LONDON, UK, Dec. 11, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via PRWEB - Conway Events has confirmed top international thought leaders and CEOs of multinational corporations as speakers for the 12th WORLD FORUM for Foreign Direct Investment, to be held on February 7-10, 2015, in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. The global event will be organized by Conway Events and hosted by the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), bringing together CEOs of international companies, investment promotion agencies/economic development organizations, and the world's leading site consultants.
"The WORLD FORUM for Foreign Direct Investment will bring together an influential collection of those who generate FDI to share their perspectives on multinational corporate location and trends affecting the international business community," said Cathy Dawson, President of Conway Events. "We are thrilled to have secured the strongest roster of speakers on FDI to date."
Headlining the WORLD FORUM as keynote speakers are The Rt. Hon the Lord Mandelson, former European Commissioner and former aide to Tony Blair, and Tony Fernandes, Founder of Air Asia. Additionally, Frank Gardner OBE, an award-winning BBC correspondent with extensive experience in the Middle East, is confirmed as the moderator of the event.
Other notable keynote speakers and panellists include:
- Mr. Mishal Kanoo, Deputy Chairman, Kanoo Group
- Mr. Muzaffar Hisham, Chief Executive Officer, Maybank
- Mr. Badr Jafar, Chief Executive Officer, Crescent Enterprises
- Mr. Hussein Hachem, Group Chief Executive Officer, Aramex
- Mr. Halil Kulluk, President & CEO, Intekno Group
- Ms. Dalya Al Muthanna, Chief Executive Officer Gulf Region, General Electric
- Mr. Mohsin Ali Nathani, Chief Executive Officer, UAE Standard Chartered Bank
- Ms. Suparna Singh, Head Minerals and Vice President Corporate Planning, Essar
- Mr. Christopher Sanders, Executive Vice President & Head of Corporate Planning, Leopold KOSTAL
- Ms. Cathy Rodgers, Vice President Global Engagement Office, IBM
- Mr. Craig Hagen, Senior Director Global Government Affairs, Electronic Arts
- Mr. Ihab Ghattas, Deputy President Middle East, Huawei Technologies
- Ms. Zeinab Karake-Shalhoub, Professor RH Smith School of Business, University of Maryland
- Mr. Julio de Quesada, Head of Corporate and Investment Banking Group, Mashreqbank
- Mr. Badlisyah Abdul Ghani, Chief Executive Officer, CIMB Islamic Bank Berhad
- Ms. Aysha BinBraik, Head of Human Resources - Middle East, Shell
- Mr. Mike Weston, Senior Vice President Middle East, Cisco Systems
The theme of the 2015 WORLD FORUM is 'Where East Meets West,' and sessions will cover global foreign direct investment influencers, including the role of diplomacy in cross-border commercial transactions; talent and immigration; ports, airports, and infrastructure; and partnerships between companies from the differing Eastern and Western business cultures.
"Sharjah's selection to host this premier event is a clear indication of the immense strides that the Emirate has undertaken in building its reputation as one of the most vital and fastest growing investment hubs in the region," said HE Marwan bin Jassim Al Sarkal, CEO of Shurooq. "We look forward to welcoming the most influential decision makers in the world of FDI to Sharjah and to capitalising on the opportunities that this event will undoubtedly generate to further expand the Emirate's investment offering."
To register for the WORLD FORUM for Foreign Direct Investment and to obtain additional information about the speakers and panellists, visit http://www.worldforumforfdi.com.
About Shurooq
Established in 2009, the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority, Shurooq, strives to encourage investment in Sharjah by adopting the best international standards in providing quality services that help attract investors from the region and the world. Shurooq's key mission is to provide facilities and incentives to help overcome obstacles facing investment activities in the Emirate, evaluate tourism and investment related infrastructure projects, and lay down the necessary plans to complete such projects. http://www.shurooq.gov.ae
About Conway Events (formerly Red Hot Locations)
Conway Events is the world's leading events firm on foreign direct investment FDI and global corporate location trends. Our conferences, forums and seminars are about why and where in the world companies in all sectors are locating their facilities. And what cities, regions and countries can do to attract companies to their locations. http://www.redhotlocations.com
About Conway Data Inc.
For six decades Conway Data Inc. (CDI) has been the leader in providing business intelligence, training and services to corporate investors and economic development agencies around the world. The firm manages the Industrial Asset Management Council, the leading association of industrial asset management and corporate real estate executives, their suppliers and service providers, and economic developers. CDI also owns and manages London-based Red Hot Locations, New York-based The PONT Group, Berlin-based consultancy Terrain, and the Janus Institute. CDI has offices in Atlanta, New York, London, Berlin, Mumbai, Mexico City, Philadelphia, Nashville and Kuala Lumpur. Site Selection magazine (http://www.siteselection.com), published by CDI since 1954, delivers expansion planning information to 49,000 subscribers, many of them employed by fast-growing firms. Site Selection's growing family of e-newsletters includes the Site Selection Dispatch, The Site Selection Energy Report, The Site Selection Life Sciences Report, Site Selection International, The Site Selection Aerospace Report, and The FDI Report. http://www.conway.com
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