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MAST Consulting plans digital expansion in UAE

The company’s client portfolio includes an impressive list of market leaders, namely Panasonic, Hitachi, DIFC, Al Futtaim, Dubai Holding, and Danube, among others.

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Dubai-based MAST Consulting is planning a major expansion with investment in B2B and B2C applications, IPs, a building managed security operations centre, and a security and digital forensics lab, said Abhay Pandey, founder and chief executive officer of MAST Consulting.

Pandey said: “Today, as businesses and industries jump on the digital bandwagon, it is important to consider how to best tap into its potential, and optimise the transition. In the UAE, thanks to strong advocacy from the government and a corresponding response from the private sector, digitalisation has been exemplary.”

The company’s client portfolio includes an impressive list of market leaders, namely Panasonic, Hitachi, DIFC, Al Futtaim, Dubai Holding, and Danube, among others. In 2022, as the economic recovery gears up and the impact of the pandemic abates, digitisation will require clear objectives and meticulous planning to become successful, believes the visionary entrepreneur, with over 15 years of hands-on techno-consulting experience, across geographies and industries.

Pandey started MAST Consulting in UAE in 2016 to provide enterprises with solutions focused on digital transformation, customer experience, and enterprise risk management (people, process & technology), among others.

“The UAE has been ahead of the game in terms of its digital transformation readiness, and focus on people and customer experience. The UAE is an efficiency-driven economy with strong technological underpinnings. So, local businesses and industries have assimilated well into the digital transformation. In 2022, as the pandemic tailwind wears off, digitisation must reconcile with customer-centricity, cybersecurity, and sustainability for the manifestation of more opportunities than challenges,” added Pandey.

The growth of the company has been synonymous with the growing emphasis on CX and digitisation in the UAE and the larger region. Pandey cautions against hurried tech adoption. “Today, with customers increasing their digital exposure, businesses are inclined to pivot towards a digital future. But, haphazard tech adoption will not translate into successful customer engagement. It will in fact expose existing issues, because digital ways are, by design, more transparent.”

Therefore, he recommends analysing customer pain points, identifying operations that could use tech-led optimisation, and determining in-house feasibility, before starting the digital transformation journey. Also important is the optimisation of employee experience, which is a prerequisite for the successful implementation of strategies and a good CX, he recommends.

Cybersecurity reimagined in 2022

While the pandemic accelerated digitisation, it also led to an increase in attack surfaces and vectors, creating a parallel cyber-security pandemic, says Pandey. The company was quick to respond with a dedicated Cyber Security Lab that helped clients establish error-free asset discovery, 24/7 monitoring and anomaly alerting, etc., besides gaining continuous visibility into security issues.

“With customer experience becoming the center of every enterprises’ conversation, MAST has made significant investments in this area, including CX advisory, implementation, and development of applications delivering superior customer experience. We have also channelled significant resources towards cybersecurity in 2021 — something that will continue well into 2022. Alongside this, our sustainability advisory has also become a sought-after solution. Venture capitalists are pursuing greater exposure to ESG-linked businesses and assets. Our sustainability advisory has helped businesses understand their ESG scope and feasibility for new operating models. MAST Consulting, as an organisation, has also stepped up its sustainability pursuits as it gears up for the next growth cycle and funding rounds,” concluded Pandey.

— sandhya@khaleejtimes.com