Webinar: Bridging IT–OT Gaps: OT-Led Data Transformation in Action

Dexcent has been in business for over 15 years and we have seen a lot of unique challenges and situations faced by our customers. As CEO of Dexcent Inc., Nadir Jivraj has a unique perspective on where the company came from, our current atmosphere, and the direction Dexcent, along with our clients, is headed in the future.

 

Here are some insights from the desk of the CEO: 

What are Dexcent’s Core Values?

Our Core Values are the foundation upon which we have built our future and the future of our staff and of our clients. Honesty, Commitment, Integrity, Team Work, Trust and Creativity are key values to us. All aspects of our work are driven by our Core Values.

How do you see those values play out in your everyday services?

We believe our staff have commitment, passion, trust, respect and a “want to work” attitude, as opposed to a “have to work” attitude. With this we are able to deliver unparalleled service to all our clients, through our flexibility and commitment to excellence.

Dexcent has been in business for over 15 years now, how has the company evolved over that time?

Over the years Dexcent has matured and stayed with the technology curve, in order to offer technology advancement in its engineering service offerings, solutions and now more recently, with a product software offering of our own (DAAS). We consider, Dexcent to be a young, smart engineering company.

We’ve seen a lot of successes over the years, but what is one you are most proud of?

The solution we implemented and the savings realized from the work we did for Syncrude’s Mobile Events Synthesis (MEES):

Syncrude has collected data from haul trucks since the mid-1990s. Prior to implementing their (MEES) solution, business stakeholders still used spreadsheets to analyze large sets of truck data. Syncrude and Dexcent’s goal of the MEES solution was to create an automation system that would leverage mobile equipment monitoring, predictive information, OT integration, and a reliability knowledge base to generate near real-time information that could be integrated with workflows to improve equipment uptime and reduce maintenance costs.

The results were outstanding; Syncrude calculated that operating savings came to $16.75 per hour per unit, which equates to a $20 million annual operating cost avoidance, not including lost production hours that would have accrued. From a safety perspective, monitoring dumping procedures improved compliance and reduced non-procedural operating dumping incidents by 85% in the first month.

 

Read the Syncrude MEES Case Study

What are some of the biggest challenges our customers face?

With the current economic changes/challenges in Alberta today, all of our customers face major cost reductions of their plant operation budgets and want to see a significant increase in productivity.

The second challenge is Cyber Security for most organizations – more so organizations that rely on Operational Technology (OT) to operate their industrial and infrastructure processes. The rising security risk to industrial control systems and emerging compliance obligations place increasing demands on affected organizations to assess and improve their Cyber Security posture. 

 

How is Dexcent prepared to help them meet those challenges?

Our own software product, the Dexcent Asset Analytics System (DAAS), represents a new way of looking at your assets, your asset health monitoring, and your condition-based reliability programs; it represents a view more in line with how you and your operators see the world and how experts, and plant managers, react to a situation.

Earlier detection of potential issues, and being able to monitor long-running, slow degradation events, allows DAAS to turn reactive, just in time repairs into proactive, planned maintenance activities (huge cost savings). The DAAS platform enables the enterprise to more effectively manage labour and capital resources to meet fluctuating, often unpredictable, maintenance demands (huge cost savings). DAAS ensures the cost-saving returns on your investment are maximized.

Dexcent’s cybersecurity assessment services and methodology identifies existing security and compliance gaps within the Industrial Control Systems (ICS) and provide expert recommendations for effectively managing control system security risks and maintaining plant operations in compliance with applicable industry standards and regulatory requirements (e.g. NERC-CIP). Our goal is to help you achieve and maintain a safe, reliable and secure operation of your OT infrastructure.

Andrew Capper

Vice President of Industrial Digital Transformation

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Andrew Capper is Vice President of Industrial Digital Transformation at Dexcent, helping industrial organizations improve data-driven decision-making by optimizing the data journey, reuniting siloed information, and delivering a trustworthy version of the truth.

With more than 25 years of experience, he is known as a results-driven leader who delivers on commitments and tackles complex information management challenges with a practical, human-centric approach. His work spans digital transformation strategy and roadmaps, governance, digital maturity assessments, and performance measurement through clear KPIs and metrics. Andrew is a NAIT graduate with training in Instrumentation Engineering Technology and Security Systems, and he brings a strong focus on safer, more effective operations from data producers through to data consumers

Nader Asgharinia

MP, P.Eng.

Vice President of Enterprise SCADA & Advanced Applications.

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Nader Asgharinia, PMP, P.Eng., is Vice President of Enterprise SCADA & Advanced Applications at Dexcent, leading the delivery of complex, mission-critical solutions with a clear focus on client experience and operational excellence. With more than 30 years in business execution and over 25 years managing multi-million-dollar programs for mission-critical and SCADA systems, he brings a pragmatic, delivery-at-scale approach to every engagement. Nader is recognized for building high-performing teams, driving disciplined portfolio execution, and delivering measurable business outcomes, including significant growth in program portfolios and team capacity over time. He holds a B.Sc.(Hons.) in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the University of Newcastle-Upon-Type in the UK, a B.Sc. in Computer Science from the University of Calgary, completed Georgetown University’s Director’s Program, is a Professional Engineer in Alberta, and a Project Management Professional.

Gerrit Nel

CISSP, CISM – Vice President of OT Infrastructure and Cyber Security Services

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Tobias (Gerrit) Nel, CISSP, CISM, is Vice President of OT Infrastructure and Cyber Security Services at Dexcent, leading the development and delivery of practical services and solutions that integrate, complement, or replace OT infrastructure and protect OT assets from cyber threats. He is known for building resilient security frameworks, governance processes, and integrated solutions that reduce risk and support compliance across diverse industries. Gerrit has over 40 years of relevant IT/OT experience and has built and delivered highly skilled and high-performance delivery teams. His strengths include Cyber Security roadmaps, security architecture, incident response, and alignment to standards such as IEC 62443, NIST, and NERC CIP. Furthermore, he has deep foundational technical experience in Networking and OT infrastructure systems architectures that he leverages in building and leading successful delivery teams. Gerrit holds a B.Sc. in Computer Science from the University of Johannesburg and brings deep cross-sector experience supporting clients in oil and gas, mining, chemical, healthcare, financial, and government environments.

Jaydeep Deshpande

P.Eng. – President

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Jaydeep Deshpande, P.Eng., is a seasoned and decisive executive with over 25 years of experience driving operational excellence, profitability, and market growth in national and multinational organizations. As President, he is recognized for his strategic leadership, disciplined execution, and ability to lead organizations through change. Jaydeep is passionate about developing people, building strong leadership teams, and fostering a positive, performance-driven culture. His expertise spans strategic planning, business diversification, financial management, and organizational transformation, with a consistent focus on delivering growth-oriented, profitable results. He holds a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from the University of Alberta, is a Prosci Certified Change Practitioner and Project Management Professional (PMP), and has completed the CMA Accelerated Accounting Program, bringing deep financial and strategic insight to executive decision-making.

Karim Amarshi

Chairman of the Board

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Karim Amarshi is Chair of Dexcent’s Board of Directors, providing governance leadership and strategic oversight to support the company’s long-term strategy and executive team. With nearly 40 years as an entrepreneur and owner-operator, he is recognized for building high-performance organizations and forging strategic alliances across Information Technology, government, health care, education, and energy. He is the former co-owner and Chief Executive Officer of one of Canada’s leading enterprise Information Technology solution providers, where he led the organization through three successful mergers and helped scale long-term client and vendor partnerships. Karim remains active across a diverse business portfolio, serving as a founding principal, officer, and advisor to organizations spanning Information Technology, hospitality, manufacturing, retail, and real estate in Canada and internationally.

Yasmin Jivraj

FCIPS, I.S.P. | Board Member

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Yasmin Jivraj, FCIPS, I.S.P., is a Board Member at Dexcent, providing executive guidance and strategic oversight to support corporate management and long-term business direction. Over a 35-year career, she has held senior leadership roles across private, public, and non-profit organizations, with a track record of building operating foundations and driving profitable growth. Following a 15-year tenure as a co-owner and President of one of Canada’s leading strategic Information Technology solution providers, she expanded her governance leadership through active board service in post-secondary education and community-focused organizations. She is recognized for decisive, purpose-led leadership, clear communication, and deep expertise in technology, business models, and methodologies that help enterprise organizations advance digital transformation.

Nadir Jivraj

CEO, Board Member

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As Chief Executive Officer, Nadir is accountable for providing overall leadership and Dexcent’s Industrial operational performance. Nadir has been involved as an executive sponsor with Oil & Gas and Mining companies for over 35 years, and through the years has developed a strong working relationship with the Executive leadership team of many Fortune 500 companies.

Nadir is known for recognizing value and superior investment opportunities in the technology services sector. His pursuit of highly prospective technology companies around the world has resulted in numerous company start-ups. Prior to starting Dexcent, Nadir had led companies through highly profitable business transactions, including the merger of Atlas Systems Group with CompCanada (later renamed Acrodex) in 2000 and later as Chairman of the Board of Axcend Pvt – an engineering solutions provider – based in Bangalore, India from 2004 – 2014. Acrodex and Axcend were sold in 2015