Asian Business Leadership Forum kicks off tomorrow in Dubai

The 10th Anniversary Edition of the Asian Business Leadership Forum, ABLF, is set to open its doors to a gathering of leaders with diverse portfolios and singular goals at ABLF 2017, being held this year at the Armani Hotel in Dubai’s iconic Burj Khalifa.

Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State, CEO of the ADNOC Group and Chairman of Masdar, Dr. Amal Al Qubaisi, Speaker of the Federal National Council, Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director-General of EXPO 2020 Dubai Bureau, Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, and Emirati business industrialist, Hussain Jassim Al Nowais, will join other high profile leaders to vouch for and celebrate Asia’s future-focused leadership.

The ABLF Patron, H.H. Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahayan, UAE Minister of Tolerance, will present the keynote speech at the ABLF Awards, the leadership event’s prestigious recognition platform.

The forum is a premier leadership event platform that aims to create sustainable global collaborations through its showcases of fine leadership and knowledge-exchange while turbo-charging innovation-driven growth to achieve the UAE’s economic and social goals and objectives.

Mohammed Abdul Aziz Al Shehhi, Under-Secretary at the Ministry of Economy, said, "The Ministry of Economy is very proud of our prestigious partnership with the ABLF and believe that it is a powerful influencer platform that stresses the qualities of leadership for which the UAE Government stands. I am particularly pleased to see that the national narrative expressed by the #Year of Giving in 2017, has inspired the panel on 'The Global Humanitarian', that addresses Asia's response to the largest humanitarian crisis that the world faces. The session spotlights hunger and modern slavery alongside legal considerations and regulatory policies."

The forum will feature a keynote address by Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment. Also speaking at this session are energy-efficiency and renewables advocates such as Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of DEWA, Japan’s Tsuyoshi Nakai, CEO, JCCP, and Dr. Chunyuan Gu, President of ABB, AMEA region.

The subjects of ‘The Global Humanitarian’ and ‘The Economics of Education and Healthcare in Asia’ showcase policymakers featuring Hussain Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Minister of Education, and Adil Zainulbhai, Former Chairman of McKinsey India and currently the Chairman of Quality Control India, along with changemakers such as Raza Jafar, Founder of the Global Sustainability Network, Diana Hamade, the successful corporate and Sharia law expert from the UAE, and Tayeb Abdulrahman Al Rais, Secretary-General of the Awqaf and Minors Foundation. Delving into the technology perspective in the core sector of healthcare is Dr. Arjen Radder, Chief Executive Officer, Philips, Middle East and Turkey.

‘The Responsibility Protocol for New Media’ panel will begin with an address by the frontrunner of regional and global media space, Maryam AlMheiri, CEO of the Media Zone Authority – Abu Dhabi and twofour54, followed by an engaging panel session with the pioneer of Indian diplomacy’s foray into new media, Navdeep Suri, Indian Ambassador to the UAE, marketing guru, Suhel Seth and Rajai E Khadem, Head of Public Sector, LinkedIn MENA. Bringing in the legalities of the new communication landscape will be Rajiv Luthra, Founder of Luthra and Luthra Law Associates.

‘The Disruption of the Financial Ecosystem’ features Arundhati Bhattacharya, former Chairman, State Bank of India, Padamalai Jayakumar, Managing Director and CEO, Bank of Baroda, India, and Sunil Kaushal, Regional Chief Executive, Africa and Middle East, Standard Chartered Bank. The role of financial technology in investments in the region will be highlighted by Mark Beer, Chief Executive of DIFC Courts.

The final session, "The Edge of Entrepreneurship", features the rising facilitator of the UAE economy, Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation, who will expand on the vision of Expo 2020 Dubai and UAE’s impact on the regional markets. The Entrepreneurship panel session will welcome inspirational leaders such as G.P. Hinduja, Chairman of the Hinduja Group, and one of the brightest business minds of the UAE business environment, Hussain Al Nowais, Chairman of Senaat.