Leaders in Dubai appoints corporate ambassadors representing leaders from Arabia

The presence of the corporate ambassadors lobby came as a direct response to a request from the conference speakers - including former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani and Jack Welch, ex-CEO of General Electric.

The seven global leaders wanted a group of the most recognised and contemporary business leaders in the Middle East to be present at the event to debate ideas for future leadership development in the region.

To date, the corporate ambassadors are :

• from Bahrain, Bharat Jashanmal, managing director of one of the region's leading retail groups, Jashanmal Group, and Khamis Al Muqla, chairman and managing director of Gulf Saatchi & Saatchi and founder of Gulf Hill & Knowlton;

• Saudi industrialist, Abdulla Al Zamil, chief operating officer of Saudi Arabia's Zamil Industrial Investment Company;

• Hussain M Sultan, group chief executive and board member of Dubai-based Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC);

• from the Abu Dhabi emirate, Mubarak Al Muhairi, director general, Al Ain Economic Development and Tourism Promotion Authority;

• Jordanian entrepreneur, Fadi Ghandour, founding president & CEO of Aramex International;

• Lebanese businessman Jacques J Sarraf, the former head of Lebanon's Association of Industrialists and Chairman of the country's giant Malia Group;

• His Excellency Sheikh Faisal bin Khalid Al Qassemi, chairman of the Sharjah-based Al Qasimi Group of companies;

• And award-winning, veteran hotelier, Sami Zoghbi, managing director, Le Meridien, Middle East and West Asia.

The corporate ambassadors will join the seven global personalities, all leaders in their own fields, who will address Leaders in Dubai, to be held at the Dubai International Convention Centre.

As well as Giuliani, the global leaders on stage include: Harvard Business School Professor Michael Porter, Tom Peters, the management guru; best-selling author Frank Maguire; MIT's Professor of Management and Economics, Lester Thurow; influential futurist, Alvin Toffler. Welch will address the audience via a live satellite link.

Sheena Dunne, project director for the conference organisers Leading Minds, said: 'Our cross-selection of corporate ambassadors represents the diversity and strength of Arabia's business world.

'Their presence at the event, where they will network with our global speakers, will add regional insight to international leadership issues.'

Leaders in Dubai is expected to attract more than 1,500 business leaders. It will be the biggest business conference to be held at the Dubai International Convention Centre since the Annual Meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in September 2003.

It has attracted the attention of established brands as key sponsors, including Citigroup, Ferrometal and SABIC. Al Hayat, Ameinfo.com, CNN and Gulf Business are on board as key media partners.

Leading Minds specialises in presenting the latest thoughts and groundbreaking ideas from pre-eminent international business authorities. Leaders in Dubai is set to become an annual event and the inaugural edition will be held at the Dubai International Convention Centre from November 29-30.