CEO Today Middle East Awards

11 CEO TODAY MIDDLE EAST AWARDS 2020 Technology growth and prosperity and helps create opportunities, minimize errors, and prevent manipulation of information. Ultimately, it promotes transparency and the public good. Through our subsidiary Serta, we are working alongside the Ministry of Telecommunications in Lebanon on the fibre optic national deployment project. This initiative directly supports the country´s strategy to develop in the direction of knowledge economy, noting that this is the first infrastructure project of this size to be implemented in the country since 2004. It is in line with the company’s aim to contribute to smarter cities where citizens are more connected to their environment and to one another while enjoying a safer and more intelligent urban space. High-speed internet stimulates the knowledge-based economy, enables access to new technologies, and creates new business opportunities. Resource Group is also a business incubator for start-ups and young entrepreneurs. The Group is continuously investing in Lebanese talents to support them in growing their ideas and providing a sustainable environment to create successful business models. This is how we contribute to positioning Lebanon as a technology competence hub and ultimately boost Lebanon’s economy. In what ways can the knowledge economy be a driver of Lebanon’s growth? Knowledge is the key driver of economic growth. It is rooted in quality education and access to information and ultimately drives innovation and R&D. Human capital is a productive asset for economic development and technological advancement. In Lebanon, we have a solid educational system, which prepares our students for know-how transfer. At Resource Group, our goal is to help counter the brain drain and enable graduates to develop their ideas in Lebanon. We recruit Lebanese talents in Lebanon and abroad, and offer them the opportunity to grow professionally and make a difference in their home country. This is how we build the foundations of a strong economy that is based on knowledge. ICT is also a key foundation for the knowledge economy. ICT infrastructure offers many benefits for businesses and individuals by supporting knowledge transfer, improving productivity and facilitating access to information. Thus, it has a direct impact on economic growth, especially in developing countries. In Lebanon, the national fibre optic project directly supports the country´s strategy to develop economically in the direction of the knowledge economy. The national talents and locally developed technologies are key to the country´s growth and prosperity. Our responsibility at Resource Group is to support talents in the direction of knowledge economy and keep contributing to the digital leap in Lebanon. With the right support from authorities and efforts from industry stakeholders, Lebanon can take part in the global digital economy growth . What are some of your key goals for the company moving forward? We are focusing our efforts on R&D and will continue our investment in new technologies to harness the full potential of digital transformation. In addition, we will pursue our support to tech businesses and start-ups to sustain a healthy entrepreneurial ecosystem, and ultimately make Lebanon emerge as a tech hub. This will have a direct impact on our economy and digital transformation in the country. Furthermore, with the emergence of technologies such as AI, Big Data, Machine Learning, blockchain, and others, we will be working on new concepts and solutions that are compatible with the continuous technological progress. We will also multiply our efforts to support “The road to growth and success is rather bumpy, and it is only through a strong determined mind that you can surpass the obstacles on the way.”