President Hosni Mubarak and US President George W. Bush among 12 government leaders confirmed for May 18th opening session

1500 government, business and community leaders will attend from 55 countries

Dubai, May 13, 2008: Mohammed Alshaya, Chairman of M.H. Alshaya Co, is to play a leading role at this year's Middle East World Economic Forum meeting in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, 18-20 May, as the first Kuwaiti national to hold the prestigious role of Co-Chair. 

The Middle East's edition of the World Economic Forum this year will be attended by 12 heads of state and government, including: President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt; President George W. Bush of the United States of America; H.M. King Abdullah Ibn Al Hussein of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan; H.H. Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar; and H.H. Sheikh Nasser Al Mohammed Al Ahmad Al Sabah, Prime Minister of Kuwait. They will be among 1500 participants including ministers, leading business figures and leaders from civil society and the media.  

The theme of the event is "Learning from the Future", and will include debates and discussions centered on future scenarios giving alternative views on how the business, political and social environment might change between now and 2025.  The use of scenarios is aimed at being provocative, stimulating and challenging so as to encourage participants to explore long term trends.

Mr. Mohammed Alshaya said the debate is timely for the region as it continues to grow and develop but also wrestles with some important questions, including regional conflict and the social and economic pressures of growing population and rising inflation.

"We have an important agenda that will challenge our region, economically, socially and environmentally.  I hope a clear understanding will emerge of the kind of initiatives needed to address the issues the region must face - employment, the role of the private sector, the rediscovery of entrepreneurship, and how we educate future generations so that they maximize their potential," he said.

"While we are a region on a steep growth curve, and have benefited from recent economic development, we have not necessarily paid enough attention to important issues that could restrict our progress.  These include focusing on providing the right levels of training and education to youth that will enable a restructuring of the labor market, lessening our reliance on overseas workers and unlocking local talent as well as the development of small and medium enterprises," he said. 

"We could do better in all these areas and I am confident this year's forum will provide an opportunity to discuss the obstacles and make recommendations that will have a tangible benefit for our region and the world as a whole.  After the debates and discussions we must see commitment and action."

Mr Alshaya will be joined by five other fellow co-chairs:; H.R.H. The Duke of York, UK Special Representative for International Trade and Investment; Yuriko Koike, Member of the House of Representatives, National Diet of Japan; Paul Rice, President and Chief Executive Officer, TransFair, USA; Jimmy Wales, Founder and Chair Emeritus, Wikia, USA; and Khalid Abdulla-Janahi, Chairman, Ithmaar Bank of Bahrain.

In addition to his duties as Co-Chair, Mr. Alshaya will be participating as a panelist in a session entitled "Secrets of Success - the making of the Middle Eastern Multinational" along with Tarek Sultan Al-Essa, Chairman, Agility; Naguib Sawiris, CEO, Orascom Telecom and Arif Naqvi, CEO, Abraj Capital.He will also participate in a discussion on corporate global citizenship entitled "Does Arab Business Care?" which will be held with Ahmed Mahmoud Nazif, Prime Minister of Egypt; Fadi Ghandour, Founder and CEO, Aramex and Jozette Sheeran Executive Director, World Food Programme, UN.

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About M.H. Alshaya Co.
M.H. Alshaya Co. is a leading international franchise operator for over 40 of the world's most recognized retail brands, including Starbucks, H&M, The Body Shop, Foot Locker, Mothercare, Debenhams, River Island and Boots. The company operates over 1,400 stores across six divisions: Fashion & Footwear, Health & Beauty, Food, Casual Dining, Optics and Pharmaceuticals. 

M.H. Alshaya Co. stores can currently be found in 16 markets across the Middle East, North Africa, Turkey, Cyprus, Russia, Poland and Egypt. More recently, the company launched operations in Slovakia, Czech Republic and Hungary. It employs more than 14,000 people from over 35 nationalities.

The company has established itself as the industry leader across these territories through a combination of local market understanding and a comprehensive commitment to customer service. Growth in each of its operating divisions and brands is supported by continuous investment in talent and infrastructure. It applies best practices in retail operations, merchandising, marketing, information technology, logistics, real estate, human resources and financial controls. 

M.H. Alshaya Co. is the retail business of the Alshaya Group, which was founded in Kuwait in 1890 and today represents one of the most dynamic companies in the Middle East.  In addition to its retail operations, the Alshaya Group is active in a number of other sectors including real estate, automotive, hotels, trading and investments.

Learn more about the company at www.alshaya.com.

For further information, please contact:
Jonathan Tudor/Lisa George,
ASDA'A Public Relations, Dubai.
Tel: +971 334 4550
Mob: +971 50 289 4699 (Jonathan Tudor)
+971 50 871 8561 (Lisa George)

© Press Release 2008