Lula Mohanty on ADIPEC and IBM Consulting’s expertise in the energy landscape
Held last week in Abu Dhabi, ADIPEC brought together leaders from across the entire energy value chain to discuss the latest trends and developments in the sector. Lula Mohanty, IBM Consulting’s Managing Partner for the Middle East and Africa, led the firm’s line up at the event – we spoke with her about the event and expertise in the energy landscape.
IBM’s participation at ADIPEC comes as the energy sector continues to embrace digitalization. Can you share how IBM is supporting the region’s energy transition and what key initiatives were showcased at the event?
We see the greatest advancements happening when trusted expertise meets powerful technology. That is what we do at IBM Consulting, and that is what our clients are seeking in today’s energy landscape.
IBM has many projects in the energy sector that focus on leveraging AI and hybrid cloud technologies to support smarter grid management, predictive maintenance, and more efficient operations. By embedding these capabilities into the fabric of local energy ecosystems, we are helping organizations transform and create new engines of innovation and strategic value.
At ADIPEC, for example, we highlighted a collaboration with Dolphin Energy, where we have helped digitize procurement processes, thus increasing efficiency, creating more intelligent workflows, and enhancing transparency.
With the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) and Engineering for the Petroleum and Process Industries (ENPPI), we are deepening our collaboration to extend our SAP implementations to empower 10,000 employees to work smarter and faster – which will also increase efficiency.
The Dolphin Energy project you mentioned is a significant success case. Can you elaborate on that collaboration and why it was successful?
We partnered with Dolphin Energy to migrate from traditional procurement processes to a digitized e-procurement system using SAP ARIBA. Through collaboration and design-led thinking, the outcomes include improved operational efficiency, reduced costs, and increased transparency.
Today, Dolphin Energy runs a fully digital, paperless procurement process that is faster, smarter, and ready for the future. IBM is proud to have contributed to that transformation.
This project not only supports Dolphin Energy’s operational goals but also sets a benchmark for digitization in the energy sector. It underscores how technology can drive significant improvements in efficiency and sustainability.
IBM’s recent study ‘The industrial decarbonization dividend in the Middle East and Africa’ sheds light on the energy transition. What are the key report’s key findings for energy leaders?
Our study reaffirms that curtailing carbon footprints is a competitive mandate. Of the leaders we surveyed in the Middle East and Africa (MEA), 77% of executives say their industry will not remain competitive without decarbonization at scale. Leading industrial companies in MEA credit a 10% revenue boost to their decarbonization strategies.
Meanwhile, leading MEA organizations gain twice as much value from using AI in decarbonization as their peers.
While there are many insights to take away from the report, what is clear is that the path to net zero is not about choosing one technology – it’s about using the right mix, consistently, to deliver results that matter to you. Our research further indicates that decarbonization supports progress not only in meeting sustainability goals, but in strengthening how organizations are perceived, while revolutionizing supply chain transparency.
Stepping outside of the energy sector for a moment, how has today’s age of AI changed the expectations of your clients in the Middle East?
As our global SVP and Head of IBM Consulting, Mohamad Ali recently shared, “The future of consulting is going to be a hybrid of people plus software.” Clients expect their service partners to come to the table with the latest AI-powered software, automation tools, and reusable assets, and are holding consultants to a higher standard as a result.
Fortunately, we are the only global consultancy at scale within a major technology organization. We have an advantage to drive AI outcomes at scale using IBM’s own AI technology in addition to the technology of our strategic partners. This combination of expertise and technology allowed us to deliver impressive results – for Al-Futtaim Automotive, we migrated over two billion records in less than 48 hours of downtime, saving 8-10 days of potential operational losses.
Now, after the smooth transfer, they have a unified, expandable, AI-enabled digital foundation that speeds up financial close processes and enhances their supply-chain connectivity.
I think it is especially important that we work with an open ecosystem of partners to meet clients where they are in their technological journey, which is critical to both their success and ours.
Is that where IBM Consulting Advantage comes into play?
Precisely. The promise of AI for business is huge, but unrealized. We’ve seen that 72% of top-performing CEOs agree that competitive advantage depends on who has the most advanced generative AI, but only 38% say their organization has the in-house expertise to adopt gen AI for innovation.
Understanding the immense pressures faced by business and technology leaders today, IBM Consulting Advantage delivery platform empowers our experts with an evidence-based, scientific approach to consulting. We help clients sequence transformation properly, establishing the right data backbone, deploying pilots with clear outcomes, and scaling with governance.
Of course, success also depends on tailoring those capabilities to national priorities, such as the Digital Economy Strategy and the National AI Strategy 2031 in the UAE. We have a wealth of local experience in such projects, and that is how we help move transformation from aspiration to impact.
