Atos, an international IT services company, has appointed Marc Kassis CEO for Atos in the Middle East.
Marc will be responsible for leading further growth for Atos in this important market in his new role, says a company statement.
Francis Meston, executive vice president consulting and system integration, Atos, said: “We are delighted to welcome Marc to Atos. His experience will be invaluable as we extend our innovative offerings in the Middle East especially in the public sector, retail and telecom markets, using the new expertise and technology from the recent acquisition of Bull.”
Marc Kassis, CEO of Atos in the Middle East, said: “I am delighted to join Atos and look forward to working with the team in the Middle East to build on recent business successes and further grow Atos in this important and growing market.”
Before joining Atos, Marc was the managing director of Dassault Systemes for the Middle East.
Prior to that he held a number of roles at Alcatel and Alcatel-Lucent including Middle East CEO where he led the Qatari unit of Alcatel-Lucent during the Vodafone Qatar initiative.
Marc is French foreign trade adviser to the ambassador in Dubai (Conseiller du Commerce Extérieur de la France) and board member of the Qatari-French Business Club that he co-founded.
Marc holds an MSc. (Eng) diploma in electricity and electronics from Supélec, a leading French university.
He also has a Masters degree of Science from Nice-Sophia Antipolis University in France.
In the Middle East, Atos, headquartered in Dubai, has 250 employees providing on and off-shore services from offices in Cairo, Doha, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Atos is servicing clients in all of these countries across telco, manufacturing, finance, public sector and health care.
In addition, there are business development efforts in Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman. Its global partners include EMC, Microsoft, Oracle and SAP.
Atos is focused on business technology that powers progress and helps organizations to create their firm of the future.
Atos appoints Marc Kassis as CEO for the Middle East
Atos appoints Marc Kassis as CEO for the Middle East
Gulf-EU value chain integration signals shift toward long-term economic partnership: GCC secretary general
RIYADH: Value chains between the Gulf and Europe are poised to become deeper and more resilient as economic ties shift beyond traditional trade toward long-term industrial and investment integration, according to the secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Speaking on the sidelines of the World Governments Summit 2026 in Dubai, Jasem Al-Budaiwi said Gulf-European economic relations are shifting from simple commodity trade toward the joint development of sustainable value chains, reflecting a more strategic and lasting partnership.
His remarks were made during a dialogue session titled “The next investment and trade race,” held with Luigi Di Maio, the EU’s special representative for external affairs.
Al-Budaiwi said relations between the GCC and the EU are among the bloc’s most established partnerships, built on decades of institutional collaboration that began with the signing of the 1988 cooperation agreement.
He noted that the deal laid a solid foundation for political and economic dialogue and opened broad avenues for collaboration in trade, investment, and energy, as well as development and education.
The secretary general added that the partnership has undergone a qualitative shift in recent years, particularly following the adoption of the joint action program for the 2022–2027 period and the convening of the Gulf–European summit in Brussels.
Subsequent ministerial meetings, he said, have focused on implementing agreed outcomes, enhancing trade and investment cooperation, improving market access, and supporting supply chains and sustainable development.
According to Al-Budaiwi, merchandise trade between the two sides has reached around $197 billion, positioning the EU as one of the GCC’s most important trading partners.
He also pointed to the continued growth of European foreign direct investment into Gulf countries, which he said reflects the depth of economic interdependence and rising confidence in the Gulf business environment.
Looking ahead, Al-Budaiwi emphasized that the economic transformation across GCC states, driven by ambitious national visions, is creating broad opportunities for expanded cooperation with Europe.
He highlighted clean energy, green hydrogen, and digital transformation, as well as artificial intelligence, smart infrastructure, and cybersecurity, as priority areas for future partnership.
He added that the success of Gulf-European cooperation should not be measured solely by trade volumes or investment flows, but by its ability to evolve into an integrated model based on trust, risk-sharing, and the joint creation of economic value, contributing to stability and growth in the global economy.
GCC–EU plans to build shared value chains look well-timed as trade policy volatility rises.
In recent weeks, Washington’s renewed push over Greenland has been tied to tariff threats against European countries, prompting the EU to keep a €93 billion ($109.7 billion) retaliation package on standby.
At the same time, tighter US sanctions on Iran are increasing compliance risks for energy and shipping-related finance. Meanwhile, the World Trade Organization and UNCTAD warn that higher tariffs and ongoing uncertainty could weaken trade and investment across both regions in 2026.
