Hawkamah - The Institute for Corporate Governance

Speakers

Sohail Zubairi

Sohail Zubairi is the CEO of Dar Al Sharia Legal & Financial Consultancy, a subsidiary of Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB) launched in July 2008. Before that he served with DIB as Sr. Vice President and Head of Sharia Structuring, Documentation and Product Development since 2004. Sohail is commerce graduate from Karachi University and successfully pursued Institute of Bankers diploma as his post graduate studies. He has considerable experience of the GCC markets (over 2 decades) acquired mainly in the fields of Large Corporate Finance (Syndication, bonds/Sukuk) and Risk Management. While being associated with Dubai Islamic Bank since 2001, he has played significant role in successful completion of financing the large projects based in the UAE and abroad, including many high profile Sukuk and Syndication transactions. In 2004, Sohail joined Dr. Hussain Hamid Hassan, Chairman Sharia Board DIB Group, (a great scholar of our time) from whom he learned the art of structuring Islamic transactions and has worked with him in developing several innovative Sharia compliant financing and investment products. He is also a regular participant in various conferences and seminars on Islamic Finance in GCC region and abroad.

Hari Bhambra

Senior Partner, Praesidium LLP Hari has a remarkable reputation in Financial Services, both from a regulatory and industry perspective. Her career began at the Financial Services Authority in London where she was part of a dynamic team responsible for creating the integrated regulatory body. Hari was instrumental in drafting aspects of the FSA Handbook on Rules and Guidance. In 2003 and during the inception of the Dubai International Financial Centre, Hari joined the Dubai Financial Services Authority, the independent regulatory authority for the Dubai International Financial Centre. Hari was instrumental in developing parts of the common law system and the DFSA regulations, including the internal processes which apply within the DIFC. Hari was also responsible for creating the regulatory framework for Islamic Finance for the DFSA and has successfully created the ‘Shari’a Systems’ regulatory model for the regulation of Islamic Firms. Hari was also the key driver in initiating foreign access of foreign Islamic products into Malaysia under the Mutual Recognition Arrangement conducive to Malaysia’s liberalization programme. She was recently appointed as the sole advisor by US FSVC to advise the Central banking agency of a secular Islamic jurisdiction on the introduction of Islamic Financial products. In 2007 Hari left the DFSA and together with well respected lawyer Sagheer Mohammed, she established Praesidium LLP, a regulatory and client advisory firm.

Jalil Tarif

Jalil Tarif is a Jordanian economist. He currently serves as the Secretary General of the Union of Arab Securities Authorities (UASA). Tarif started his career in the Central Bank of Jordan and held the positions of Executive Director and Deputy Director General in Amman Financial Market between 1992 and 1999, where he oversaw Jordan’s entire capital market. Through his role as Deputy Director General, Tarif assisted in writing the new securities law that implemented the three separate entities that make up Jordan’s Capital Market today. In 1999, Jalil Tarif was appointed as the first Chief Executive Officer of Amman Stock Exchange. He left his position as CEO in December 2012 to become the Secretary General of the Union of Arab Securities Authorities located in Dubai. Some of the roles Tarif has held during his career include: President, NSC-Unix user group, Atos-Euro Next Market Solutions; Chairman of IOSCO Self-Regulatory Organization Consultative Committee; Member, OECD Corporate Governance Working Group, MENA region; Chairman of FIAS. In addition, he participated in meetings with the IMF, IBRD, IOSCO, WFE, FEAS, COMCEC and UNCTAD.

James Gifford

James Gifford is a Senior Research Fellow at the Initiative for Responsible Investment at the Harvard Kennedy School, where he researches sustainable investment in emerging markets and delivering positive impact within mainstream investment strategies. He is also a Senior Strategic Adviser for Tau Investment Management, a turnaround fund that invests in unsustainable apparel and textile companies and transforms them into sustainable and ethical enterprises. He was the founding Executive Director of the UN-supported Principles for Responsible Investment, taking the initiative from inception in 2003 and building it, over 10 years, into the pre-eminent global initiative on responsible investment with 1,200 signatories representing US$ 30 trillion in assets. He has published numerous articles and book chapters on responsible investment. James has a PhD from the University of Sydney on the effectiveness of shareholder engagement in improving corporate environmental, social and governance performance, degrees in Commerce and Law, and a Master's in Environment Management. He speaks Indonesian and has established an NGO that supports young Indonesians to enter university.

Mahesh Uttamchandani

Mahesh Uttamchandani is the Global Product Leader for the World Bank Group’s Investment Climate Unit Debt Resolution & Insolvency Technical Assistance Program, providing technical assistance to governments around the world. Prior to this, Mahesh was a Senior Counsel in the World Bank’s Legal Vice-Presidency and led the World Bank’s Insolvency & Creditors’ Rights ROSC (Report on the Observance of Standards and Codes) Initiative. Prior to joining the Bank, Mahesh was Insolvency Counsel to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in London, England where he led the reform of insolvency systems throughout eastern Europe and central Asia. He has extensive experience advising governments of developing and transition economies on insolvency matters. Mahesh is a Canadian lawyer who practiced for several years exclusively in the area of insolvency & creditors’ rights at a leading Canadian law firm and has published and lectured extensively in North America, Europe and Asia. He is a board member of the insolvency-related legal journal, International Corporate Rescue, as well as an Adjunct Professor of Law in the St. John’s University Law School LL.M in Insolvency.

Mr. Michael Warren Kidd

Mr. Michael Warren Kidd serves as the Chief Operating Officer of Rasmala Investment Bank and Head of Strategy and Principal Investment at European Islamic Investment Bank Plc. (EIIB). Mr. Kidd served as the Chief Operating Officer of Rasmala Investment Bank Ltd., Private Equity. Mr. Kidd was Investment Professional at Rasmala MENA Private Equity Fund 2, L.P. He joined Rasmala MENA Private Equity Fund 2, L.P in 2009. He has 12 years experience in private equity, banking, and consulting. Previously, he was Investment Professional at SwiCorp Intaj Capital Fund and Swicorp, Investment Arm. He was an Executive Director at CIBC Capital Partners' Merchant Banking Group. He joined CIBC Capital Partners to focus on European investment opportunities. He worked as an Investment Banker with Credit Suisse First Boston in London, where he specialised in the financial restructuring of telecommunications companies. Prior to this, he was a Management Consultant with McKinsey & Company, Inc., where he undertook a variety of strategic and operational assignments. He serves as a Director of Rasmala Holdings Limited. Mr. Kidd received an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B.E. in Electrical Engineering from the Thayer School of Engineering and an A.B. from Dartmouth College.

Narayanan Rajagopalan

Narayanan Rajagopalan is the Group's Chief Financial Officer and leads the Abraaj Finance and Support Services team. He joined The Abraaj Group in 2005, before which he worked for more than 15 years at international and regional companies, including Unilever, Inchcape, Cupola and Dubai Holding, where he held roles in financial management, taxation, governance and corporate planning. Mr Rajagopalan graduated in Commerce from Calcutta University. He is an associate member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. - See more at: http://www.abraaj.com/about-us/our-people/narayanan-rajagopalan#sthash.nvvPqYDh.dpuf

H.E. Maryam Al Suwaidi

H.E. Maryam Al Suwaidi Deputy CEO at the Securities & Commodities Authority for Licensing, Supervision & Enforcement, a holder of a Licence (Sharia and Law) “Honor”, a Master Degree in Commercial Law from the University of Wales (U.K), a registered Lawyer (Non-Practicing List) at the UAE Ministry of Justice, and a graduate of the UAE Government Leaders Program - Executive Leaders organized by the Prime Minister Office/ the Federal Authority For Government Human Resources (FAHR) 2010-2011. She is working at the Securities & Commodities Authority (SCA) since 2002, and currently occupies till date the position of deputy CEO for Licensing, Supervision & Enforcement. She has held several positions in SCA where she worked as the Manager of Legal Affairs and Acting Legal Advisor, the Director of Issuance and Disclosure, then the Deputy CEO for Legal Affairs, Issuance & Research 2008/2010, and previously she had worked at the Ministry of Education and Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Al Suwaidi is a member in various entities, associations and committees; the Insurance Authority Boards in the current term 2012-2015, Women Corporate Directors (WCD) in the United States of America, the National Anti-Money Laundering Committee. In the domain of SCA, H.E is a member of SCA "Registry & Licensing Committee; Head of the Technical Committee in SCA that overlooks on all laws, regulations, and technical matters that related to the financial sector and companies working in the financial services; Head Team of Services Development of the Licensing, Supervision & Enforcement Sector; Head of SCA Female Group; Head Team of Oversight and Supervision on Financial Markets of the GCC Countries –Secretariat General of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf.

Saleh Hussain

Saleh Hussain is a Bahraini National with a Master Degree in Business from Brunel University in the United Kingdom. He has over 35 years of experience in various banking fields in the region as well as Europe and Asia Pacific. He has extensive experience of the GCC as well as Europe and Asia Pacific markets in the areas of Retail Banking, Corporate Financing and Capital Market activities. He served and continues to serve on number of boards of banks & financial institutions and professionals and social committees. Some of his memberships include: • Board Member – Prime Commercial Bank : Pakistan -1996 - 2003 • Board Member – Red Sea Insurance (Saudi): Bahrain until 2010 • Vice Chairman of Bahrain Association of Banks until June 2010 • Head of Audit Committee, AlAttiah Group, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, until March 2011 • Member of the Board of Trustees of Human Resources Development since 2004 • Chairman of Corporate Governance Working Group formed by Economic Development Board of Bahrain as part of OECD MENA program • A Member of the National Committee for Corporate Governance formed by Kingdom of Bahrain to draft a new Code of Corporate Governance for Kingdom of Bahrain.

Wafik Grais

Areas of Interest: Islamic Finance , SME Financing, Green Development Finance , Public Policy and Corporate Governance Education: • Ph.D., Economics, University of Geneva, Switzerland, 1977 • Licence ès Sciences Politiques, University of Geneva, Switzerland, 1973 • Licence ès Sciences Economiques, University of Geneva, Switzerland, 1970 Experience: • Independent Consultant, May 2001- present • Chairman and Co-Founder, Viveris Mashrek, Financial Advisors, Cairo, Egypt, Oct.2009-Apr.2011 • Special Advisor to the President, Viveris Management, private equity investment Management Company, SME specialist, Marseille, France, Feb.2008 - May 2011 • Senior Advisor, Financial Sector Group, World Bank, Head of the Financial Sector assessment Program, Jul.2001 - Jan.2008

Simon Copleston

Simon Copleston has been the Board Secretary and General Counsel of Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank P.J.S.C since January 2008. Mr. Copleston has over 12 years of experience in corporate finance, banking, finance, governance and corporate law, he has made a significant contribution to the success of Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank’s status as a regional leader in corporate governance. A solicitor of the Courts of England & Wales, Mr. Copleston began his professional career as a solicitor in the City of London. He serves as a Non-Executive & Independent Director of Damas International Limited. He holds a Degree from Durham University.

Sumant

Sumant is the managing partner of Kesar Dass B. & Associates, an Indian corporate and commercial law firm. He is senior consultant on insolvency to the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. His areas of specialisation include corporate insolvency & restructuring, policy & regulatory advice, foreign direct investment advisory, capital market regulations, corporate and commercial transactions, private equity. Sumant is President of INSOL International. He is Founder and Permanent Invitee, Society of Insolvency Practitioners of India. He was Founder Secretary of INSOL India. He is also Member of Board of Governors of the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs; Government of India-United Kingdom Task Force on Corporate Affairs; Managing Committee, ASSOCHAM; Regional Council, Indo-American Chamber of Commerce; Advisory Board, Institute of Asia-Pacific Business Law, University of Hawaii, U.S.A.; Advisory Committee, Education Promotion Society of India; MENA Task Force on Insolvency Reforms established by INSOL, Hawkamah, OECD and World Bank. He is author of the popular coffee table book – The Indians.www.theindians.co.in

Mr. Suresh Kumar

Mr. Suresh Kumar is the CEO and member of the Boards of Directors of Emirates NBD Capital Ltd (DIFC) and Emirates Financial Services (EFS) PSC. Prior to that, he had held senior treasury and general management positions in a Government of Dubai project and in the banking sector in India, in the U.K. and in the (West Coast) U.S. Mr. Suresh Kumar graduated from the University of Bombay in 1971 and was the recipient of the Rotary International Scholarship and the Lord Aldington Banking Fellowship respectively. He completed a post-graduate investment management programme conducted jointly by the Stanford University and the London School of Business. He also completed an Advanced Management Programme at the Columbia Business School. He is a Fellow of the Indian Institute of Bankers and a member of the regional Chief Executive Forum of the Institute of International Finance (IIF), Washington D.C. He is the Chairman of FedBank Financial Services Ltd and a non-Executive Director on the Board of Federal Bank Ltd. He is also on the Board of a number of offshore private equity firms”. He writes regularly for the English and Arabic newspapers in the UAE, has addressed several symposia on financial and non-financial subjects in print, television and other media.

Tim Ross

Tim Ross is a finance partner located in Latham & Watkins' Dubai office. His practice focuses on corporate finance, structured finance, private equity, restructuring transactions and regulatory matters. Prior to joining Latham & Watkins, Mr. Ross was a partner at a magic circle law firm and served as head of the firm's Middle East banking practice. He is listed in Chambers Global as a leading lawyer for banking and finance. Mr. Ross is the General Editor of the Oxford University Press publication Financial Services Regulation in the Middle East.

Walid Genadry

Walid Genadry has been the Head of the Insurance Control Commission (ICC) at the Ministry of Economy and Trade, Lebanon since May 2002. Prior to joining ICC, he was a Manager at INDEVCO group from 1998-2002. He had also worked as a Manager with United Group Consultants, France; Senior Management Consultant at Pricewaterhouse Coopers consultants, France; and as a Flight Simulation Engineer at CAE Electronics, a world leader in commercial flight simulator manufacturing, Canada. Mr. Genadry obtained his Master's in Business Administration from INSEAD, France in 1990 and Master's degree in Engineering from McGill University, Canada in 1986. He is the Former Chairman Presidency of the Arab Forum for Insurance Regulatory Commissions (AFIRC). He was also Chairman of the Education subcommittee and member of the Implementation Committee at the International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS).

Yahya Hakim

Yahya Hakim holds a graduate degree in Social Anthropology from the University of Wyoming, a Masters of Arts in Economy, Management and Marketing Research and a MBA in Business Administration and Finance from the International Center for Higher Studies in Tourism. He has held several government positions, including Advisor to the President of the Republic, Advisor to the Minister of Environment, Advisor to the Minister of State for Administrative Reform, Advisor and Director of the office of the Minister of Finance, Advisor to the Governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon (BDL), and Advisor to the Speaker of the Chamber. He has also worked as a consultant and lecturer on Management Development Programs, Finance and Work Processes, feasibility studies, marketing surveys and restructuring of companies. Moreover, he is a co-founder of the Center for Economic Policy Research and Analysis (CEPRA), and the Managing Director of the Lebanese Transparency Association (LTA).

Carl Rosén

Carl Rosén serves since September 2009 as the Executive Director at ICGN. Prior to his role at the ICGN, he served as the Head of Corporate Governance and Communications at Andra AP-Fonden, the Second Swedish National Pension Fund (AP2), one of the larger pension funds in Europe having a reputation for shareholder activism. He is a former chairman of the AP-funds Ethical Council. Carl joined AP2 in 2004. Prior to AP2, he co-founded Nordic Investor Services, the Nordic proxy advisory firm. He is a former CFO of the state holding company Fortia and former editor-in-chief at the business weekly Affärsvärlden. He has investment banking experience, mergers & acquisitions and IPOs, from Europe and US. Carl has a degree from Stockholm School of Economics and he is an enthusiastic triathlete. He is a member of World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Anti-corruption and a member of the Private Sector Advisory Group to the IFC Global Corporate Governance Forum.

Alissa Amico

Ms. Alissa Amico (Koldertsova) is responsible for managing the OECD's work on improving corporate governance in the Middle East and North Africa region. Since joining the OECD in 2005, Ms. Amico has been working with both government and private sector representatives in the region on advancing national and regional corporate governance priorities though capacity building activities, research and policy roundtables. She has provided technical assistance to a number of governments in the region in design of regulatory initiatives and institution building. Ms. Amico has authored and co-authored a number of publications as well as articles in regional and international media. In recent years, her work has focused on improving corporate governance of listed companies and state-owned enterprises in the MENA region. Ms. Amico holds a degree in Business Administration from York University (Canada) and a Masters degree in Political Economy from the London School of Economics (UK). She is a member of the French Institute of Directors (IFA) and has in 2011 been named one of the Top 100 Leaders in Europe and the Middle East by the Centre for Sustainability and Excellence.

Dr. Sami Baroum

Dr. Sami Baroum is currently the chairman of the Knowledge Economic City Company, Al Madina – Saudi Arabia. He is also board member of Savola Group, Arabian Cement Company, HSBC Saudi Arabia Limited Company, and Member of the Advisory Board for Economic Affairs of Supreme Economic Council, Saudi Arabia. Recently, Dr. Baroum been appointed as board member for Tadawul Company and Technical & Vocational Training Corporation.He has previously been the Managing Director of The Savola Group, and earlier he held multiple senior management and executive positions within the Savola group, such as CEO Al-Azizia Panda United, CEO Real Estate Division, Group Chief Investment Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Information Officer, Group Vice President and Group Treasurer. Dr. Baroum was also a board member at Almarai Company, Venture Capital Bank Bahrain, Kinan International Real Estate Development Company, and board member for number of Savola Companies and subsidiaries. Dr. Sami Baroum obtained an MBA (with distinction) from Wharton School of Business in 1985 and subsequently obtained his Ph.D. in operations management from Kelly School of Business at Indiana University.

Dr. Harilaos Mertzanis

Dr. Harilaos Mertzanis has a B.A. degree in Economics (honors) from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece) and a PhD in Economics and Finance from New School for Social Research in New York (USA), where he studied as a Fulbright and a NATO fellow. Today, Dr. Mertzanis serves as the Director of Research, Certification and MIS of the Hellenic Capital Market Commission, where he is employed since 1996. In the past, he served as the Director of the Industrial Liaison Office of the University of Thessaly, a special advisor to the Chamber of Commerce in Volos on SME financing, a project analyst in Citibank and a statistical analyst in the NYC Board of Education’s research department. Dr. Mertzanis also teaches finance courses at the Greek Open University. In the past, he has taught courses in economics and finance at the La Verne University, the University of Thessaly, the New York University, the New School University and the City University of New York. He has published several articles in foreign and domestic academic journals on macroeconomics, finance, corporate governance, economic philosophy and history and has made numerous presentations in international and domestic academic conferences. He has published two books, and he is in charge of the Commission’s Annual Report. He has participated in professional international fora and meetings (EU Commission, EU Council, CESR, OECD, etc.) as either an expert or country representative. He served as the coordinator of the Corporate Governance Committee in Greece, he was a member of the Corporate Governance Committee in Cyprus, was a member of the Greek Pension Funds Management Committee, served as the Chairman of the EU Council for the Transparency Directive during the Greek Council Presidency in 2003, and has been a member in the OECD Corporate Governance Steering Committee since 1999. He has also provided professional advice on many foreign governments on capital market regulation and corporate governance issues.

Dawood Bulushi

Dawood Bulushi was the Director – Corporate Governance in Qtel International. Qutel International is a Qtar Financial center entity and a wholly owned subsidiary of Qater Telecom (Qtel) QSC. It was implemented in 2008 to support the group ‘s international operation. The Office of Corporate Governance is charged with assisting the management and the Board in ensuring the effectiveness of and the adherence to corporate governance practices and policies throughout the group. As the Director – Corporate Governance in Qtel International, I chaire the the Group Corporate Governance Committee and this Committee manage the Corporate Governance relations among the various OpCos and their partners.

Bekir Safak

Bekir Safak is working as Vice President at the Capital Markets Board of Turkey (CMB), where he is responsible from corporate finance, institutional investors, accounting, auditing and research issues. He joined the CMB as an expert in 1996 and held the position of the Head of Corporate Finance Department between 2007 - 2008. He holds an MS degree from University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and holds a BS degree in Business Administration from Middle East Technical University (Ankara).

Ashley Painter

Ashley Painter is a member of the Listing Committee of NASDAQ Dubai, Ashley leads Clyde & Co’s Middle Eastern Financial Services practice. Ashley’s leadership has seen the firm’s finance practice develop at a rapid pace. His practice focuses on corporate finance, structured finance, private equity, restructuring transactions and regulatory matters . He advises banks and corporates on all aspects of corporate governance,risk mitigation and finance matters in the GCC region. Ashley has worked in both high profile financial services companies and international law firms. His experience led him to head the capital markets/wholesale banking department at CMS Cameron McKenna (London) and also to coordinate the European finance offering at Taylor Wessing (London) before moving to Clyde & Co in Dubai in November 2006.

Abdul Aziz

Abdul Aziz is a Kuwaiti-German lawyer and the regional managing partner of our Middle East offices. Before moving back to the Middle East, he was the office managing partner of the Cologne office in Germany. His practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions and the representation of corporate clients and financial investors in acquisitions, divestures and joint venture projects as well as pre- and post-merger restructurings. In addition, he has established a leading capital markets practice in Kuwait, which advises on all types of capital markets transactions including IPOs and public take-overs as well as capital markets compliance matters. He has advised on a number of capital markets and corporate regulations, including co-authoring the Kuwait Companies Law. Furthermore, Abdul Aziz has a broad ranging practice in restructuring matters, including out-of-court workouts and reorganizations. He represents insolvency administrators, distressed companies, lending institutions, private equity funds, purchasers of distressed equity and debt, and secured and unsecured creditors. He is a member of International Bar Association, German Bar Association, German Lawyers Association and Member of the Board of Gesellschaft für Arabisches und Islamisches Recht e.V. (Society for Arabic and Islamic Law).

Dr. Robert Shakotko

Dr. Robert Shakotko is managing director, Index Services, at Standard & Poor’s. Joining Standard & Poor’s in 1997 and based in New York, Robert has overall global responsibility for S&P indices as these relate to commercial and client-facing activities. Prior to Standard & Poor’s, Robert spent 10 years with the International Finance Corporation, a World Bank affiliate, in a variety of assignments around the world, and where he most recently managed the Emerging Markets Database (EMDB) and the IFC Emerging Markets Indices. Before joining IFC, Robert spent several years teaching economics and econometrics at Columbia University. Robert holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Minnesota, and also attended the University of Saskatchewan, American University of Beirut, and the University of British Columbia.

Dr. Ashraf Gamal

Dr. Ashraf Gamal is the Executive Director of the Egyptian Institute of Directors (EIoD), focusing on Corporate Governance in Egypt and the Arab Region. He is an Associate Professor of Management, Cairo University. He holds a PhD degree in Management from the University of Manchester, UK, and a Masters degree in Public Administration from Carleton University, Canada. He further holds a Bachelor degree in Business Administration from Cairo University with highest honor. Dr. Ashraf worked as head of Business Administration Department at Nile University for Graduate Studied, affiliated with the Ministry of Communication & Information Technology. Since 1997, he taught a large number of management and business courses in Egypt, the US, and the Gulf Area. He has extensive experience in designing and delivering training courses in management and organizational behavior to multinational and well as Egyptian public and private organizations. Dr. Ashraf works also as an advisor to the Minister of Investment, Egypt.

Mr. Walid Chiniara

Mr. Walid Chiniara is an International Corporate Lawyer, a Family Business Advisor, and a Mediator, with over 30 years experience serving families in business, financial institutions, and multinational corporations across the five continents. Walid started his career in private practice and later in-house as Deputy-General Counsel at Alcatel in Paris. In 1997, Walid joined his first Family Office in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and spent the last decade serving families in business and HNW family entrepreneurs, building family offices and implementing family governance systems. He intends to spend the next decade devising region-specific tools and building platforms that ensure “his families” become more competitive in an increasingly global world. Walid is a member of the Quebec Bar, the Family Firm Institute (FFI), and the Society of Trust and Estate Planners (STEP). He holds a Bachelor of Law degree from St-Joseph University in Beirut, Lebanon and a Master of Comparative Jurisprudence degree from New York University in the US. He is also an accredited Mediator specialized in managing inter-generational conflicts within family firms. He sits on the advisory board of a number of family controlled businesses. Walid is the co-founder and the Managing Director of The Family Business Advisory Group, a virtual multi-family office based at the Dubai International Financial Centre.

Abdul Rahman Ahmed Al-Harthy

Abdul Rahman Ahmed Al-Harthy is the Director General of the State Audit Institution of Oman, after having joined SAI in 1992 and assumed various posts within the organization. He is currently in charge of the auditing of Ministries in the Sultanate of Oman. Prior to this, he was responsible for the auditing of Government companies and public authorities. During his career, he visited many countries and participated in various international conferences and seminars on auditing, corporate governance and many other economical aspects. Mr. Al-Harthy graduated from Florida Institute of Technology, USA, in 1991 with a degree in Finance.

Dr. Nasser H. Saidi

Dr. Nasser H. Saidi was the Chief Economist of Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) since 2006. He leads the links with governments, central banks, and international organisations. Dr. Saidi is also the Executive Director of the Hawkamah-Institute for Corporate Governance and The Mudara Institute of Directors at the DIFC. Dr. Saidi is a member of the IMF’s Regional Advisory Group for MENA and Co-Chair of the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) MENA Corporate Governance Working Group. He is a member of the Private Sector Advisory Group of the Global Corporate Governance Forum, an institution of the World Bank driving global corporate governance reforms. He is also Chair of the regional Clean Energy Business Council. In 2011, he was named among the 50 most influential Arabs in the World by The Middle East magazine, for the fourth consecutive year. Dr. Saidi was the Minister of Economy and Trade and Minister of Industry of Lebanon between 1998 and 2000. He was the first Vice-Governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon for two successive mandates, 1993-1998 and 1998-2003. He was a Member of the UN Committee for Development Policy (UNCDP) for two mandates over the period 2000-2006, a position to which he was appointed by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, in his personal capacity.

Nick Nadal

Nick Nadal is the Head of Hawkamah Institute for Corporate Governance and Mudara Institute of Directors in charge of growing the institutes through business and membership development and developing programmes that will bridge the corporate governance gap in the region. He has led a number of confidential corporate governance assessments of regional banks, family enterprises, listed and non-listed companies, and state owned enterprises. He has participated and/or led a number of regional policy task forces initiated by Hawkamah to include those for banks, insurance, state-owned enterprises, Islamic financial institutions, insolvency and creditor rights, and private equity. These task forces have produced research papers, policy briefs and advocacy programmes that aim to foster better corporate governance in the region. He has also driven a number of Hawkamah’s professional development initiatives for directors, company secretaries, and economic journalists. Prior to joining Hawkamah, he was the Program Officer for Middle East and North Africa programmes at the Centre for International Private Enterprise, a non – profit affiliate of the U. S. Chamber of Commerce, building linkages with and supporting regional business associations, developing and conducting training programmes on association governance and developing programmes to advance entrepreneurship, economic journalism and corporate governance in the region.

Paul M Koster

Paul M Koster was appointed Chief Executive of the DFSA on 1 December 2008. Prior to becoming Chief Executive, he was Commissioner and Member of the Executive Board of the Autoriteit Financiële Markten (AFM), the national, integrated conduct of business financial services regulator for the Netherlands, where he was identified as one of the four leaders shaping the conscience of Dutch business. Mr Koster joined the AFM in March 2001 and in addition to his duties as a Commissioner, he chaired, from May 2006 until December 2007, CESR-Fin, the permanent working party of the Committee of European Securities Regulators that co-ordinates the endorsement and enforcement of financial reporting standards in Europe. For the previous two years he had chaired CESRs Sub-committee on International Standards Endorsement. During his time with the AFM, he was also a Member of the International Organisation of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) Chairs’ Committee and, as Chief Executive of the DFSA, he remains actively involved in the work of IOSCO. In May 2009, Mr Koster joined the Advisory Board of the Emirates Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA), the UAE’s federal securities regulator, and in July 2009, he also became a Member of the Consultative Advisory Groups of the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) and the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA).

H.E. Sayyid Hamid Sultan Al Busaidi

Hamid Sultan Al Busaidi is currently in charge of supporting services directorate and acting director of Oman Centre for Corporate Governance (OCCG), Capital Market Authority since January 2014 till date. Prior to the current position he was senior director of Oman Centre for Corporate Governance from 2010 till end 2013. He was the pioneer behind establishing the Centre in 2010. Prior to his appointment as the head of Oman center for corporate governance, he has over 15 years’ experience in Muscat securities Market and Capital Market Authority. His experience is in numerous departments in the authority and held the position of Companies compliance and Corporate Governance Dept Director, Director of CG department, Awareness and External Relations, research and development department, department of market surveillance, Human Resources and Administrative affairs in the Capital Market Authority. Mr. Al-Busaidi started his career by joining Muscat Securities Market (MSM) in 1994 as a computer programmer. He was appointed one year later the head of IT section. In 1997 he was appointed deputy manager for Admin and finance department which was in charge of IT section, HR and administration. Then he joined Capital Market Authority in 1998. Hamid Al-Busaidi is holding MBA from Cardiff University in UK in year 2006. He has extensive experience in Capital Markets and specifically in corporate governance and participated as a speaker in local, regional and international conferences. Also he is member of the OECD-MENA, Working group committee. He has attended high quality professional training programs in management, strategy, leadership, communications and more in well recognized institutes in the world such as IMD in Switzerland.

Alec Aaltonen

Alec Aaltonen is the Vice President at HAWKAMAH Institute for Corporate Governance He is in charge of the HAWKAMAH/S&P Pan Arab ESG Index, HAWKAMAH’s SME initiatives, as well as corporate governance assessments. He is also an accredited facilitator for the Director Development Programmes run by the Mudara Institute of Directors (MIOD). He was engaged with boards assignments for listed companies within the Oil, Gas and Energy Sectors in the Middle East. Prior to joining HAWKAMAH, Alec worked for HSBC Global Asset Management in London, where he engaged with boards of FTSE-listed companies on their corporate governance practices. This entailed detailed corporate governance analysis of companies from sectors such as Banks, Financial Services, and Telecommunications and covered areas ranging from executive remuneration schemes to board balance and audit independence. He also prepared voting instructions for HSBC shareholdings at the general meetings of these companies. Prior to HSBC, he worked for a corporate governance consultancy in London as a Corporate Governance Executive. He holds Bachelor and Master’s degrees in International Relations, a Graduate Diploma in Law and a Master’s degree in International Commercial Law.

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