ABLF celebrates 10 years of showcasing leadership

The Asian Business Leadership Forum, ABLF, is to mark its milestone 10th Anniversary Edition with a Leadership Day on 22nd November, 2017, at the Armani Hotel, Burj Khalifa, Dubai.

The ABLF, considered the region’s most influential leadership platform, has been under the patronage of Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, since its inception in 2007, and is being hosted in association with the UAE Ministry of Economy.

The ABLF Leadership Day 2017 will roll out with a cutting-edge forum, where global leaders gather around the theme of future-focused leadership in six compelling sessions that will showcase responsible leadership in key defining areas such as climate change, the global humanitarian crisis, education, healthcare, the responsibility of media, the rise of a new financial ecosystem, and the edge of entrepreneurship.

Later, there will be an exclusive VIP invitation-only event at the celebratory ABLF Awards Grand Ceremony and Gala.

This year's Leadership Day theme is, "The Evolving Face of Asia – the rise of future-focused leadership".

Speaking about the event, Malini N. Menon, Member of the ABLF Executive Council, said, "With over 46 nations of Asia featured in our initiatives through the years, our focus has always been to recognise leadership excellence and facilitate networking at the highest level while creating valuable content, generating information and linking opportunity to active engagements across governments, corporate bodies and institutions. This year, we are showcasing the torchbearers of the region who recognise the need to support, adapt and leverage contemporary global narratives to achieve sustainable development."

The theme of the Leadership Day reflects the energy and profile of some of Asia’s brightest minds who will be speaking at the event, including, Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State, CEO of the ADNOC Group and Chairman of Masdar, Reem Ebrahim Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director-General of EXPO 2020 Dubai Bureau, Tsuyoshi Nakai, CEO, Japan Cooperation Centre Petroleum, JCCP, and Navdeep Suri, Ambassador of India to the UAE.

This year, among many important subjects, the ABLF will be addressing the global crisis of climate change in a session entitled "The Earth and Us". Frontrunners of the sustainability and clean energy dialogue, Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Cabinet Member and Minister of Climate Change and Environment, and Dr. Chun-Yuan Gu, President, AMEA Region, ABB, will bring their perspectives to light in this key session.

Another much anticipated session is "The Global Humanitarian", in line with the UN Global Goals and resonating with the UAE’s theme for 2017, the #Year of Giving, the session will feature trailblazers of the UAE Government, including the first woman to lead the national assembly, Dr. Amal Abdullah Al Qubaisi, President and Speaker of the Federal National Council, and a key facilitator of the economy, Mohammed Ahmed bin Abdul Aziz Al Shihhi, Under-Secretary for Economic Affairs at the UAE Ministry of Economy. Joining them in the session is entrepreneur and philanthropist Raza Jafar, CEO and founder of Enshaa, and Diana Hamade, founder, International Advocate Legal Services.

The ABLF will also showcase thoughts and ideas on "The Economics of Education and Healthcare in Asia" through advocates of change such as Adil Zainulbhai, Chairman, Quality Council of India and Noha Al Yousef, CEO and founder of the Ithraa Consulting Group – ICG.

The important subject of ‘Responsibility Protocol for New Media’ will be discussed by leading figures in the UAE media space, including Mona Al Marri, Director-General, Government of Dubai Media Office, Maryam Eid AlMheiri, CEO of the Media Zone Authority - Abu Dhabi (MZA) and CEO, twofour54 along with Suhel Seth, Managing Partner of Counselage, India, and Rajai ElKhadem, Head of Public Sector, Linkedin MENA.

Raising awareness of the dawn of technology that is causing a revolutionary "Disruption of the Financial Ecosystem", are banking doyens including Arundhati Bhattacharya, Former Chairman and Managing Director of the State Bank of India and Palamadai S Jayakumar, Chairman and Managing Director of India's Bank Of Baroda.

"The Edge of Entrepreneurship", is a session that explores the premise of self-starters and the role governments can play in raising the game for these pioneers who are changing the way business is being conducted, bringing innovation and technology into play. Inspiring the new breed of entrepreneurs are leaders from across the world such as the driving force of one of the most successful global conglomerates, Gopichand P. Hinduja, Co-Chairman of the Hinduja Group, UK, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shaukat Aziz, and the UAE’s distinguished global business entrepreneur, Hussain Jasim Al Nowais, Chairman of Senaat.

The 10th Anniversary Edition of the ABLF will also honour H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Mother of the Nation, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union, Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation and President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, a beloved leader of the UAE, a great humanitarian and an advocate for women's empowerment. The ABLF salutes women leaders across the world who are breaking glass ceilings and bridging chasms everyday and whose growing presence in the global workforce is changing the economic landscape of the world, for the better.

H.H. Sheikha Fatima has been the recipient of the ABLF Sustainable Leadership Icon Award, the highest accolade at the ABLF Awards, and speaking on the event, she said, "The Asian Business Leadership Forum is a great opportunity for exchanging ideas and experiences. It also creates partnerships among those who work in the economic sphere. This reflects positively on the participants and decision makers in Asia. As the ABLF is held in the UAE annually, the UAE confirms its entrepreneurship in launching constructive initiatives for supporting the economy and for building generations capable of participating in the economic progression of the Asian countries"

For 2017, the ABLF will shine a global spotlight on the UAE as it continues to facilitate dynamic engagement between leaders from across the region to collaborate and explore the immense opportunities afforded at the congress.

Harnessing the power of live digital media, the ABLF seeks to reach multitudes of Asian youth, to both inspire and mentor young leaders who are key to the future of the region and sustainable global economic development, and to this end, the 2017 Edition will witness a gathering of Asia's finest leadership, featuring high-ranking government officials, policymakers, global influencers, social advocates, and the powerful ABLF Alumni.