Qlik's James Fisher On Betting Big On AI In The Middle East

At a time when much of the world is still scrambling to define their ambitions in the domain of artificial intelligence (AI), the UAE has made its intentions unmistakably clear—it wants to lead.  

And for Qlik, a global leader in data integration, data quality, analytics, and AI, this signal from the UAE—and, indeed, the wider Middle East as well—has been a key factor in its decision to now strengthen its commitment to the region. 

Qlik announced in April this year that it has, in partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS), the cloud computing arm of global e-commerce leader Amazon, launched a new cloud region in the Middle East out of the UAE.  

Qlik’s new cloud region is thus aimed at supporting organizations across the Middle East that require high-performance AI, data integration, and analytics solutions with full data sovereignty. It is therefore set to enable regional businesses in industries as varied as finance, healthcare, energy, and the public sector to operate with real-time intelligence, lower latency, and full regulatory confidence. 

In an interview with Inc. Arabia, Qlik Chief Strategy Officer James Fisher explained why his company chose the UAE to grow its footprint in the Middle East, and why now was the right time for it to do just that.  

“I remember on a trip, probably 10 years ago, there was an announcement that came out in the UAE about open cities, open data, and investments in automation,” Fisher recalls. “And the UAE really led the world in those types of investments, and that type of strategy. And that, over time, has manifested itself into a leadership position around technology, and a leadership position around AI.” 

Fisher describes Qlik’s new cloud region as a strategic development that aims to enable enterprise-scale analytics and AI in a part of the world where both ambition and regulation in such domains are on the rise. For the region, this could be the infrastructure piece that’s needed to move AI from promise to performance. And as for Qlik, the launch of the new cloud region marks the culmination of years of global growth.  

“We now provide data for AI, but at the same time, we also provide AI for data,” Fisher states. “And it’s the combination of those two things that really characterizes our platform.” 

Playing The Long Game 

Founded in Sweden more than three decades ago, Qlik’s original technology was born out of necessity, Fisher says. Multinational firms like AstraZeneca and Tetra Pak needed to make sense of their operational data, and what resulted was a patented engine designed to combine the cognitive strengths of humans with the processing power of machines. 

“As we look back over those 30 years, it's really an AI story, in many respects,” Fisher tells us. “The original patented technology uses machine learning... And so, the genesis of the unique engine of Qlik is really about marrying the power of the machine with the human.” 

Today, Qlik offers a unified platform that spans the entire data lifecycle—from integration and transformation to analytics and AI-powered automation. And that evolution, Fisher notes, has come through deliberate growth, adding, “We’ve conducted 13 acquisitions since 2016, all designed to extend our ability to help customers across the value chain.” 

The result is a platform that can acquire data from virtually any source, transform and govern it, assess its quality, and then apply analytics and automation—all within one interface. Indeed, the Qlik Cloud Data Integration and Analytics platform, aka Qlik Cloud, has been designed to cover the entire data value chain. From ingesting and transforming structured and unstructured data to applying advanced analytics and triggering automated workflows, Qlik Cloud aims to help businesses turn raw data into insight—and, perhaps more importantly, into action as well. 

“Insight only goes as far as creating value, if you then are actually able to do something with it,” Fisher explains. “So, we don't just inform that decision and insight; we actually can now trigger an action and workflow.” 

This full-spectrum capability is especially relevant in the AI age, where organizations are under pressure to scale their intelligence efforts—often without a strong data foundation to begin with. “We’ve kind of moved beyond the experimentation phase,” Fisher notes. “People are now sort of coming to the realization that to do [AI] well, you have to have high quality, trusted data.”  

Qlik Chief Strategy Officer James Fisher. Image courtesy Qlik.

Betting On The Middle East 

Qlik’s decision to launch a dedicated cloud region in the Middle East is hence as much about global necessity as it is about local opportunity.  

“It felt that this was the right time, not just for us from a global perspective in terms of AI, but the right time for us to really expand our footprint in the Middle East and Africa, really starting with the UAE,” Fisher states. 

From governments and banks to energy firms and hospitals, the region’s core industries are already steeped in data. But Fisher says there’s an urgent need to process that data locally. 

“If you really want to gain value from AI and the computers needed, latency is a terrible enemy,” he explains. “Making sure that we've got the compute in the region really gives our customers the best footprint to get the right data for those AI initiatives.” 

Local cloud infrastructure also satisfies a growing set of regulatory demands—particularly around data residency and governance. “There’s the data sovereignty and elements of that which are important globally, but particularly important for the type of customers that we serve here in the region like government, or regulated industries,” Fisher explains. 

But Fisher points out that Qlik’s move into the Middle East isn’t just about expanding market share—it’s also about being part of a transformation already in motion. “The level of excitement, the level of investment in the region, the level of innovation around data and AI here is just such a good opportunity for everybody to be involved,” he declares. 

That energy, paired with real commitment, makes the region uniquely suited for Qlik’s platform, he adds. “The drive to make value and make investments and be a leader in AI requires that data foundation,” Fisher says. “And that's what we've built into our product portfolio.” 

From Apprehension To Action 

Qlik’s current offering can also be considered to be a reflection of how business attitudes toward AI has changed—Fisher, for his part, points out how boardroom mandates driven by hype once upon a time have now given way to more deliberate, value-oriented strategies. 

“There was a fear of doing something and getting it wrong, being offset by the fear of not doing something and missing out,” he recalls. “That led to a lot of experimentation, and ultimately, a lot of investment that didn't realize the value that perhaps it was anticipated that it should do.” 

But enterprises are maturing in their approach today, Fisher feels. According to him, they’re focusing on real use cases, measurable return on investment, and, most importantly, on building the right data foundations. 

“They're starting with the use case and the data that is needed to support that use case,” Fisher notes. “And they’re making the investments to get that data foundation, structured/ unstructured data in the right place, in the right format, governed, trusted, protected.” 

And this is an evolution that plays directly into Qlik’s hands. The company's cloud platform is designed to support not just traditional business intelligence, but also modern AI-driven use cases across industries. 

“We can now help a customer modernize their landscape to the cloud at a pace that makes sense for them, that gives a cost-benefit that is right for them, and which supports all of the various governance and compliance and sovereignty requirements that are so important to them,” Fisher explains. 

According to Fisher, one of the major differentiators when it comes to Qlik’s offering is its unique ability to go beyond traditional dashboards and reports. 

“We talk about our platform as the ability to take raw data and turn it into value,” Fisher explains. “That value can be a human making a better decision because they’ve got better data, or it can be something automated that actually creates a better outcome in the business.” 

Whether it's predicting patient demand in healthcare, detecting fraud in financial services, or optimizing supply chains in government, Qlik’s end-to-end capabilities are thus helping organizations turn insights into tangible outcomes. 

"By delivering a single platform in our cloud, we can deliver very low cost of ownership," Fisher adds. "It’s a sort of cost-benefit equation, in terms of highly efficient operation of data analytics and AI that delivers a measurable return, lowers the cost of ownership, reduces technical debt, and then on the other side of the equation, creates business value." 

Qlik Chief Strategy Officer James Fisher. Image courtesy Qlik.

The Road Ahead 

Looking forward, Fisher envisions Qlik deepening its regional footprint—starting with the UAE, but expanding into other markets (like Saudi Arabia, for instance) as demand grows. 

“We'll be looking at adding regions," he says. "Right now, we're very excited about what we're doing here in the UAE, we want to make that successful, and I think we've got a great opportunity to do that, and then grow from the rest of the region." 

And operating in a landscape that’s racing towards an AI-driven future, Fisher sees data—trusted, accessible, actionable data—as the real differentiator. 

“You’ve got the willingness, the investment, the education, the skills, the resources, the leadership," Fisher says. "But you need the data. And Qlik’s role is to bring the data.” 

Pictured in the lead image Qlik Chief Strategy Officer James Fisher. Image courtesy Qlik.