Three years ago Mindware made a choice that reset its arc. “We chose to invest heavily in AI and I pushed hard to bring NVIDIA on as a partner,” said Philippe Jarre, group president of Mindware.
“We then built a dedicated AI organisation with an AI consulting practice to tackle the market. Without sounding pretentious I would say we are probably the distributor leading the market in this space today.” The sequence mattered – secure the strategic vendor, assemble the skills, then industrialise go-to-market.
Inside the company the shift was practical rather than theatrical. A small advanced engineering group became a platform team for data pipelines and GPU estates. Services grew around it – reference architectures, capacity planning, cost models that finance teams could tolerate.
“It is one thing to say AI is strategic,” Jarre said. “It is another to design offers partners can sell next Monday.” Mindware built playbooks first for banks and telcos, then for healthcare and public sector. “We do not try to boil the ocean. We standardise where it makes sense and stay flexible where the client needs it.”
Early wager, steady principles
For Jarre the operating philosophy did not change with the hype cycle. “My principles are constant,” he said. “Focus on people. Keep learning the technology. Balance short-term execution with long-term strategy.” Teams come first. “You need people who bring different skills and work well together. I am proud of the Mindware team. It is not perfect but the cohesion and positivity we have built is a strength.”
Curiosity is the next pillar. “Things move fast. You must stay curious and encourage your teams to do the same, even when it is not easy.” The third is the daily juggle. “Be strategic, but agile in the day-to-day to cope with competition and change.”
He describes leadership in the region as helicopter piloting. “You manage multiple dimensions at once – financials, vendor strategy, partner ecosystems, skills, geography, regulation, even currency,” he said. “You keep the long-term vision and have Plan B or C ready.” AI is the long game. Shifting vendor models are the near-term reality. “Some vendors are moving almost fully to OEM strategies. That forces us to rethink how we operate. Adaptability is key and we lean on digital tools – marketplaces, AI portals, automation – to support that agility.”
The marketplace shift changes distribution from pallets to platforms. Mindware’s catalogue now includes GPU instances, MLOps stacks and packaged consulting that partners can bundle with their own services. “Our role is to reduce friction,” Jarre said. “If a partner wants an inference cluster for a three-month pilot we should make that a few clicks with a contract that does not frighten the CFO.”
Automation handles provisioning and metering. Humans handle snags – compliance clauses, data residency, complex procurement – the places where trust still beats code.
Operating at regional speed
Jarre resists calling the Middle East an outlier, yet he is clear about its velocity. “What stands out is the acceleration of digital investments by governments,” he said. “The willingness and speed are unmatched. The Middle East is now leading the way in digital transformation. It is fantastic to be here at this moment.” That speed changes the operating rules.
“You need the right structure to support scale and agility to respond quickly. Local presence is essential – regulations, cultures and relationships differ by country and you must have people on the ground.”
Balance sheet craft is part of the job. “You need financial agility to handle rapid shifts in currencies, payments and rules you do not see elsewhere,” he said. Credit terms, hedging and escrow are the unglamorous tools that keep projects moving when exchange rates twitch or policies tighten. “Distribution lives on working capital. If you do not manage it, strategy will not save you.”
Above all, embrace innovation. “The acceleration is extraordinary, and legislation here enables it faster than in many parts of the world.” He is arguing for reallocation, not blunt cuts. “Tasks move to software. People move to higher value. That is the cycle. We help customers plan that shift rather than get hit by it.”
To keep perspective he looks outward and inward. “I sit on the board of the Global Technology Distribution Council. It brings together the top distribution CEOs worldwide,” he said. “That gives direct insight into trends across the US and Europe. I compare them with our realities.” He stays close to customers and reads widely. “Staying close to technology means staying educated and inspired.”
Preparation beats hype. “Education is critical,” Jarre said. “In the past six months we ran sessions at different levels on AI – from awareness to deep certifications. We did the same for cloud and security. I want every employee to have baseline awareness and for some, specialised expertise.”
University partnerships bring fresh voices. “Their perspective is fresh. They challenge us to think differently.” Graduates rotate through services, pre-sales and marketplace so they see how an order becomes a workload, not just a slide. “The mix of training and youthful pressure keeps us ambitious but grounded.”
He keeps his advice to peers simple. “Build a core team of five to seven leaders with strength across technology, financial design, go-to-market and content,” he said. “Stay close to the market but do not try to boil the ocean. Start small, build medium projects, scale cautiously. The pace is fast. You must protect cash from risky bets.” Relationships are the last mile. “In this region relationships are everything. Invest the time. Keep your word.”
Governance is not an afterthought. Mindware runs its AI practice with clear lines – data flows, residency, ownership, rollback. “We ask customers to define who owns the model, who owns the outputs, what the rollback looks like,” Jarre said. “You do not want to be writing that on the night of a launch.” The firm tracks adoption and value, not only revenue. “If a partner sells a pilot that never scales we learn nothing. We measure how many pilots become live services and how quickly.”
Looking ahead he sketches the spend and scale. “AI is already consuming around 30 to 35 per cent of IT spending,” he said. “It demands investment in data centres, energy, storage and skills. Only a handful of mega-players – hyperscalers, G42 in the UAE, NEOM in Saudi Arabia, Ooredoo in Qatar – can afford that scale.”
For everyone else the model will be consumption. “Capabilities delivered as-a-service will democratise AI so small and mid-sized businesses benefit without huge upfront investment. It is good for countries, good for the industry and it will define the next phase of digital transformation.”
Jarre is realistic about the turbulence ahead. Vendors will rewire pricing. Skills will be scarce in the wrong places. Energy constraints will pinch timelines. “That is why we balance the helicopter view with the cockpit checklist,” he said. Forecasts, yes. Also order intake this week, cash tomorrow, skills in a quarter. “Have the vision,” he said. “Stay close to people and technology. Execute today, plan for tomorrow, be ready to adapt.”
If there is a thread through his story it is disciplined agility – make the big bet early, then manage the moving parts with calm hands. “Strategy is choices over time,” Jarre said. “We chose AI early. We will keep learning, keep hiring, keep adjusting. That is how you turn a bet into a business.”
