José Pedro Almeida on a dark stage in a navy blazer, gesturing with a presentation remote between a blue network graphic on one screen and large outlined letters on another

The AI Keynote Speaker in Abu Dhabi who led AI transformations inside the Gulf's most complex organizations

José Pedro Almeida is an AI keynote speaker for enterprise and government leaders in Abu Dhabi and the Gulf, and he travels internationally to be with them. He led one of the most globally recognized AI platforms in the world, managing 560 billion data points on top of 80 IT systems and delivering more than $15 million in annual savings. He was named among the World's Most Visionary Tech and AI Leaders at GITEX Global in Dubai.

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100K+
Executives Reached
18+
Years AI Leadership
15+
Global Awards
560B+
Data Points Platform
Featured In

Recognized by world-class institutions

Harvard Business School Forbes INSEAD Heidrick & Struggles SiliconANGLE theCUBE EFG International

José Pedro Almeida is one of the most globally awarded AI executives in the world

What he brings to Abu Dhabi audiences

  • He has run the transformation as Chief AI & Data Officer. Renowned groups in the region gave him the mandate, and he led how those groups operate on top of AI inside extremely complex and regulated environments.
  • Recognised at GITEX Global in Dubai: at GITEX Global in Dubai he was named among the World's Most Visionary Tech and AI Leaders. The Gulf is a region he already knows from the inside, not a market he is discovering for the first time.
  • Enterprise AI at scale: he is Global Chief AI and Data Officer, and he built the platform for a global healthcare group on top of 80 IT systems, recognised by Microsoft with a U.S. Worldwide Innovation Award and by HIMSS with an Outstanding Digital Platform Award.
  • Board and executive advisory: he advises boards and executive committees on AI strategy and operating models, and his keynote work lands with the people who fund and govern AI rather than only watch it demonstrated.
  • Eighteen years in data and AI: he is Global Chief AI and Data Officer today and lectures in INSEAD's most senior executive programmes, where the people in the room are already running AI programmes.

The topics he speaks on for Abu Dhabi audiences

The Gulf is one region of his keynote work, not the whole programme. Organizations across Europe, the US and the Middle East book the same material, and every keynote is built around the industry, the audience and the strategic priorities of the event.

  • Enterprise AI transformation: how a large organization actually changes how it operates, and why the AI is rarely the hard part.
  • AI operating models: the structure, governance and accountability that let AI live in the business rather than in a pilot folder.
  • Agentic AI in the enterprise: beyond copilots and simple chatbots, what agentic AI loops and automated reasoning mean for how processes run end to end.
  • AI augmentation of teams: from executor to supervisor, and how the task changes when a team works alongside AI every day.
  • Why AI transformations fail: the distance between hype and execution, the plug and play trap, and the leadership decisions that decide which programmes deliver.
  • Health AI, from the platform he built: lessons from the platform he built for a global healthcare group, where the data foundations had to be right before anything else could move.

On stage

José Pedro Almeida on stage at an executive AI keynote, gesturing with a presentation remote between a blue network graphic and large outlined letters
José Pedro Almeida on the Millennium BCP stage presenting general purpose technology
José Pedro Almeida on stage at a Santander masterclass on competitive advantage in the age of AI
José Pedro Almeida walking across a stage in a navy suit in front of a large screen reading Ambient Intelligence, beside an image of a woman in a hijab and a smart speaker
José Pedro Almeida walking across a stage in front of a screen showing Hayat National Hospital above the word Impossible, with audience silhouettes in the foreground
José Pedro Almeida presenting to the KPMG Partners Forum auditorium
José Pedro Almeida on stage at the Jornal de Negócios conference
José Pedro Almeida speaking on an on-stage panel at KPMG's Banking on Change, seated with a lapel microphone against a KPMG-branded backdrop
José Pedro Almeida delivering an AI keynote from a dark stage, holding a presentation remote
José Pedro Almeida in a seated interview for Jornal de Negócios against a red studio backdrop
Where he has spoken

José Pedro Almeida has inspired more than 100,000 people

keynotes across Europe, the US and the Middle East

Collage from the DES World Congress: a speaker at a lectern on the main stage in front of a screen reading Digital Business World Congress, with further stage and audience views A speaker in a dark suit gesturing with one hand while presenting, standing in front of the Banking on Change event backdrop Collage from an Intelligent Healthcare event: a speaker on stage in front of a screen reading Ambient Intelligence, and a full conference hall during a healthcare AI session Collage from an event: a panel discussion on a stage in a full auditorium, with insets of a speaker presenting and of the room seen from the back

Why event organizers choose José Pedro Almeida

He built what he presents

18+ years building enterprise AI platforms, including a 560-billion-data-point Health AI platform recognized globally. His keynotes come from what he actually built, not theory.

Executive and board audiences

He speaks at CEO forums, boardrooms and executive leadership events, translating complex AI into decisions boards act on.

Global stage experience

From Forbes Boston to INSEAD Paris and Abu Dhabi, he has reached 100,000+ executives across international audiences.

From insight to operating model

His talks move beyond inspiration to the operating models, foundations and agentic loops that make AI real in an enterprise.

Booking an AI keynote speaker in Abu Dhabi

What is his track record in the Gulf?

José Pedro Almeida has helped transform some of the most complex organizations in the Gulf. He has taken on the role of Chief AI & Data Officer with renowned groups in the region, transforming how those groups operate on top of AI under extremely complex and regulated environments. He is Global Chief AI and Data Officer today, and he built the platform behind a global healthcare group on top of 80 IT systems, recognised by Microsoft with a U.S. Worldwide Innovation Award and by HIMSS with an Outstanding Digital Platform Award.

Who should book him for a Gulf audience?

Enterprise and government audiences across the Gulf. The keynote is shaped for whatever sector the event is in, and every session is built around the audience in the room.

Does José Pedro Almeida customize each keynote?

Yes. Every keynote is built around the industry, the audience and the strategic priorities of the event rather than delivered off the shelf, and the same material is shaped for a conference stage, an executive workshop and a closed board briefing.

Is he a Gulf-only speaker?

No. The Gulf is one region of his keynote work, not the limit of it. He delivers keynotes on enterprise AI transformation, AI operating models, agentic AI in the enterprise, the augmentation of teams with AI, and why AI transformations fail, and those topics carry his work across Europe and the US as well.

Which topics does he cover for a Gulf audience?

Enterprise AI transformation, AI operating models, agentic AI in the enterprise, AI augmentation of teams, and why transformations fail. These topics carry most of his keynote work and are built for boards, executive committees and mixed industry audiences as much as for the sector the event is in.

Is José Pedro Almeida suitable for CEOs and board level audiences?

Yes. He works today as Global Chief AI and Data Officer and has helped CEOs transform some of the most complex organizations in the world. Many of these executives have also been attendees of the AI executive programs he lectures at INSEAD in Paris and Abu Dhabi. His work and vision on AI transformation has also been featured by the most prestigious entities in business such as Forbes, Harvard, INSEAD, Heidrick & Struggles, EFG International or SiliconANGLE & theCUBE.

Does José Pedro Almeida speak internationally?

Yes. He travels internationally, including to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, and he presents in English. He delivers keynotes across Europe, the US and the Middle East, with events in Bangkok, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Paris, London, Madrid, Zurich, Basel, Amsterdam, Sarajevo, Lisbon, Florida, Boston, New York and Minneapolis, and a record that includes more than 100,000 executives in those rooms.

What formats are available?

A keynote for a conference or town hall, an executive workshop, a masterclass, or a board briefing. Each format is built around the audience it is delivered to rather than delivered off the shelf.

How can we book José Pedro Almeida?

Reach out to Jose Pedro directly on LinkedIn with your event, dates, city and audience. He confirms availability and next steps personally, and every keynote is built around the event rather than delivered off the shelf.

Planning an AI keynote in Abu Dhabi or the Gulf?

Discuss your event in the Gulf. See the full programme on the AI keynote speaker page, and the case behind the mandate on why José Pedro Almeida.

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