Hawkamah - The Institute for Corporate Governance

Speakers

Tamer Bazzari

Tamer Bazzari, CA, CFA Chief Executive Officer, Genero Capital Has 19 years of experience with a focus on Corporate Finance and Private Equity in the MENA region where he concluded over 30 transactions. He was CEO of Rasmala Investment Bank and had worked at Dubai Financial Market, Ernst & Young in the UAE, and Deloitte in Canada. He is on the Board of Directors of ENBD Capital (Saudi) and the Investment Committee of Middle East Venture Partners. A graduate from McGill and Concordia in Canada, he is also a Chartered Accountant and a Chartered Financial Analyst Charter holder.

Roberta Calarese

Chief Legal Officer and Secretary to the Board of Directors DIFC Authority Roberta joined DIFC Authority in February 2011 as Chief Legal Officer and member of the Executive Committee. In her current role, she is responsible for setting up the long term plan for the legal and regulatory framework of the DIFC and managing the Legal Affairs Division of the DIFC Authority. In addition to her role as Chief Legal Officer, Roberta was appointed in July 2011 as Secretary to the Board of Directors and in August 2011, by Presidential Decree, as the DIFC Data Protection Commissioner and Registrar of Security. Roberta has a long and vast experience in DIFC, having joined the DFSA in 2002 as Legislative Counsel and Director of Policy and Legal Services. In her long standing career with the DIFC, Roberta has been instrumental in establishing the legal and regulatory framework of the DIFC and personally drafted many of the DIFC laws including the first Trust Law in the Middle East. Roberta is a corporate governance expert and has drafted the corporate governance rules for listed companies in the DIFC. Roberta was also part of the team that amended the UAE Constitution to allow for the creation of Federal financial free zones and the drafting of Federal Law No. 8 of 2004 and Dubai Law No. 9 of 2004 and subsequent amendments. Roberta’s legal and compliance experience also includes time spent with Prudential Bache, ABN AMRO and Goldman Sachs, in both London and Dubai.

Adnan Soufi

Having been SEDCO Holding's CEO for a number of years, Dr. Soufi is currently an advisor to the Chairman of SEDCO Holding, a leading private investment company. In 2010, Dr. Adnan Soufi became the CEO of SEDCO Holding, where he led the transformation process of SEDCO into a holding company and established and appointed boards of directors for the various operating companies. In 2006, Dr. Soufi held the Managing Director's position of SEDCO's Financial Investments Group and led the public and private equity Investments programs, collaborating with financial institutions and investment management firms, and managing the Group’s direct equity investments in the financial services sectors. Dr. Soufi also serves as an adjunct Professor of Leadership, Strategy and Governance at King Abdulaziz University. In addition, he is a member of the Board of Directors of Arabian Cement Company and a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors, Washington D.C. Formerly, Dr. Adnan Soufi was a Professor of Business Administration during 1984-2006 at King Abdul Aziz University, Jeddah, and was the Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Administration during 1995-1998. He was also a Senior Associate Member of Oxford University’s St. Anthony's College in 2005. Dr. Soufi has numerous articles, papers and presentations published or presented at journals and international business and conferences Dr. Soufi is a Fulbright scholar. He holds a Ph.D. in Business Administration from George Washington University and received his MBA and B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Seattle University.

Francois de Montaudouin

François de Montaudouin is an experienced Chief Executive Officer who has been on the Board of several companies for the past 15 years in France, United States of America, the United Arab Emirates and Luxembourg. He graduated with a Masters Degree from Université Paris IX Dauphine and has received a PMD degree from Harvard Business School. He started his professional career as a banker in New York in 1981, moved into Private Equity in France in 1989 and has been the CEO of various groups since 1999. His experience ranges from privately held growing companies to large listed companies (Rallye, Casino, Generale de Santé, GoSport) and within various economic sectors such as Retail, Real Estate, Healthcare, Trading and Asset Management. From 2004 to 2007, de Montaudouin was CEO and Board Member for Majid Al Futtaim Group in Dubai. In addition to doubling the size of the Group and overseeing the construction of the award-winning Mall of the Emirates, he has set up the Corporate Governance of the Group, a well-recognised transformation. François de Montaudouin was CEO of Al Rostamani Group before starting Orbite Middle East in 2012.

Noor Sweid

Until recently, Noor was also the Managing Director of Strategy at Dubai-based Depa Ltd, one of the world’s largest interior contractors. Noor joined the company in 2005 and immediately set about implementing international corporate governance standards whilst conducting a private placement. Within 3 years, Noor had led, what was the then the UAE’s first privately-owned company, to float on NASDAQ Dubai and a secondary GDR listing on London Stock Exchange. Noor Sweid is the Founder and Managing Partner of ZenYoga, the region's largest chain of yoga and pilates studios. Noor founded ZenYoga in 2006, as her passion for the yoga and pilates field led her into this area. Noor has completed her graduation from Boston College followed by an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management.

Dr. Grant Kirkpatrick

Dr. Grant Kirkpatrick is a professional economist with 25 years’ experience in the OECD, academic research institutes in Germany, universities in UK and Australia and in chartered accountants practice, undertaking audits of public companies and management work. He supervised the OECD report on the Mexican state oil company PEMEX. This report also covered the important subsidiaries of the company as well as relations with the Ministries. Dr. Grant has worked closely with the International Corporate Governance Network in training investment analysts covering ESG issues of UK Listed Companies, which was a highly company specific assignment. Dr. Kirkpatrick has experience of working on analysing economic problems in Papua New Guinea, Eastern European economies, Romania, Poland, in G20 countries such as India, Russia and Indonesia as well as in Japan and Germany. He was previously the Deputy Head of the Corporate Affairs Division of the OECD’s Directorate for Financial and Enterprise Affairs where he was responsible for overseeing the review of the Principles of Corporate Governance in 2004. He was also responsible for development of the Methodology to assess the implementation status of the Principles and was a member of the Basel Committee’s Corporate Governance Task Force to revise its Core Principles covering the corporate governance of banks. Grant is a member of the Australian Institute of company Directors and Institute of Risk Management UK and has authored numerous books on Corporate Governance including “Linking Islands of theory and Techniques in Political economy”, Kirkpatrick and U. Widmaier. Most recently Grant has authored several consultation papers for the OECD and is a consultant to the OECD, World Bank and Hawkamah.

Dr. Sameer Al Ansari

Sameer Al Ansari qualified as a Chartered Accountant in London in 1987 and has worked in Dubai since then. Sameer founded PEPlus in 2012, a regional boutique investment bank based in Dubai. He was the Chief Executive Officer of SHUAA Capital, the region’s leading financial services institution between Sept 2009 and Oct 2011. Between 2005 - 09, Dr. Al Ansari was the founding Chairman & CEO of Dubai International Capital, creating a global investment company with AUMs of $13B by 2008. He was also the founding Chairman of JD Capital (Jordan Dubai Capital) in 2005, and the founding Chairman of MENA Infrastructure Fund in 2006. He previously served as Group Chief Financial Officer for The Executive Office of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Prior to joining the Executive Office, Mr. Al Ansari was Chief Financial Officer at Dubai Aluminium Company (DUBAL) between 1992-2000, where he played a significant role in the successful turnaround of the company to what is today one of the largest and most profitable aluminium companies in the world. Sameer is widely considered as one of the most respected senior financial figures in the GCC and has and continues to sit on many Boards around the world. Below listed current Board positions: ICAEW MENA advisory board Hawkamah Institute of Governance, UAE The Industrial Group, KSA Eureeca Capital, Crowd funding platform (UK, DIFC, Malaysia) TVM Healthcare Partners, PE Healthcare Fund, DIFC, UAE Page Group, Hong Kong Homes & Houses, UK

Adnan Yousif

Mr. Adnan Ahmed Yousif, President & Chief Executive of Al Baraka Banking Group is a highly regarded, senior banker with over 37 years of international banking experience. He was earlier with Arab Banking Corporation, one of the leading Arab banks for over 20 years and last served as Director on its Board. Mr. Yousif has lead Al Baraka Banking Group (ABG) since inception, developing the group into one of the largest and most diversified Islamic banking groups in the world. Besides having received many international awards including twice the Islamic Banker of the Year award (2004 and 2009), he is the recipient of the Medal of Efficiency, a unique honor conferred by His Royal Highness King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa, the King of the Kingdom of Bahrain during the year 2011. Mr. Yousif was the Chairman of the Union of Arab Banks, Lebanon for two terms (2007-2013). He is also Chairman of Albaraka Turk Participation Bank, Banque Al Baraka D'Algerie, Al Baraka Bank Ltd. South Africa, Al Baraka Lebanon, Jordan Islamic Bank, Al Baraka Bank, Egypt, Al Baraka Bank, Syria, Al Baraka Bank Sudan, Al Baraka Bank Pakistan Ltd. and Vice Chairman of Al Baraka Islamic Bank - Bahrain besides being board member of all the subsidiaries of the ABG Group.

Rami Bazzi

Head of Corporate Investments Mr Bazzi is responsible for managing SEDCO Holding’s portfolio of private equity. He joined SEDCO Holding in 2010 from Injazat Capital in Dubai, where he was a Senior Executive Officer. He was previously CFO of LITAT Group and was with Deloitte Consulting in Toronto, working in strategy and shareholder value analysis. Before Deloitte, he was with the Royal Bank Financial Group in Toronto, specializing in corporate credit risk, financial policy, and strategy. Mr Bazzi has an MBA and an MSc in Finance from Concordia University, and a BSc in Computer Science from the Lebanese American University. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Holly Gregory

Holly J. Gregory Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP Holly J. Gregory, a partner in Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, counsels clients on the full range of corporate governance issues, and has advised policy makers on governance regulation, including by assisting to draft the OECD Principles of Corporate Governance. She writes a monthly column in Practical Law: The Journal that focuses on the intersection of law and corporate governance practices. Ms. Gregory is widely recognized for her governance expertise, including as: “Best” in Corporate Governance Law, Euromoney Legal Media Group’s inaugural Americas Women in Business Law Awards (2012); the Leading Practitioner in Corporate Governance Law,the Guide to the World’s Leading Women in Business Law (July 2010); and among the “100 Most Influential Players in Corporate Governance” (the NACD/Directorship 100), Directorship Magazine (2013 and prior years). She serves on advisory boards of the Hawkamah Institute for Corporate Governance and the Ira M. Millstein Center for Global Markets and Corporate Ownership at Columbia Law School.

Jan Bladen

Jan Bladen joined the DFSA in February 2005 as Director for Risk Management and Special Projects and was promoted to COO in June 2005. Prior to the DFSA, Jan spent 7 years with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Geneva and Dubai as a Member of the Global Risk Management Practice. Jan has also held managerial positions in other European countries and spent 3 years as a management consultant with McKinsey Partners. From 1998 to 2003 Jan was President of Executives International, a Swiss-based business networking association of 300 members. In 2000, Jan was elected to the Committee of the British Swiss Chamber of Commerce and remains both a Councillor and Committee Member. Jan is fluent in English, French and Spanish and obtained an MBA (Summa cum laude) from Lausanne in 1993.

Lamees Al Baharna

Ms. Lamees Al Baharna CFA, FRM Vice President, Risk Ms. Lamees Al Baharna joined Mumtalakat in October 2010 as Vice President in the Risk department. In this role, she is responsible for risk reporting, risk framework overseeing and development, and audit monitoring and coordination. Ms. Lamees Al Bahrana has over 25 years experience within the banking and financial services industry. Her most recent role was a Vice President in Gulf International Bank which she joined in 1996 and was responsible for credit risk management and Basel II implementation. Prior to that Lamees was working at Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch Bahrain as Senior Compliance & Operations officer and Senior Account Executive responsible for investment advice and marketing of financial products to high net worth individuals. Ms. Al Baharna was awarded her CFA charter in 1996 and is currently the President of CFA Bahrain. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering from McGill University.

Rajiv Mehta

Rajiv P Mehta Soon after University in Belgium, Rajiv joined the family diamond business and firmly established himself as the head of sourcing all rough diamonds. He held this position within the organization for over a decade, after which in 2004, Rajiv spearheaded the organizational transformation of Dimexon from the traditional family business to the technologically advanced multi-national corporation. Rajiv was instrumental in securing Rio Tinto and Al Rosa as supply partners and negotiated new contract allocations from the De Beers Group. In 2008, Rajiv relocated to Mumbai as Operations Director, and is today responsible for Global Rough Sourcing, Manufacturing, Information Technology, Finance and Human Resources. He continues learning through renowned institutes such as LBS in the UK, where he recently completed a program in Corporate Finance. Rajiv is married to Dimple and has 3 children. He nurtures a passion for Motor Racing, Skiing and Tennis.

Vishal Mehta

Vishal P Mehta After graduating from King’s College, London, Vishal joined the family business as an apprentice, experiencing every part of the organization, before finally settling into a Sales Executive position in Mumbai, servicing international clients. Thereafter, Vishal lead the organization through its multi-year transformation journey. In 2004, he relocated to Hong Kong to spearhead the business’ entry into the Far Eastern markets, as well as establish a new business vertical: jewellery design and manufacturing. After successfully establishing the business, Vishal relocated to Dubai as Commercial Director for the group, and is now responsible for Global Product Management, Distribution, Sales and Marketing. He maintains key client relationships, including the world’s leading watch and jewellery brands and retailers. Vishal continues learning through institutes such as IMD in Switzerland and LBS in UK. He is married to Priya and has 4 children. In his spare time, Vishal enjoys Scuba Diving, Motor Racing, Art & Architecture.

Duncan Wiggetts

Duncan Wiggetts advises clients on corporate governance issues, regulatory investigations, internal investigations and international litigation disputes. Mr. Wiggetts’ representative experience includes spearheading an investigation into a serious whistleblower allegation at a major UK financial services organisation, taking a leading role in a high profile investigation into allegations of financial impropriety by a prominent UK politician and defending two directors in relation to a major UK tax fraud investigation and prosecution. Mr. Wiggetts has also advised top companies on updates to their compliance procedures in response to increased regulatory activity and the introduction of the UK Bribery Act. Mr. Wiggetts has written and produced four drama films, the most recent of which, “A Price Worth Paying?”, was released in December 2012. The film has been featured by the Wall Street Journal, Law 360, Corporate Counsel and theABA Journal. Mr. Wiggetts’ films have been presented at corporate governance and regulatory conferences and seminars across the globe.

Jacques Visser

Jacques Visser has extensive experience advising on all legal, regulatory, compliance, registration and distribution aspects of setting up funds and investment structures in a variety of onshore and offshore jurisdictions, inclusive of mutual funds, hedge funds, private equity funds and venture capital funds, both on conventional and Shari’a-compliant platforms. Mr. Visser has deep expertise in asset management, financial services and banking sectors in Africa and the Middle East. Prior to joining Dechert, Mr. Visser ran his own Dubai-based funds and investment management consultancy. He was also the general counsel and founding partner of Dubai-based Algebra Capital Limited prior to its acquisition by Franklin Templeton Investments and he served as Managing Director of Franklin Templeton Investments (ME) Limited subsequent thereto.

Peter McKenna

Peter J. McKenna is the Financial Lines Leader EMEA. In this role, Peter has responsibility for the strategic direction and management of Directors and Officers, Professional Liability, Employment Practices, Kidnap & Ransom, Fiduciary and Fidelity Liability, Mergers and Acquisition lines of business for the EMEA region. Prior to his current role Peter was Head of Management Liability for the U.S, where he was responsible for underwriting, portfolio, and product management. With twenty years at AIG, he has held various executive positions including Chief Operating Officer of Executive Liability, President of the Public Company Management Liability Division of Executive Liability, and additional senior management roles such as MAP practice leader for the U.S and Canada. Peter is a graduate of Hobart College with a B.A. in Economics and received an M.B.A. from the S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University.

Ayman Hamdy

Executive Director - Legal & Company Secretary Emaar Properties PJSC Ayman Hamdy, Executive Director, Legal and Company Secretary joined Emaar in 2006 and was assigned the additional responsibilities of Company Secretary in 2007. He has over 15 years of diversified legal experience. Ayman started his career in private practice in one of the largest law firms in Egypt in which he worked on international business transactions and foreign investment matters. He then served as a public prosecutor for a period of three years until he joined Unilever in Dubai as their regional head of legal for a period of ten years. Ayman was also the resident partner of the Dubai office of a regional law firm, Shalakany Law Office. Ayman is a member of the Egyptian Bar Association, the Egyptian Association of Judges, Egyptian Association of Public Prosecutors and is a fellow of the International Bar Association. He is currently responsible for establishing the Emaar Groups' legal strategy, overseeing its legal and governance functions, securing legal protection for the company's assets, structuring major transactions and supervising the implementation of the company's bylaws, policies and regulations.

Frank Dangeard

Frank Dangeard serves on the boards of Symantec (USA), Royal Bank of Scotland (UK), RPX (USA) and is Chairman of NatWest Markets (RBS’s investment bank). He is a “board observer” of Arqiva (UK) and a non-voting board member or advisory board member of various listed and non-listed companies, principally in the telecom/technology, finance and energy sectors. He is the founder of Harcourt IGN in Dubai, an advisory firm which provides senior-level services in strategy, board and strategy processes, and family and group governance to companies and families in the Gulf Area, South-East Asia and Europe. He is a “Director-in-Residence” at INSEAD, and is also Chairman of the International Advisory Council of Hawkamah, the corporate governance institute of the MENA region, based in Dubai. Frank Dangeard has served on the boards of Crédit Agricole-CIB (France); EDF (Electricité de France); Orange, Equant and Wanadoo (France Télécom/Orange Group); Eutelsat (France); Hindustan Power (India); Home Credit (Czech Republic); SonaeCom (Portugal). He has been Chairman of Atari (France /US), Deputy Chairman and Acting Chairman of Telenor (Norway), and has chaired the Strategy Board of PwC (France). He was on the International Advisory Board of the Harvard Business School (US) from 2000 to 2017, and on the Advisory Board of Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales (France) from 2005 to 2017. From September 2004 to February 2008, he was Chairman & CEO of Thomson, a world leader in video technologies and services. From September 2002 to September 2004, he was Deputy CEO of France Telecom, an international telecom operator. He joined Thomson multimedia in 1997 as Deputy CEO, and was appointed Vice Chairman in 2000. Prior to joining Thomson multimedia, from 1988 to 1997, Frank Dangeard was a Managing Director of the investment bank SG Warburg & Co. Ltd., in London and Madrid, then Chairman of SG Warburg France. From 1986 to 1988, he was with Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, a US law firm, in New York and London. Frank Dangeard, who is a French national, was born in Canada on February 25, 1958. He graduated from the École des Hautes Etudes Commerciales (Prix Jouy-Entreprise), the Paris Institut d’Études Politiques (Laureat) and from the Harvard Law School (Fulbright Scholar, HLS Fellow). He and his wife live in London and have one daughter. He is Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite and Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur. His most recent book, “La décision de crise dans l’entreprise – 12 histoires de gouvernance”, was published in February 2011 by Editions Odile Jacob, Paris.

H.E. Hamad Buamim

Hamad Buamim has been the President & CEO of Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry since November 2006. He also serves as the Chair of the World Chambers Federation - ICC in Paris. Educated in the USA, Buamim graduated with Honors (Magna Cum Laude) from the University of Southern California - Los Angeles in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. In 2002, he obtained an MBA with Honors in Finance from the University of Missouri - Kansas City. Buamim is a Member of the Board of Directors of the UAE Central Bank, Managing Director and Board Member of Dubai World, Chairman of National General Insurance and Board Member of Union Properties. Previously, Buamim served as Chairman of Emirates Financial Services, Chairman of Emirates NBD Capital and Board Member of Emirates NBD Bank and Network International.

H.E. Mona Al Marri

Mona Al Marri Director General Government of Dubai Media Office United Arab Emirates Mona Al Marri is one of the most prominent young Emirati leaders in the UAE media landscape with a strong record of achievements in media and strategic communications. She is also a leading advocate for the empowerment of women and their greater participation in national development. Al Marri holds a number of leadership positions including the Director General of the Government of Dubai Media Office (GDMO), President of the Dubai Press Club (DPC), Secretary-General of the Arab Journalism Award (AJA), Chairperson of the Organising Committee of the Arab Media Forum (AMF) and Chairperson of the Organising Committee of the Arab Social Media Influencers Summit. Al Marri is also responsible for supervising the publishing sector of Dubai Media Incorporated (DMI). In addition, she is a Member of the Boards of the National Media Council, DMI and Young Arab Leaders. She was also a member of the first Board of Dubai Media City in 2001. Al Marri’s journey as an advocate for women’s development and empowerment began in 2003 when Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum appointed her as the Vice President of the Dubai Ladies Club. She also led the creation and development of the Dubai Women Establishment (DWE), and is currently the Chairperson of DWE’s Board. She was a<a name="_GoBack"></a>ppointed Vice President of the UAE Gender Balance Council in 2015. The World Economic Forum (WEF) named her as a Young Global Leader (YGL) in 2014 in recognition of her accomplishments. Mona Al Marri is also a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council.

Leonardo Peklar

Leonardo Peklar Chief Executive Officer – Hawkamah Institute for Corporate Governance Leonardo F. Peklar has joined Hawkamah as the Chief Executive Officer. He brings extensive experience in the field of corporate governance internationally and in emerging markets. Mr. Peklar has over 25 years’ experience as corporate director in large international listed companies, major State Owned Companies as well as leading family owned corporations. Mr. Peklar is a Master Trainer appointed by Global Corporate Governance Forum for The Corporate Governance Board Leadership Training, as well as Trainer for Developing Corporate Governance Codes of Best Practice and Building Director Training Organization. He was actively involved in the establishment of six Institute of Directors and participated in international teams for preparing and drafting Corporate Governance Codes in four countries. Mr. Peklar is a visiting professor of Corporate Governance at University UDG Podgorica, Montenegro. He is a visiting speaker on Corporate Governance at the London Business School and has been teaching CSR at London School of Public Relations.

Osman Sultan

Osman Sultan Chief Executive Officer, du Osman Sultan, the CEO of Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company, du, has a wealth of experience having worked in telecommunications and information technology. The holder of a Degree in Engineering, Mr. Sultan was the Chairman of the Arab Working Group for the Private Sector in the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) from 2003-2005. He began his professional career with the France Telecom Group in 1983, going on to receive the award for The Best Web Site-Legal Product from the American Information Association in 1996. He later received the Man of the Year award from the Professional Electronic Information Services Community in France. Mr. Sultan comes to du having completed an eight year stint at the helm of the Egyptian Company for Mobile Services (MobiNil), a company he helped set up in 1998 to operate a GSM licence in Egypt. Mr. Sultan was a board member of both the National Telecommunication Institute in Egypt as well as the French University of Egypt.

Iyad Malas

Iyad Malas CEO, Majid Al Futtaim Holding Mr. Malas is currently and since July 2009, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Majid Al Futtaim Holding, the largest developer and operator of Shopping malls and hypermarkets in the MENA region. Previously, Mr. Malas was the CEO of Majid Al Futtaim Trust LLC, the family investment office of Majid Al Futtaim Group, a position he held since April 2007. Prior to this role, Mr. Malas was based in New Delhi as the Regional Director for South Asia for International Finance Corporation (IFC), an organization which he joined in 1987 in Washington DC, and where he held a number of positions including Regional Financial Markets Manager for Central Asia, Middle East and North Africa. Between 2000 and 2004, Mr. Malas worked in Egypt, first as the CEO of Fleming CIIC and then as the Chief Operating Officer and Head of Asset Management at Egyptian investment bank, EFG-Hermes. Mr. Malas holds an MBA from George Washington University in Washington DC, as well as a BA from the American University in Beirut. He is qualified as a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Majid Jafar

Majid Jafar is the CEO of Crescent Petroleum, the Middle East’s oldest private oil & gas company, and Vice-Chairman of the Crescent Group of companies which includes interests in port management, logistics, contracting, private equity and real estate. He is also Managing Director of the Board of Dana Gas (PJSC. Majid Jafar serves as Vice-Chairman of the Global Energy Initiative (GEI), Vice-Chairman of the Global Agenda Council for Youth Unemployment at the World Economic Forum, and a Board Member of: the Carnegie Middle East Center Advisory Council, the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED), the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce (UAE), the Sharjah Expo, the Iraq Energy Institute, and the New Leaders of the International Institute of Education (IIE) and an Accredited Director of the Institute of Directors (IoD Mudara) in Dubai. Majid Jafar attended Eton College and graduated from Cambridge University (Churchill College) with Bachelor and Masters Degrees in Engineering (Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics). He also holds an MA (with Distinction) in International Studies and Diplomacy from the University of London’s School of Oriental & African Studies (SOAS), and an MBA (with Distinction) from the Harvard Business School.

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.

Ritva Kassis

Ms. Kassis is a Chartered Company Secretary, governance and compliance professional with extensive experience in listed companies on Nasdaq Dubai and London Stock Exchange. Proficient in corporate governance, corporate law, compliance and risk management across various industries in the private and public sectors. Hold a MSc in Corporate Governance from London South Bank University (UK), a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (MAICD), a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (UK), a Certified Compliance Officer of the American Academy of Financial Management and a Certified ISO31000 Risk Professional. She is the head of Governance, Ethics and Compliance at ADNOC Logistics and services, and former Group Company Secretary of DP World. a speaker and workshop facilitator at key events to include fundamentals of the Company Secretary role, corporate governance leadership, role of the board and measuring board effectiveness.

H.E. Sultan Al Mansoori

H.E. Sultan Al Mansoori Minister of Economy, Ministry of Economy, United Arab Emirates His Excellency Eng. Sultan Saeed Al Mansouri joined the Federal Government in February 2008 as Minister of Economy responsible for the development of economic activities, national industries and exports, and small and medium enterprises sector, as well as spearheading the diversification of business activities to create a knowledge-based economy. Besides his ministerial responsibilities, His Excellency Eng. Al Mansouri is Chairman of General Civil Aviation Authority and Securities and Commodities Authority in addition to Chairman of National Bureau of Statistics, Insurance Authority, and Supreme Committee for Consumer Protection. Before taking over as Minister of Economy, His Excellency Eng. Al Mansouri had also been Minister of Transport and Minister of Government Development. His Excellency Eng. Al Mansouri has a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering & Management Systems from Arizona State University, USA, and Diploma in Computer System Analysis from the Institute of Computer Technology, Los Angeles. Born in 1959, His Excellency Eng. Al Mansouri is an avid reader and a sports enthusiast.

Shahzad Khan

Shahzad Khan is Associate General Counsel at Mubadala and is responsible for corporate governance across the Mubadala Group. In addition to organizing and providing governance training at Mubadala, Shahzad often collaborates or contributes to corporate governance matters with multinationals, such as General Electric and Temasek, and international organizations such as the OECD. Prior to joining Mubadala, Shahzad worked at Allen & Overy in London and the United Nations Secretariat in New York having read Jurisprudence at the University of Oxford”

Sheikh Hussain A. Al Banawi

Sheikh Hussein A. Al-Banawi is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Industrial Group, a market leader in packaging, specialty chemicals and food flavors in the Broader Middle East, Africa, and Indian Subcontinent. He is an inspirational leader dedicated to helping the next generation of enterprise leaders in the Arab World. He is Founder of the Chair in Islamic Economics, Finance and Management at Rice University in Houston, Texas and also serves on the board of various civic organizations. He is also a founding member of The John D. Gerhart Center for Philanthropy and Civic Engagement at the American University of Cairo. Sheikh Hussein is a member of the Board of Trustees, Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee, and Chairman of the Investment Committee of the World Waqf Foundation of the Islamic Development Bank. An advocate and proponent of good corporate governance in both private and public institutions, Sheikh Hussein Al-Banawi is a member of the Board of Directors of Hawkamah, The Institute for Corporate Governance of the Dubai International Financial Centre. Sheikh Hussein Al Banawi is also the Chairman of the Advisory Committee of The Effat Ambassadors Program, a program established at Effat University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to empower aspiring women leaders. With Sheikh Hussein’s founding vision, The Al-Banawi Scholarship for Personal Development was established at Franklin University in Switzerland with the unique purpose of providing financial aid to outstanding students in need who reciprocate by acting as academic mentors for other students facing language, learning or cultural challenges. After embarking on his early undergraduate studies at Franklin University in Switzerland, Sheikh Hussein thereafter pursued his bachelor’s degree with a dual major in political science and business administration at Rollins College in the United States, culminating in a Master of Business Administration from Rollins. Sheikh Hussein is the author of the recently published book, The Unknown Leader, one of the foremost publications on leadership which has emerged from our region.

Peter Montagnon

Peter Montagnon is Associate Director, Institute of Business Ethics. Prior to this he was Senior Investment Adviser at the Financial Reporting Council, with responsibility for addressing corporate governance policy and strengthening the FRC's understanding of the investor community. Peter was a Senior Journalist on the Financial Times for twenty years, before becoming Director of Investment Affairs at the Association of British Insurers. After graduating in Modern Languages from Cambridge University in 1972, Mr Montagnon joined Reuters news agency as a financial journalist, completing assignments in Hong Kong, Zurich and Washington before joining the Financial Times. Mr Montagnon is a visiting Professor in Corporate Governance at the Cass Business School of the City University, London, and a member of the Corporate Governance Advisory Board of Norges Bank Investment Management. He is past Chairman of the Board of the International Corporate Governance Network and served on the European Commission's Corporate Governance Forum from 2005 to 2011.

Prof. Mahmoud El Gamal

Prof. Mahmoud El-Gamal El-Gamal is Professor of Economics and Statistics at Rice University, where he holds the endowed Chair in Islamic Economics, Finance and Management. Prior to joining Rice, he had been an Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and an Assistant Professor at Caltech and the University of Rochester. He also served at the Middle East Department of the International Monetary Fund (1995-6), and as the first Scholar in Residence on Islamic Finance at the US Department of Treasury (2004). He has published extensively on econometrics, finance, experimental economics, and Islamic law and finance. His most recent books include Islamic Finance: Law, Economics, and Practice (2006) and Oil, Dollars, Debt, and Crises: The Global Curse of Black Gold (2010).

Dr. Mak Yuen Teen

Mak Yuen Teen is Associate Professor of Accounting at the National University of Singapore, where he teaches corporate governance and ethics. He holds first class honours, master and PhD degrees in accounting and finance, and is a fellow of CPA Australia. Prof Mak has served on key corporate governance committees which developed and revised the code of corporate governance for listed companies in Singapore. He also served on the Charity Council in Singapore and chaired the subcommittee which developed and revised the code of governance for charities. He was also the Singapore expert in the development of the ASEAN Corporate Governance Scorecard and Ranking, an initiative of the ASEAN Capital Markets Forum. Prof Mak served as a member of the audit advisory committee of the UN Population Fund based in New York for 6 years, and is currently a member of the audit advisory committee of the UN Women. Prof Mak conducts training in corporate governance for directors, regulators and industry professionals in both financial institutions and listed companies. He has led research projects focusing on corporate governance of large Asian banks, gender diversity on boards and senior management, role of CFOs, stakeholder communications and other areas of corporate governance. He is a regular commentator on corporate governance in the local and international media.

Prof. Ludo Van der Heyden

Professor Ludo Van der Heyden (Belgium) is Professor of Technology and Operations Management and holds the Mubadala Chair in Corporate Governance and Strategy at INSEAD. Prof. Van der Heyden leads the INSEAD Corporate Governance Initiative and oversees its research direction, governance programmes and activities. He is co-director, together with Prof. Tim Rowley, of the International Directors Programme (Fontainebleau, France, and Singapore), and, together with Prof. Massimo Massa, of the Value Creation for Owners and Directors Programme (UAE). From 2000-2009, Professor Van der Heyden directed INSEAD’s Advanced Management Programme. He was the first holder of the Wendel Chair in the Large Family Firm at INSEAD, which initiated INSEAD’s activities in family business and the creation of the Wendel International Centre for Family Enterprise at INSEAD. He was co-Dean of INSEAD from 1990-1995 and Director of the INSEAD Zentrum Leipzig. Prof. Van der Heyden holds an Engineering Degree in Applied Mathematics from the Université Catholique de Louvain and a Ph.D. in Administrative Sciences from Yale University. Ludo Van der Heyden is a member of the Supervisory Board of Bencis Capital Partners. He is Chairman of Celpax and a member of the Supervisory Board of Seisquare and Calexium, three start-up ventures.

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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