Dubai Business Forum starts today

Hosted under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, the Dubai Business Forum, an annual event for international business leaders and economic players, gets under way today at Madinat Jumeirah.

Under the theme ‘Shifting Economic Power: Dubai and the Future of Global Trade,’ the two-day event will welcome hundreds of global changemakers, business leaders, industry experts, investors, and economists to participate in two days of high-level plenary sessions to shape the future of global trade and investment.

Key national figures who will be sharing valuable insights include Abdul Aziz Abdulla Al Ghurair, Chairman of Dubai Chambers; Abdullah Bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy; Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA); Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO of DP World; Helal Saeed Al Marri, Director General of the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism; Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of the Dubai Future Foundation; Issam Kazim, CEO of the Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM); Hadi Badri, CEO of the Dubai Economic Development Corporation; and Hamed Ali, CEO of the Dubai Financial Market and CEO of Nasdaq Dubai.

The event's lineup of private sector speakers includes Shamsa Al Falasi, CEO of Citibank; Ronaldo Mouchawar, Vice President of Amazon Middle East and North Africa; Khatija Haque, Chief Economist and Head of Research at Emirates NBD; Prof. Ian Goldin, Professor of Globalisation and Development at the University of Oxford; Jane Prokop, Executive Vice President, Small and Medium Enterprises at Mastercard; Deepak Bagla, President of the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA); Ted Souder, Former Senior Executive at Google; Jean-Claude Trichet, Former President of the European Central Bank; Kathy Xiaosi Gong, Founder and CEO of Oneness Labs; Rashed Ali Al Ansari, Group CEO of Al Ansari Financial Services; Noor Sweid, Managing Partner at Global Ventures; Brett Armitage, Chief Commercial Officer of Kerzner International; Daniel Susskind, speaker and author on the future of work and visiting professor at King's College London; Badr Jafar, CEO of Crescent Enterprises and Special Representative for Business and Philanthropy at COP28; Richad Soundardjee, CEO for UAE and Egypt at China International Capital Corporation (CICC); and Salem Al Shamsi, Vice President of Global Markets at Dubai Chambers. The confirmed speakers will be joined by dozens of business leaders, industry experts, and innovators from all corners of the globe.

With a strong focus on getting business done, the forum will feature The Future Theatre and The Deals Hub, two innovative platforms designed to drive crucial conversations and facilitate pivotal partnerships that can transform business for the future.

The Future Theatre is a crucial platform for participants to engage with globally renowned speakers on the groundbreaking innovations driving today’s economies. Hosting TED-style talk sessions, it will examine a thoughtful mix of six thematic pillars, with participants taking a deep dive into the Future of Industries, Future of Cities, Future of Investments, Future of AI, Future of Economies, and Future of Robotics.

The Future Theatre sessions will feature an array of expert speakers, including Dr. Patrick Noack, Executive Director of Future, Foresight, and Imagination at Dubai Future Foundation; Chris Anderson, former CEO and Co-founder of 3D Robotics; David Hanson, CEO of Hong Kong-based Hanson Robotics and creator of Sophia the Robot; Prof. Henrik Von Scheel, originator of the 4th Industrial Revolution; Eric Aguilar, Co-founder and CEO of Omnitron Sensors; Greg Lindsay, Senior Fellow at NewCities; and Tariq Fancy, Former Global CIO for Sustainable Investing at BlackRock.

Another groundbreaking component of the Dubai Business Forum is the Deals Hub, a dedicated platform for global business leaders and investors to forge alliances and announce major business initiatives and commercial partnerships during the event. The Deals Hub will host a full spectrum of agreements including joint ventures, IPOs, large investments, government contracts, and cross-border trade agreements, with signings witnessed by senior government officials, leading figures from the public and private sectors, and international media.

The Dubai Business Forum’s impactful agenda addresses four key pillars that will explore the influence of Globalisation in reshaping the business environment to create both challenges and opportunities; Foreign Direct Investment, and how various key factors are affecting its future course; the implications of Digital Transformation and advanced technologies for the global business community; and the rise of Emerging Markets as an integral part of the global economy.

WAM