Samer M. Abdallah, PhD

Partner, Board Member

Head of ICT Sector

KPMG

Title of the intervention: Building a regulatory ecosystem conducive to innovation – and regulating it

Samer has over 25 years of professional and consulting experience, spanning a range of industries and geographies. He founded and led the Digital & Innovation Practice at KPMG. Currently he is Global Lead Partner, Board Member, and Head of ICT Sector.

Samer is an expert in major transformation projects from strategy development to execution. His current focus in on digital transformation, innovation, public policies, and emerging technologies. He has been a trusted adviser to CEOs and senior government officials at leading organizations.

Prior to joining KPMG, Samer founded Prudentis — an innovative start-up consulting firm —and served as its CEO. Previously, he was a Senior Partner at Peppers & Rogers Group, and a Partner and Head of Strategy at Monitor Deloitte. He also served as a Professor and Research Fellow of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics at the American University of Beirut, the Australian National University, and the University of Oxford.  

Samer is a thought leader and renowned author of over 60 publications in books, international refereed journals, and conferences, in the fields of innovation, emerging technologies, artificial intelligence and robotics. He is a frequent plenary speaker at major international and regional conferences and is featured in various local and regional media.

Samer holds a Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics from the University of Sydney, Australia, an MBA from the University of Cambridge, UK, an M.Eng.Sc. in Computer Integrated Manufacturing from UNSW, Australia, and a B.E. from the American University of Beirut.

 As the digital age progresses, emerging technologies are rapidly changing how societies and markets function. Businesses – and the economy at large – have become increasingly dependent on innovation, and governments must find a way to balance the need to protect citizens and competition with the need to encourage innovation.

Since governments have become increasingly aware of the importance of these technologies, they have begun taking measures to ensure their citizens have access to these technologies. In this talk, the author will examine how governments can foster innovation, and how they can create efficient regulatory frameworks to ensure innovation flourishes.

Based on extensive research on regulatory initiatives in other key markets, the author will present best practices for setting up effective regulatory frameworks for innovation. Overall, he will aim to provide an examination of the challenges encountered when establishing effective regulations, as well as the importance of striking a balance between promoting innovation and protecting constituents.