Members' Get Together Activities (MGTA)
Operational Resilience? What truly sustains an organization's resilience in the face of the current crisis and uncertainty?
07 May 2026 | 10am - 12pm (KSA time) / 15:00 to 17:00 (SGT time)
Location : Microsoft Teams
Why Attend?
Operational disruptions may arise from a variety of factors, including cyberattacks, natural disasters, supply chain bottlenecks, or geopolitical instability. These disruptions increasingly create cascading downstream impacts across business operations.
Uncertainty has become a permanent operating condition rather than an exception. When disruption is unavoidable, resilience is revealed in how quickly and coherently the business can respond without compromising customers, trust, or core services.
In this session, we will explore operational resilience through the lens of real business pressures, examining risks that range from cyber threats to supply chain vulnerabilities.
As a valued member of the DRI community, we cordially invite you to join this much sought webinar featuring regional industry experts from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), who will share the latest practical insights and updates from the field.
Speakers
Learn from industry leaders and experts in business continuity, risk, resilience, crisis management, AI, cybersecurity, and operational resilience.
Waleed Aldakheel, CBCP, CBCA
Abdulrahman Alonaizan, CBCP, CBCLA, CCRP, CRMP
Carol Chia
Alina Timofeeva
Yazeed AlQawsi
Abdulilah Alhomoud
Abdullatif AlSalem
Facilitator
Victor Cheong Weng Yew, CCRP
Waleed Aldakheel, CBCP, CBCA
About
Waleed Aldakheel is a highly accomplished expert with over 32 years of specialised experience in the financial sector, focusing on risk, resilience, and crisis management. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Disaster Recovery Institute (DRI) GCC and acts as a consultant for various governmental and private entities in the region.
His expertise is built on foundational roles, including serving as BCM Head at Bank Saudi Fransi, Business Continuity Services Manager at Al Rajhi Bank, and Chairman of SAMA Saudi Banks BCM Committee.
He is a Certified Auditor, Instructor, Exam Proctor, and Founder of Continuity Consultancy in KSA and UAE, demonstrating a lifelong commitment to professional development.
Abdulrahman Alonaizan, CBCP, CBCLA, CCRP, CRMP
About
Abdulrahman Alonaizan boasts an extensive 36-year banking career, notably as Chief Business Continuity Officer in Saudi Arabia for 20 years. His expertise spans managing various IT departments in technology fields for 15 years.
He has played a pivotal role in enhancing the profile of BCM, risk management, and crisis management not only within Saudi Arabia and the Middle East but also internationally.
He has won numerous awards, including Business Continuity Manager of the Year and Lifetime Achievement, highlighting his significant impact. His leadership led to achieving ISO 22301 certification multiple times, and his recent achievement includes winning the Business Continuity Team of the Year 2024 award from DRI-USA.
Carol Chia
About
Carol has extensive experience across the full lifecycle of Business Continuity Management (BCM), with a strong focus on Business and Organizational Resilience across industries in ASEAN, GCC, and EU.
Her expertise includes governance (frameworks and policies), methodologies, program implementation, continual improvement, audit and compliance aligned with international standards and regulations such as ISO 31000, ISO 22301, DORA, EBA, DNB and industry best practices
Alina Timofeeva
About
Alina Timofeeva is a globally recognised AI, Data and Cloud transformation advisor with end-to-end experience from strategy through implementation, shaped by her work at Oliver Wyman, KPMG and Accenture.
Alina has received 10 national industry awards, including Digital Leader of the Year, Digital Transformation Leader, Role Model and Most Inspirational Person of the Year. She is a LinkedIn Top Voice in Technology, Innovation Black Belt, and Honorary Award for Influence.
A recognised public expert, Alina is regularly featured on national BBC News, Bloomberg, Financial Times, and more, and serves as a live on-air expert on breaking AI and technology news for BBC and Bloomberg Asharq.
Alina is a regular on the worldwide speaker circuit ranging from Davos to London Tech Week, LEAP & AIM Congress to Oxford University & LSE.
Yazeed AlQawsi
About
Yazeed AlQawsi is a business continuity and resilience professional with over 12 years of experience across the financial services sector.
His expertise spans business continuity, crisis management, and operational resilience, with a strong focus on governance, regulatory alignment, and technology risk. He has led and advised on enterprise resilience programs and executive-level crisis preparedness.
Yazeed holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and is certified in BCM, Operational Resilience Manager, and COBIT 5.
Abdulilah Alhomoud
About
An accomplished Operational & Resiliency Risk Director with over 12 years of leadership in the Saudi banking sector, specialising in building robust business continuity, operational risk, and IT risk frameworks from the ground up.
He is an expert in strengthening enterprise resilience, ensuring regulatory alignment, and managing crisis response within complex digital banking environments.
He combines a technical foundation in Computer Science and an MBA with deep expertise in governance and risk integration to align strategic objectives, technology risk, and regulatory expectations while driving sustainable growth and long-term organisational readiness.
Abdullatif AlSalem
About
Abdullatif AlSalem is the Executive Senior Advisor and GRCP Strategist with 15+ years of leadership experience in governance, risk, compliance, business continuity, crisis management, and disaster recovery across major government entities and financial institutions.
He holds an M.Sc. in Risk Management and professional credentials including Certified IT Disaster Recovery Specialist and Certified Operational Risk Professional.
He has a proven track record in establishing enterprise-wide BCM, GRC, and crisis management functions, achieving ISO 22301 and ISO 31000 certifications, and advising senior government officials through high-impact initiatives and workshops.
Victor Cheong Weng Yew
About
Victor Cheong helps leaders turn CX into resilient, self-sustaining growth by connecting OKRs, applied AI, and agile delivery. As Chief Client & Digital Officer at Sun Life Malaysia and a member of DRI Malaysia’s BCM Committee, he builds systems that scale care, speed decisions, and strengthen resilience across regulated environments. During COVID-19, he supported enterprise crisis response, bringing crisis-tested BCM and DR into everyday execution. His work has lifted client satisfaction, deepened digital engagement, and kept service steady under pressure in regulated industries.
Event Agenda
| SGT Time | KSA Time | Speakers | Items |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1500 – 1505 | 1000 – 1005 |
Victor Cheong Facilitator & DRI Malaysia Committee Member |
Opening Notes |
| 1505 – 1515 | 1005 – 1015 |
Carol Chia DRI GCC & Business Resilience Practitioners – GCC, Netherlands |
Welcome Overview & DRI Updates |
| 1515 – 1545 | 1015 – 1045 |
Abdulrahman Alonaizan, CBCP, CBCLA, CCRP, CRMP Arab National Bank & DRI KSA Committee Vice Chairman |
Challenges on the journey to be truly operational resilient..... |
| 1545 – 1615 | 1045 – 1115 |
Waleed AlDakheel, CBCP Industry Expert & DRI KSA Committee Chairman |
Supply Chain Resilience: What do we learn from the current supply chain disruption? |
| 1615 – 1700 | 1115 – 1200 |
Panel Discussion Moderator: Alina Timofeeva Panellist: Yazeed AlQawsi, Abdulilah Alhomoud, Abdullatif AlSalem |
Cyber Security During Gulf Conflicts, especially on Supply Chain Cyber Management & Resilience |
| 1700 – 1710 | 1200 – 1210 |
Victor Cheong Facilitator & DRI Malaysia Committee Member |
Webinar Wrap Up & Closing & Evaluation |
Photo Gallery – MGTA 2025
Moments captured during the Members Get Together Activities (MGTA) 2025.
Our Partners & Sponsors
Thank you to our valued partners and sponsors for making this event possible
🎟️ Registration
The webinar is open to all DRI members, professionals, and industry practitioners.
Registration Closing Date: 06 May 2026
*Limited seats available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Once you submit your registration, we will contact you via email for further confirmation.
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