Prepare young leaders for the future, say speakers at YAL - Kuwait's first annual meeting

YAL Kuwait, which was launched last year, is seeking to drive new membership from Kuwait's young leaders to add to the growing group of regional leaders who are part of the initiative. The annual meeting featured talks by both YAL officials and prominent leaders from the business world.

Addressing the meeting, His Excellency Dr. Omar Bin Sulaiman, Chairman of the Board of Directors, YAL, said that educated youth who can take informed decisions hold the key to positive change and entrepreneurial development in the region. As leaders, it's our role to prepare Arab youth for the future. In doing so, we need to have faith in their innate creativity and their ability to drive change and growth. Our aspiration is for them to achieve far greater than what our generation has achieved."

Mrs. Maha Al-Ghunaim, Chairperson of YAL's Kuwait Chapter underscored the need for young Arab leaders to gain first hand work experience in global companies to further their development. She also stressed on creating an environment where young Arab leaders can network with their counterparts across the Arab region and share knowledge and experiences.

Launched on January 25, 2004 at the World Economic Forum, Young Arab Leaders, has a Board of Trustees comprised of visionary leaders like HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai; His Majesty King Abdullah II of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and HH Sheikh Salman Bin Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa, Crown Prince of Bahrain and Commander-In-Chief of the Bahrain Defence Force.

YAL's goal is to grow its membership base to 500 leaders representing sectors across the region's business spectrum. This year's annual meeting, held at the Al-Babtain Library, was attended by YAL members and prominent members of Kuwaiti society.

Participants at the meeting had a chance to listen to the experiences of Dr. Saad Al-Barrak, Chairman and Managing Director of Zain, one of the most respected business personalities in Kuwait.

In a dialogue with Khalid Al-Roudan, Marketing Manager of Al Bayan Investment Company, Dr. Al- Barrak talked about the insights he gained in his long business career on issues as varied as leadership, courage, confidence and problem solving.

"Always be at the forefront of your chosen field, dare to be different and have a big appetite for risk if you want to succeed," said Dr. Al Barrak. Stressing the need to be bold and creative in business, Dr. Barrak said that directors and managers working with him in Zain would not have been successful if they hadn't been adventurous.

Last year YAL launched a number of different initiatives aimed at developing young Arabs and helping them realize their potential.

Some of the initiatives include program that offer internship opportunities in multinational corporations in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

The first of these is "The Internship Exchange Program" for Arab university students between 18 and 23 years of age. The program offers opportunities for Arab students to intern with the Germany office of Daimler, one of the world's leading automotive companies.

The second internship initiative is the three-week "Arab American Fellowship Program," in which ten young American professionals will be mentored by senior managers and CEOs in a three week program. The program will give the professionals an opportunity to learn more about the business sector in the Middle East.

The third internship program titled the "Arab Asian Internship Exchange Program" offered in cooperation with the Keppel group, provides students an opportunity to gain experience in an Asian environment.

Another educational initiative aimed at young professionals between 20 and 30 years of age is "The Top Talent Exchange Program." This program is designed to bring together selected graduates from Arab countries and Europe to work on solving global business challenges.

"The public needs to be made aware of the different opportunities provided by YAL. This is an opportunity for our young entrepreneurs to network and for us to support potential entrepreneurs with business ideas," emphasized Al-Ghunaim.

Attendees at the annual meeting of YAL's Kuwait chapter included prominent businesspersons, young entrepreneurs, and leading businessmen.

Prominent members of YAL-Kuwait include Dr. Rola Dashti, Chairperson Kuwait Economic Society & FARO International Co., Fareed Al-Fozan, Vice Chairman, Gulf Group Holding Company, Ayad Al-Khorafi, Chairman Scientific Club, Rana Al-Khalid, Director, Private Equity, NBK Capital, Ali Al-Rashed, Member of Kuwait's National Assembly, and Sheikha Dana Al-Sabah, Chairperson of the American University of Kuwait's (AUK) Board of Trustees.

Members of YAL are men and women from the Arab world who are leading figures in their sectors committed to playing an active role in the development of the region.

Individuals are nominated for membership from a multitude of disciplines and sectors including business, politics, media, culture, science and civil society.

YAL currently has regional chapters in Kuwait, Lebanon, Jordan, UAE, Palestine, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia.