{"id":134261,"date":"2025-10-22T12:20:32","date_gmt":"2025-10-22T11:20:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/me\/?p=134261"},"modified":"2026-06-11T14:29:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T13:29:24","slug":"mindwares-long-bet-on-ai-and-the-discipline-behind-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/me\/2025\/10\/22\/mindwares-long-bet-on-ai-and-the-discipline-behind-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Mindware\u2019s long bet on AI \u2013 and the discipline behind it"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Three years ago Mindware made a choice that reset its arc. \u201cWe chose to invest heavily in AI and I pushed hard to bring NVIDIA on as a partner,\u201d said Philippe Jarre, group president of Mindware.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe then built a dedicated AI organisation with an AI consulting practice to tackle the market. Without sounding pretentious I would say we are probably the distributor leading the market in this space today.\u201d The sequence mattered \u2013 secure the strategic vendor, assemble the skills, then industrialise go-to-market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inside the company the shift was practical rather than theatrical. A small advanced engineering group became a platform team for data pipelines and GPU estates. Services grew around it \u2013 reference architectures, capacity planning, cost models that finance teams could tolerate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is one thing to say AI is strategic,\u201d Jarre said. \u201cIt is another to design offers partners can sell next Monday.\u201d Mindware built playbooks first for banks and telcos, then for healthcare and public sector. \u201cWe do not try to boil the ocean. We standardise where it makes sense and stay flexible where the client needs it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Early wager, steady principles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Jarre the operating philosophy did not change with the hype cycle. \u201cMy principles are constant,\u201d he said. \u201cFocus on people. Keep learning the technology. Balance short-term execution with long-term strategy.\u201d Teams come first. \u201cYou need people who bring different skills and work well together. I am proud of the Mindware team. It is not perfect but the cohesion and positivity we have built is a strength.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Curiosity is the next pillar. \u201cThings move fast. You must stay curious and encourage your teams to do the same, even when it is not easy.\u201d The third is the daily juggle. \u201cBe strategic, but agile in the day-to-day to cope with competition and change.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Phillippe Jarre, Group President Mindware<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

He describes leadership in the region as helicopter piloting. \u201cYou manage multiple dimensions at once \u2013 financials, vendor strategy, partner ecosystems, skills, geography, regulation, even currency,\u201d he said. \u201cYou keep the long-term vision and have Plan B or C ready.\u201d AI is the long game. Shifting vendor models are the near-term reality. \u201cSome vendors are moving almost fully to OEM strategies. That forces us to rethink how we operate. Adaptability is key and we lean on digital tools \u2013 marketplaces, AI portals, automation \u2013 to support that agility.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The marketplace shift changes distribution from pallets to platforms. Mindware\u2019s catalogue now includes GPU instances, MLOps stacks and packaged consulting that partners can bundle with their own services. \u201cOur role is to reduce friction,\u201d Jarre said. \u201cIf a partner wants an inference cluster for a three-month pilot we should make that a few clicks with a contract that does not frighten the CFO.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Automation handles provisioning and metering. Humans handle snags \u2013 compliance clauses, data residency, complex procurement \u2013 the places where trust still beats code.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Operating at regional speed<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jarre resists calling the Middle East an outlier, yet he is clear about its velocity. \u201cWhat stands out is the acceleration of digital investments by governments,\u201d he said. \u201cThe willingness and speed are unmatched. The Middle East is now leading the way in digital transformation. It is fantastic to be here at this moment.\u201d That speed changes the operating rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou need the right structure to support scale and agility to respond quickly. Local presence is essential \u2013 regulations, cultures and relationships differ by country and you must have people on the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Balance sheet craft is part of the job. \u201cYou need financial agility to handle rapid shifts in currencies, payments and rules you do not see elsewhere,\u201d he said. Credit terms, hedging and escrow are the unglamorous tools that keep projects moving when exchange rates twitch or policies tighten. \u201cDistribution lives on working capital. If you do not manage it, strategy will not save you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Above all, embrace innovation. \u201cThe acceleration is extraordinary, and legislation here enables it faster than in many parts of the world.\u201d He is arguing for reallocation, not blunt cuts. \u201cTasks move to software. People move to higher value. That is the cycle. We help customers plan that shift rather than get hit by it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To keep perspective he looks outward and inward. \u201cI sit on the board of the Global Technology Distribution Council. It brings together the top distribution CEOs worldwide,\u201d he said. \u201cThat gives direct insight into trends across the US and Europe. I compare them with our realities.\u201d He stays close to customers and reads widely. \u201cStaying close to technology means staying educated and inspired.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preparation beats hype. \u201cEducation is critical,\u201d Jarre said. \u201cIn the past six months we ran sessions at different levels on AI \u2013 from awareness to deep certifications. We did the same for cloud and security. I want every employee to have baseline awareness and for some, specialised expertise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

University partnerships bring fresh voices. \u201cTheir perspective is fresh. They challenge us to think differently.\u201d Graduates rotate through services, pre-sales and marketplace so they see how an order becomes a workload, not just a slide. \u201cThe mix of training and youthful pressure keeps us ambitious but grounded.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He keeps his advice to peers simple. \u201cBuild a core team of five to seven leaders with strength across technology, financial design, go-to-market and content,\u201d he said. \u201cStay close to the market but do not try to boil the ocean. Start small, build medium projects, scale cautiously. The pace is fast. You must protect cash from risky bets.\u201d Relationships are the last mile. \u201cIn this region relationships are everything. Invest the time. Keep your word.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Governance is not an afterthought. Mindware runs its AI practice with clear lines \u2013 data flows, residency, ownership, rollback. \u201cWe ask customers to define who owns the model, who owns the outputs, what the rollback looks like,\u201d Jarre said. \u201cYou do not want to be writing that on the night of a launch.\u201d The firm tracks adoption and value, not only revenue. \u201cIf a partner sells a pilot that never scales we learn nothing. We measure how many pilots become live services and how quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking ahead he sketches the spend and scale. \u201cAI is already consuming around 30 to 35 per cent of IT spending,\u201d he said. \u201cIt demands investment in data centres, energy, storage and skills. Only a handful of mega-players \u2013 hyperscalers, G42 in the UAE, NEOM in Saudi Arabia, Ooredoo in Qatar \u2013 can afford that scale.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For everyone else the model will be consumption. \u201cCapabilities delivered as-a-service will democratise AI so small and mid-sized businesses benefit without huge upfront investment. It is good for countries, good for the industry and it will define the next phase of digital transformation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jarre is realistic about the turbulence ahead. Vendors will rewire pricing. Skills will be scarce in the wrong places. Energy constraints will pinch timelines. \u201cThat is why we balance the helicopter view with the cockpit checklist,\u201d he said. Forecasts, yes. Also order intake this week, cash tomorrow, skills in a quarter. \u201cHave the vision,\u201d he said. \u201cStay close to people and technology. Execute today, plan for tomorrow, be ready to adapt.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If there is a thread through his story it is disciplined agility \u2013 make the big bet early, then manage the moving parts with calm hands. \u201cStrategy is choices over time,\u201d Jarre said. \u201cWe chose AI early. We will keep learning, keep hiring, keep adjusting. That is how you turn a bet into a business.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Three years ago Mindware made a choice that reset its arc. \u201cWe chose to invest heavily in AI and I pushed hard to bring NVIDIA on as a partner,\u201d said Philippe Jarre, group president of Mindware. \u201cWe then built a dedicated AI organisation with an AI consulting practice to tackle the market. Without sounding pretentious […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4338,"featured_media":124241,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18762,16127,13237],"tags":[3211,908,936],"class_list":["post-134261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ai","category-channel","category-channel-chiefs","tag-ai","tag-digital-transformation","tag-mindware"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134261","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4338"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=134261"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134261\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":134524,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134261\/revisions\/134524"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/124241"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=134261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=134261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=134261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}