His Excellency Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, TDIC and ADNEC

Born in the United Arab Emirates in 1970, Sheikh Sultan is qualified as an architect engineer from the UAE University. He continued his studies in the USA, gaining his MA in Economic Studies, with a major in International Relations, from Tufts University.

Sheikh Sultan is a member of the Abu Dhabi ruling family and was appointed Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) on its establishment in September 2004. He is the Chairman of Abu Dhabi Culture and Heritage Authority (ADACH).

Sheikh Sultan holds a number of official positions including Chairman of Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC), Chairman of Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) and. He is also a Board Member of the Abu Dhabi Environment Agency and Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE. He recently became a member of the Executive Council of Abu Dhabi Emirate.

In his role as Chairman of TDIC, Sheikh Sultan has been personally involved in the direction of the transformation of Saadiyat Island and the emergence of its now world‐renowned Cultural District – which will be home to the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.

H.E. Sultan Al Mansouri, UAE Minister of Economy

Eng. Sultan Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy of the United Arab Emirates since February 2008, has previously been Minister of Telecommunications, Minister of Transport and Minister of Development for the Government Sector.

A multifaceted personality respected for his insightful mind and sharp analytical thinking, Eng Sultan serves as Chairman of several high-profile public and private corporations including the General Civil Aviation Authority, Emirates Post, Emirates Transport, Supreme Telecom Regulating Committee, Institute of Administrative Development and UAE General Information Authority. He is also Vice Chairman of Dubai Islamic Bank and Aman (Dubai Islamic Insurance Company).

Eng Sultan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering & Management Systems, and a diploma in Computer System Analysis. 

http://www.economy.ae/English/AboutUs/Pages/TheMinister.aspx

Dr Paul Krugman Nobel Laureate and Professor of Economics at Princeton

One of the world’s foremost economists. A gifted observer and contributor on policy and economics. Committed to speaking the truth as he sees it in the most compelling terms. Insightful, outspoken, passionate and articulate. Author, The Great Unraveling and The Return of Depression Economics and the Crisis of 2008.

www.leighbureau.eu

Mr. Hussain Al Qemzi, Chief Executive Officer, Noor Islamic Bank

A seasoned banker with over 26 years of extensive experience working with the leading financial institutions in the UAE, Mr. Hussain Al Qemzi now helms Noor Investment Group and its flagship entity Noor Islamic Bank as its Group CEO.

With proven expertise in corporate and consumer banking, he has proved his mettle in quality and operations control and strategic planning.

Prior to this Mr. Al Qemzi was the Chief Executive of Sharjah Islamic Bank  and a former Board member of Dubai Financial Market (DFM), and Dubai International Financial Exchange (DIFX).

Mr. Al Qemzi also served as Chief Operating Officer of DIFC, and is credited with laying the ground for a World Class Financial Centre.

Mr. Ross Dawson , Chairman, Future Exploration Network

Author and international authority on the future of business and technology. Ross Dawson is globally recognized speaker and authority on business strategy.

He is CEO of international consulting firm Advanced Human Technologies, and Chairman of Future Exploration Network, a global events and strategy company.

Ross’s frequent media appearances include CNN, Bloomberg TV, SkyNews, ABC TV, Today and Sunrise shows and The Washington Post.

He has run executive education programs in academic institutions around the world, and is a research leader at the University of Virginia’s Network Roundtable.

Ross has worked in senior positions with organisations including Merrill Lynch, NCR and most recently Thomson Financial as Global Director – Capital Markets.

www.rossdawson.com

Mr. John Bullough, Chief Executive Officer, ALDAR Properties

John Bullough served as Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Aldar Properties PJSC until October 2008 when he was appointed as Chief Executive Officer. In his new role, John has overall executive responsibility for Aldar business, leading the team in delivery of the development programme and the diversified wider business. He has a strong focus on building and integrating the Aldar team as a highly skilled group benefiting equally from both local UAE national and overseas expertise to deliver the highest quality results.

A Chartered Surveyor by profession, he was previously Retail Director with the Grosvenor group in London and has over 35 years experience in the property development and investment field.

In his previous role as COO, John progressed the delivery of a very substantial development programme including a number of major residential and retail and leisure led mixed use projects. He has been responsible in the past for major developments in the UK including projects in Cambridge, Basingstoke, Preston, Liverpool and Dublin.

John is a past President of the British Council of Shopping Centres (BCSC) and a member of the BCSC Education & Research Committee and Urban Taskforce, he is a also member of the International Council of Shopping Centres (ICSC).

Mr. Marios Maratheftis , Chief Economist, Standard Chartered Middle East

Marios is an expert on the regional economy, FX strategy, and financial markets. He has seven years' experience in emerging markets, with his position taking him across the Bank’s franchises in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

He has attracted a large following with the accuracy of his forecasts and his ability to give engaging presentations on a wide variety of financial issues. Marios has also authored a number of financial and academic articles, and appears regularly in the international media.

He initially worked as an econometrician in his native Cyprus, where he advised the Central Bank on foreign exchange-related issues. Marios then took on the role of economist and Senior FX strategist with Standard Chartered Bank based in London, where he played an active role in the management of the Bank’s FX Strategy real money portfolio.

Mr. Giambattista Atzeni , Head of Corporate Trust, The Bank of New York Mellon

Giambattista Atzeniis MENA Strategic Business Development Manager for Global Corporate Trust of The Bank of New York Mellon based in Dubai.

Giambattista is responsible for expanding Corporate Trust's activity in the region, managing Corporate Trust clients in the region, managing Islamic Finance related activities for Corporate Trust, implementing strategy for products and seeking opportunities for cross-sell. Furthermore, Giambattista is responsible for all Corporate Trust MENA revenue and compliance goals, and managing day-to-day delivery of Corporate Trust products and services to clients.

Mr. Blair Hagkull, Managing Director, Jones Lang LaSalle

Blair has played a leading role in some of the world’s largest and most successful real estate ventures in North America, Asia and the Middle East over the past 20 years. His innovative approach to real estate development and investment enables Blair to provide strategic counsel to Jones Lang LaSalle Middle East and North African investors, developers and governments.

Blair is active in leading markets throughout the region, working directly with leading international and regional investors, developers and government organizations. He contributes directly to regional policy forums and strategic government initiatives and is a frequent regional commentator on real estate and investment trends. A keen internationalist, Blair serves as the Chairman of the Urban Land Institute, Middle East and North Africa Chapter.

Mr. Philip Ward, Chief Executive Officer, Abu Dhabi Finance

Philip Ward is a career banker with an extensive and successful track record in Europe and the Middle East.

In 2006 he established Visions Consultancy to work with banks in the GCC region to develop and grow their residential mortgage propositions by providing advice and support on all aspects including strategy, product development and a full project management service. Visions also worked with the fledgling mortgage broker market in the UAE and helped property developers in their relationships with local and international mortgage lenders.

Phil has been involved with the GCC mortgage market since 2004 and in 2005 as Mortgage Director was responsible for creating, launching and then leading the residential mortgage business for Barclays Bank in the UAE. This included developing the business strategy and driving all aspects of the project including business case, operational design, product development, marketing, pricing, credit risk policy, third party relationships and regulatory approval.

Mr. Abhijit Choudhury, Chief Risk Officer, National Bank of Abu Dhabi

Mr. Abhijit Choudhury joined the National Bank of Abu Dhabi as their new Chief Risk Officer in December 2006.  Mr. Choudhury has over 28 years of experience in banking of which the last 17 years have been with the Arab Banking Corporation [ABC] in Bahrain where he headed the Risk Management function. 

During his tenure with ABC, Mr. Choudhury actively participated in the Chief Risk Officer’s forum of the IIF [International Institute of Finance] in furthering the region’s efforts towards best practice risk management.  He has also been a regular speaker at regional conferences, hosted by Central Banks, Union of Arab Banks and other special Risk Conferences.

His function at NBAD is to enhance the risk management infrastructure framework within the bank to match both regional and international best practice standards and at the same time meet home and host regulatory expectations.  Besides direct oversight of the risk asset portfolio, covers all areas of risk arising from the spectrum of present activities and future growth plans.

Dr. Gıyas Gökkent, Head of Research, National Bank of Abu Dhabi

Dr. Gıyas Gökkent joined National Bank of Abu Dhabi as Head of Research in June 2006. He is also the bank’s Chief Economist. He is currently the acting co-head of the Asset Management Group at NBAD. Dr. Gökkent holds a Ph.D. in Economics and speaks several languages, including Arabic. His work experience encompasses the banking and insurance industries, as well as academia in the US, Turkey, and the UAE. Research interests include macroeconomics and the financial sector. He has covered economic developments in the GCC and Turkey in his capacity as an economist at various institutions.

Dr. Mohamed Jaber, Lead Economist and Vice President, Morgan Stanley

Dr. Mohamed Jaber, a Vice President at Morgan Stanley & Co., is responsible for the firm's economic research on the GCC countries.

Before joining Morgan Stanley, he was at the International Monetary Fund where he worked in the GCC division, with a particular focus on the U.A.E.

Prior to that, Mohamed was at the American University of Beirut where he directed the Executive MBA program and instructed courses in investments and strategic management. Mohamed received his Ph.D. in International Business from the George Washington University in 2004.