27 October 2005

DUBAI-- Delegates of the international leadership summit, Leaders in Dubai, will have the chance to quiz William J. Clinton, 42nd president of the USA at the event, to be held on November 28-29.

Clinton, who will speak via videocast, will answer questions submitted by the audience. His former Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, will also take part in a question and answer session, moderated by CNN anchor Fionnuala Sweeney.

Tina Schneidermann, president of the event organisers Leading Minds, said: "Clinton's record in government is second to none. He can lay claim to the lowest unemployment rate in modern times, the lowest inflation in 30 years, the highest home ownership in the country's history, and plunging crime rates in many cities.

"Leaders in Dubai delegates will have the chance to hear his thoughts exclusively, and to really start to understand the man behind the Presidency."

Albright, the first woman to serve as secretary of State in the USA, was voted into government in 1997, serving under the Clinton administration.

Since leaving office, Dr Albright founded The Albright Group LLC, a global strategy firm and she serves on the board of directors of many institutions, including that of the New York Stock Exchange.

Ten business and political headline names will take part in the debate on leadership best practices at Leaders in Dubai, to be held at Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai.

Other speakers at the event include: FW de Klerk, former president of South Africa and winner of the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize; Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad, former prime minister of Malaysia from 1981- 2003; Gabriele Albertini, the unconventional and charismatic mayor of Milan; Daniel Pink, author of Free Agent Nation, the Washington Post bestseller, who will suggest six aptitudes crucial to the survival of white-collar workers; Kenichi Ohmae, the former director of McKinsey Japan, who has earned global acclaim as 'Mr Strategy'; Arie de Geus, who was at the helm of Royal Dutch Shell for 40 years and has been described as "the global statesman" of business change; Spencer Johnson, bestselling author of Who Moved My Cheese and The One-Minute Manager; Scott Bedbury, a world leading brand architect, responsible for Nike's Just Do It campaign and the emergence of the Starbucks brand.

Regional business leaders - the Leaders in Dubai corporate alumni - have confirmed their support for the event. They include:  Shaikh Faisal Al Qassemi, founder of the Al Qasimi Group; Nabila Al Anjari, Assistant Under-Secretary for Tourism Affairs in Kuwait; Aramex's President and CEO Fadi Ghandour; former Lebanese minister of national economy Saeb Jaroudi; Bharat Jashanmal, of the GCC retail corporation Jashanmal & Sons; Khamis Al Muqla, founder and chairman of Gulf Hill & Knowlton and Gulf Saatchi & Saatchi; Lebanese industrialist Jacques Sarraf; veteran hotelier Sami Zoghbi, regional head of Le Meridien Hotels & Resorts; and Saudi industrialist Abdulla al Zamil.

BY STAFF REPORTER

© Khaleej Times 2005