Invest in Sharjah and Euromoney Emirates Conference Announces Outstanding Line-Up of Speakers

The UAE’s upcoming Euromoney Conference, organised and co-hosted by the Sharjah FDI Office (Invest in Sharjah), has named its key speakers and attendees, which include 35 of the leading finance and investment experts from across the region and beyond, with more than 350 confirmed CEOs and high-level executives participating at the conference from across the world.

The two-day Euromoney Emirates Conference being held on 8-9 May, 2017, at the Sheraton Sharjah Hotel, will be held under the theme 'Finance and Investment for an Innovative Economy'. It will highlight the shifts in economic policy necessary to sustain investment growth, encourage innovation across industries, and enable financial institutions and SMEs to prepare for the future by adopting the most secure technology.

Invest in Sharjah, the entity responsible for intensifying Sharjah Government’s efforts to promote the emirate’s business and investment opportunities in key international markets, will welcome representatives from leading fiancial institutions to discuss the next phases of development in the UAE, in particular Sharjah, in its efforts to become among the region’s top economies.

Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Mohamad bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, the conference will feature a number of welcome addresses presented by: His Excellency Mr Younis Haji Alkhoori, Undersecretary, Ministry of Finance, United Arab Emirates, His Excellency Marwan bin Jassim Al Sarkal, CEO of the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) and Mr. Richard Banks, Consulting Editor for the Euromoney Conference.

The conference will also feature a number of expert speakers, including: His Excellency Dr Obaid Saif Al Zaabi, Acting Chief Executive Officer, Securities and Commodities Authority, Hussain Mohammed Al Mahmoudi, CEO of the American University of Sharjah Enterprises; Tarek Fadlallah, CEO of Nomura Asset Management; Dr Magda Kandil, Chief Economist and Head of Research, Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates; Alia Moubayed, Director of the Geo-economics and Strategy Programme; and Krysta Fox and Executive Director, DMCC.

Other experts include: Tom Nauwelaerts, Managing Director, Momentum Logistics; Eman Al Mahmoud, Programs Manager, Sheraa; Walid Hanna, Founder, and Managing Partner, Middle East Venture Partners; Noor Shawwa, Managing Director, Endeavor UAE; Omar Soudodi, Managing Director, Payfort; Wael Aburida, Managing Partner, Halo Investment Management; Fadi Al Said, Director, Portfolio Manager, Lazard Asset Management; Charbel Azzi, Senior Director, Head of S&P Dow Jones Indices for Middle East, Africa, Turkey, Russia and CIS, S&P Global; and Pankaj Gupta, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer UAE, Gulf Islamic Investments.

Mohammed Juma Al Musharrakh, Director of Invest in Sharjah Office, believes the line-up is reflective of the calibre of the conference and the progress of Sharjah on a regional and global investment stage.

“Euromoney is a world-renowned source of economic insight and a bellwether of market trends. Its conferences are seen as an essential extension of its core research and publications and are held in the nerve centres of regional economies worldwide. The fact they are coming to the United Arab Emirates for this year and have chosen Sharjah as the venue is indicative of the huge strides we have made and the interest that we have generated over recent years,” he said.

With a mix of keynote presentations, on-stage interviews, panel discussions and workshops, the conference will address crucial topics related to an innovative economy and its mechanisms. At a time of fiscal uncertainty and global economic caution, this includes globalisation, energy markets and new technology, and the UAE will outline its intentions specifically with regards to the country’s aspirations, policies and strategies for an innovative economy.

Al Musharrakh added: “It is important to remember that Invest in Sharjah is more than a facilitator at this event, it is more than a host, it is a leader in its content and the premier business representative for the UAE.”

Shurooq was established in 2009 with the aim of achieving social, cultural, environmental and economic development on the basis of Sharjah’s distinct Arab and Islamic identity. It is focused on encouraging investment by adopting the best international standards in providing quality services that help attract investors from across the region and around the world.

Shurooq’s key mission is to provide facilities and incentives to help overcome obstacles facing investment activities in the emirate, evaluate investment-related infrastructure projects, and lay down the necessary plans to complete such projects.