Mohammed Al Gergawi to open 'Leaders in Dubai' conference

The ground-breaking event is being held in Dubai on November 29 - 30, under the patronage of His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Defence Minister.

Al Gergawi and 40 other Young Arab Leaders, apart from leaders from the world over, will attend the debate.

Gergawi said: "Young Arab Leaders has aligned itself with this event as it also promotes the development of leadership. We share the common strategy of promoting effective leadership in upcoming generations. We at Young Arab Leaders aim to provide young leaders across all sectors with the opportunity to network and co-operate across Arab borders. Our mission is to identify, promote and prepare for a better future as the leaders of tomorrow."

Gergawi will make the opening address at the event, which is expected to attract more than 2,500 delegates.

Seven global experts from the worlds of business, politics and academia will debate the most effective styles of leadership at the event.

Speaker line-up
The speaker line-up will feature Rudy Giuliani, the former Mayor of New York, who led the city through its recovery process after September 11; and Jack Welch, the charismatic former CEO of General Electric, who will speak via video-cast.

From the academic world, Michael Porter, a Professor of Harvard Business School, will take to the stage, as well as Lester Thurow, Professor of Management and Economics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and acknowledged as a world expert on the new global economy.

Joining them will be Tom Peters, said to be the 'Ur-guru (super guru) of management'; Alvin Toffler, the world's most influential futurologist; and Frank Maguire, the best-selling author and communications expert who steered programmes for FedEx and American Airlines.

Mohamed Alabbar, Director General of Dubai's Department of Economic Development, will hold a live bilateral debate on values-based leadership with Giuliani. Alongside these global speakers, a number of leaders from Arabia - from both business and semi-government sectors - will be on hand to debate issues and strategy.

The event, which is tipped to be the biggest business event in Dubai since Dubai 2003, the Annual Meetings of the Joint Secretariat of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, will be held at the Dubai International Convention Centre on November 29 and 30.

Leaders in Dubai is sponsored by EMAAR, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), Citigroup, Shell, Nokia and Visa International. Al Hayat, Ameinfo.com, CNN and Gulf Business are the event's key media partners, HP is the technology supporter and the official hotel is The Fairmont, Dubai.

The event is organised by Leading Minds, part of the IIR international group. Leading Minds specialises in presenting the latest thoughts and groundbreaking ideas from pre-eminent international business authorities.