DOHA, Qatar--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The first ever Bloomberg Doha Conference organized by Bloomberg LINK in partnership with the Qatar Financial Centre Authority (“QFC Authority”) opens tomorrow, Monday, April 16th at the Ritz Carlton, Doha. More than 300 asset managers and financial industry leaders from Asia, Europe, the U.S. and the Middle East are expected to attend.
H.E. Sheikh Abdulla Bin Saoud Al-Thani, Governor of the Central Bank, State of Qatar, will deliver the keynote address. Abdulrahman Ahmad Al-Shaibi, Managing Director and Board Member of the Qatar Financial Centre Authority, will describe how awareness and understanding of the Qatar Financial Centre are growing globally, Wilbur L. Ross, Jr., Chairman and CEO, WL Ross & Co will discuss the continuing fall out from the global financial crisis and the investment opportunities it creates, and Nemir A. Kirdar, Founder, Executive Chairman and CEO, Investcorp, will talk on the evolution of alternative investments.
The conference will go on to examine major themes such as the global challenges affecting asset managers, the investment opportunities in a broad range of asset classes and the market conditions for investors in the Middle East.
The wide range of topics to be debated will include the changing landscape for private equity, the outlook for investment banking in the region, the opportunities for foreign direct investment, real estate opportunities in emerging markets, Qatar’s National Vision 2030 and financial sustainability as the country invests heavily in infrastructure and prepares for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and regulatory developments in Qatar’s financial markets.
Panelists will also discuss how many countries in the Middle East are working to diversify away from oil-based economies, how the exchange rate dynamics in the GCC may be creating pressures for change, how the wave of uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa will affect business in the region, where investors can find opportunities in Afghanistan and Iraq as new emerging markets, and the growing demand for Islamic Finance.
“We’re looking forward to the start of our first Middle East conference in Qatar and are confident that the Bloomberg brand and the community will benefit from this new event, particularly given that nearly 50 percent of the audience are traveling from outside of the Middle East to join us,” said Robert Bierman, head of Bloomberg LINK. “These participants will have the opportunity to hear the perspectives of influential business, government and finance leaders who are converging in Doha from three continents.”
Shashank Srivastava, Acting CEO, the QFC Authority, said: “The Bloomberg Doha Conference takes place amid renewed global economic uncertainty. By bringing together an outstanding group of participants to gain a clear insight into the asset management industry’s development, the conference aims to help them in their investment decisions. This first Bloomberg Doha Conference is testimony to Qatar’s progress as a financial centre and the Gulf’s growing importance, and we at the QFC Authority are honoured to support it.”
Key speakers include:
- H.E. Sheikh Abdulla Bin Saoud Al-Thani, Governor of Qatar Central Bank
- Abdulrahman Ahmad Al-Shaibi, Managing Director and Board Member, Qatar Financial Centre Authority; Director of Finance, Qatar Petroleum Group
- Fahad Bin Mohammed Al-Attiyah, Executive Chairman, Qatar National Food Security Programme
- Issa Bin Mohammed Al Mohannadi, Chief Executive Officer, Msheireb Properties
- Arnab Banerji, Chairman, Collabrium Capital
- Nemir Kirdar, Founder, Executive Chairman and CEO, Investcorp
- Salah Jaidah, Vice Chairman, MENA and Chief Country Officer, Deutsche Bank AG (QFC) Branch; Chairman, Islamic Finance, Deutsche Bank AG
- Sam Zell, Chairman, Equity Group Investments
- Tom Speechley , Senior Partner, Abraaj Capital
- Wahidullah Shahrani, Minister of Mines, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
- Wilbur L. Ross, Jr., Chairman and CEO, WL Ross & Co.
- Yorick Van Slingelandt, Managing Director, Co-Head of Investment Banking, MENA, Moelis & Company.
Delegates and media will have the opportunity to make organised visits to several prominent Qatari institutions and developments. They include the Msheireb Enrichment Centre – a landmark destination created by Msheireb Properties to serve as an educational portal to showcase Qatar’s glorious past and soaring ambitions for the future – and Qatari Diar for the presentation of the Qatar Rail project, which highlights the country’s economic and social goals.
For updates on the program and speakers, please visit: http://www.bloomberglink.com/doha.
Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter (@BBGLINK). The hashtag for this event is #BBdoha.
For more information on Bloomberg, please visit http://www.bloomberg.com/about, and for further information about the QFC Authority http://www.qfc.com.qa.
About Bloomberg LINK
Bringing the power of Bloomberg to the executive conference business, Bloomberg LINK produces invitation-only, in-person gatherings that combine world-class editorial programming with peer-to-peer networking amongst the who’s who in influential communities. In this environment, participants engage in open discussions that lead to learning from each other’s expertise and experience. For more information, please visit www.bloomberglink.com.
About Bloomberg
Bloomberg, the global business and financial information and news leader, gives influential decision makers a critical edge by connecting them to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas. The company’s strength--delivering data, news and analytics through innovative technology, quickly and accurately--is at the core of the Bloomberg Professional service, which provides real time financial information to more than 300,000 subscribers globally. Bloomberg’s enterprise solutions build on the company’s core strength, leveraging technology to allow customers to access, integrate, distribute and manage data and information across organizations more efficiently and effectively. Through Bloomberg Law, Bloomberg Government, Bloomberg New Energy Finance, and Bloomberg BNA, the company provides data, news and analytics to decision makers in industries beyond finance. And Bloomberg News, delivered through the Bloomberg Professional service, television, radio, mobile, the Internet and two magazines, Bloomberg Businessweek and Bloomberg Markets, covers the world with more than 2,300 news and multimedia professionals at 146 bureaus in 72 countries. Headquartered in New York, Bloomberg employs more than 15,000 people in 192 locations around the world.
About QFC
The Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) is a financial and business centre established by the Government of Qatar and located in Doha. It has been designed to attract international financial services institutions and major multi-national corporations, in particular those operating in the reinsurance, captive insurance and asset management sectors, and to encourage participation in the growing market for financial services in Qatar and elsewhere in the region. The QFC operates to international standards and provides a first class legal and business infrastructure for those operating within the QFC. The QFC was created by Qatar Law No. (7) and has been open for business since 1 May 2005.
QFC Authority
The QFC Authority is the commercial, administrative and legislative body responsible for leading the expansion of Qatar’s financial services sector, providing a uniquely sustainable platform for regional growth in reinsurance, captive insurance and asset management.
For more information on the QFC Authority please visit www.qfc.com.qa.