This month’ s cover story, which can be found on page 14, features Ahmed Elsewedy, President and Chief Executive Officer at Elsewedy Electric. He tells us how the company is embedding Agentic AI into core enterprise operations to improve decision-making, operational efficiency and long-term Digital Transformation across its global business.

Working with IBM, Elsewedy Electric is using watsonx. ai and watsonx Orchestrate to move beyond isolated AI pilots toward a fully governed, enterprise-wide AI strategy spanning finance, HR, legal, supply chain and manufacturing operations.

Mark Bowen Editorial Director

The collaboration has already produced more than 30 prioritised AI use cases, with over 10 initiatives now in advanced deployment stages delivering measurable productivity gains. Elsewedy explains that strong governance, standardisation and leadership alignment have been essential in scaling AI consistently across more than 50 subsidiaries and 34 production facilities.

Dr. Hazem Shatila, Chief AI Officer at Elsewedy Electric, highlights how AI is improving operational visibility, planning effectiveness and workplace safety through a unified governance model.

Marwa Abbas, General Manager, North East Africa at IBM, adds that the partnership demonstrates how organisations can embed trusted, explainable and scalable Agentic AI into real business workflows to support sustainable innovation and growth.

Elsewhere, we learn how Agentic AI is reshaping enterprise operations by embedding autonomous digital workers into core workflows, moving Artificial Intelligence beyond simple assistance toward proactive execution and decision-making.

Fikile Sibiya, CIO at e4 Strategic, says these AI agents can independently manage processes such as IT support, customer service, compliance monitoring and financial reconciliation, fundamentally changing how work is delivered.

She warns that while Agentic AI can scale value rapidly, it can also amplify risk, making governance, accountability, auditability and security essential from the outset. Sibiya believes the future lies in structured collaboration between humans and AI agents, where people focus on contextual judgement and strategy while AI delivers speed, consistency and automation at scale.

As organisations adopt more autonomous systems, CIOs are evolving from technology gatekeepers into architects of intelligent ecosystems that balance innovation, security and human oversight. You can read more starting on page 24.

Don’ t forget, you can stay informed with daily news updates on our website, where we bring you the latest insights and developments from the world of business technology. I’ d like to wish you a productive and successful month ahead. Please enjoy this issue and take your time to explore the articles we have prepared for you. See you next time. www. intelligentcio. com

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