Global brands to participate in ground-breaking debates at Leaders in Dubai

Corporate heads of Shell, Nokia, Visa, SABIC and Citigroup will be taking part in a series of exclusive panel discussions and debates at the event, including a bi-lateral debate between Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York, who will be making his first trip to the Middle East, and Mohamed Alabbar.

Alabbar, Chairman of Emaar Properties and Director General of Dubai's Department of Economic Development, will debate Leadership Principles with Giuliani live on stage. The debate will be moderated by CNN anchor Charles Hodson.

Alabbar said: "Leaders in Dubai will provide a unique platform for an enriching exchange with international leaders. We want to engage in dialogue that will position Dubai as an open, cosmopolitan hub, and will showcase our contribution to the global debate on leadership, governance and responsibility towards future generations."

Ron Van Den Berg, chairman for Shell Dubai & Northern Emirates, will participate in a panel discussion with speaker Tom Peters and Abdulla Al Zamil, COO Zamil Industrial Investment Company, on the issue of Reinventing Leadership for the 21st Century.

Futurist Alvin Toffler will discuss Bringing the Future Forward with Fadi Ghandour, president and CEO of Aramex and His Excellency Mohamed H Al-Mady, vice chairman and CEO of SABIC.

Eddie Maalouf, general manager Nokia Middle East and North Africa, will step up to the stage to discuss The New Learning About Customer Satisfaction with speaker Frank Maguire and Mubarak Al Muhairi, director general of the new Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority.

Lester Thurow will discuss Tapping Into Globalisation with Anne Cobb, president of Visa International CEMEA; while Deepak Sharma, president of Citigroup Private Bank Asia Pacific and Middle East will introduce Giuliani's speech.

Tina Schneidermann, president of LEADING MINDS, the organisers of the event, said: "The panel discussions, where global leaders debate policy and theory with the best of Corporate Arabia, will set this event apart from anything in its sector.

"This combination of global brand names, semi-government and regional entrepreneurs will give a timely insight into the workings of Arabia, while the seven global thinkers provide the international overview."

More than 1,800 tickets have already been sold for the event, with organisers increasing capacity to more than 2,500 to match the demand.

Schneidermann added: "Delegates will get a clear view of what the world will look like in three, five or 10 or more years time so that they can more realistically adapt their business strategies."

Leaders in Dubai will be held at the Dubai International Convention Centre (DICC) on November 29-30 2004.