Dr. Walid el Abed is a distinguished French linguist and computer scientist. He is renowned for his groundbreaking work on the Semantic Meta Model (SMM) and the development of Data Excellence Science. As the founder and CEO of Global Data Excellence, Dr. Walid has spearheaded the creation of an advanced AI platform known as the Data Excellence Management System-Natural Intelligence eXpanded Universe System (DEMS-NIXUS). This platform uniquely integrates semantic and linguistic capabilities to enable businesses to govern by value.
Dr. Walid’s journey to becoming a CEO is rooted in his profound commitment to innovation and knowledge. With a robust academic background, he was inspired to venture into entrepreneurship to address industry challenges head-on. His passion for data governance propelled him to establish his own company, which has since become a leader in the field. Choosing the entrepreneurial path allowed Dr. Walid the freedom to pursue and implement innovative ideas. His focus on technology and data management stems from its pivotal role in shaping the future of business and its immense potential for growth. With over thirty years of experience, Dr. Walid has gained international acclaim for his expertise in AI and data. His contributions span various industries, particularly through his development of the Semantic Meta Model (SMM). His multicultural background and deep understanding of both human and machine languages have driven his ambition to improve communication between the two, leading to his passion for creating intuitive systems.
Recognizing the complexity of corporate value, encompassing both qualitative and quantitative elements, Dr. Walid was inspired to create a governance system capable of managing these components effectively. This vision led to the establishment of Global Data Excellence and the development of the DEMS-NIXUS platform. By leveraging semantic and linguistic AI, DEMS-NIXUS transforms business rules from human language into machine-readable code, revolutionizing corporate governance and uniting business functions. In response to the challenges of digital age governance, Dr. Walid pioneered Data Excellence Science, a new field of study that integrates multiple disciplines into a cohesive framework for the digital era. This innovative approach includes the creation of a Maturity Model to assess organizational readiness and Key Value Indicators (KVI) to link activities to tangible value outcomes.
Dr. Walid is dedicated to maintaining the highest legal and ethical standards, ensuring data integrity at its source and collaborating closely with legal and standardization bodies. He envisions AI as a crucial component of future corporate governance, with DEMS-NIXUS evolving to govern AI itself, ensuring transparency and accountability. The implementation of DEMS-NIXUS across various organizations has resulted in significant savings and enhanced governance processes. To stay ahead of industry developments, Dr. Walid actively engages with a diverse network and continually invests in research and development.
Advising on AI Integration
When advising companies on AI integration, Dr. Walid emphasizes focusing on core issues and using AI to foresee and navigate future challenges. His dedication to innovation, responsible technology use, and societal impact is evident in his involvement in special projects and his people-centered approach to AI. Dr. Walid el Abed’s career is marked by his unwavering commitment to innovation, ethical standards, and the advancement of AI and data governance, making him a visionary leader in his field.
What Sets Global Data Excellence Apart
Dr. Walid el Abed’s company, Global Data Excellence, stands out in the industry due to its innovative product, the Data Excellence Management System – Natural Intelligence eXpanded Universe System (DEMS-NIXUS). This robust, comprehensive platform is a multilingual, web-based solution that can be deployed either on-premise or in the cloud. It creates a unified governance framework, enabling organizations to effectively align and manage all business units. DEMS-NIXUS is unique because it integrates semantic and linguistic artificial intelligence (AI) to convert human language business rules into machine-readable code. This AI seamlessly integrates with existing infrastructures and databases, instantly synchronizing them without human intervention while maintaining data ownership and keeping the data at its original location. The system’s multilingual capabilities allow for natural language queries of databases, leveraging advanced technologies including sophisticated AIs like ChatGPT and Wolfram ALPHA. It can process and interpret over 1000 different file formats and connect to any data source, whether public, private, or from social networks. This makes DEMS-NIXUS a versatile tool for data integration, cleansing, business intelligence, governance, and sharing.
What truly sets DEMS-NIXUS apart is its ability to consolidate resources and build upon substantial IT investments that companies have already made. It fosters a culture of fact-based, value-driven collaboration, involving users at all levels in the value creation process. This web application supports a tailor-made management and governance framework that empowers stakeholders, employees, and partners, establishing clear accountability and responsibility across the organization.
DEMS-NIXUS links data assets directly to value flows, enabling prescriptive governance that supports and sustains business strategies. When fully implemented, it provides an organization with a unified work structure and governance framework, aligning data, policies, and business transactions for the first time in history. Moreover, DEMS-NIXUS includes DeCRIPT, a tool for analyzing textual data, which constitutes about 80% of a company’s unstructured data. This analysis enriches structured data, providing a more comprehensive and updated view, and the results can be queried in natural language. By adopting DEMS-NIXUS, organizations can significantly enhance their ability to extract value from enterprise data while reducing operational costs. Within a year, teams can adopt a “govern by value” culture, and the platform’s Dynamic and Prescriptive Governance Model allows for a top-down approach that systematically values data assets and proactively controls business transactions and objectives.
In essence, DEMS-NIXUS equips business leaders with foresight into the impact of non-compliant data on business value, enabling them to optimize resource allocation for maximum operational efficiency. This powerful tool allows companies to focus on achieving their objectives and charting the most effective path to success.
Envisioning the Future of Global Data Excellence
Under Dr. Walid el Abed’s leadership, Global Data Excellence aims to democratize its system and make it accessible to everyone worldwide. Over the next five years, he envisions expanding the reach of DEMS-NIXUS, enabling more organizations to leverage its powerful capabilities for data governance and value creation. Dr. Walid is committed to fostering a culture where the system’s benefits can be widely utilized to enhance operational efficiency and achieve sustainable business growth.
Overcoming Challenges as CEO
One of the most significant challenges Dr. Walid has faced as a CEO is the complexity of data governance in the digital age, particularly within the Digital Enterprise framework. This challenge arises from the fragmented nature of knowledge required for value creation, dispersed across disparate systems lacking normalization and consistency. Additionally, the inherent language barriers within human and machine ecosystems, coupled with the overwhelming influx of regulations and data, exacerbate the difficulty of connecting and leveraging knowledge effectively for organizational value. While numerous platforms and solutions exist, many overlook the integration of human wisdom and social contexts, instead focusing solely on technological capabilities such as Big Data Analytics, IBM Watson, and Palantir. While these technologies offer insights and predictive capabilities, they fall short in fostering transparent and constructive human-machine dialogue.
Recognizing the urgent need for a comprehensive, systematic, and prescriptive approach to data-driven governance in today’s rapidly evolving landscape, Dr. Walid turned to Global Data Excellence (GDE). Through GDE’s innovative solution, organizational complexities and costs are addressed, accelerating value realization. Siloed decision-making is eradicated, leading to significant savings in terms of finances, time, and trust. DEMS-NIXUS, GDE’s integrated platform, ensures seamless integration of semantics, guaranteeing privacy, respecting data ownership, ethics, and human rights—all while maintaining data integrity at its source.
In overcoming these challenges, Dr. Walid has learned the critical importance of holistic, transparent, and ethical approaches to data governance. By leveraging innovative solutions like DEMS-NIXUS and prioritizing human-machine collaboration, organizations can navigate the complexities of the digital era while maximizing value creation and ensuring ethical and responsible data management practices.
Greatest Achievements and Milestones as CEO
Dr. Walid el Abed considers several milestones to be the pinnacle of his career as CEO of Global Data Excellence. His customers include 20 of the most prestigious corporations globally, with more than 30,000 users and 3,000 managers and leaders using DEMS-NIXUS in over 50 countries across almost every industry, including manufacturing, oil and gas, consumer goods, pharmaceuticals, and finance. One of the most impressive achievements is that DEMS-NIXUS has enabled clients to generate a turnover of 8 trillion euros, and this number continues to grow daily. Additionally, DEMS-NIXUS has cleaned up approximately 100K million euros, a small percentage of the global economy, with the potential to eradicate poverty and align all the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The platform boasts 10 out-of-the-box semantic knowledge models and verbatim packages, ready for various applications including ERP, HR, procurement, GDPR, and corporate data models such as SAP Master Data Model. In September 2023, Global Data Excellence was named one of the top 5 innovative companies to watch by Business Talk Magazine.
Dr. Walid’s leadership has garnered several prestigious accolades, including the Corporate Excellence Awards 2023 for Best Sustainable AI-Driven Corporate Governance Platform. His company has been recognized by several prominent publications and organizations, including mentions in Gartner’s Hype Cycle for Finance Data and Analytics Governance, Forrester reports, and Intelligence Market Report on global data governance market growth. In 2021-2022, Global Data Excellence was selected and certified by the Trust Valley accelerator program as the best Swiss innovation.
Additionally, Dr. Walid received a 15k CHF Innovation check from INNOSUISSE for the Constitution of Unique References for Identification of Persons and Locations (CURIPL) project (2022-2024). Global Data Excellence has also been recognized as one of the 20 most promising artificial intelligence providers for 2021 by CIOReview Magazine.
Dr. Walid firmly believes in the necessity of innovation as a fundamental component for business growth and evolution. To excel in the ever-changing business landscape, companies must embrace innovation, developing solutions that address immediate needs while also preparing for future challenges. Innovation should be a constant journey, a dialogue between ecosystems and collective knowledge, aiming to provide solutions that benefit everyone.
Harnessing technologies like AI responsibly is crucial, ensuring they adhere to ethical guidelines and align with human values and rights. Innovation should not only be about creating new technology but also about ensuring it serves humanity’s long-term interests and respects our fundamental rights and values. A specific strategy that has significantly contributed to the company’s success is its focus on customer feedback. By actively listening to customers and swiftly adapting products and services to meet their evolving needs, Global Data Excellence has built a loyal customer base and differentiated itself in a competitive market. This customer-centric approach has not only improved product offerings but also fostered a strong, positive brand reputation.
Dr. Walid believes technology is the backbone of modern businesses, serving as a catalyst for innovation, efficiency, and competitive advantage. It enables companies to streamline operations, enhance customer experiences, and access invaluable data insights. Leveraging technology with DEMS-NIXUS involves integrating cutting-edge tools and platforms that align with strategic goals, investing in training to ensure the team can harness these technologies effectively, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement to stay ahead in the industry.
To foster a positive company culture and maintain employee morale, Dr. Walid prioritizes open communication, recognizing the value of every team member’s voice. He actively seeks feedback and encourages collaboration, ensuring employees feel heard and appreciated. By setting clear goals and celebrating achievements, he helps create a sense of shared purpose and accomplishment. Investing in professional development opportunities and maintaining a healthy work-life balance are also key components. By embodying these principles and leading by example, Dr. Walid cultivates an environment where trust, respect, and positivity thrive.
As a responsible leader, Dr. Walid prioritizes sustainability and corporate social responsibility by integrating eco-friendly practices into the business model. He advocates for reducing the carbon footprint through energy-efficient operations and sustainable sourcing, maintaining ethical labor practices, and actively engaging in community development. He champions recycling programs and waste reduction initiatives and supports local and global environmental projects. By setting measurable goals and regularly reporting on progress, he holds the company accountable and fosters a culture of transparency and continuous improvement in CSR efforts. To stay informed about industry trends and adapt strategies accordingly, Dr. Walid ensures Global Data Excellence collaborates with a comprehensive ecosystem that includes customers, partners, institutions, academies, the European Commission, ECCMA, INTERREG, and INNOSUISSE consortiums. The company constantly invests in research and development and engages in special projects to stay ahead of industry developments and ensure continuous innovation.
Dr. Walid el Abed faced a particularly tough decision during a period of significant budget cuts within Global Data Excellence. Due to unforeseen economic downturns, the company needed to reduce expenses to ensure financial sustainability. As the CEO, Dr. Walid was responsible for evaluating various cost-saving measures and determining their impact on operations. After a thorough analysis and consultation with key stakeholders, Dr. Walid proposed a restructuring plan. This plan involved streamlining certain processes, consolidating departments, and reallocating resources to focus on core business priorities. The decision required careful consideration of its potential effects on the workforce, productivity, and overall business objectives.
Throughout this challenging process, Dr. Walid prioritized transparency and open communication. He ensured that affected employees were informed of the changes promptly and provided support to help them navigate the transition period. As a result, the company emerged with a more agile and efficient organizational structure, enabling it to weather financial challenges and emerge stronger in the long run. Dr. Walid’s proactive approach and commitment to strategic decision-making ultimately positioned Global Data Excellence for future success.
Advice for Aspiring CEOs
Dr. Walid el Abed advises aspiring CEOs to focus on adaptation, evolution, and constant innovation to succeed in today’s fast-paced and competitive business landscape. Innovation isn’t just about creating groundbreaking products or services; it also involves refining processes, innovating business models, and streamlining operations. Cultivating an organizational culture that prioritizes innovation helps businesses stay at the forefront of their industries and maintain a sustainable competitive edge. Strategic innovation requires alignment with the company’s overarching goals and vision. This involves a commitment to research and development, a readiness to take calculated risks, and a willingness to learn from both successes and failures. At Global Data Excellence, this approach includes co-designing solutions through continuous innovation and anticipation. The company conducts pre-studies with potential customers, engages in comprehensive market research, and collaborates with esteemed partners such as the INNOSUISSE consortium and various public, private, national, and regional entities. After rigorous testing through multiple pilots, solutions are introduced to the market.
Dr. Walid believes that embracing innovation as a cornerstone of growth and transformation is crucial for businesses to not only survive but also thrive in today’s dynamic environment.
Balancing Short-Term Goals with Long-Term Vision
To balance short-term goals with long-term vision, Dr. Walid starts by defining a long-term vision that reflects his core values and ultimate objectives. When faced with a decision, he carefully considers how the potential actions will meet immediate needs without derailing future goals. He uses tools like DEMS-NIXUS to simulate different outcomes, analyze relevant data, and weigh various scenarios. This approach ensures that both short-term performance metrics and indicators of long-term progress are considered. Dr. Walid strives to prioritize decisions that provide sustainable benefits and is willing to make necessary trade-offs, with his long-term vision always serving as a guiding light. By consistently evaluating how short-term goals affect long-term aspirations, he makes choices that foster lasting success while adeptly managing present-day challenges.
Future Goals
Personally and professionally, Dr. Walid el Abed has an ambitious goal: to win the Nobel Peace Prize thanks to the unique linguistic and semantic artificial intelligence developed by Global Data Excellence. He aims to continue leveraging these innovations to create significant positive impacts, contributing to a more harmonious and well-governed world.