COVID-19 forcing organisations to focus on digitalisation: DEWA CEO

DUBAI, Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has stated that the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed organisations around the world to work in a new normal and focus on digitalisation as one of the most important major trends and tools to manage the situation.

Al Tayer made this statement during his keynote speech at the “Leading Digital Transformation in an Era of Uncertainty” international virtual conference, which started today and lasts until Thursday, 27th May, 2021. The conference brings together speakers and experts from major international technology companies. DEWA is the diamond sponsor of the conference.

Al Tayer said that the pandemic has forced public and private sectors to change their strategies to focus on digitalisation as one of the most important major trends and tools to manage the situation. This conference plays a crucial role in promoting skillsets and exchanging knowledge among participating organisations as they focus on excellence, performance improvement, and ways to turn the COVID-19 crisis into an opportunity for growth, he added.

“Guided by the vision and directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and with the steadfast support and follow-up of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, Dubai has proactively applied Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies and strong precautionary measures to control the spread of the virus and ensure business continuity. As a result, Dubai has presented a successful model for designing the future and ensuring high levels of preparedness to deal with unforeseen challenges,” said Al Tayer.

Al Tayer also said that DEWA has activated its crisis and business continuity plans across the organisation, and reviewed and reinforced its plans to manage the location and timings for critical staff. This is part of a comprehensive policy to reduce the impact of the global pandemic and in line with the directives of the leadership.

He stated that the secret of DEWA’s success lies in applying the principles and practices of excellence across all its operations and activities as well as in strategic planning and within its corporate culture. For example, the UAE, represented by DEWA, has maintained its first global ranking for the third year in a row, with scores of 100 percent in all “Getting Electricity” indicators in the World Bank’s Doing Business 2020 report. DEWA has reduced its customer minutes lost to 1.66 minutes, compared with 15 minutes recorded by leading utilities in the European Union and the United States (US). DEWA has further reduced its power transmission and distribution network losses to 3.3 percent, compared to 6 to 7 percent in Europe and the US. DEWA’s water network losses have decreased to 5.1 percent, compared to 15 percent in North America, making it one of the lowest in the world. DEWA improved the sustainability of its water and power infrastructure, to increase fuel consumption efficiency up to 90 percent, and generation efficiency by 33.41 percent between 2006 and 2020.

“While we feel proud of DEWA’s achievements, we will continue developing unique experiences that enhance the happiness of all stakeholders and contribute to making Dubai the happiest and smartest city in the world. We will work to innovate proactive solutions for the challenges over the next 50 years to achieve the vision of the wise leadership to make the UAE the world’s leading nation by its Centennial in 2071,” Al Tayer said in conclusion.

Over three days, the conference discusses several topics including “How AI Initiatives and solutions are Helping Nations Recover and Emerge Even Stronger after the Pandemic”, “Innovation in Remote Hiring and the Skills for Success”, “Innovation and Growth, Lessons Learnt from Silicon Valley” “Optimising Your Organisation’s Innovation Strategy in Times of Uncertainty” and “New Virtual World: How Digital Is Crucial in The Post Pandemic World”, among other topics.

Source: Emirates News Agency