Schneider Electric Hosts Panel Discussion on Real Estate as Part of its Innovation Summit in KSA in the Presence of Egyptian Developers

Cairo, 19 June 2023, Schneider Electric, the leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, hosted a panel discussion entitled “How Technology has impacted the MEA Real Estate”. The panel was organized on the sidelines of Schneider Electric’s first-ever Innovation Summit in Saudi Arabia held on 13-14 June in Riyadh. The discussion aimed to shed light on the latest trends in the real estate sector globally amid growing interest in applying sustainability and energy efficiency in buildings, the impact of technology on the real estate sector in the MEA region, best practices, and how to keep up with these advances.

The panel discussion featured a lineup of well-established speakers in the field including Dr. Ahmed Shalaby – Tatweer Misr President & CEO, Bedeir Rizk, Paragon Developments CEO, Amel Chadli, MEA Digital Energy and New Energy Landscape Vice President, Schneider Electric, Louise Collins, Regional Director of Energy & Sustainability at JLL, and was moderated by John Hilliard, Head of Middle East at WiredScore.

Dr. Ahmed Mohamed Shalaby, Tatweer Misr President & CEO addressed the issue of lack of awareness about green certificates and the feasibility of incorporating smart solutions and how smart solutions are no longer viewed as a luxury. On her part, Amal Chadli, MEA Digital Energy and New Energy Landscape Vice President, Schneider Electric stressed the importance of having a single voice, promoting partnerships, and embracing new trends in the smart buildings sector in line with Schneider Electric’s six long-term commitments towards achieving sustainability that identifies local partnerships as one of its key pillars. Bedeir Rizk, Paragon Developments CEO, explained that in contrast to traditional solutions, smart solutions are cheaper and enable impactful measuring of results in buildings. Louise Collins, Regional Director of Energy & Sustainability at JLL stated that there is always opportunity in every existing asset, and that smart and sustainable solutions have a dramatic impact on the asset valuation.

The Innovation Summit in KSA 2023 capitalizes on the success of the Schneider Electric Innovation Summit that took place in the Middle East in 2022, which aimed to hold an open discussion around creating a digital path for a sustainable future. This year’s summit discussed how partnerships between both public and private sectors can accelerate digital transformation, sustainability, and economic diversification in line with the objectives of Saudi Arabia’s vision for 2030.