The Consulate General of India, Jeddah, in association with the National Association of Software and Service Companies, conducted the inaugural event of the second edition of Datalogue — an exclusive virtual private IT B2B meet — on Oct. 11. The first edition was conducted in March this year, which saw around 50 B2B sessions with major Saudi companies.
The second edition would have a total of 100 meetings scheduled with Indian and Saudi companies. Datalogue gives a fillip to closer collaboration between India and Saudi Arabia in the IT sector.
Ambassador of India to Saudi Arabia Dr. Ausaf Sayeed spoke about the growing connect between the two countries in the non-oil and nontraditional sectors, which he said reflects the depth of the strategic partnership between India and Saudi Arabia. Datalogue would be a half yearly event that would accentuate and engage the IT capabilities of both the countries, he added.
Dr. Faisal H. Al-Sugair, president and CEO, Saudi Center for International Strategic Partnerships, was the chief guest. He spoke about closer ties between the two countries in IT within the ambit of the Strategic Partnership Council.
A panel discussion on “Skilling: How Organizations and the Government Can Collaborate” was conducted, moderated by Shivendra Singh, vice president and head of global trade development, NASSCOM. Panelists included Abdullah Biary, chief information security officer, United Cooperative Assurance; Kirti Seth, CEO, SSC NASSCOM; and Mukund Nair, director, global HR, Nagarro, speaking on the topic.
Consul General of India Mohammed Shahid Alam in his remarks said that the Indian IT services export was mostly concentrated to the US and Europe. However, the MENA region in general, and Saudi Arabia in particular, is making great strides in development.
In alignment with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, India can be a formidable partner in development of IT/ITES solutions for futuristic cities like NEOM, he added.
