s travelers, a statistic that has remained unchanged in the past 10 years. I’d love to see Africa bridge that gap and develop.”

He called for greater investment and attention to the continent, highlighting the potential of aviation to unlock economic and social opportunities.

El-Houry concluded with a clear message for world leaders that aviation must be treated as an economic priority. “Aviation is no longer a privilege for the 1 percent. It’s super important for everybody across the socio-economic spectrum.”

“In the past, governments used to look at aviation as another way of taxing the 1 percent. Today, aviation is important for education, for healthcare, for family connections, for trade — everything.

“So, let’s make sure that aviation remains a priority, a pillar of the economy, and super important for economic growth,” he urged.