Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE

تحت رعاية صاحب السمو الشيخ محمد بن زايد آل نهيان، رئيس دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة

Supported by

Andrew Smart

EMEA Senior Managing Director Lead for Energy

Accenture

Andrewsmart
Andrewsmart

Andrew is Accenture’s EMEA Senior Managing Director Lead for Energy – while also having Client Account Lead for one of Accenture’s largest client relationships in the sector. Andrew is responsible for leading our Industry Team for Energy in EMEA from across all of Accenture’s Service Groups, focused on bringing the combined strengths of Accenture to our target clients to address their highest priorities. Andrew is bringing 30 years of experience working with Accenture’s Energy clients on many dimensions of strategic change. This experience includes the development of new business models, products and ventures, as well as core business transformation and optimisation, right across the existing and transitional energy value chain. His current focus is on helping our clients transform their businesses and operations to be more agile, data centric and AI enabled; all in service of navigating their path through the energy transition. Andrew has been with Accenture since 1994, since which time he has been Accenture’s Global Strategy Lead for Energy, our Global Industry Managing Director for Energy; as well as leading 4 of Accenture’s largest client relationships in the UK Oil and Gas Sector at times of industry transformation and change. Andrew holds a Philosophy degree from Durham University, a postgraduate in Computer Science from Cambridge University. Andrew is currently based in Abu Dhabi, having moved to the Middle East in January 2024 after nearly 30 years working from Accenture’s offices in London.

Session Overview
Tuesday, 4 November
12:00
Global strategy ICC Hall A 12:00 - 12:45
The talent transformation behind Energy 5.0

As energy systems become smarter and more digital, organisations must rethink how they plan transformation and build talent, including how to prepare their workforce for a fast-changing future, where AI supports processes from hiring to training to decision making, but human judgement still matters. In addition, key questions will be addressed around what skills are truly needed in an Energy 5.0 world? Are we evolving our practices or simply adding new tools? Discussions will evolve around how to build inclusive, tech-ready teams while navigating the risks and realities of human-AI collaboration.

Attendee insights:

Gain critical insights into what talent transformation means in the era of Energy 5.0, and how teams can embrace, navigate, and address the challenges of this new reality.

Thursday, 6 November
15:35
Strategic Conference Conference Room B 15:35 - 15:55
View Session
The future of AI: Where are we heading?

The power of AI to accelerate research and development in fields such as climate science, physics and quantum computing—as well as the way the work is conducted—is immense. In addition, AI can also support and accelerate societal agendas, driving substantial economic growth and productivity gains, reducing social inequalities while increasing opportunities, and more. AI is also transforming the energy sector, driving change across operational optimisation, renewable energy integration, energy efficiency sustainability, and more.

Attendee insights:

In this Energy Talk, Anima Anandkumar, Bren Professor of Computing and Mathematical Sciences from Caltech, until recently, AI research head at NVIDIA, will discuss the future of AI—in particular, its potential for accelerating the energy transition—key challenges for the emerging AI industry, and energy sector as well as how AI innovations are driving the energy transition towards a decarbonised future at speed and scale.

Tuesday, 5 November
14:00
Strategic Conference ICC Hall 14:00 - 15:00
View Session
The power of AI for the energy transition

AI is contributing to the transformation of the energy sector through its utilisation of large data sets. According to BNEF’s net-zero scenario modeling “every 1% of additional efficiency in demand creates $1.3 trillion in value between 2020 and 2050 due to reduced investment needs”, with AI set to help achieve this by enabling greater energy efficiency and flexible demand. Machine learning, deep learning and generative AI are improving operations effectiveness, providing insights for lowering emissions, anticipating mechanical and supply chain malfunctions and driving substantial energy efficiency gains. However, scaling AI from successful pilots to broad implementation brings its own challenges. AI uptake and the use of associated high energy demand data centres - which are growing globally in number by the day (200TWh power is needed to meet global data centers demand according to Goldman Sachs) - are on track to outpace the power available to run them. What will be needed, both in the AI application and securing access to new energy supplies, to deliver on the promise of AI and its contribution to the energy transition?

Attendee insights:

Understand how AI is transforming business operations, its opportunities and challenges related to data centers and energy consumption needs.

Member of