The Information Technology Industry Development Agency - ITIDA has participated in the
recent regular meeting of Global Technology and Business Services Council (GT&BSC) conducted to follow up on the
progress made by its member organizations.
The meeting’s agenda included reviewing the efforts exerted to support and ensure business continuity and to deliver
a global response to the challenges and changes brought about by COVID-19, and forming a clear vision for the future
of the sector.
GT&BSC, which ITIDA joined last July as a founding member, is an alliance of twelve international associations
representing the technology and business services sector across Bulgaria, the Balkans, Czech Republic, Egypt,
Germany, Hungary, India, Malaysia, Poland, Romania, Russia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom, United States
and Ukraine.
ITIDA’s Acting CEO, Amr Mahfouz said that the sector played a very positive role in lessening the pandemic impact,
helping in avoiding service interruption as it enjoys the flexibility and speed response to crises while ensuring
the safety of its employees.
Mahfouz underlined that Egypt has invested heavily in developing its ICT infrastructure and digital capabilities
where this enabled the services sector to remain resilient and to meet the unprecedented demand and increased
reliance on digital services in all areas.
According to a former statement by the council, the technology and business services sector was integral to
supporting businesses across the world as they addressed the challenges of adapting to changes caused by COVID-19,
demonstrating remarkable agility, commitment and resilience in responding to the crisis; ensuring business
continuity for global clients and prioritizing safety of all employees.
The sector was central to the rapid deployment of work from home models and digital transformations, providing
critical support and “essential services” to various sectors including governments through highly skilled
professionals around the world. This is all referenced in the report being published today entitled: “A unified
global response for the technology and business services industry”.
Globally, technology and business services will play a key role in evolving nations to the next normal, driving the
global economy out of an inevitable downturn and reducing the impact of future economic and social shocks,
transforming businesses quickly and making them more resilient moving forward.
The Council members highlighted “We are all incredibly proud of how well our industry responded to the challenges
presented by COVID-19. Partnerships and individuals around the world worked tirelessly to ensure key services were
delivered in really adverse conditions, remodelling and reinventing business processes literally overnight.
It is the Council’s firm belief that technology, collaboration and access to a global talent pool will be key to
driving business and Governments out of the inevitable downturn. Sharing best practices, thought leadership and
collaborating on new operating models on a global stage will accelerate recovery around the world. We are delighted
that our entire industry is collaborating in this global way for the first time and believe this will provide
significant value to l global governments, our members, their customers and their employees around the
world”
The Global Technology and Business Services Council has an ambitious program of work, with immediate next steps
including conducting a global body of research to better understand the industry’s global state and prepare a report
showing directions of further development.
Founding members of GT&BSC (in alphabetical order)
ABSL, covering Poland, Romania, Czech Republic, Bosnia & Herzegovina (Balkans), Latvia (Baltics)
AIBEST, covering Bulgaria and the Balkans
ASTRA, covering Russia and Belarus
BPESA, South Africa
GSA, United Kingdom
IAOP, United States
ITIDA, Egypt
ITUKRAINE, Ukraine
NASSCOM, India
OM MALAYSIA, Malaysia
SLASSCOM, Sri Lanka
Notes to editors:
The Global Technology & Business Services Council is an alliance of the leading regional associations around the
world, representing the interest of the global technology and business services industry. Its purpose is to promote
the industry for growth by sharing best practices and thought leadership for the benefit of all its members and
their clients and employees. The GT&BSC will lobby stakeholders to secure the best interests for its members. All
members of the Council have signed up to the Industry code of conduct.
https://gtbsc.org