Agenda as of March 30, 2015

“Boosting Cross-MENA Business Ventures & FDI from the USA”

AmCham MENA Regional Council Conference 2015
#ThinkMENABiz
The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal
Abu Dhabi, UAE
April 8, 2015   

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

“An Exploration of Business Opportunities Across the MENA Region:
International and Local Companies Seizing First-Mover Advantages During the Ongoing Transitional Period.”

 
8:00 a.m. Conference Registration and Networking
8:45 a.m. Opening Plenary Session
 
  • Matthew E. Byrd, Chairman, AmCham MENA Regional Council, Chairman, AmCham Abu Dhabi and CEO, Gulf Alliance Company - A Ross Perot Company, UAE
 
  • Hisham A. Fahmy, Regional Coordinating Officer, AmCham MENA Council and CEO, AmCham Egypt
 
  • Sharief Fahmy, Board Member and Chair, US-UAE Relations Committee, AmCham Abu Dhabi, UAE and CEO, Middle East General Enterprises, UAE
 
  • Ethan Goldrich, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of the USA, Abu Dhabi, UAE
 
  • H.E. Yousef Al Otaiba, UAE Ambassador to the USA, Washington DC, USA
  Conference Host:
 
  • John Habib, Board Secretary, Legal Affairs Committee Chair, AmCham Abu Dhabi and Managing Partner, Qasimi Law Partners MENA, UAE
9:00 a.m. Keynote Address            
9:30 a.m. Session 1: “Where We Are Now: Cross-MENA Trade & Investment: Present Realities-Future Potential”
 

Moderator: Mohamed Bataineh, Chairman, AmCham Jordan and CEO of BADR Developments, Jordan

 
  • H.E. Juma Al Kait, Assistant Under-Secretary for Foreign Trade and Industry, Ministry of Economy, UAE
 
  • H.E. Zayed bin Rashid Alzayani, Minister of Industry & Commerce, Bahrain
10:30 a.m. Coffee Break
10:50 a.m. Session 2: “Angels, Accelerators, VCs & Private Equity: Hype or Viable Funding Sources?”
 

Moderator: Walter Siouffi, Chairman, AmCham Morocco and Managing Director, Citibank
Maghreb, Morocco
 
  • Ovais Naqvi, Managing Director, Abraaj Capital, UAE
 
  • Ahmed El Alfy, Founder and Chairman, Sawari Ventures, Egypt
 
  • Salem Al Noaimi, CEO and Managing Director, Waha Capital, UAE
 
  • Kamal Hassan, President and CEO, i360, UAE
 
  • Tarek Sadi, Managing Director, Endeavor, Lebanon
 
  • Rabih Khaoury, Chairman, Middle East Venture Partners, Lebanon
   
12:00 p.m.

Session 3: “U.S. Investments in the MENA Region: Boosting Intra-regional business cooperation through Enhanced Supply Chain Systems”
  Moderator: Anis Aclimandos, President, AmCham Egypt and President, Transcentury Associates, Egypt
 
  • Tim Richards, Managing Director, Government Affairs & Policy, MENAT Region, General Electric, UAE
 
  • Mohamed Samir, VP Operations, PepsiCo North East Africa, Egypt
 
  • Badr Al-Olama, CEO, Strata Manufacturing, UAE
 
  • John Smith, Bottler Supply Chain and Development Director, The Coca-Cola Company, UAE
 
  • Andreas Schmitt, Global Supply Chain Director, Dow Chemicals, Egypt
1:00 p.m.  Conference Luncheon
2:30 p.m. Session 4: “U.S. & Regional Government / Private Sector Initiatives for Economic Growth”
  Moderator: Qays El Zubi, President, AmCham Bahrain and Senior Partner, Zu’bi & Partners
 
  • John Simmons, Regional Senior Commercial Officer for the Gulf and Counselor for Commercial Affairs, Embassy of the USA, Abu Dhabi, UAE
 
  • The Honorable Michael Ratney, US Consul General, US Consulate, Jerusalem
 
  • Said Baransi, Chairman, AmCham Palestine and Founder and Managing Director, BCI, Palestine
4:00 p.m. Conference Closing Session – Reporting on Outcomes
  Matthew E. Byrd, Chairman, AmCham MENA Regional Council, Chairman, AmCham Abu Dhabi and CEO, Gulf Alliance Company – A Ross Perot Company, UAE
4:30 p.m. Adjournment
   
Sponsors
Airline partner
Media partner