Finance Middle East sat down with the Middle East Regional Head of QBurst, Shivkumar Subramaniam, to discuss the firm’s expanding presence and mandate in the Gulf.
1. What are the one or two big bets or focus sectors you are prioritising for QBurst in the GCC over the next 12–18 months?
We are placing two big bets, supported by four priority sectors.
The first is the convergence of data and cloud. Data and cloud are no longer being treated as separate engagements with separate budgets. Enterprises increasingly see cloud modernisation, data platforms, governance and AI as one integrated transformation agenda. You cannot scale AI without trusted data, and you cannot build a modern, scalable data foundation without the right cloud architecture.
The second is the move towards AI-native operations. Abu Dhabi has set the ambition of becoming the world’s first fully AI-native government across all digital services by 2027, while Saudi Arabia continues to invest significantly in technology under Vision 2030.
Demand is already moving beyond conventional generative AI. Clients are asking for intelligent and agentic systems that can understand a user’s intent, connect across enterprise platforms and complete an entire service or business process. When governments set this direction, the private sector follows.
Both bets fit directly into QBurst’s High AI-Q™ positioning. We define High AI-Q as the combination of High IQ, which represents deep technical expertise, and High EQ, which reflects a genuine understanding of the client’s needs, with AI infused into every aspect of how we operate and deliver. We apply it through our GPT lens: measurable outcomes across Growth, Productivity and Transformation, supported by an AI-proficient workforce.
Our sector focus covers four areas where QBurst has proven capabilities and where regional investment remains consistent:
- Government, aligned with the national AI and digital agendas in the UAE and Saudi Arabia
- Retail, where data and AI-led customer engagement are converging rapidly
- Real estate, which is modernising its digital platforms and customer journeys
- Travel and Hospitality, where data platforms and intelligent operations are becoming competitive differentiators
2. What is the single biggest gap local enterprise leaders are telling you they face?
The biggest gap is between experimentation and enterprise-scale implementation.
It is not a lack of ambition. Many organisations have completed proofs of concept, sometimes several of them. However, moving these initiatives into production remains difficult. Data may be distributed across multiple systems, governance may not be in place, and in some cases the intended business outcome was never clearly defined.
This is pushing data governance onto board agendas. Leaders recognise that AI cannot be deployed responsibly at scale when data is fragmented, ownership is unclear, or controls over quality, privacy and access are weak. For us, governance is the foundation for enterprise AI, and we treat it that way.
The client conversation has also changed. Business leaders are no longer looking for another technology demonstration. They want AI that solves a defined business problem, works within their existing environment and delivers measurable value. We assess initiatives through the GPT lens: will they drive growth, improve productivity, or transform a customer journey or business process? If they do none of these, we question why they exist.
3. Where do you see immediate traction for QBurst’s capabilities?
The UAE and Saudi Arabia are our two priority markets, and both are already producing active opportunities.
The UAE continues to move quickly across AI adoption, data governance, customer experience, cloud transformation and digital government services. Government-led programmes are also acting as a catalyst for the private sector.
Saudi Arabia offers significant opportunities through Vision 2030, particularly across government, large enterprises and digital infrastructure. It is also a market built on relationships, and we respect that. Our approach is to build local capability while working with strong Saudi partners who bring market access, relationships and domain understanding. You don’t shortcut Saudi Arabia; you commit to it.
Across both markets, we are seeing encouraging traction through our technology and regional partnerships, including opportunities involving Microsoft, Databricks, Salesforce and Creatio. These platforms sit at the intersection of data, cloud, AI and customer engagement, which is precisely the convergence clients are asking us to address.
4. How does QBurst intend to differentiate itself in the regional market?
There is a clear gap in the regional technology services market. At one end are large global systems integrators. At the other is a fragmented mix of smaller specialists. Between them, relatively few firms combine global engineering depth with regional commitment and the responsiveness clients increasingly expect.
QBurst intends to occupy that space as a high-agility alternative to the large global integrators. Our regional proposition rests on three Ps: Proximity, Pace and Partnership. Proximity means direct access to accountable leaders and experts. Pace means faster decisions and agile execution. Partnership means genuine ownership of business outcomes, not simply the delivery of contracted requirements.
The three Ps describe how we engage, while High AI-Q describes how we engineer and deliver. Together, they give clients the responsiveness of a focused challenger, backed by QBurst’s global technology and engineering capabilities.
We are realistic that credibility must be earned. It will require sustained investment in local leadership, partnerships, client relationships and delivery capability, and we are prepared to make that commitment.
5. Do you already have an established regional client base?
QBurst is not new to the Middle East. We have been present in the region for over a decade and have built a credible client base that includes marquee organisations across retail, government and real estate.
Several of these relationships go back many years and remain active today. We continue to support these clients across enterprise data platforms, digital engineering, customer experience, cloud modernisation, analytics and AI-led transformation.
We therefore start with more than a market entry point. We have an established delivery track record, long-standing client relationships and a grounded understanding of how organisations in the region operate. Our next phase of growth will build on this foundation.
6. Are there any recent wins or active implementations across the key sectors?
We are currently working on and pursuing opportunities across government, retail, real estate and aviation. These engagements span enterprise data platforms, cloud and data modernisation, data governance, AI-led customer engagement, analytics, intelligent automation and managed digital engineering services.
A consistent theme runs through these opportunities: clients want a partner who can combine consulting and architecture with engineering and implementation. This plays directly to QBurst’s strengths. We can help define the solution and then build, integrate and operate it at scale through one accountable team.
Our High AI-Q approach runs through the entire lifecycle, from discovery and solution design to engineering, testing and operations. We support this with a deliberate effort to build AI proficiency across our workforce, rather than limiting AI capabilities to a small specialist team.
Some of the larger opportunities are currently at the proposal, evaluation or early implementation stage. Client names and specific engagement details will therefore need to remain confidential.
7. What does the team and local capability expansion look like?
We are building the GCC business around UAE-based regional leadership, supported by QBurst’s wider global engineering capabilities.
Our immediate priority is to strengthen business development, client partnership and solution consulting in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. As the pipeline converts, we expect to expand our regional presence across data and AI, cloud, data governance, digital engineering and enterprise platforms.
The objective is not simply to add headcount. It is to build a local team that understands the market, remains close to clients and can draw upon QBurst’s global delivery depth when required.
The combination of local proximity, agile execution, genuine partnership and High AI-Q engineering will be central to our ambition of becoming a serious Tier 2 challenger in the Middle East.
Shivkumar Subramaniam is the Regional Head for the Middle East at QBurst.
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