TLDR: Alan Turnley-Jones, CEO of NTT DATA Middle East & Africa, has articulated a forward-looking vision for the company, emphasizing a strategic shift towards vertical market solutions, significant investments in customer-facing innovations, and a deep integration of Artificial Intelligence, particularly Generative AI, across all facets of its business. This vision follows the recent rebranding from Dimension Data to NTT DATA, leveraging global expertise and proprietary digital assets to drive client success.
Alan Turnley-Jones, the Chief Executive Officer of NTT DATA Middle East & Africa (MEA), has unveiled a comprehensive vision for the company’s future, focusing on advanced digital transformation and the pervasive integration of Artificial Intelligence. Appointed to his role in June 2022, Turnley-Jones is recognized as a seasoned strategic leader with a proven track record in innovation and leading cross-functional teams.
NTT DATA, a global IT and business services powerhouse, operates as a $30-billion organization with 190,000 employees across more than 50 countries, serving 75% of the Fortune Global 100. The company demonstrates a strong commitment to innovation, investing $3.6 billion annually in research and development, and is recognized as the sixth most valued brand globally and the 47th most innovative company.
The strategic direction follows the complete transition and rebranding of Dimension Data to NTT DATA in April 2024. Turnley-Jones highlighted two pivotal elements driving this evolution: “The first one is the digital assets that we now have as an organisation via the Syntphony suite. The second is the global nature of the business, along with the depth of experience and the ability to leverage case studies and skills from around the world.”
A core component of NTT DATA’s strategy is its intensified focus on vertical market solutions. The company is actively developing industry-specific end-to-end offerings, built upon its proprietary Syntphony platform, which serves as a digital asset and intellectual property portfolio. Current and planned practices include retail, financial services, life sciences and healthcare, and manufacturing.
Significant investments are earmarked for customer-facing innovations over the next three to five years. Turnley-Jones noted, “Clients are exciting about having people in the room that speak their language and understand merchandising, for example, along with the IT skills.” This approach aims to accelerate time-to-market for customers by providing sector-specific IT solutions with end-to-end scoping.
Artificial Intelligence, particularly Generative AI (GenAI), is at the heart of NTT DATA’s transformative agenda. The company’s portfolio prominently features “Data and Artificial Intelligence” and “Generative AI” solutions, with a strong emphasis on accelerating outcomes through “agentic AI” and the “Smart AI Agent Ecosystem.” NTT DATA is embedding GenAI into its fundamental business model through “GenAI by design principles,” applying it to innovation and value delivery at scale. This includes co-creating GenAI-powered solutions with clients, integrating it into their delivery model for self-improvement through automation, and leveraging it within their talent development programs to foster a future-ready workforce.
Illustrating the practical application of this vision, NTT DATA has deployed innovative solutions such as Walmart’s customer support systems, which utilize GenAI to audit transactions. Other cutting-edge deployments include the Vatican Library’s use of Web3 technology and The Open’s enhanced experience through digital twin, IoT, edge analytics, and private 5G.
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Turnley-Jones reiterated the company’s commitment to advanced technologies, stating, “NTT Data has deployed some innovative solutions based on leading edge technologies.” This strategic pivot underscores NTT DATA’s ambition to be a leader in driving digital transformation through deep industry understanding and advanced technological capabilities, with AI playing a central role in shaping its future offerings and operational efficiencies.
