Creating Digitally Empowered Smarter Societies

In conversation with Jihad Tayara, CEO of EVOTEQ

EVOTEQ, one of the leading digital transformation companies in the region, was founded in 2017, in response to the increasing market demand for next-generation technologies and applications for businesses and government entities.

Backed by 25 years of experience in multiple organisations, primarily in telecommunications, technology, and digital transformation, Jihad Tayara, CEO at EVOTEQ, is a major contributor to the firm’s growth. Tayara, whose passion for technology began at a young age, is committed to creating digitally empowered and smarter societies. By providing innovative and transformative digital solutions and platforms, he has helped EVOTEQ empower governments and large enterprises across the region to improve performance, increase efficiency, and enhance decision making processes. On a personal level, Tayara is also an Ironman triathlete and a passionate home chef and pit master.

As the CEO of one of the leading Digital Transformation companies in the region, Tayara also takes pride in his contributions to the recent national track and trace initiative for pharmaceuticals – Tatmeen. The initiative, which is being carried out in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP), sets a benchmark in public and private partnerships.

Core area of business

EVOTEQ’s unique business model covers the entire span of offerings required for digital transformation. At the initial stage, the company offers its clients in-depth consulting and advisory services to shape their digital transformation strategy. This is then either followed by developing a customised solution or offering the right digital solutions and platforms to meet the cliet’s business requirements in order to solve major operational pain points.

Over the past few years, EVOTEQ has strategically built relationships and capabilities, as well as forged partnerships to cater to the needs of its customers. Through its consultative selling approach, the company secured several high-profile projects, from facilitating smart transportation to building smart city management systems, digitalising public sector and corporate services, and fortifying supply chains. EVOTEQ’s projects address two key smart city pillars: Smart Platforms, and Smart Transformation. The two pillars enhance the experience for its clients, and the other focuses on digital competitiveness for businesses.

Speaking about the company’s latest collaboration, Tayara said: “Our recent partnership with the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention to launch 'Tatmeen,' relies on EVOTEQ's track-and-trace solution, of which we are extremely proud. We hope to save lives by assisting in the reduction of counterfeit pharmaceutical distribution in the country, and by promoting collaborative cooperation with a variety of different government entities in order to deploy new digital projects and technologies. We also aim to fulfill industry and government requests for next-generation technologies and applications, as well as build technological solutions and long-term platforms to address regional concerns and complicated issues encountered by diverse industries.”

Overcoming initial challenges

When it comes to challenges, Tayara said that the company has always believed that encouraging new and innovative technology and digital service transformation is fairly simple. The most difficult aspect, however, is how businesses manage customer expectations and change how individuals conduct business. “As a leader in technology, I have always been in tune and updated with the latest innovations in technology, laws, obstacles, and trends. By keeping them in check, it is easier to develop more effective solutions for resolving problems. In the wake of digital transformation, every industry has become immensely competitive. Moreover, we have witnessed an increase in the deployment and integration of technological innovations that affect performance and customer experience. Although keeping up with the competition can be incredibly difficult at times, I believe it is my responsibility as a leader to be prepared to overcome any crisis by finding the right solutions,” he said.

Competitive edge

Tayara said that the EVOTEQ team and employees are its biggest competitive advantage. He said: “Our breadth of expertise, numerous years of experience, and extensive background in consulting and providing innovative technology to a multitude of organisations remain our biggest strengths and assets.”

Milestones and achievements

EVOTEQ’s most notable achievement is the public-private partnership it has developed with the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) for the Tatmeen project. The company took the lead in creating a revolutionary track-and-trace application using the SmartTrack platform to fortify and secure the medical supply chain of the country. This is currently being utilised by the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention for their new digital platform ‘Tatmeen,’ and is one of the largest nationwide milestones EVOTEQ has achieved in its operations.

“We were also behind the development of a major digital transformation project in Sharjah and the UAE, known as the ‘Offices of the Future’ for Bee’ah’s headquarters,” said Tayara. In 2020, EVOTEQ won two major awards from the Telecom Review and MEED. Additionally, the company bagged the ‘Telecom Review Award for Most Innovative Adaptation Technology for Covid-19’ and the ‘Gulf Capital Award for Business Innovation of the Year – Covid 19,’ for leveraging modern innovations and investing in digital transformation solutions during the pandemic.

Future plans

Looking ahead to the coming years, Tayara said: “Following our recent success in Saudi Arabia, we further intend to grow EVOTEQ in the region. We plan to build forward and establishe ourselves in the UAE, and wish to grow to several regions around the Middle East, leveraging our extensive experience in healthcare, healthcare traceability, and digital transformation.” He further stated that the company also intends to broaden the scope of its SmartTrack platform to include new sectors and locations. “Our vision is to strengthen our current capabilities in areas such as Smart Platforms and Smart Transformation, in addition to developing new and advanced platforms and technologies. Similarly, plans to offer data centre services and a variety of other services are also in the pipeline,” he concluded.

— ali@khaleejtimes.com