DP World appoints Sara Falaknaz as new Chief Innovation Officer
Dec 13, 2016: As part of its focus on innovation, global trade enabler DP World has appointed Sara Falaknaz as Chief Innovation Officer with immediate effect. Falaknaz is currently the Vice President of Innovation for DP World and her new duties will expand the role in other directions.
The company is building a group wide global innovation structure across its operations and has already created an online portal called “innoGate” to collect ideas from its 37,000 strong workforce across 40 countries. She will also lead exploration of investment in breakthrough and disruptive ideas that could change the face of the industry and how operations are conducted in the future through new technologies and working practices.
DP World Group Chairman and CEO, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, said, “Galvanising employee creativity, collecting and advancing valuable innovation ideas and building strong alliances with leading global innovators will form a major part of Sara’s role and we are delighted to make this appointment which will be pivotal to our future direction.
“Sara will lead the innovation agenda we have set ourselves, promoting and investing in new ideas from within the Group and identifying external investment and acquisition opportunities in line with our strategy. All innovation initiatives under Sara will serve to underpin our vision to lead the future of world trade, cementing our leading status as a global trade enabler across the supply chain.”
Sara Falaknaz, Chief Innovation Officer, DP World, said, “The world is changing at a pace never seen before in our history and as an enabler of global trade the way we improve and make our business even more efficient will impact societies. We are in locations that manage over 50 per cent of world trade and our role in developing innovation will shape the future leaving a legacy for future generations. Big data, the internet of things, robotics, cybersecurity and driverless vehicles are just some of the developments that will influence the way we work and live in the future.”
DP World is already implementing a range of new innovations across its business from the use of drones for security, driverless electric trucks at its Rotterdam joint venture and automated quay cranes. The company is also conducting a feasibility study into the use of Hyperloop technology for carrying goods from an inland container terminal in Dubai to Jebel Ali port.
