Over 1,800 delegates to gather at the Abu Dhabi World Leadership Summit 2006

This day long leadership and knowledge sharing forum brings together a diverse group of business and political leaders from various backgrounds to share their views on leadership and the Middle East.

Divulging details on the latest developments, Mohammed Shareef Abdul Raheem, Vice Chairman & Managing Director - Global Events said, "We are delighted with the response received this year for this leadership summit. This year's summit has seen a record 45% per cent increase in the number of delegates. This event has also attracted a high number of corporate sponsors which illustrates the significance and influence of this very special gathering - as well as the increasing importance of Abu Dhabi as a commercial centre."

He further added, "As the host city, Abu Dhabi itself is a fine example of growth and achievement that has been guided by strong leadership. A chance to listen and learn from the experiences of globally renowned and eminent personalities all on one common platform is indeed a rare opportunity that we hope local and regional delegates will make the most of."

This leadership conference with a mixture of keynote speeches and moderated interviews will emphasize the strong need for regional leadership initiatives to achieve excellence and will be graced by the presence of the UAE Ruling Family, senior Government officials, Ambassadors, dignitaries, international and regional business leaders.

The presenter and moderator for this event is Mr. Tim Sebastian who is well known as the former presenter of the BBC's international flagship interview program, HARDtalk. Having traveled the world for the last seven years, he has interviewed the world's newsmakers and personalities - from presidents, prime ministers and kings to authors, actors and musicians.

The Abu Dhabi World Leadership Summit 2006 brings together some of the world's most influential minds and global ambassadors, all live and in person on one platform. The main aim of the summit is to empower delegates with knowledge from the experiences of some of the world's most powerful leaders as well as enhancing leadership development skills, competitive business development, management tactics, networking and relationship building among others.

The Abu Dhabi World Leadership Summit 2006 is being sponsored by Hydra Properties, and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank as Diamond Sponsors; Omniyat Properties, Al Fahim, Higher Corporation for Specialized Economic Zones (ZonesCorp) Abu Dhabi and Gulf Holding Corporation as Platinum Sponsors, Shuaa Capital as Gold Sponsor, TAQA as Silver Sponsor and Manazel and ADNOC as Bronze Sponsors.

The media partners for the summit are: BBC World, CNBC Arabiya, Al Ittihad Daily and Abu Dhabi TV as the Diamond Sponsors; MEED, Gulf News, Arabies Trends and Communicate as the Platinum Sponsors; Zawya as the official online partner; Dubai German Media as the Silver media partner. The event is supported by Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Higher Colleges of Technology and Eithad Airways as the official airline and Emirates Palace as the official hotel.