This interactive networking session is designed to discuss the role of women in company boards where policy impact decisions are taken. Current female directors will share their experiences, and the lead speakers will share thoughts on the benefits and challenges of women’s inclusion in the board of directors’ group. The session will be attended by female directors and the aspirants.
The key discussion points include:
FORMAT: Networking session with a moderated Q&A and the opportunity to connect with other women directors
The session will be led by Dr. Christiane Schloderer and Vanessa Eastham Fisk.
(Sessions and schedules are subject to change without prior notice)
Dr. Christiane Schloderer serves as Board member and CFO to NEXSYS-ONE, a SaaS company based in Dubai. NEXSYS-ONE provides software solutions (SaaS) for the Telecom's and other related industries globally. She is contributing to the company’s scalable and international growth with financial, strategic and governance experience.
She is Chairwomen of the Board of Trustees of the German International School in Abu Dhabi and Board Member and interim CFO for an international SaaS company.
Christiane has founded Growth Partners, a niche consulting company, focusing on strategy, governance, and financial performance. Growth Partners works with Owners, Boards and Management, particularly of family businesses and owner led businesses. Projects covered include trading, e-commerce, software, manufacturing, and project management companies in various industries from telecom, food and beverage, digital marketing, fashion and cleantech. This included a transformation project at a family business in KSA.
Christiane was a board member of Rolaco Group, a Saudi based family company. Christiane worked closely with the family in bridging between family mission and company’s needs. She was involved in major restructurings of the governance structure.
Prior, she was the CFO at Nokia Al Saudia, a Riyadh based Joint Venture of Nokia and a Saudi family. Part of her role was to align strategy and governance between the two partners. During her tenure the company grew from 500 to 1000 employees. She held further positions as turnaround manager and senior advisor structured finance in Nokia Siemens Networks.
Christiane is the UAE ambassador of INSEAD’s global International Director Network (IDN), a network of around 30 qualified directors locally and 1000+ globally. She is a certified INSEAD International Director (IDP-C) with INSEAD Alumna status, received a doctoral degree from the University of Federal Armed Forces Munich in Germany (thesis on innovation management), and holds a master-equivalent degree in business administration with specialization in corporate finance and tax from the European Business School in Germany.
Vanessa Eastham Fisk is a full time Independent Non-Executive, currently sitting on boards at ABC International Bank plc, UK; ila Bank, Bahrain; Almarai Company, KSA; Banque Saudi Fransi, KSA; Special Advisor to the AlOmran family KSA and Independent supervisory board member of the family office, Narmo Capital and most recently she has joined the board of TPL REIT Management Co Ltd, Pakistan.
Vanessa focuses on companies which have a strong innovation and/or transformation agenda, with her current portfolio spanning both traditional and new digital enterprises. In particular she has a keen interest in those businesses deploying newer technologies to gain competitive advantage and is an active Board Advisor and Mentor to a number of the Middle East’s emerging Fintech and Regtech start-ups.
Prior to pursuing a non-executive career, Vanessa spent over 20 years in a wide variety of Senior Executive Director positions across multiple geographies. During 18 years at Barclays Bank PLC, Vanessa undertook roles of Chief Operating Officer & Chief Risk Officer for the Middle East; Director of Strategy & Transformation at Gerrard Investment Management Ltd; Chief Risk Officer for the Corporate Bank and Head of the Regional UK Leveraged Finance businesses. More recently Vanessa spent 5 years as Wholesale Banking Managing Director & Chief Operating Officer for Standard Chartered Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan.
Vanessa graduated with a BA Hons in Accountancy and Finance from Huddersfield University, undertook her post grad in Leadership Studies at Exeter University and after leaving Standard Chartered completed the International Executive Programme in Global Corporate Governance at Insead Business School, Fontainebleau, Paris. For the last 3 years, Vanessa has also been a visiting guest speaker on the Insead Executive MBA program, Corporate Governance module.
Dr. Christiane Schloderer serves as Board member and CFO to NEXSYS-ONE, a SaaS company based in Dubai. NEXSYS-ONE provides software solutions (SaaS) for the Telecom's and other related industries globally. She is contributing to the company’s scalable and international growth with financial, strategic and governance experience.
She is Chairwomen of the Board of Trustees of the German International School in Abu Dhabi and Board Member and interim CFO for an international SaaS company.
Christiane has founded Growth Partners, a niche consulting company, focusing on strategy, governance, and financial performance. Growth Partners works with Owners, Boards and Management, particularly of family businesses and owner led businesses. Projects covered include trading, e-commerce, software, manufacturing, and project management companies in various industries from telecom, food and beverage, digital marketing, fashion and cleantech. This included a transformation project at a family business in KSA.
Christiane was a board member of Rolaco Group, a Saudi based family company. Christiane worked closely with the family in bridging between family mission and company’s needs. She was involved in major restructurings of the governance structure.
Prior, she was the CFO at Nokia Al Saudia, a Riyadh based Joint Venture of Nokia and a Saudi family. Part of her role was to align strategy and governance between the two partners. During her tenure the company grew from 500 to 1000 employees. She held further positions as turnaround manager and senior advisor structured finance in Nokia Siemens Networks.
Christiane is the UAE ambassador of INSEAD’s global International Director Network (IDN), a network of around 30 qualified directors locally and 1000+ globally. She is a certified INSEAD International Director (IDP-C) with INSEAD Alumna status, received a doctoral degree from the University of Federal Armed Forces Munich in Germany (thesis on innovation management), and holds a master-equivalent degree in business administration with specialization in corporate finance and tax from the European Business School in Germany.
Vanessa Eastham Fisk is a full time Independent Non-Executive, currently sitting on boards at ABC International Bank plc, UK; ila Bank, Bahrain; Almarai Company, KSA; Banque Saudi Fransi, KSA; Special Advisor to the AlOmran family KSA and Independent supervisory board member of the family office, Narmo Capital and most recently she has joined the board of TPL REIT Management Co Ltd, Pakistan.
Vanessa focuses on companies which have a strong innovation and/or transformation agenda, with her current portfolio spanning both traditional and new digital enterprises. In particular she has a keen interest in those businesses deploying newer technologies to gain competitive advantage and is an active Board Advisor and Mentor to a number of the Middle East’s emerging Fintech and Regtech start-ups.
Prior to pursuing a non-executive career, Vanessa spent over 20 years in a wide variety of Senior Executive Director positions across multiple geographies. During 18 years at Barclays Bank PLC, Vanessa undertook roles of Chief Operating Officer & Chief Risk Officer for the Middle East; Director of Strategy & Transformation at Gerrard Investment Management Ltd; Chief Risk Officer for the Corporate Bank and Head of the Regional UK Leveraged Finance businesses. More recently Vanessa spent 5 years as Wholesale Banking Managing Director & Chief Operating Officer for Standard Chartered Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan.
Vanessa graduated with a BA Hons in Accountancy and Finance from Huddersfield University, undertook her post grad in Leadership Studies at Exeter University and after leaving Standard Chartered completed the International Executive Programme in Global Corporate Governance at Insead Business School, Fontainebleau, Paris. For the last 3 years, Vanessa has also been a visiting guest speaker on the Insead Executive MBA program, Corporate Governance module.
(Sessions and schedules are subject to change without prior notice)
Julien is also the Founder & CEO of Special Edition, a Content Creation company that operates across the GCC on content creation and events. Special Edition manages content creation and event for prestigious brands like the French edition of Arab News, Top CEO, TRENDS and other prestigious regional clients.
Born in Beirut, Julien spent most of his life in Paris, France. He completed his early studies in Paris and holds an Economics degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois (USA). Julien launched the publishing and media company Mediaquest in 1997 with his brother, Alexandre Hawari. Currently, Julien is a Board of Director for Mediaquest.
Julien site on the board of Wemind, a technology platform that combines loyalty, big data, and A.I. Wemind leverages consumption to fuel the impact economy. It aims at expending the financial system through repurposing electronic payments toward social initiatives.
Julien’s professional achievements include launching multiple brands in the region, north Africa and Europe. Among them TRENDS, the leading English-language international magazine on Arab affairs, Saneou al Hadath, redesigning Arabies… transforming the company into a powerful player in the Middle East and North Africa. Mediaquest quickly expanded to a powerhouse with the launch of Haya MBC, Marie Claire Arabia, Communicate in association with Advertising Age, and many other media brands. Mediaquest acquired brands as well like GMR, AMEinfo, Raceweek, F1, Policy and many other brands. He has played a key role in the expansion of Mediaquest and the opening of the media company’s offices in Dubai, Beirut, Riyadh, Algiers, Tunis and Paris.
With strong experience in building and growing startups in the Middle East and North Africa region, he managed the launch and growth of Mediaquest across the region and across digital and traditional platforms along with event management.
He played a crucial role in establishing iconic business events such as annual conference on the business of luxury – arab luxury world. He has also steered the efforts to institute annual TOP CEO conference & awards – a transparent and audited rankings of the chief executives of the GCC-listed companies – with the aim of celebrating Arab business leadership and promoting corporate governance in cooperation with INSEAD Business School.
Through his unique management style, Julien has nurtured and mentored several people in the organization who have now become the pillars of strength and leaders in their own right.
A regular attendee of World Economic Forum Davos Conference, Julien is well versed in the global business and technology trends along with having thought provoking insights on the world around us.
Experienced in building and federating stakeholders to create value is associated with a strong focus on execution and results.
Julien is passionate about digital media, social innovation, Arab youth issues and world developments.
Julien is also the Founder & CEO of Special Edition, a Content Creation company that operates across the GCC on content creation and events. Special Edition manages content creation and event for prestigious brands like the French edition of Arab News, Top CEO, TRENDS and other prestigious regional clients.
Born in Beirut, Julien spent most of his life in Paris, France. He completed his early studies in Paris and holds an Economics degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois (USA). Julien launched the publishing and media company Mediaquest in 1997 with his brother, Alexandre Hawari. Currently, Julien is a Board of Director for Mediaquest.
Julien site on the board of Wemind, a technology platform that combines loyalty, big data, and A.I. Wemind leverages consumption to fuel the impact economy. It aims at expending the financial system through repurposing electronic payments toward social initiatives.
Julien’s professional achievements include launching multiple brands in the region, north Africa and Europe. Among them TRENDS, the leading English-language international magazine on Arab affairs, Saneou al Hadath, redesigning Arabies… transforming the company into a powerful player in the Middle East and North Africa. Mediaquest quickly expanded to a powerhouse with the launch of Haya MBC, Marie Claire Arabia, Communicate in association with Advertising Age, and many other media brands. Mediaquest acquired brands as well like GMR, AMEinfo, Raceweek, F1, Policy and many other brands. He has played a key role in the expansion of Mediaquest and the opening of the media company’s offices in Dubai, Beirut, Riyadh, Algiers, Tunis and Paris.
With strong experience in building and growing startups in the Middle East and North Africa region, he managed the launch and growth of Mediaquest across the region and across digital and traditional platforms along with event management.
He played a crucial role in establishing iconic business events such as annual conference on the business of luxury – arab luxury world. He has also steered the efforts to institute annual TOP CEO conference & awards – a transparent and audited rankings of the chief executives of the GCC-listed companies – with the aim of celebrating Arab business leadership and promoting corporate governance in cooperation with INSEAD Business School.
Through his unique management style, Julien has nurtured and mentored several people in the organization who have now become the pillars of strength and leaders in their own right.
A regular attendee of World Economic Forum Davos Conference, Julien is well versed in the global business and technology trends along with having thought provoking insights on the world around us.
Experienced in building and federating stakeholders to create value is associated with a strong focus on execution and results.
Julien is passionate about digital media, social innovation, Arab youth issues and world developments.
(Sessions and schedules are subject to change without prior notice)
H.E. Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi has been named the Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and SMEs under the new UAE Government structure approved in July 2020. Under this role, H.E. Dr. Al Falasi is at the fore of designing national initiatives to strengthen the UAE’s small and medium enterprise (SME) sector, one of the engines of the national economy, and promote entrepreneurship in various industries. H.E. is also tasked to set a strategic direction and develop a general national policy for the country’s tourism sector.
Before his present position, he was the Minister of State for Higher Education during which he supervised the development of higher education and scientific research in the UAE. He also formulated new policies for the sector as well as streamlined the work of higher education institutions to ensure quality outputs that match the requirements of the labor market. In October 2017, pursuant to the ministerial amendment to the UAE Government, he took on the responsibility of equipping UAE nationals with skills of the future.
H.E. is also the former Chairman of the Federal Authority for Human Resources and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the UAE Space Agency. He represented the space sector at the National Committee for Science, Technology and Innovation.
Other positions he previously held included CEO of Masdar Company; Executive Director of Strategy and Tourism Sector Development at Dubai Tourism; Vice President of the Mubadala Industry Unit; and Consultant for the management consulting firm McKinsey & Company.
H.E. Dr. Al Falasi holds a PhD from Monash University, a Master’s degree from the University of Melbourne in Australia, and a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Engineering from Khalifa University in the UAE.
H.E. Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi has been named the Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and SMEs under the new UAE Government structure approved in July 2020. Under this role, H.E. Dr. Al Falasi is at the fore of designing national initiatives to strengthen the UAE’s small and medium enterprise (SME) sector, one of the engines of the national economy, and promote entrepreneurship in various industries. H.E. is also tasked to set a strategic direction and develop a general national policy for the country’s tourism sector.
Before his present position, he was the Minister of State for Higher Education during which he supervised the development of higher education and scientific research in the UAE. He also formulated new policies for the sector as well as streamlined the work of higher education institutions to ensure quality outputs that match the requirements of the labor market. In October 2017, pursuant to the ministerial amendment to the UAE Government, he took on the responsibility of equipping UAE nationals with skills of the future.
H.E. is also the former Chairman of the Federal Authority for Human Resources and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the UAE Space Agency. He represented the space sector at the National Committee for Science, Technology and Innovation.
Other positions he previously held included CEO of Masdar Company; Executive Director of Strategy and Tourism Sector Development at Dubai Tourism; Vice President of the Mubadala Industry Unit; and Consultant for the management consulting firm McKinsey & Company.
H.E. Dr. Al Falasi holds a PhD from Monash University, a Master’s degree from the University of Melbourne in Australia, and a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Engineering from Khalifa University in the UAE.
Unstable global economic cycles, regional conflicts, and health risks have made business management a Herculean task. Business leaders face a big challenge to counter the growth of uncertainty and the continuous changes in the market segments owing to the global pandemic. What short-term and long-term business strategies be put in place to combat seemingly never-ending uncertainty.
(Sessions and schedules are subject to change without prior notice)
H.E. Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi has been named the Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and SMEs under the new UAE Government structure approved in July 2020. Under this role, H.E. Dr. Al Falasi is at the fore of designing national initiatives to strengthen the UAE’s small and medium enterprise (SME) sector, one of the engines of the national economy, and promote entrepreneurship in various industries. H.E. is also tasked to set a strategic direction and develop a general national policy for the country’s tourism sector.
Before his present position, he was the Minister of State for Higher Education during which he supervised the development of higher education and scientific research in the UAE. He also formulated new policies for the sector as well as streamlined the work of higher education institutions to ensure quality outputs that match the requirements of the labor market. In October 2017, pursuant to the ministerial amendment to the UAE Government, he took on the responsibility of equipping UAE nationals with skills of the future.
H.E. is also the former Chairman of the Federal Authority for Human Resources and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the UAE Space Agency. He represented the space sector at the National Committee for Science, Technology and Innovation.
Other positions he previously held included CEO of Masdar Company; Executive Director of Strategy and Tourism Sector Development at Dubai Tourism; Vice President of the Mubadala Industry Unit; and Consultant for the management consulting firm McKinsey & Company.
H.E. Dr. Al Falasi holds a PhD from Monash University, a Master’s degree from the University of Melbourne in Australia, and a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Engineering from Khalifa University in the UAE.
Ms. Elham held a Bachelor with honor degree in Business Administration, American University in Cairo with 37 years of banking experience. Ms. Elham joined Commercial Bank of Kuwait in the year 2000 as Manager, International Banking Division and progressively held top-executive positions holding the position of GM – New York Branch, Acting GM – International Banking, GM – International Banking.
Ms. Elham was assigned to take over the duties and responsibilities as Acting CEO from June 2010 until February 2012. She was promoted to Deputy CEO in April 2012. Then on 1/11/2013 she was appointed as Acting CEO. She was confirmed as CEO of the Bank from 20th November 2014. In her capacity as CEO of the Bank she is in charge of directly supervising and leading the profit centers/ divisions at the Bank in addition to the support departments such as (Operations, ITD, HRD, etc.). Ms. Elham is responsible for the preparation and development of the policies pertinent to the Bank’s plans and strategies that are in line with the Bank’s objectives and vision. Ms. Elham directs and controls the development of the Bank’s operations in accordance with strategic guidelines, thus contributing to the achievement of the Bank’s mission, strategy, goals and objectives. Ms. Elham is the Chairperson in various Executive Committees such as the Credit & Investment Committee, ALCO, and Management Committee and participates in the meetings of the Board related committees.
Before joining Commercial Bank of Kuwait, Ms. Elham worked in a number of Kuwaiti financial institutions. She possesses extensive knowledge in all banking & financial areas and banking industry trends in Kuwait on the back of her extensive experience and proven record of accomplishment exceeding 37 years in the banking sector.
Michael, a highly-respected media industry executive for more than 50 years, was appointed CEO of twofour54 Abu Dhabi, the Emirate’s media and entertainment hub, in January 2020.
As CEO, he leads the twofour54 team in building and developing a vibrant ecosystem of local and global partners that enables and inspires the most creative and innovative content. Today, more than 600 media companies from around the world, including CNN, SkyNews Arabia, Unity Technologies and Ubisoft, call twofour54 home.
Michael joined twofour54 from Image Nation Abu Dhabi, where he served as CEO from February 2011. Michael oversaw Image Nation’s business strategy and operations and played a vital role in managing and forging key international partnerships. Previously, he had also spent four years as a member of the Executive Committee of Abu Dhabi Media Company.
His media career began at Time Inc. where he worked for TIME, Fortune and Time-Life Television for over a decade.
From there, Michael helped co-found what would eventually become Lorimar-Telepictures – a leading independent television company in the U.S.
His other previous roles included CEO of Central European Media Enterprises and Global Head to Media & Telecommunications Investment Banking for ING.
Dr. Mohamad is the Chief Executive Officer of Amanat Holdings. He joined the Company in November 2017, initially as the Chief Investment Officer, and has since led several successful transactions valuing c. AED 3 billion jointly, including seven acquisitions and two profitable divestments. These transactions are based on the strategy he defined and implemented for exiting minority investments where the path to control is challenging or limited, capturing specialized opportunities, and expanding investment platforms where Amanat can act as an influencer shareholder. Additionally, he steered Amanat's VC strategy, positioning the Company as a regional leader in the digitalization of both sectors, healthcare and education.
Hamade also managed and supported the growth of Amanat's result-driven and capable team; together, Amanat's new identity was launched, moving from the classic look and feel to a younger, fresh, progressive approach.
In 2021, Dr. Mohamad led the way to a transformative year in Amanat, resulting in a remarkable, operational and financial performance in the Company's history by delivering the highest net profit of AED 281 million (28x yoy) and the highest distributed dividends of AED 150 million.
Dr. Mohamad sits on several boards and committees, playing an essential role in driving growth and, value creation initiatives across Amanat's portfolio; 8 investments operated by a total of c. 2.4K skilled, employees and generating a total revenue of c. AED 1.4 billion in FY2021.
Dr. Mohamad is recognized as a thought leader, sharing his insights through multiple media business avenues. He is an active speaker at the WEF Global Future Council's committee and other global and regional conferences. Hamade shares thoughts, opinions, and market updates through Amanat CEO Monthly, Op-Eds, panels, and interviews. Furthermore, he contributed to numerous juries identifying the most promising and impactful startups.
Dr. Mohamad has been featured in multiple global and local publications being one of the market leaders, and he is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization.
Prior to joining Amanat, Dr. Mohamad served as Chief Investment Officer of VPS Healthcare, a group comprising over 20 hospitals and 100 medical centers across the UAE, Oman, and India. Before joining VPS, Hamade was a Principal at TVM Capital and Chief Strategy Officer of one of its portfolio companies.
Dr. Mohamad holds an MD and a BSc in Biology from the American University of Beirut and an MBA from Cornell University in the USA. He also holds a Research Fellowship Certificate in ENT Surgery from Harvard Medical School.
Julien is also the Founder & CEO of Special Edition, a Content Creation company that operates across the GCC on content creation and events. Special Edition manages content creation and event for prestigious brands like the French edition of Arab News, Top CEO, TRENDS and other prestigious regional clients.
Born in Beirut, Julien spent most of his life in Paris, France. He completed his early studies in Paris and holds an Economics degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois (USA). Julien launched the publishing and media company Mediaquest in 1997 with his brother, Alexandre Hawari. Currently, Julien is a Board of Director for Mediaquest.
Julien site on the board of Wemind, a technology platform that combines loyalty, big data, and A.I. Wemind leverages consumption to fuel the impact economy. It aims at expending the financial system through repurposing electronic payments toward social initiatives.
Julien’s professional achievements include launching multiple brands in the region, north Africa and Europe. Among them TRENDS, the leading English-language international magazine on Arab affairs, Saneou al Hadath, redesigning Arabies… transforming the company into a powerful player in the Middle East and North Africa. Mediaquest quickly expanded to a powerhouse with the launch of Haya MBC, Marie Claire Arabia, Communicate in association with Advertising Age, and many other media brands. Mediaquest acquired brands as well like GMR, AMEinfo, Raceweek, F1, Policy and many other brands. He has played a key role in the expansion of Mediaquest and the opening of the media company’s offices in Dubai, Beirut, Riyadh, Algiers, Tunis and Paris.
With strong experience in building and growing startups in the Middle East and North Africa region, he managed the launch and growth of Mediaquest across the region and across digital and traditional platforms along with event management.
He played a crucial role in establishing iconic business events such as annual conference on the business of luxury – arab luxury world. He has also steered the efforts to institute annual TOP CEO conference & awards – a transparent and audited rankings of the chief executives of the GCC-listed companies – with the aim of celebrating Arab business leadership and promoting corporate governance in cooperation with INSEAD Business School.
Through his unique management style, Julien has nurtured and mentored several people in the organization who have now become the pillars of strength and leaders in their own right.
A regular attendee of World Economic Forum Davos Conference, Julien is well versed in the global business and technology trends along with having thought provoking insights on the world around us.
Experienced in building and federating stakeholders to create value is associated with a strong focus on execution and results.
Julien is passionate about digital media, social innovation, Arab youth issues and world developments.
• Mohammed Khammas serves as the group CEO of AAG and its international Holdings.
• MK joined AAG as manager, Head of Mining Department.
• MK Then served as Managing Director of AAG- industrial division which included 12 divisions.
• In time he lead Strategic Planning where he spearheaded strategy and business development for all of AAG
businesses worldwide.
• MK moved to heading the group as CEO which included 36 subsidiaries both locally and internationally.
• Developed the first regional and largest Outlet mall destination globally (Dubai Outlet Mall) part of a 10 million
square feet development in Dubailand
• Developed one of the largest Fitness chains in the region based in the UAE
• Started Human-X subsidiary which focused on everything that is Human Centric and included new Age media
entities.
• He worked with and then acquired the first and largest social Media aggregator (The Audience) servicing and
strategically working on major projects from Mega consumer events to Fortune 500 companies and strategic global
projects
• Created the First Arab owned global gaming company (Studio-Ex/Camelot) over Social Mediums which was then
acquired by Disney and boosted Disney Gaming studio offering.
• Created Rethink Leisure which served as a main creative designer and curator for Disney, Universal, Marvel, Lotte
H.E. Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi has been named the Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and SMEs under the new UAE Government structure approved in July 2020. Under this role, H.E. Dr. Al Falasi is at the fore of designing national initiatives to strengthen the UAE’s small and medium enterprise (SME) sector, one of the engines of the national economy, and promote entrepreneurship in various industries. H.E. is also tasked to set a strategic direction and develop a general national policy for the country’s tourism sector.
Before his present position, he was the Minister of State for Higher Education during which he supervised the development of higher education and scientific research in the UAE. He also formulated new policies for the sector as well as streamlined the work of higher education institutions to ensure quality outputs that match the requirements of the labor market. In October 2017, pursuant to the ministerial amendment to the UAE Government, he took on the responsibility of equipping UAE nationals with skills of the future.
H.E. is also the former Chairman of the Federal Authority for Human Resources and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the UAE Space Agency. He represented the space sector at the National Committee for Science, Technology and Innovation.
Other positions he previously held included CEO of Masdar Company; Executive Director of Strategy and Tourism Sector Development at Dubai Tourism; Vice President of the Mubadala Industry Unit; and Consultant for the management consulting firm McKinsey & Company.
H.E. Dr. Al Falasi holds a PhD from Monash University, a Master’s degree from the University of Melbourne in Australia, and a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Engineering from Khalifa University in the UAE.
Ms. Elham held a Bachelor with honor degree in Business Administration, American University in Cairo with 37 years of banking experience. Ms. Elham joined Commercial Bank of Kuwait in the year 2000 as Manager, International Banking Division and progressively held top-executive positions holding the position of GM – New York Branch, Acting GM – International Banking, GM – International Banking.
Ms. Elham was assigned to take over the duties and responsibilities as Acting CEO from June 2010 until February 2012. She was promoted to Deputy CEO in April 2012. Then on 1/11/2013 she was appointed as Acting CEO. She was confirmed as CEO of the Bank from 20th November 2014. In her capacity as CEO of the Bank she is in charge of directly supervising and leading the profit centers/ divisions at the Bank in addition to the support departments such as (Operations, ITD, HRD, etc.). Ms. Elham is responsible for the preparation and development of the policies pertinent to the Bank’s plans and strategies that are in line with the Bank’s objectives and vision. Ms. Elham directs and controls the development of the Bank’s operations in accordance with strategic guidelines, thus contributing to the achievement of the Bank’s mission, strategy, goals and objectives. Ms. Elham is the Chairperson in various Executive Committees such as the Credit & Investment Committee, ALCO, and Management Committee and participates in the meetings of the Board related committees.
Before joining Commercial Bank of Kuwait, Ms. Elham worked in a number of Kuwaiti financial institutions. She possesses extensive knowledge in all banking & financial areas and banking industry trends in Kuwait on the back of her extensive experience and proven record of accomplishment exceeding 37 years in the banking sector.
Michael, a highly-respected media industry executive for more than 50 years, was appointed CEO of twofour54 Abu Dhabi, the Emirate’s media and entertainment hub, in January 2020.
As CEO, he leads the twofour54 team in building and developing a vibrant ecosystem of local and global partners that enables and inspires the most creative and innovative content. Today, more than 600 media companies from around the world, including CNN, SkyNews Arabia, Unity Technologies and Ubisoft, call twofour54 home.
Michael joined twofour54 from Image Nation Abu Dhabi, where he served as CEO from February 2011. Michael oversaw Image Nation’s business strategy and operations and played a vital role in managing and forging key international partnerships. Previously, he had also spent four years as a member of the Executive Committee of Abu Dhabi Media Company.
His media career began at Time Inc. where he worked for TIME, Fortune and Time-Life Television for over a decade.
From there, Michael helped co-found what would eventually become Lorimar-Telepictures – a leading independent television company in the U.S.
His other previous roles included CEO of Central European Media Enterprises and Global Head to Media & Telecommunications Investment Banking for ING.
Dr. Mohamad is the Chief Executive Officer of Amanat Holdings. He joined the Company in November 2017, initially as the Chief Investment Officer, and has since led several successful transactions valuing c. AED 3 billion jointly, including seven acquisitions and two profitable divestments. These transactions are based on the strategy he defined and implemented for exiting minority investments where the path to control is challenging or limited, capturing specialized opportunities, and expanding investment platforms where Amanat can act as an influencer shareholder. Additionally, he steered Amanat's VC strategy, positioning the Company as a regional leader in the digitalization of both sectors, healthcare and education.
Hamade also managed and supported the growth of Amanat's result-driven and capable team; together, Amanat's new identity was launched, moving from the classic look and feel to a younger, fresh, progressive approach.
In 2021, Dr. Mohamad led the way to a transformative year in Amanat, resulting in a remarkable, operational and financial performance in the Company's history by delivering the highest net profit of AED 281 million (28x yoy) and the highest distributed dividends of AED 150 million.
Dr. Mohamad sits on several boards and committees, playing an essential role in driving growth and, value creation initiatives across Amanat's portfolio; 8 investments operated by a total of c. 2.4K skilled, employees and generating a total revenue of c. AED 1.4 billion in FY2021.
Dr. Mohamad is recognized as a thought leader, sharing his insights through multiple media business avenues. He is an active speaker at the WEF Global Future Council's committee and other global and regional conferences. Hamade shares thoughts, opinions, and market updates through Amanat CEO Monthly, Op-Eds, panels, and interviews. Furthermore, he contributed to numerous juries identifying the most promising and impactful startups.
Dr. Mohamad has been featured in multiple global and local publications being one of the market leaders, and he is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization.
Prior to joining Amanat, Dr. Mohamad served as Chief Investment Officer of VPS Healthcare, a group comprising over 20 hospitals and 100 medical centers across the UAE, Oman, and India. Before joining VPS, Hamade was a Principal at TVM Capital and Chief Strategy Officer of one of its portfolio companies.
Dr. Mohamad holds an MD and a BSc in Biology from the American University of Beirut and an MBA from Cornell University in the USA. He also holds a Research Fellowship Certificate in ENT Surgery from Harvard Medical School.
Julien is also the Founder & CEO of Special Edition, a Content Creation company that operates across the GCC on content creation and events. Special Edition manages content creation and event for prestigious brands like the French edition of Arab News, Top CEO, TRENDS and other prestigious regional clients.
Born in Beirut, Julien spent most of his life in Paris, France. He completed his early studies in Paris and holds an Economics degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois (USA). Julien launched the publishing and media company Mediaquest in 1997 with his brother, Alexandre Hawari. Currently, Julien is a Board of Director for Mediaquest.
Julien site on the board of Wemind, a technology platform that combines loyalty, big data, and A.I. Wemind leverages consumption to fuel the impact economy. It aims at expending the financial system through repurposing electronic payments toward social initiatives.
Julien’s professional achievements include launching multiple brands in the region, north Africa and Europe. Among them TRENDS, the leading English-language international magazine on Arab affairs, Saneou al Hadath, redesigning Arabies… transforming the company into a powerful player in the Middle East and North Africa. Mediaquest quickly expanded to a powerhouse with the launch of Haya MBC, Marie Claire Arabia, Communicate in association with Advertising Age, and many other media brands. Mediaquest acquired brands as well like GMR, AMEinfo, Raceweek, F1, Policy and many other brands. He has played a key role in the expansion of Mediaquest and the opening of the media company’s offices in Dubai, Beirut, Riyadh, Algiers, Tunis and Paris.
With strong experience in building and growing startups in the Middle East and North Africa region, he managed the launch and growth of Mediaquest across the region and across digital and traditional platforms along with event management.
He played a crucial role in establishing iconic business events such as annual conference on the business of luxury – arab luxury world. He has also steered the efforts to institute annual TOP CEO conference & awards – a transparent and audited rankings of the chief executives of the GCC-listed companies – with the aim of celebrating Arab business leadership and promoting corporate governance in cooperation with INSEAD Business School.
Through his unique management style, Julien has nurtured and mentored several people in the organization who have now become the pillars of strength and leaders in their own right.
A regular attendee of World Economic Forum Davos Conference, Julien is well versed in the global business and technology trends along with having thought provoking insights on the world around us.
Experienced in building and federating stakeholders to create value is associated with a strong focus on execution and results.
Julien is passionate about digital media, social innovation, Arab youth issues and world developments.
• Mohammed Khammas serves as the group CEO of AAG and its international Holdings.
• MK joined AAG as manager, Head of Mining Department.
• MK Then served as Managing Director of AAG- industrial division which included 12 divisions.
• In time he lead Strategic Planning where he spearheaded strategy and business development for all of AAG
businesses worldwide.
• MK moved to heading the group as CEO which included 36 subsidiaries both locally and internationally.
• Developed the first regional and largest Outlet mall destination globally (Dubai Outlet Mall) part of a 10 million
square feet development in Dubailand
• Developed one of the largest Fitness chains in the region based in the UAE
• Started Human-X subsidiary which focused on everything that is Human Centric and included new Age media
entities.
• He worked with and then acquired the first and largest social Media aggregator (The Audience) servicing and
strategically working on major projects from Mega consumer events to Fortune 500 companies and strategic global
projects
• Created the First Arab owned global gaming company (Studio-Ex/Camelot) over Social Mediums which was then
acquired by Disney and boosted Disney Gaming studio offering.
• Created Rethink Leisure which served as a main creative designer and curator for Disney, Universal, Marvel, Lotte
Among many challenges as the aftermath of the global pandemic, inflation has become one of the biggest headaches for central banks and governments across the globe. The Arabian Gulf countries do not have much leeway in terms of monetary policies due to their US dollar peg. What are the options before the governments and central bank governors of this region? With rising prices and building pressure to contain energy prices, how will economies react? How are businesses going to adjust to this new challenge?
(Sessions and schedules are subject to change without prior notice)
Mohammed Abudawood is the Executive chairman of M H A Abudawood Group, investing in FMCG, institutional marketing, manufacturing and distribution in the ME region. The group has many activities in Industrial consulting, private equity investments, specifically in Fintech, Cybersecurity, new technologies like communication and security among others.
His work experience consists of major global brand’s marketing, manufacturing, selling and full planning in three markets: Saudi Arabia, the USA, and the UK.
Educated at both the University of Arizona and Harvard Business School, Abudawood Executive Chairman of M H Abudawood Group, board member of several private Companies in Saudi Arabia. Was a board member of several publicly traded firms in Insurance, and publicly owned firms in Realestate,m development, or banks like Barclays. In addition to being chairman of many governance committee. He has been a visiting lecturer on governance, marketing, and family businesses issues.
Has been active for 2 decades on public agendas like women empowerment in Saudi, family businesses transformation, sustainability and ESG.
Simon joined First Abu Dhabi Bank in January 2018 and brings with him over 30yrs of global financial markets experience. Over his career as an economist, Simon has built up a wealth of multi-asset, global macroeconomic investment strategy knowledge, working in both London and New York, and now the United Arab Emirates. Simon worked previously for BNP Paribas, RBC and National Australia Bank in London, and for Bear Stearns in London and New York.
Bi-lingual in French, his primary focus as Chief Economist at First Abu Dhabi Bank is on global (G10 / MENA / GCC) macroeconomic issues, covering rates, FX , credit and commodities and in particular how these are relevant to investment strategies within the MENA/GCC region.
Simon’s views are regularly requested by the major financial news channels and the written press. Simon is a regular guest host on Bloomberg television and radio as well as CNBC television. In addition, he is often quoted in the Financial Times and other leading financial publications.
Khalid Abdulla Janahi is currently the Group Chief Executive Officer of Dar Al-Maal Al-Islami Trust (DMI Trust) with over 35 years of experience in banking and financial services. He is also the Chairman of Solidarity Group Holding, Naseej Co., Faisal Private Bureau (Switzerland) SA, the Islamic Investment Company of the Gulf (Bahamas) Ltd, and Ithmaar Development Company. Mr Janahi is a board member of Faisal Islamic bank of Egypt and Ithmaar Bank. Mr Janahi was previously a Partner of PwC, Vice-Chairman of the Arab Business Council, World Economic Forum and a member of the Bahrain Economic Development Board and has served on a number of other boards including the Centre for International Business and Management, University of Cambridge. Mr Janahi holds a BSc in Computer Science & Accountancy from the University of Manchester and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants (UK).
Sélim Chidiac has been the Chief Executive Officer of the L’azurde Company since February 2010, when it was acquired by a Private Equity Consortium led by Investcorp. Sélim led the Company through a solid turn-around and strong growth story which helped make the Company a publicly listed entity in June 2016 on the Tadawul stock exchange in Saudi Arabia. It was 9 times over-subscribed with institution investors and 3 times over-subscribed with retail investors. The Group has more than 2,000 employees across the MENA region and focuses on the design, manufacturing, marketing, wholesale and retail distribution of jewelry. In 2018, L’azurde executed the 3rd largest M&A transaction in KSA by acquiring the KSA franchisee of the global jewelry brand TOUS.
Prior to joining L’azurde, Sélim was Chief Executive Officer for Red Bull North America, based in Los Angeles. During his eleven-year career at Red Bull, he managed the business in North America, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. Before joining Red Bull, he worked with Procter & Gamble Switzerland and Austria, implementing growth strategies across European markets.
Sélim has a comprehensive background in management and business development and holds several business degrees from prestigious establishments in France and the UK, and has attended executive education courses in several business schools like Insead, Harvard Business School, IMD Lausanne, UCLA Los Angeles and London Business School. Sélim has a solid experience at Board level through his roles at Red Bull, L’azurde and is a Board Director at Theeb Car Rental.
Katie Jensen is an international Broadcast Journalist, Keynote Speaker and Communications Coach based in Dubai, UAE. With a 15-year career in front of the television cameras, Katie’s magnetic professionalism and personality has inspired, informed and entertained millions of people both on screen and in person.
From one on one interviews with Presidents, Prime Ministers, captains of industry or Hollywood celebrities for national broadcast, to holding the attention of thousands of conference attendees as Moderator, Host and MC, Katie has mastered the art of asking the questions people want to hear, and the message that your business needs.
Katie Jensen’s international broadcasting career has spanned more than 15 years in television, including five years with one of Australia’s highest rated morning news shows and as a News Anchor for Dubai One TV for the last decade.
Katie regularly hosts live network specials for Dubai One including the UAE's Mission to Mars, the Expo 2020 bid live from Paris, the World Government Summit, the Dubai International Film Festival and the Dubai World Cup.
Katie has hosted hundreds of events in the region and around the world, sharing the stage with the likes of Sir Patrick Stewart, Sir Ben Kingsley, Jeremy Irons, Katy Perry and many more.
She has worked with organisations like Majid Al Futtaim, Harpers Bazaar Arabia, Grazia, Masdar, HSBC, UNHCR, the International Renewable Energy Agency, Nokia, Citrix , Emirates NBD, Property Finder and The World Travel Awards as a Moderator, Host and Keynote Speaker.
Mohammed Abudawood is the Executive chairman of M H A Abudawood Group, investing in FMCG, institutional marketing, manufacturing and distribution in the ME region. The group has many activities in Industrial consulting, private equity investments, specifically in Fintech, Cybersecurity, new technologies like communication and security among others.
His work experience consists of major global brand’s marketing, manufacturing, selling and full planning in three markets: Saudi Arabia, the USA, and the UK.
Educated at both the University of Arizona and Harvard Business School, Abudawood Executive Chairman of M H Abudawood Group, board member of several private Companies in Saudi Arabia. Was a board member of several publicly traded firms in Insurance, and publicly owned firms in Realestate,m development, or banks like Barclays. In addition to being chairman of many governance committee. He has been a visiting lecturer on governance, marketing, and family businesses issues.
Has been active for 2 decades on public agendas like women empowerment in Saudi, family businesses transformation, sustainability and ESG.
Simon joined First Abu Dhabi Bank in January 2018 and brings with him over 30yrs of global financial markets experience. Over his career as an economist, Simon has built up a wealth of multi-asset, global macroeconomic investment strategy knowledge, working in both London and New York, and now the United Arab Emirates. Simon worked previously for BNP Paribas, RBC and National Australia Bank in London, and for Bear Stearns in London and New York.
Bi-lingual in French, his primary focus as Chief Economist at First Abu Dhabi Bank is on global (G10 / MENA / GCC) macroeconomic issues, covering rates, FX , credit and commodities and in particular how these are relevant to investment strategies within the MENA/GCC region.
Simon’s views are regularly requested by the major financial news channels and the written press. Simon is a regular guest host on Bloomberg television and radio as well as CNBC television. In addition, he is often quoted in the Financial Times and other leading financial publications.
Khalid Abdulla Janahi is currently the Group Chief Executive Officer of Dar Al-Maal Al-Islami Trust (DMI Trust) with over 35 years of experience in banking and financial services. He is also the Chairman of Solidarity Group Holding, Naseej Co., Faisal Private Bureau (Switzerland) SA, the Islamic Investment Company of the Gulf (Bahamas) Ltd, and Ithmaar Development Company. Mr Janahi is a board member of Faisal Islamic bank of Egypt and Ithmaar Bank. Mr Janahi was previously a Partner of PwC, Vice-Chairman of the Arab Business Council, World Economic Forum and a member of the Bahrain Economic Development Board and has served on a number of other boards including the Centre for International Business and Management, University of Cambridge. Mr Janahi holds a BSc in Computer Science & Accountancy from the University of Manchester and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants (UK).
Sélim Chidiac has been the Chief Executive Officer of the L’azurde Company since February 2010, when it was acquired by a Private Equity Consortium led by Investcorp. Sélim led the Company through a solid turn-around and strong growth story which helped make the Company a publicly listed entity in June 2016 on the Tadawul stock exchange in Saudi Arabia. It was 9 times over-subscribed with institution investors and 3 times over-subscribed with retail investors. The Group has more than 2,000 employees across the MENA region and focuses on the design, manufacturing, marketing, wholesale and retail distribution of jewelry. In 2018, L’azurde executed the 3rd largest M&A transaction in KSA by acquiring the KSA franchisee of the global jewelry brand TOUS.
Prior to joining L’azurde, Sélim was Chief Executive Officer for Red Bull North America, based in Los Angeles. During his eleven-year career at Red Bull, he managed the business in North America, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. Before joining Red Bull, he worked with Procter & Gamble Switzerland and Austria, implementing growth strategies across European markets.
Sélim has a comprehensive background in management and business development and holds several business degrees from prestigious establishments in France and the UK, and has attended executive education courses in several business schools like Insead, Harvard Business School, IMD Lausanne, UCLA Los Angeles and London Business School. Sélim has a solid experience at Board level through his roles at Red Bull, L’azurde and is a Board Director at Theeb Car Rental.
Katie Jensen is an international Broadcast Journalist, Keynote Speaker and Communications Coach based in Dubai, UAE. With a 15-year career in front of the television cameras, Katie’s magnetic professionalism and personality has inspired, informed and entertained millions of people both on screen and in person.
From one on one interviews with Presidents, Prime Ministers, captains of industry or Hollywood celebrities for national broadcast, to holding the attention of thousands of conference attendees as Moderator, Host and MC, Katie has mastered the art of asking the questions people want to hear, and the message that your business needs.
Katie Jensen’s international broadcasting career has spanned more than 15 years in television, including five years with one of Australia’s highest rated morning news shows and as a News Anchor for Dubai One TV for the last decade.
Katie regularly hosts live network specials for Dubai One including the UAE's Mission to Mars, the Expo 2020 bid live from Paris, the World Government Summit, the Dubai International Film Festival and the Dubai World Cup.
Katie has hosted hundreds of events in the region and around the world, sharing the stage with the likes of Sir Patrick Stewart, Sir Ben Kingsley, Jeremy Irons, Katy Perry and many more.
She has worked with organisations like Majid Al Futtaim, Harpers Bazaar Arabia, Grazia, Masdar, HSBC, UNHCR, the International Renewable Energy Agency, Nokia, Citrix , Emirates NBD, Property Finder and The World Travel Awards as a Moderator, Host and Keynote Speaker.
Megaprojects have mushroomed in the Gulf. With few wins in the region, many mega projects are plagued by bad track records on under-delivering on their promises. Delays, costs running wild, lack of integration among partners and suppliers. How to tackle the implementation challenges. What are the recent learnings that need to be implemented to create success stories? Can human capital make the culture leap?
(Sessions and schedules are subject to change without prior notice)
Dr. Nour E. Raouafi is a Ph. D. in Astrophysics and the Project Scientist of NASA’s Parker Solar Probe mission. Before joining the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in 2008, Dr. Raouafi worked at the Turin Observatory (Italy, 2001), the Max-Planck Institute for Solar System Research (Göttingen, Germany – 2002-2005), and the National Solar Observatory (Tucson, Arizona – 2005-2008). His research spreads over a wide range of solar and heliospheric areas, emphasizing the dynamic solar corona by analyzing spectral and imaging observations, theory, and modeling. Dr. Raouafi contributed to diverse research areas, e.g., solar magnetic fields, spectroscopy, polarimetry, coronal plumes and jets, coronal mass ejections [CMEs] and shock waves, solar wind, solar energetic particles, and comets. He authored and co-authored tens of peer-reviewed papers and meeting proceedings.
Ahmed Galal Ismail is the Chief Executive Officer of Majid Al Futtaim - Properties, a leading real estate operator and developer with a portfolio of shopping malls, hotels and mixed-use communities across the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Oman, Bahrain and Lebanon. Majid Al Futtaim Properties is a member of Majid Al Futtaim, a regionally diversified lifestyle conglomerate that manages US$ 16 billion in assets and is active across Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Prior to assuming the role of Chief Executive Officer of Majid Al Futtaim - Properties, Mr. Ismail served as Chief Executive Officer of Majid Al Futtaim - Ventures for a decade. In this role, Mr. Ismail oversaw seven business verticals including Leisure and Entertainment, Cinemas, Fashion, and Consumer Finance. He was instrumental in the expansion of the group’s cinemas business to regional markets, with the notable inclusion of Saudi Arabia in 2018.
Mr. Ismail started his career with Procter and Gamble in Egypt and Germany before joining Booz Allen Hamilton where he was named Principal and advised organisations in the retail, media, tourism and transportation sectors.
A passionate advocate of building entrepreneurial eco-systems, Mr. Ismail serves on the Board of Endeavor, a global non-profit dedicated to high-impact entrepreneurship. Mr. Ismail is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Industry Action Group on Real Estate and is an active commentator and thought leader.
Mr. Ismail holds an MBA with distinction from London Business School and a B.Sc. in Computer Science from the American University in Cairo.
Xavier brings 25+ years of combined management consulting and operational experience in the energy, fintech, high-tech, media and telecommunications industries in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. He has led large teams of professionals and effectively steered P&L both from start-ups and multinational corporations.
Extensive experience as an advisor to top executives of leading public and private organizations across multiple domains including: innovation, digital transformation, corporate and commercial strategy, business and operational turnaround, consumer analytics and organizational development.
Prior to joining Accenture, Xavier was the CEO of International Operations in Cash Credit, an innovative FinTech player in the lending space, leading the company expansion from Eastern Europe to the Middle East, Far East and Africa. Before, he was a Partner and Group COO of Delta Partners Group, and had senior roles in Diamond Cluster (today Oliver Wyman), Ono and Hewlett-Packard.
At Accenture, as a Global Energy Account Lead, Xavier is part of the Global Leadership Council and runs the Innovation Network in the Middle East. In the past, he led the services of Strategy & Consulting across all industries and the build-up of Accenture Digital practice in the Middle East, rolling out signature programs combining the creation, development and running of experiences (i.e. such as Expo 2020 Dubai. Xavier has featured as a keynote speaker in leading conferences on the topics of Energy Transition, Future Workforce, Digital Transformation, Blockchain, Innovation and Insurtech in multiple countries.
He holds an MBA from ESADE in Barcelona and MSc in Electrical Engineering and BSc in Telecommunications from La Salle Engineering in Barcelona. Xavier has lived in 4 continents and led assignments in over 30 countries.
Former Director of the International Olympic Committee and Senior Advisor for the Dubai Expo Bid and Organising Committees, Philippe Blanchard is a leading expert in Technology and mega-events.
He is the CEO of Futurous, the Games of the future. A new Festival of competitions for teams of male and female, athlete and para-athlete, sports and esports, mankind and robots, in the Metaverse and the physical world.
Philippe also provides his expertise to manage innovative projects and digital transformation: Bid and Organising committees, forward-thinking governments and corporations.
Hassan M. Fattah is director of communications at Crescent Petroleum, overseeing all aspects of reputation, CSR and community engagement at the region's oldest privately owned upstream oil and gas company.
Hassan has been at the center of key public affairs, financial communications and senior advisory efforts across the region for over 2I years. He was a partner with Brunswick Group between 2014-2017, where he led global and institutional accounts including Mubadala, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Emirates Global Aluminium, TDIC and various crisis communications programs.
As director of communications at GEMS education in 2013, he helped reorganise the company's communications and narrative, helping launch new branding and communications for the world's largest private education company, helping launch a preeminent education and skills forum, and setting the foundation for the Global Teacher Prize administered by the Varkey Foundation.
As a renowned journalist, Hassan covered the changing dynamics of the Middle East for some of the world's leading publications. He has focused particular attention on the demographic shifts and youth culture that has fuelled the region's economies and politics in recent years.
Between 2007 and 2013, Fattah helped launch The National, the regional English-language newspaper published in Abu Dhabi, and served as editor-in-chief of the paper between 2008-2013. He served as Middle East correspondent for The New York Times between 2004-2007, breaking key stories and setting the regional coverage agenda.
He was raised between Beirut, Amman and San Francisco and is fluent in Arabic and English. He holds a B.S. in Mineral Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley and a Masters in Science from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
Al-Jedea brings extensive experience of international affairs, strategic advisory, and communications. Prior to joining SRMG, Al-Jedea worked across a wide array of fields including tourism, international development, foreign policy, and strategic partnerships. She also served as international affairs advisor for senior officials at the Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In addition to serving as the Director of Public Diplomacy at the Saudi Embassy in Washington and spent several years with the United Nations in New York.
Al-Jedea led the establishment of the first UNWTO Regional Office project located in Riyadh to serve the Middle East and African regions, which entailed leading international negotiations and management of key stakeholders. She also served as a foreign policy advisor to KSA’s leading ministers where she led strategic efforts in building partnerships and coalitions with external stakeholders nationally and internationally across different political contexts, for example, establishing partnerships with governments across the Middle East and Europe supporting the tourism sector’s recovery in light of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Al-Jedea also led negotiations between Saudi Arabia and France to co-finance 200 million Euros worth of development projects in the Sahel region, in addition to an agreement between Saudi Arabia and the UK to co-finance 100 million pounds worth of development projects in the horn of Africa. While working at the KSA embassy in DC, Al-Jedea led the cooperation between USA and KSA in areas related to women empowerment as part of her mandate as director of public diplomacy
Al-Jedea holds a bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism from Syracuse University, and a master’s degree in Conflict Resolution and Negotiations from Columbia University, as well as a master’s degree in International Relations.
Dr. Nour E. Raouafi is a Ph. D. in Astrophysics and the Project Scientist of NASA’s Parker Solar Probe mission. Before joining the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in 2008, Dr. Raouafi worked at the Turin Observatory (Italy, 2001), the Max-Planck Institute for Solar System Research (Göttingen, Germany – 2002-2005), and the National Solar Observatory (Tucson, Arizona – 2005-2008). His research spreads over a wide range of solar and heliospheric areas, emphasizing the dynamic solar corona by analyzing spectral and imaging observations, theory, and modeling. Dr. Raouafi contributed to diverse research areas, e.g., solar magnetic fields, spectroscopy, polarimetry, coronal plumes and jets, coronal mass ejections [CMEs] and shock waves, solar wind, solar energetic particles, and comets. He authored and co-authored tens of peer-reviewed papers and meeting proceedings.
Ahmed Galal Ismail is the Chief Executive Officer of Majid Al Futtaim - Properties, a leading real estate operator and developer with a portfolio of shopping malls, hotels and mixed-use communities across the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Oman, Bahrain and Lebanon. Majid Al Futtaim Properties is a member of Majid Al Futtaim, a regionally diversified lifestyle conglomerate that manages US$ 16 billion in assets and is active across Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Prior to assuming the role of Chief Executive Officer of Majid Al Futtaim - Properties, Mr. Ismail served as Chief Executive Officer of Majid Al Futtaim - Ventures for a decade. In this role, Mr. Ismail oversaw seven business verticals including Leisure and Entertainment, Cinemas, Fashion, and Consumer Finance. He was instrumental in the expansion of the group’s cinemas business to regional markets, with the notable inclusion of Saudi Arabia in 2018.
Mr. Ismail started his career with Procter and Gamble in Egypt and Germany before joining Booz Allen Hamilton where he was named Principal and advised organisations in the retail, media, tourism and transportation sectors.
A passionate advocate of building entrepreneurial eco-systems, Mr. Ismail serves on the Board of Endeavor, a global non-profit dedicated to high-impact entrepreneurship. Mr. Ismail is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Industry Action Group on Real Estate and is an active commentator and thought leader.
Mr. Ismail holds an MBA with distinction from London Business School and a B.Sc. in Computer Science from the American University in Cairo.
Xavier brings 25+ years of combined management consulting and operational experience in the energy, fintech, high-tech, media and telecommunications industries in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. He has led large teams of professionals and effectively steered P&L both from start-ups and multinational corporations.
Extensive experience as an advisor to top executives of leading public and private organizations across multiple domains including: innovation, digital transformation, corporate and commercial strategy, business and operational turnaround, consumer analytics and organizational development.
Prior to joining Accenture, Xavier was the CEO of International Operations in Cash Credit, an innovative FinTech player in the lending space, leading the company expansion from Eastern Europe to the Middle East, Far East and Africa. Before, he was a Partner and Group COO of Delta Partners Group, and had senior roles in Diamond Cluster (today Oliver Wyman), Ono and Hewlett-Packard.
At Accenture, as a Global Energy Account Lead, Xavier is part of the Global Leadership Council and runs the Innovation Network in the Middle East. In the past, he led the services of Strategy & Consulting across all industries and the build-up of Accenture Digital practice in the Middle East, rolling out signature programs combining the creation, development and running of experiences (i.e. such as Expo 2020 Dubai. Xavier has featured as a keynote speaker in leading conferences on the topics of Energy Transition, Future Workforce, Digital Transformation, Blockchain, Innovation and Insurtech in multiple countries.
He holds an MBA from ESADE in Barcelona and MSc in Electrical Engineering and BSc in Telecommunications from La Salle Engineering in Barcelona. Xavier has lived in 4 continents and led assignments in over 30 countries.
Former Director of the International Olympic Committee and Senior Advisor for the Dubai Expo Bid and Organising Committees, Philippe Blanchard is a leading expert in Technology and mega-events.
He is the CEO of Futurous, the Games of the future. A new Festival of competitions for teams of male and female, athlete and para-athlete, sports and esports, mankind and robots, in the Metaverse and the physical world.
Philippe also provides his expertise to manage innovative projects and digital transformation: Bid and Organising committees, forward-thinking governments and corporations.
Hassan M. Fattah is director of communications at Crescent Petroleum, overseeing all aspects of reputation, CSR and community engagement at the region's oldest privately owned upstream oil and gas company.
Hassan has been at the center of key public affairs, financial communications and senior advisory efforts across the region for over 2I years. He was a partner with Brunswick Group between 2014-2017, where he led global and institutional accounts including Mubadala, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Emirates Global Aluminium, TDIC and various crisis communications programs.
As director of communications at GEMS education in 2013, he helped reorganise the company's communications and narrative, helping launch new branding and communications for the world's largest private education company, helping launch a preeminent education and skills forum, and setting the foundation for the Global Teacher Prize administered by the Varkey Foundation.
As a renowned journalist, Hassan covered the changing dynamics of the Middle East for some of the world's leading publications. He has focused particular attention on the demographic shifts and youth culture that has fuelled the region's economies and politics in recent years.
Between 2007 and 2013, Fattah helped launch The National, the regional English-language newspaper published in Abu Dhabi, and served as editor-in-chief of the paper between 2008-2013. He served as Middle East correspondent for The New York Times between 2004-2007, breaking key stories and setting the regional coverage agenda.
He was raised between Beirut, Amman and San Francisco and is fluent in Arabic and English. He holds a B.S. in Mineral Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley and a Masters in Science from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
Al-Jedea brings extensive experience of international affairs, strategic advisory, and communications. Prior to joining SRMG, Al-Jedea worked across a wide array of fields including tourism, international development, foreign policy, and strategic partnerships. She also served as international affairs advisor for senior officials at the Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In addition to serving as the Director of Public Diplomacy at the Saudi Embassy in Washington and spent several years with the United Nations in New York.
Al-Jedea led the establishment of the first UNWTO Regional Office project located in Riyadh to serve the Middle East and African regions, which entailed leading international negotiations and management of key stakeholders. She also served as a foreign policy advisor to KSA’s leading ministers where she led strategic efforts in building partnerships and coalitions with external stakeholders nationally and internationally across different political contexts, for example, establishing partnerships with governments across the Middle East and Europe supporting the tourism sector’s recovery in light of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Al-Jedea also led negotiations between Saudi Arabia and France to co-finance 200 million Euros worth of development projects in the Sahel region, in addition to an agreement between Saudi Arabia and the UK to co-finance 100 million pounds worth of development projects in the horn of Africa. While working at the KSA embassy in DC, Al-Jedea led the cooperation between USA and KSA in areas related to women empowerment as part of her mandate as director of public diplomacy
Al-Jedea holds a bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism from Syracuse University, and a master’s degree in Conflict Resolution and Negotiations from Columbia University, as well as a master’s degree in International Relations.
With GCC countries embarked on an economic transformation, and a labor market not yet at the required level to help staff these megaprojects. A violent regional competition is taking place between cities, countries but also between government and private sector to hunt, poach and explore the new and right talent.
(Sessions and schedules are subject to change without prior notice)
Experienced businessman, environmentalist, and philanthropist with a demonstrated history of working in the executive office industry. Skilled in Public and Motivational Speaking, Strategic Planning, Leadership, and Community Outreach.
Member of several boards of directors, namely Jeddah Company, Estidama Environmental Services Co, Middle East Health Care Co, Saudi Enaya Cooperative Insurance (Chairman), National Food Industrial Co (LUNA), Oriental Food Industrial Ltd (Nigeria), United Warehouse Logistics, National Committee of Gypsum Manufacturers (Saudi Council of Chambers of Commerce), Advisory Board of Effat University, YPO Gold, Saudi-German Business Group, executive member of Committee of International Trade (CIT - Saudi Federation of Chambers of Commerce), Member of Society of Handicapped Children, Member of Economic Sustainability Committee (Prince Majed Society for Social Development), and Member of the Minaret Business Organization.
Chairman & CEO of Amkest group, a Saudi holding company, established in 1983, with interests in building materials manufacturing & trading, real estate development and management, and investment in renewable energy
Chairman and major shareholder of Saudi Global Gypsum Company Ltd (3G), established in 2005, with a state-of-the-art Gypsum Plaster plant in Yanbu Industrial City, Saudi Arabia inaugurated by the late King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz September in 2005
Chairman and Co-Founder of Qaderoon Business Disability Network – a Saudi nationwide social services organization – empowering employers to include persons with disability as equal effective members of the workforce – Qaderoon is a guest member of UN ILO Global Business Disability Network
Formerly served as President of the Khashoggi Foundation, VP-Group Affairs at Zahid Group of Companies, CEO of Omar Kassem Alesayi & Partners (OMACO), Strategic Advisor to Emaar Economic City (KAEC), Advisor to Omar Kassem Alesayi Group (OKAG), member of the International Relations Committee (Jeddah Chamber of Commerce & Industry), Chief Coordinator of Saudi Outreach Program, Member of the International Boards of Young Presidents' Organization, World Presidents' Organization (now YPO Gold), Managing Director of National Gypsum Company, Industrial Advisor to Arriyadh Development Authority (ADA), Chairman of Modern Computers and Communication Company, Member of the Building Materials Committee of Riyadh Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Member of the Board of AMIDEAST (Educational Advisors based in Washington DC)
Ms. Al Tamimi has always been driven to be a catalyst for positive impact and is committed to bringing new solutions and an entrepreneurial mindset to her work. With a rich academic and professional background, spanning both public and private sectors, her work centers at the intersection of strategy, policy, and communication, and focuses on enhancing sustainable socio-economic development.
She currently serves as Deputy for the Saudi Human Rights Commission in charge of International Cooperation and Partnerships, and concurrently serves as Vice-Chair of the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking, where her work in crafting the Kingdom’s national anti-trafficking strategy, and overseeing its implementation, was recognized by the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) for its contribution to the fight against trafficking in Saudi Arabia and beyond.
In her previous capacity as Advisor to the Minister of Media, she established, incubated and headed the Center for International Communications, establishing the country's first international engagement platform of its kind. Prior to that, Ms. Al Tamimi served as Advisor to the Saudi Ambassador to Berlin, where her portfolio covered public affairs, strategic communications, and bilateral engagement across various fields including G20 engagement groups.
Ms. Al Tamimi served as an executive team member at the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA), where she instituted and led International Operations, responsible for increasing the Authority’s global footprint through the establishment of 10 global offices. As the Strategy Officer of SAGIA’s National Competitiveness Centre, she championed and oversaw various public- and private-sector initiatives to increase competitiveness in the country. She also co-created the Global Federation of Competitiveness Councils with U.S.A. Council on Competitiveness, establishing SAGIA as one of the founding organizational members. In addition, she served as part of the SAGIA- founded Global Competitiveness Forum's leadership team, which CNN declared as the global stop before Davos in 2010.
Ms. Al Tamimi holds an MPA from Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and an MBA from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she is a Sloan Fellow in Global Leadership and Innovation. She has an MSc in International Management for Middle East North Africa from SOAS University of London, and a BA in International Relations from Tufts University. She has frequently represented her country as part of government delegations and at various international and intercultural fora.
Kamal is a versatile leader and a polyvalent talent. He is the current COO and co-founding partner of TOUGHLOVE Advisors, an advisory firm focusing primarily on supporting SMEs and FOBs. He is also the former COO of Publicis Communications and Executive Regional Managing Director for Leo Burnett UAE, Kuwait and the Lower Gulf. He has 40+ years of leadership, communication, advertising and Marcoms industry experience.
With experience spanning the Middle East region and North America and significant dealings with leaders across multiple continents, Kamal brings considerable expertise, a solid track record in leading teams, managing through complexity, developing communication, inspiring creative development, delivering against aggressive growth targets and building reputation. Perhaps one of Kamal’s biggest strengths is the ability to work with and help grow people.
Kamal has also served as an adjunct instructor at the American University of Dubai, lecturing on integrated marketing communications and advertising. He has also been involved in the activities of the local marketing and communications industry and has served on the International Advertising Agency UAE Chapter’s board for eight years and is currently a member of the board of The Marketing Society. He often writes and provides commentary about a variety of industry topics.
Beyond his industry activities, Kamal currently serves as a coach for Endeavor and sits on Local Selection Panels. He also is a mentor with Cartier Women Initiative and supports women entrepreneurs. He is also a non-executive Board Advisor with Sacred Groves.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Kamal graduated in 1985 from the American University of Beirut with an MBA. Kamal holds an ACTP certificate from the University of Texas at Dallas Executive and Professional Coaching Program as well as holding an ACC certification from the ICF.
Jean-Pierre Le Calvez founded Novonda, a consulting and training firm with a conscience, to bring his real-world expertise to organizations and leadership teams. Recently, he has been working on the African Continent on issues of health, gender, and economic equity.
Jean-Pierre has extensive global management, marketing and communications experience in the business and human development fields. He has held several senior key marketing positions for major global companies, start-up ventures and large not for profit organizations. Until June 2019, he held the position of Global Head for Customer Marketing, Alliances and Partnerships for Hewlett Packard, working with partners to drive preference and demand for HP’s products and solutions.
Before this, as Vice President of Marketing for HP’s Printing and Personal Systems Group in Europe, Middle-East and Africa, ($19B) he was responsible for the total marketing investment envelope across all products and business lines, delivering fully integrated and end-to-end customer focused strategic marketing programs.
Prior to coming to HP, he was Global Head of Advocacy and Communications at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, where he was instrumental in launching the International Finance Facility for Immunisation as well as the Advance Market Commitment for pneumonia vaccines. Before that, his previous positions included: Chief Marketing Officer for Philips' Adelante Technologies and Senior Director, WW strategic marketing and analysis at Palm.
At Apple, Jean-Pierre was responsible for marketing communications, entertainment and PR relations as well as government affairs for the entire EMEA region.
Jean-Pierre is on the Board of Directors of Flare, a London based blockchain company and has been an early investor in a number of technology companies. He is also on the Advisory Board of the UK’s Black Business Institute. He has led - and participated in - many trainings and spoken at numerous conferences on issues of management, unconscious bias, gender equity, sustainability, marketing and communications as well as innovative financing for development.
Experienced businessman, environmentalist, and philanthropist with a demonstrated history of working in the executive office industry. Skilled in Public and Motivational Speaking, Strategic Planning, Leadership, and Community Outreach.
Member of several boards of directors, namely Jeddah Company, Estidama Environmental Services Co, Middle East Health Care Co, Saudi Enaya Cooperative Insurance (Chairman), National Food Industrial Co (LUNA), Oriental Food Industrial Ltd (Nigeria), United Warehouse Logistics, National Committee of Gypsum Manufacturers (Saudi Council of Chambers of Commerce), Advisory Board of Effat University, YPO Gold, Saudi-German Business Group, executive member of Committee of International Trade (CIT - Saudi Federation of Chambers of Commerce), Member of Society of Handicapped Children, Member of Economic Sustainability Committee (Prince Majed Society for Social Development), and Member of the Minaret Business Organization.
Chairman & CEO of Amkest group, a Saudi holding company, established in 1983, with interests in building materials manufacturing & trading, real estate development and management, and investment in renewable energy
Chairman and major shareholder of Saudi Global Gypsum Company Ltd (3G), established in 2005, with a state-of-the-art Gypsum Plaster plant in Yanbu Industrial City, Saudi Arabia inaugurated by the late King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz September in 2005
Chairman and Co-Founder of Qaderoon Business Disability Network – a Saudi nationwide social services organization – empowering employers to include persons with disability as equal effective members of the workforce – Qaderoon is a guest member of UN ILO Global Business Disability Network
Formerly served as President of the Khashoggi Foundation, VP-Group Affairs at Zahid Group of Companies, CEO of Omar Kassem Alesayi & Partners (OMACO), Strategic Advisor to Emaar Economic City (KAEC), Advisor to Omar Kassem Alesayi Group (OKAG), member of the International Relations Committee (Jeddah Chamber of Commerce & Industry), Chief Coordinator of Saudi Outreach Program, Member of the International Boards of Young Presidents' Organization, World Presidents' Organization (now YPO Gold), Managing Director of National Gypsum Company, Industrial Advisor to Arriyadh Development Authority (ADA), Chairman of Modern Computers and Communication Company, Member of the Building Materials Committee of Riyadh Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Member of the Board of AMIDEAST (Educational Advisors based in Washington DC)
Ms. Al Tamimi has always been driven to be a catalyst for positive impact and is committed to bringing new solutions and an entrepreneurial mindset to her work. With a rich academic and professional background, spanning both public and private sectors, her work centers at the intersection of strategy, policy, and communication, and focuses on enhancing sustainable socio-economic development.
She currently serves as Deputy for the Saudi Human Rights Commission in charge of International Cooperation and Partnerships, and concurrently serves as Vice-Chair of the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking, where her work in crafting the Kingdom’s national anti-trafficking strategy, and overseeing its implementation, was recognized by the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) for its contribution to the fight against trafficking in Saudi Arabia and beyond.
In her previous capacity as Advisor to the Minister of Media, she established, incubated and headed the Center for International Communications, establishing the country's first international engagement platform of its kind. Prior to that, Ms. Al Tamimi served as Advisor to the Saudi Ambassador to Berlin, where her portfolio covered public affairs, strategic communications, and bilateral engagement across various fields including G20 engagement groups.
Ms. Al Tamimi served as an executive team member at the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA), where she instituted and led International Operations, responsible for increasing the Authority’s global footprint through the establishment of 10 global offices. As the Strategy Officer of SAGIA’s National Competitiveness Centre, she championed and oversaw various public- and private-sector initiatives to increase competitiveness in the country. She also co-created the Global Federation of Competitiveness Councils with U.S.A. Council on Competitiveness, establishing SAGIA as one of the founding organizational members. In addition, she served as part of the SAGIA- founded Global Competitiveness Forum's leadership team, which CNN declared as the global stop before Davos in 2010.
Ms. Al Tamimi holds an MPA from Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and an MBA from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she is a Sloan Fellow in Global Leadership and Innovation. She has an MSc in International Management for Middle East North Africa from SOAS University of London, and a BA in International Relations from Tufts University. She has frequently represented her country as part of government delegations and at various international and intercultural fora.
Kamal is a versatile leader and a polyvalent talent. He is the current COO and co-founding partner of TOUGHLOVE Advisors, an advisory firm focusing primarily on supporting SMEs and FOBs. He is also the former COO of Publicis Communications and Executive Regional Managing Director for Leo Burnett UAE, Kuwait and the Lower Gulf. He has 40+ years of leadership, communication, advertising and Marcoms industry experience.
With experience spanning the Middle East region and North America and significant dealings with leaders across multiple continents, Kamal brings considerable expertise, a solid track record in leading teams, managing through complexity, developing communication, inspiring creative development, delivering against aggressive growth targets and building reputation. Perhaps one of Kamal’s biggest strengths is the ability to work with and help grow people.
Kamal has also served as an adjunct instructor at the American University of Dubai, lecturing on integrated marketing communications and advertising. He has also been involved in the activities of the local marketing and communications industry and has served on the International Advertising Agency UAE Chapter’s board for eight years and is currently a member of the board of The Marketing Society. He often writes and provides commentary about a variety of industry topics.
Beyond his industry activities, Kamal currently serves as a coach for Endeavor and sits on Local Selection Panels. He also is a mentor with Cartier Women Initiative and supports women entrepreneurs. He is also a non-executive Board Advisor with Sacred Groves.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Kamal graduated in 1985 from the American University of Beirut with an MBA. Kamal holds an ACTP certificate from the University of Texas at Dallas Executive and Professional Coaching Program as well as holding an ACC certification from the ICF.
Jean-Pierre Le Calvez founded Novonda, a consulting and training firm with a conscience, to bring his real-world expertise to organizations and leadership teams. Recently, he has been working on the African Continent on issues of health, gender, and economic equity.
Jean-Pierre has extensive global management, marketing and communications experience in the business and human development fields. He has held several senior key marketing positions for major global companies, start-up ventures and large not for profit organizations. Until June 2019, he held the position of Global Head for Customer Marketing, Alliances and Partnerships for Hewlett Packard, working with partners to drive preference and demand for HP’s products and solutions.
Before this, as Vice President of Marketing for HP’s Printing and Personal Systems Group in Europe, Middle-East and Africa, ($19B) he was responsible for the total marketing investment envelope across all products and business lines, delivering fully integrated and end-to-end customer focused strategic marketing programs.
Prior to coming to HP, he was Global Head of Advocacy and Communications at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, where he was instrumental in launching the International Finance Facility for Immunisation as well as the Advance Market Commitment for pneumonia vaccines. Before that, his previous positions included: Chief Marketing Officer for Philips' Adelante Technologies and Senior Director, WW strategic marketing and analysis at Palm.
At Apple, Jean-Pierre was responsible for marketing communications, entertainment and PR relations as well as government affairs for the entire EMEA region.
Jean-Pierre is on the Board of Directors of Flare, a London based blockchain company and has been an early investor in a number of technology companies. He is also on the Advisory Board of the UK’s Black Business Institute. He has led - and participated in - many trainings and spoken at numerous conferences on issues of management, unconscious bias, gender equity, sustainability, marketing and communications as well as innovative financing for development.
With a strong drive toward liberalization, privatization, and open competition, corporate GCC is changing and becoming futuristic. Accelerated growth is at the center of the game and funding the ambition necessitates capital and new ways of raising funds. Opening companies' capital through the regional listing, SPAC in North America, private funding are some of the tools used. But what are the prospects? What are the upcoming IPOs in the region? What are the favorite instruments that are being used to raise capital? How will this impact the capital markets in the region? What sectors are set to benefit? How state-funded firms are going public?
(Sessions and schedules are subject to change without prior notice)
May Nasrallah is the Founder and Executive Chairman of deNovo Corporate Advisors, an Independent, Middle-East focused, corporate finance advisory firm, offering international bulge bracket expertise to MENA-wide and centric corporates and institutions.
deNovo Corporate Advisors under May’s leadership has over the past 10 years established its reputation and track record as the pre-eminent independent, regionally headquartered boutique advisory firm. deNovo has successfully executed numerous sellsides, buysides, stake sales, restructurings, valuations, fundings, capital structure and strategic reviews on behalf of its continuously growing client base. May and deNovo’s advice is consistently sought by the region’s leading family groups, corporates and sovereign wealth funds as well as global firms seeking regional acquisitions. deNovo entered a Strategic Alliance to enhance global coverage with PJT Partners in 2020, and with Bank Itau in 2019.
May has also served as a non-Executive Chairman and Senior Advisor to BlackRock across the Middle East region, between 2020 and 2022, supporting development of BlackRock’s strategy in the region and fostering relationships with key regional stakeholders, including clients, regulators and governmental bodies.
Prior to founding deNovo, May spent over 15 years at Morgan Stanley in numerous Investment Banking roles and geographies including New York, Hong Kong, London and Dubai. Most recently, she was Head of Investment Banking for the Middle East and North Africa region, where she established, led and grew Morgan Stanley's inaugural investment banking presence in the Middle East, based in the DIFC, Dubai. She retired from the firm in late 2009.
May graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with Dual Degrees: a Bachelor of Science in Economics and a Bachelor of Science in Political Science. May further received her Masters in Management and Finance from MIT's Sloan School of Management.
May currently holds the following Non-Executive positions: Board Member of the Dubai International Chamber of Commerce, Member of the International Advisory Council for PJT Partners, Independent Board Member for The Kanoo Group Holding Company, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Lebanese Professional Diaspora Organization “LIFE”, Member of the International Advisory Council of the Middle East Institute (MEI) and Member of MIT MENA Senior Advisory Board.
Notable Highlights:
▪ Ranked one of 50 most Influential Women in the Middle East in 2019 by Financial News
▪ Named Businesswoman of the Year for the UAE in 2015 at the Arab Woman Awards Ceremony
▪ Ranked in top 500 Most Influential Arabs in Arabian Business magazine in 2013 and 2012; Ranked in top 100 most influential Arab Women
▪ Featured in the Financial Times’ List of The Leading Business Women in the Arab World
▪ Featured in the Women and Leadership Publication Case Study in the National Newspaper’s Celebration of the 100th International Women’s Day
Omer is the Founder of Odin Financial Advisors, a leading investment banking advisory firm in Turkey with transaction experiences in the Middle East, Russia, and select European markets. Odin Financial Advisors completed US$4.5 billion in transaction volume since its inception and raised capital in private and public international markets with representations of renowned private equity firms, family offices, and industrial conglomerates. Omer is also the Founder of Aventio MB, a technology investment focused merchant banking platform. Since its inception in 2016, Aventio MB invested in ten technology companies located in the US, UK, Brazil, Colombia, The Netherlands, Singapore and Turkey. Out of these investments, Aventio MB generated average annual equity returns of 45% on a USD basis from five exits. Under Omer’s leadership, Aventio MB specializes in Fintech, e-commerce, SaaS category verticals.
Omer started his career working for Citibank/Salomon Smith Barney and UBS Warburg investment banking divisions in New York, NY between the years 1999 and 2003. During his tenor in New York, Omer concentrated on M&A and leveraged finance advisory transactions in TMT, general industrials, and healthcare industries in the U.S., Europe and Japan. Omer then moved to Istanbul in 2004 where he worked as a Vice President in HC Istanbul Securities’ –an independent investment banking boutique focusing on Turkish M&A advisory services, between the years 2004 and 2005, before founding Odin Financial Advisors in 2006.
Omer has a B.A. dual degree in Political Science and Economics from Connecticut College in the U.S. Omer received an award of excellence for his outstanding achievements by the Political Science Association of the U.S. in 1999.
“Today, the biggest wars to fight are against the lack of education, racial discrimination, crumbling cities, enormous disparity of wealth and privilege, and for our children. Foundation Holdings has embarked on a journey to develop care and service delivery models which seek to strengthen human capital and promote accessibility, affordability and quality.”
Founder CEO at Foundation Holdings:
Abhishek Sharma serves as the Founder Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Foundation Holdings, a strategic, global investment firm focused on building sustainable, industry defining companies in the impactful healthcare and education sectors across India and the GCC. Foundation Holdings employs a long-term partnership and engagement approach to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) measures to drive value and measurable impact over time.
In 5 years, Abhishek has raised ~USD 200 million to spearhead 10 acquisitions creating eight industry-defining portfolio companies that are focused on positive social benefit impact locally and regionally. Together these portfolio companies have strengthened human capital by employing over 12,000 people and have touched the lives of 13.5 million people while generating over USD 200 million in revenue through enabling greater access to affordable, quality healthcare and education.
Abhishek has over 20 years of investment experience including as a Founder member of Amanat Holdings PJSC (largest GCC healthcare and education listed SPAC), Bank of America, Lehman Brothers, Ithmar Capital and Sun Capital. He has an established track record of sustainable investment returns having led the IPOs of Al Noor Hospitals and Amanat Holdings, garnering subscriptions of USD 800mn and USD3.8bn respectively.
Awards and Accolades:
Board of Director Memberships:
Abhishek serves as a Board of Director of numerous companies across the GCC and India including Foundation Holdings, Ryan EduNation, ProMedEx and Shifa Al Munthaza Polyclinic Group as well as Board Observer of AlTibbi Ltd. Abhishek is also a member of the Healthcare Digital Task Force with Global Ventures (a UAE-based venture capital firm, investing in founders and ideas scaling across emerging markets). Additionally, Abhishek is also a member of the Healthcare and Education Steering Committee for the non-profit Indian Business and Professional Council (IBPC) and a member of the Young President’s Organization (YPO).
Personal:
Abhishek set up the Atharv Foundation in India after his son, the Foundation is dedicated to providing education to children in need. He is also a donor and volunteers with Dubai Cares, The Clinton Foundation & Bloomberg Foundation.
Farah Foustok is the Chief Executive Officer of Lazard Gulf Ltd. based in Dubai. She began working in the investment field in 1994. Prior to joining Lazard in 2014, she was Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of ING Investment Management Middle East from 2008.
Farah was a co-founder of Reach in 2013 and is now an Advisory Committee member. In 2015 Farah co-founded and chaired the Steering Committee for the MENA chapter of the 30% club and is now a Global Advisory Committee member. In 2019, Farah was awarded International Investment Woman of the Year by Women in Investment Awards, London. Farah is also a member of Room to Read’s Middle East board. Farah is a finance leaders fellow of the Aspen Institute and in January 2020, Farah launched TARA, a non-profit foundation, to connect female University students to the corporate world; increasing women’s participation in financial services.
Farah holds an MBA from Imperial College London and a BSc Hons in Mathematics from King’s College, London.
Katie Jensen is an international Broadcast Journalist, Keynote Speaker and Communications Coach based in Dubai, UAE. With a 15-year career in front of the television cameras, Katie’s magnetic professionalism and personality has inspired, informed and entertained millions of people both on screen and in person.
From one on one interviews with Presidents, Prime Ministers, captains of industry or Hollywood celebrities for national broadcast, to holding the attention of thousands of conference attendees as Moderator, Host and MC, Katie has mastered the art of asking the questions people want to hear, and the message that your business needs.
Katie Jensen’s international broadcasting career has spanned more than 15 years in television, including five years with one of Australia’s highest rated morning news shows and as a News Anchor for Dubai One TV for the last decade.
Katie regularly hosts live network specials for Dubai One including the UAE's Mission to Mars, the Expo 2020 bid live from Paris, the World Government Summit, the Dubai International Film Festival and the Dubai World Cup.
Katie has hosted hundreds of events in the region and around the world, sharing the stage with the likes of Sir Patrick Stewart, Sir Ben Kingsley, Jeremy Irons, Katy Perry and many more.
She has worked with organisations like Majid Al Futtaim, Harpers Bazaar Arabia, Grazia, Masdar, HSBC, UNHCR, the International Renewable Energy Agency, Nokia, Citrix , Emirates NBD, Property Finder and The World Travel Awards as a Moderator, Host and Keynote Speaker.
May Nasrallah is the Founder and Executive Chairman of deNovo Corporate Advisors, an Independent, Middle-East focused, corporate finance advisory firm, offering international bulge bracket expertise to MENA-wide and centric corporates and institutions.
deNovo Corporate Advisors under May’s leadership has over the past 10 years established its reputation and track record as the pre-eminent independent, regionally headquartered boutique advisory firm. deNovo has successfully executed numerous sellsides, buysides, stake sales, restructurings, valuations, fundings, capital structure and strategic reviews on behalf of its continuously growing client base. May and deNovo’s advice is consistently sought by the region’s leading family groups, corporates and sovereign wealth funds as well as global firms seeking regional acquisitions. deNovo entered a Strategic Alliance to enhance global coverage with PJT Partners in 2020, and with Bank Itau in 2019.
May has also served as a non-Executive Chairman and Senior Advisor to BlackRock across the Middle East region, between 2020 and 2022, supporting development of BlackRock’s strategy in the region and fostering relationships with key regional stakeholders, including clients, regulators and governmental bodies.
Prior to founding deNovo, May spent over 15 years at Morgan Stanley in numerous Investment Banking roles and geographies including New York, Hong Kong, London and Dubai. Most recently, she was Head of Investment Banking for the Middle East and North Africa region, where she established, led and grew Morgan Stanley's inaugural investment banking presence in the Middle East, based in the DIFC, Dubai. She retired from the firm in late 2009.
May graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with Dual Degrees: a Bachelor of Science in Economics and a Bachelor of Science in Political Science. May further received her Masters in Management and Finance from MIT's Sloan School of Management.
May currently holds the following Non-Executive positions: Board Member of the Dubai International Chamber of Commerce, Member of the International Advisory Council for PJT Partners, Independent Board Member for The Kanoo Group Holding Company, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Lebanese Professional Diaspora Organization “LIFE”, Member of the International Advisory Council of the Middle East Institute (MEI) and Member of MIT MENA Senior Advisory Board.
Notable Highlights:
▪ Ranked one of 50 most Influential Women in the Middle East in 2019 by Financial News
▪ Named Businesswoman of the Year for the UAE in 2015 at the Arab Woman Awards Ceremony
▪ Ranked in top 500 Most Influential Arabs in Arabian Business magazine in 2013 and 2012; Ranked in top 100 most influential Arab Women
▪ Featured in the Financial Times’ List of The Leading Business Women in the Arab World
▪ Featured in the Women and Leadership Publication Case Study in the National Newspaper’s Celebration of the 100th International Women’s Day
Omer is the Founder of Odin Financial Advisors, a leading investment banking advisory firm in Turkey with transaction experiences in the Middle East, Russia, and select European markets. Odin Financial Advisors completed US$4.5 billion in transaction volume since its inception and raised capital in private and public international markets with representations of renowned private equity firms, family offices, and industrial conglomerates. Omer is also the Founder of Aventio MB, a technology investment focused merchant banking platform. Since its inception in 2016, Aventio MB invested in ten technology companies located in the US, UK, Brazil, Colombia, The Netherlands, Singapore and Turkey. Out of these investments, Aventio MB generated average annual equity returns of 45% on a USD basis from five exits. Under Omer’s leadership, Aventio MB specializes in Fintech, e-commerce, SaaS category verticals.
Omer started his career working for Citibank/Salomon Smith Barney and UBS Warburg investment banking divisions in New York, NY between the years 1999 and 2003. During his tenor in New York, Omer concentrated on M&A and leveraged finance advisory transactions in TMT, general industrials, and healthcare industries in the U.S., Europe and Japan. Omer then moved to Istanbul in 2004 where he worked as a Vice President in HC Istanbul Securities’ –an independent investment banking boutique focusing on Turkish M&A advisory services, between the years 2004 and 2005, before founding Odin Financial Advisors in 2006.
Omer has a B.A. dual degree in Political Science and Economics from Connecticut College in the U.S. Omer received an award of excellence for his outstanding achievements by the Political Science Association of the U.S. in 1999.
“Today, the biggest wars to fight are against the lack of education, racial discrimination, crumbling cities, enormous disparity of wealth and privilege, and for our children. Foundation Holdings has embarked on a journey to develop care and service delivery models which seek to strengthen human capital and promote accessibility, affordability and quality.”
Founder CEO at Foundation Holdings:
Abhishek Sharma serves as the Founder Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Foundation Holdings, a strategic, global investment firm focused on building sustainable, industry defining companies in the impactful healthcare and education sectors across India and the GCC. Foundation Holdings employs a long-term partnership and engagement approach to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) measures to drive value and measurable impact over time.
In 5 years, Abhishek has raised ~USD 200 million to spearhead 10 acquisitions creating eight industry-defining portfolio companies that are focused on positive social benefit impact locally and regionally. Together these portfolio companies have strengthened human capital by employing over 12,000 people and have touched the lives of 13.5 million people while generating over USD 200 million in revenue through enabling greater access to affordable, quality healthcare and education.
Abhishek has over 20 years of investment experience including as a Founder member of Amanat Holdings PJSC (largest GCC healthcare and education listed SPAC), Bank of America, Lehman Brothers, Ithmar Capital and Sun Capital. He has an established track record of sustainable investment returns having led the IPOs of Al Noor Hospitals and Amanat Holdings, garnering subscriptions of USD 800mn and USD3.8bn respectively.
Awards and Accolades:
Board of Director Memberships:
Abhishek serves as a Board of Director of numerous companies across the GCC and India including Foundation Holdings, Ryan EduNation, ProMedEx and Shifa Al Munthaza Polyclinic Group as well as Board Observer of AlTibbi Ltd. Abhishek is also a member of the Healthcare Digital Task Force with Global Ventures (a UAE-based venture capital firm, investing in founders and ideas scaling across emerging markets). Additionally, Abhishek is also a member of the Healthcare and Education Steering Committee for the non-profit Indian Business and Professional Council (IBPC) and a member of the Young President’s Organization (YPO).
Personal:
Abhishek set up the Atharv Foundation in India after his son, the Foundation is dedicated to providing education to children in need. He is also a donor and volunteers with Dubai Cares, The Clinton Foundation & Bloomberg Foundation.
Farah Foustok is the Chief Executive Officer of Lazard Gulf Ltd. based in Dubai. She began working in the investment field in 1994. Prior to joining Lazard in 2014, she was Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of ING Investment Management Middle East from 2008.
Farah was a co-founder of Reach in 2013 and is now an Advisory Committee member. In 2015 Farah co-founded and chaired the Steering Committee for the MENA chapter of the 30% club and is now a Global Advisory Committee member. In 2019, Farah was awarded International Investment Woman of the Year by Women in Investment Awards, London. Farah is also a member of Room to Read’s Middle East board. Farah is a finance leaders fellow of the Aspen Institute and in January 2020, Farah launched TARA, a non-profit foundation, to connect female University students to the corporate world; increasing women’s participation in financial services.
Farah holds an MBA from Imperial College London and a BSc Hons in Mathematics from King’s College, London.
Katie Jensen is an international Broadcast Journalist, Keynote Speaker and Communications Coach based in Dubai, UAE. With a 15-year career in front of the television cameras, Katie’s magnetic professionalism and personality has inspired, informed and entertained millions of people both on screen and in person.
From one on one interviews with Presidents, Prime Ministers, captains of industry or Hollywood celebrities for national broadcast, to holding the attention of thousands of conference attendees as Moderator, Host and MC, Katie has mastered the art of asking the questions people want to hear, and the message that your business needs.
Katie Jensen’s international broadcasting career has spanned more than 15 years in television, including five years with one of Australia’s highest rated morning news shows and as a News Anchor for Dubai One TV for the last decade.
Katie regularly hosts live network specials for Dubai One including the UAE's Mission to Mars, the Expo 2020 bid live from Paris, the World Government Summit, the Dubai International Film Festival and the Dubai World Cup.
Katie has hosted hundreds of events in the region and around the world, sharing the stage with the likes of Sir Patrick Stewart, Sir Ben Kingsley, Jeremy Irons, Katy Perry and many more.
She has worked with organisations like Majid Al Futtaim, Harpers Bazaar Arabia, Grazia, Masdar, HSBC, UNHCR, the International Renewable Energy Agency, Nokia, Citrix , Emirates NBD, Property Finder and The World Travel Awards as a Moderator, Host and Keynote Speaker.
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Media City, Zee Tower, Office 206,
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
P.O. BOX 72184
Tel: +971 43697573