1. ITU Arab Regional Development Forum
Mr Shabkhez Mahmood, Senior Director, EY Bahrain
28 October 2013

2. Doing business in a rapidly changing world
Growing middle-class: Over the next two decades, it is estimated that the middle class will expand by another three billion people, coming almost exclusively from the emerging world.
Urbanization: Today, 50% of the world’s population lives in cities, and it is anticipated that 70% will by While urbanization is occurring worldwide, the trend is most significant in places that are the least equipped to cope.
Building smart, interconnected world: Consumers require more innovative products, while businesses seek more cost-effective technology to cope with increasingly complex challenges.
The ICT sector has a crucial role to play in this challenging operational environment.

3. Shocking ‘little’ fact…
Of the world’s seven billion people, six billion have mobile phones. However, only 4.5 billion have access to toilets, according to the UN.

4. The digital universe is expected to double every two years
Facebook boasts more than 1.15 billion active users in 2013, while Google Plus surpassed 100 million users in less than a year.

5. And not only people become more connected, but 'things' will too; there could be 50 billion machine-to-machine connections in 2020.

6. Social media and political change in the Middle East
Arab publics share views about politics, community and religion online:
In Egypt and Tunisia, more than six-in-ten social networkers share their views about politics online.
In Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon and Jordan, more than seven-in-ten share views on community issues.
2012, Pew Research Center, Global Attitudes Project, “Social Networking Popular Across Globe”
The Arab Spring’s cascading effects
Twitter and Facebook seen as catalysts of change allowing not only to speed up information exchange but also to provide unprecedented waves of spread

7. Tackling the issue of e-waste in the Middle East
Recycling mobile phones in the Middle East is still in its infancy and the overall percentage of phones recycled remains quite low.
What is the role of the ICT sector in further promoting knowledge among consumers about recycling activities?

8. ICT-enabled solutions offer the potential to reduce GHG emissions by 16.5%, create 29.5 million jobs and yield USD 1.9 trillion in savings.
GeSI Smarter

9. ICT’s largest climate change influence will be by enabling energy efficiencies in other sectors, an opportunity that could deliver carbon savings five times larger than the total emissions from the entire ICT sector in 2020.

10. But what about other impacts?
Forty-four million health- related smartphone apps were downloaded worldwide in 2011.
Within one year of the iPad’s launch, 27% of physicians surveyed owned tablet computers.
Smart mobility, social networking, cloud computing, and big data analytics – transformative technologies allowing patients to gain more control over their health.
“We’ve found that certain search terms are good indicators of flu activity. By counting how often we see these search queries, we can estimate how much flu is circulating in different countries and regions around the world.”, Google
“... our vision [is for] enabling secure, real-time access to de- identified patient data across the health care and life sciences ecosystem.”
David A. Krusch, M.D, Chief Medical Information Officer, University of Rochester Medical Center, and Chairman of PACeR’s Project Leadership Committee

11. Being strategic about sustainability

12. ICT business risks - EY Risk Universe™ model
Disengagement from the changing customer mindset – understanding the needs of the new digital consumer will underpin future success
Lack of organizational flexibility - companies now need to align their business units to maximize the economies of scale
Failure to capitalize on new types of connectivity – defining the concept of global connectivity beyond human terms is crucial
A more pressing green agenda – utilizing existing technologies to enable greater efficiencies across industry will lead to competitive advantage

13. The nature of corporate risk is changing: business metrics now include sustainability related risks.

14. Today, corporations’ success is heavily driven not only by business performance, but by public trust as well.
Commitment to sustainability is a significant driver of reputation and public confidence.

15. What does a strategic approach to sustainability look like?

16. Leveraging strategic sustainability for competitive advantage
Strengthening the licence to operate
Increasing & protecting revenues
Optimizing & protecting assets
Addressing social issues and environmental footprint
Complying with regulation
Enhancing reputation
Enhancing governance
Aligning with national agendas and strategies
Developing new business opportunities
Supporting low carbon economy
Developing infrastructure
Developing inclusive access to all services
Developing fair marketing practices
Assessing and mitigating environmental and social risks
Rolling out Socially Responsible criteria in asset management
Code of conduct
Supply chain optimisation
Driving environmental efficiency
Streamlining operations
Reducing environmental footprint
Improving HR policy
Training
Attracting and retaining talent
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is about creating long-term shareholder value by embracing opportunities and managing risks derived from environmental, social, governance issues and economic factors.

17. Fostering ICT innovation through sustainability
Transportation: Increased efficiency through improved logistics networks and fleet management
Healthcare: Personalised, affordable, and transparent medicine tailored to individual needs
Buildings: Smart design can reduce lighting and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning needs
Education: Empowering students and teachers to reinvent and redefine the educational institution
Financial inclusion: Mobile banking allows for increased access to financial products and services
Consumer and service: Enabling consumers to make smart purchasing decisions

18. What will your company be known for?
How can you enable positive change through your sustainability strategy?

19. Thank You Shabkhez Mahmood | Senior Director | Advisory Services
Ernst & Young, Middle East & North Africa
Bahrain Commercial Complex, 15th Floor, P O Box 140, Manama, Bahrain
Direct: | Mobile: |