Q1. Could you start by giving us a brief overview of your professional background, particularly focusing on your expertise in the industry?

I’ve spent the last two decades shaping how organizations adopt and grow with enterprise technology. Today, I lead the Customer Success Unit at PROART Consulting, a Microsoft Solutions Partner operating across the Middle East and Africa.

My expertise is anchored in Microsoft Business Applications—Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations, Supply Chain, and Customer Engagement—as well as Power Platform and the Copilot ecosystem. Before PROART, I held leadership and consulting roles with Microsoft and other global partners, giving me a 360° view of product engineering, partner enablement, and large-scale customer transformation.

Over time, I’ve become particularly passionate about building customer success as a growth engine, not just a support function—designing scalable frameworks like SuccessPRO that turn technology adoption into measurable business outcomes.

 

Q2. What are the emerging customer experience trends and technology capabilities shaping digital transformation success in your region?

Across the region, customer experience is now the real battleground. Organizations are moving from simply digitizing processes to creating connected, data-driven journeys—blending ERP, CRM, and industry apps with low-code automation. Three capabilities stand out:

Generative AI and Copilot-style assistants

It enables employees and customers to self-serve with natural language.

Low-code platforms

It shortens time-to-value and empowers “citizen developers,” reducing dependence on scarce technical talent.

Real-time analytics and predictive insights

It closes the loop between operations and experience.

In markets with diverse maturity levels, these capabilities allow even late adopters to leapfrog traditional stages of digitalization.

 

Q3. What is the competitive landscape for SaaS and AI-enhanced business applications among Microsoft Solutions Partners in MEA and Africa, and how is partner program evolution affecting market penetration?

Microsoft Solutions Partners are facing a fast-maturing SaaS market where cloud ERP/CRM is now table stakes. Competition comes from three fronts:

• Global integrators are doubling down on industry IP to differentiate

• Regional specialists who pair deep local knowledge with nimble delivery

• Emerging AI-infused add-ons and micro-solution

 

Q4. According to you, in what ways are Microsoft's expanding AI productivity tools and Copilot ecosystem influencing enterprise purchasing decisions and subscription mix shifts?

Microsoft’s expanding Copilot portfolio is fundamentally changing how CIOs plan their subscriptions. Enterprises are increasingly bundling M365 Copilot with Dynamics 365 and Power Platform to unlock cross-suite value. Procurement conversations are shifting from “seat counts and SKUs” to business outcomes like productivity uplift and cost avoidance.

We’re also seeing license mix shifts—customers are willing to upgrade to premium SKUs or multi-year agreements when the Copilot ROI is clear and adoption is guided through Customer Success frameworks.

 

Q5. What unique challenges and opportunities do you see in scaling AI-driven customer success and business application solutions in regions with diverse digital maturity levels?

The region encompasses highly digital Gulf economies and frontier markets characterized by basic connectivity. Challenges include:

• Data readiness and governance gaps that slow AI model adoption

• Skills shortages—both technical and change-management

• Variable regulatory environments for data residency and privacy

Yet these gaps create opportunity: partners who can provide managed AI services, packaged accelerators, and outcome-based success models will help customers skip intermediate steps and gain competitive advantage quickly.

 

Q6. What customer segments or industries are driving the fastest adoption of Copilot-enabled solutions?

We see rapid uptake in:

• Financial services and insurance, where knowledge-intensive processes benefit from AI summarization and risk analytics

• Retail and consumer goods, driven by demand forecasting and personalized customer engagement

• Large-scale real estate and construction developers, need predictive project management and automated reporting

These industries combine high data volumes with a need for real-time decision making—ideal conditions for Copilot.

 

Q7. If you were an investor looking at companies within the space, what critical question would you pose to their senior management?

“Assuming the competitive advantage of your AI and business application offerings depends on measurable customer outcomes, how are you proving that value at scale, and what percentage of your revenue is already tied to those outcomes?”