TahawulTech’s flagship channel gathering brought technology leaders together in Dubai to explore AI-first distribution, evolving partner ecosystems, and sustainable growth
TahawulTech hosted the Channel Leadership Forum & Awards 2026 on 14 September at The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina, bringing together senior technology executives, distributors, resellers, vendors and channel specialists from across the region.
The annual gathering combined industry dialogue, executive networking and an awards ceremony recognising organisations and individuals contributing to the development of the Middle East’s technology channel.
Artificial intelligence, changing customer expectations and new routes to market formed the central themes of the evening. Discussions examined how distributors, vendors and channel partners can build more intelligent, agile and commercially sustainable ecosystems.
Sandhya D’Mello, Editor at CPI Media Group, opened the programme with a welcome address highlighting the channel’s continuing importance to regional digital transformation. The address underlined the need for collaboration, skills development and stronger partner relationships as AI changes how technology solutions are developed, delivered and supported.
Charbel Zreiby, Head of Channel and Distribution, EMEA East at Veeam, delivered a keynote address focusing on the changing role of channel leadership. Zreiby’s session examined the importance of building resilient partnerships capable of responding to new technology requirements and increasingly complex enterprise environments.
A central highlight of the programme was the panel discussion titled “Channel Leadership 3.0: Building AI-first distribution and partner ecosystems for sustainable growth”.
The session featured Manish Bakshi, Managing Director, BenQ Middle East; Mario M. Veljovic, General Manager, VAD Technologies; Maya Zakhour, Director, Partner Ecosystem, BeyondTrust; Mohammad Imran, Division Head for AI, Cloud and Enterprise Solutions at Hiperdist; and Sakkeer Hussain, Director of Sales and Marketing, D-Link Middle East.
Panellists examined how AI is influencing partner enablement, customer engagement, sales strategies and operational decision-making. The discussion also considered the skills and capabilities channel organisations will require to translate AI investments into measurable business outcomes.
Participants highlighted the growing need for distributors and vendors to provide partners with more than product availability. Technical expertise, market intelligence, training, solution development and post-sales support are becoming increasingly important as customers seek integrated solutions aligned with specific business challenges.
Education also emerged as a priority, with AI creating opportunities to improve collaboration, personalise learning experiences and equip students with skills for a technology-driven economy. The discussion reinforced the role of the channel in supporting education institutions as they modernise their digital environments.
A fireside chat featuring Masood Sheik, Practice Head for Special Projects at Hiperdist, provided further insights into emerging technology opportunities and the importance of specialised capabilities within the distribution landscape.
The event was supported by Platinum Sponsors Hiperdist and Huawei, whose commitment reflected the growing importance of AI, cloud infrastructure and digital transformation across the regional channel. Gold Sponsors Bulwark Technologies, D-Link, FVC, Veeam and BenQ further strengthened the programme, representing key areas including cybersecurity, networking, data resilience, distribution and intelligent workplace and education technologies. Their participation reinforced the collaborative ecosystem required to drive partner success and sustainable growth.
The evening concluded with the Channel Leadership Awards 2026 and a gala dinner. The awards celebrated excellence across the regional channel, recognising companies and leaders for their performance, innovation, partner commitment and contribution to industry growth.
A raffle draw supported by D-Link added an interactive element to the programme, with attendees receiving an opportunity to win a selection of technology products.
The Channel Leadership Forum & Awards 2026 demonstrated that the channel remains central to the Middle East’s rapidly evolving technology economy. AI may be changing operating models and customer expectations, but trusted partnerships, local expertise and sustained investment in people will continue to shape long-term success.
Award winners
- Rahul Sarkar, CloudSEK — Cybersecurity Channel Sales Personality of the Year
- VAD Technologies — AI Data Infrastructure Distributor of the Year
- Issa Fannoun, Dell Technologies — Excellence in Regional Distribution Leadership
- FVC — Cybersecurity and AI Emerging Distributor of the Year
- Bassel Kassem, NetApp — Enterprise Data Visionary Leader of the Year
- Finesse — AI & Digital Transformation Systems Integrator of the Year
- ASUS — AI PC Vendor of the Year
- Manish Bakshi, BenQ Middle East — Channel Growth Catalyst of the Year
- Hikvision FZE — AI Solution Provider of the Year
- D-Link Middle East and Africa — Networking Vendor of the Year
- Nesreen Assal, ASBIS Middle East — Strategic Planning Excellence Award
- AHAD — Cyber Resilience Solution Provider of the Year
- Commvault — Channel Growth & Partner Success Award
- Yas Holding Technology — Enterprise Solution Provider of the Year
- Faraz Ali Khan, ASBIS Middle East — Channel Marketing Leader of the Year
- Charbel Zreiby, Veeam — Channel Executive of the Year
- Hitachi Vantara — Channel Ecosystem Excellence Award
- Hiperdist — Best Cloud Distributor of the Year
- Jithin Varghese, VAD Technologies — Outstanding Distribution Business Champion of the Year
- Mindware — Best Value-Added Distributor of the Year
- Tushar Chawla, Westcon-Comstor — Senior Marketing Leader of the Year
- Wassim Abi Saab, Everpure — Channel & Alliances Leader of the Year
- Ben McDonald, Dell Technologies — Channel Marketing Icon of the Year 2026
- Bulwark Technologies — Cybersecurity Value-Added Distributor of the Year
- Veeam — Data AI Security Vendor of the Year
- Sakkeer Hussain, D-Link Middle East and Africa — Channel Growth & Strategy Leader of the Year
- Nidhi Aiyanna, Citrix — Strategic Channel Marketing Personality of the Year
- Murad Ali, Logitech — Channel Business Visionary of the Year
- Maya Zakhour, BeyondTrust — Outstanding Woman Channel Executive of the Year
- PNY — AI & Accelerated Computing Vendor of the Year
- Taj El-Khayat, Anaplan — Most Influential Technology Executive of the Year
- ASBIS Middle East — Retail Distributor of the Year Award
- Kamlesh Lal, Dell Technologies — Outstanding Channel Marketing Leadership Award 2026
- iConnect IT Business Solutions — Cybersecurity Systems Integrator of the Year
- Mannai Information Technology — Sports Tech Partner of the Year
- Stephen Fernandes, Planview — Technology Growth Visionary of the Year
- NTT DATA — AI-Driven Transformation Partner of the Year
- EVAD — Distribution Excellence Award
- Axon Integrated Solutions LLC — Government Systems Integrator of the Year
- Gruve.ai — Agentic AI for Datacentres and Business Applications
- Jabra — Vendor Partner Programme of the Year
- Hesham Tantawi, ASBIS Middle East — Hall of Fame for Excellence in Channel Leadership
- Adil Ali, Hiperdist Gulf — Senior Channel Leader of the Year
- Cloudflare — Cloud Cybersecurity Vendor of the Year
- New Trend Computer Networks LLC — Enterprise Networking Reseller of the Year
Source: Tahawul Tech