Written by Reham Talaat
Cairo,Dec 1,2025 at 7:30 pm
As part of Women in Tech: Driving the Future, and during her participation in the CEO Women Conference – 4th Edition, Sandrine El Khodry delivered one of the event’s keynote speeches, presenting an inspiring vision on the future of digital transformation and the pivotal leadership role women play in shaping the global technology landscape.
Sandrine El Khodry,Executive VP Global Sales and Marketing Alcatel-Lucent emphasized that the future of technology is not built by digital tools alone, but by the minds that guide them and the human vision that gives them meaning and value. She highlighted the essential role of women in reshaping the concept of digital transformation, affirming that true innovation begins with people before technology.
Sandrine El Khodry,Executive VP Global Sales and Marketing Alcatel-Lucent stated in her speech:
Ladies and Gentlemen.
Now driving the future of technology with women leaders and redefining what Digital Transformation truly means from a women’s perspective.
People often jump straight to technology when they hear the words “Digital Transformation.” And when they talk about technology, their minds immediately go to Artificial Intelligence, Automation, Data Analytics, and Cloud. But real transformation runs much deeper.
It is driven by people by how we adapt, connect, and evolve together. Digital Transformation is the bridge between technology and value creation.
It is how we rethink our organizations to stay relevant in a world changing faster than ever. It is how we lead our teams through uncertainty with clarity, purpose, and vision.
Today, every industry is being redefined by data, automation, and intelligence.
Connectivity between people, systems, and entire ecosystems is becoming the new competitive advantage. And the organizations that will thrive are those capable of sensing change early, learning quickly, and acting with agility. Transformation and Digital Transformation is ultimately a human journey.
It starts with mindsets, with courage, and with the willingness to challenge how things have always been done. Every successful transformation begins with a vision: a clear understanding of what the future should look like, and why it matters. Vision gives purpose to technology.
It defines the “why” behind every investment, every project, and every change. What drives us in transformation is not the desire to keep up with the world but to shape it. Because vision without strategy remains only aspiration. Strategy is what turns intent into measurable progress.
In our own transformation journey at Alcatel-Lucent, we began by asking three essential questions:
1- What value do we want to create for our customers in a digital world?
2- How can we use data and artificial intelligence to deliver that value faster, smarter, and more securely?
3- What mindset must our teams adopt to make it real?
We realized that Digital Transformation is not about adding technology it is about integrating it into every part of the business model.
That meant modernizing our platforms, accelerating cloud adoption, and embedding analytics into every decision from pricing and forecasting to customer engagement and service delivery. But most importantly, it meant building a culture of innovation and accountability, where every team member understands how digital tools amplify their impact.
Because none of this will work unless we put people at the heart of technology. Technology should serve people not the other way around.
It amplifies human potential. It cannot replace human judgment, creativity, or empathy. And in every successful transformation, there is one common factor: people who believe in the mission.
That is why inclusion, upskilling, and empowerment are not HR topics they are strategic imperatives.
At Alcatel-Lucent, we believe in making everything connect people, processes, and ideas.
But real connection is not only technical; it is emotional.
It is about how we collaborate, how we build trust, and how we make each other better. Because at the end of the day, technology is not the story people are the story. And when technology empowers people to think, connect, and create differently, transformation becomes not only possible but unstoppable.
So allow me to close with this: As we reflect on a decade of digital acceleration, one truth becomes clear: The future is not something that will happen to us it is something we are building together.
You are shaping the industries of tomorrow. You are challenging systems that no longer serve us. You are transforming not only technology but the world around it.
The theme of this event, Women in Tech: Driving the Future, is more than a statement it is our reality.
Because we are not waiting for the future to arrive we are building it one innovation, one connection, one conversation at a time. And we are building it together. So let us continue to lead with empathy. Let us continue to innovate with purpose. And let us continue to prove that the most powerful transformation is the one that connects technology with humanity.
Sandrine El khodry emphasizes in her message that people are the driving force behind digital transformation, and that technology is merely a tool to enhance collaboration, innovation, and real impact.