Emirates Global Aluminium’s digital transformation: An interview with Carlo Nizam, Chief Digital Officer

When Carlo Nizam joined EGA in 2021, he was tasked with leading the company’s digital transformation, a journey aimed at optimizing every aspect of the business. Carlo describes his dual role as Chief Digital and Information Officer (CDIO) as one that combines both traditional IT and digital transformation responsibilities. “We look at data as a valuable commodity. Just like refining materials in the aluminium process, we are refining data to unlock untapped potential,” Carlo explains. Under his leadership, EGA has evolved its digital strategy, aligning data refinement with operational excellence.

EGA’s digital transformation is driven by a dual-track strategy, designed to deliver both short-term impact and long-term scalability. Carlo emphasizes that the digital factory is the heart of this transformation, executing practical use cases that deliver measurable results. “The digital factory delivers quarterly waves of use cases, which are implemented in agile sprints. Each wave involves multiple business areas, from supply chain and marketing to operations, HR, and finance,” Carlo says. This approach allows the company to demonstrate tangible results quickly while working toward more complex, large-scale initiatives. Since its inception, EGA’s digital factory has delivered over 100 million USD in impact, with more than 80 use cases, ranging from AI applications for real-time quality checks to predictive tools for market movements.

While immediate results are essential, EGA is also focused on building foundational capabilities for long-term growth. Carlo highlights that defining digital ambitions is a critical aspect of the company’s strategy. For each business area, EGA crafts a digital roadmap, outlining its long-term vision and strategies for implementing new digital capabilities. Upskilling the workforce plays a key role in this process. EGA has established a Digital Academy, which has trained over 2,000 employees in AI, data science, and agile methodologies. This empowers the workforce to leverage technology, ensuring scalability and success in the digital age. Additionally, the company is investing in robust data platforms to organize and refine data generated across its operations. This enables employees to easily access and analyze data, unlocking new opportunities for value creation. EGA also employs an agile operating framework, called Sabeel, which supports a rapid delivery model. This model enables cross-functional teams to collaborate and deliver value quickly through iterative, short-term sprints.