Global Innovators honored at 50-nation Future Capitals Summit in Abu Dhabi

The event is being held at the InterContinental Hotel and features trophies created by Egizia of Tuscany, Italy's oldest and most renowned luxury design group.

The Most Innovative People honorees include H.H. Dr. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saif Al-Nahayan, Chairman of Etihad Airlines for Business Innovation; Mr. Hector de J. Ruiz, Executive Chairman of AMD for Improving Lives; Professor Stephen Hawking, Theoretical Physicist for Science Innovation for Peace; T.H. Leopoldo Lopez Mendoza, Mayor of Chacao, Venezuela for Resiliency; Mr. Emilio Ambasz, Global Award Winning Architect and Industrial Designer for Architecture Innovation; H.E. Tarja Halonen, President of Finland for Visionary Global Leadership Across Cultures; Mr. William (Bill) H. Gates, Chairman, Microsoft Corporation, for Technology Innovation; T.H. Edi Rama Mayor of Tiran, Albania, for Transforming Cities.

Sam Hamdan, Chairman of the Global Leadership Team and Architect of the Summit, said:

"An important ingredient of our Summit is to celebrate the achievements of innovators who are creating a new generation of products, services, solutions and experiences that shape our world. The success of Future Capital depends on innovation; they all need resident geniuses and mavericks. Today's honorees are their models."

The major emphasis of the Summit is developing standards and partnerships for Future Capitals—those that will emerge from today's economic crises as the world's next set of great cities. They are the places that will attract the greatest share of business, investment and development capital over the next decade; they will drive the technology and environmental breakthroughs; they will be magnets for governmental, social, educational innovation.
Sponsors of the Summit include Sorouh, Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce, Council of Saudi Chambers, Mercociudades, Cisco, Microsoft, Intel, PepsiCo International, INSEAD, Illy, CNIT, Omagine, University of Tampere, Chantilly Chocolatier among others.

And is supported by multiple agencies of the United Nations, the African Union, CEOs for Cities, Mercacadaus and leading international business councils and multinational corporations.

The Summit was created by Global Leadership Team (GLT), an innovation management firm with a network of relationships in major media, cultural, business, and knowledge capitals in 100 countries. The firm is the architect for global change through connecting extraordinary people to solve the most pressing challenges facing corporations and emerging governments. GLT focuses primarily on emerging markets, and specializes in innovation strategies, leadership relations, policy counseling and program management.