Yousef Al Essa one of six GCC business leaders to participate in first ever Leaders and Pioneers Panel
Yousef Al- Essa, Chief Executive Officer of Addax Investment Bank, has been selected to participate on a panel of six prominent GCC business leaders at the annual Leaders in Dubai Business Forum later this year. Al-Essa, a graduate of Harvard Business School, is ranked among the youngest and most dynamic CEOs in the region. The 'Leaders and Pioneers in the Middle East' panel, which has been named 'Al Rouad,' was set up to facilitate a debate on best business practices and new leadership across corporate Arabia.
The Leaders in Dubai Business Forum is considered to be one of the Middle East's most high profile conferences, featuring eminent speakers from around the world and providing delegates from the Gulf's business community with key networking opportunities. This year's conference will be held between the 28th and 29th of November, 2006 at the Dubai International Convention Centre, UAE.
"Today's information age has changed the way we do business; the economic environment in the Middle East is developing rapidly making it essential for our leaders to continuously evolve to keep up with the rest of the world. Conferences such as Leaders in Dubai have become increasingly important, as they provide a forum from which the business community can share best management practices and promote an emerging, dynamic breed of leadership," said Yousef Al- Essa, Chief Executive Officer, Addax Investment Bank.
"I look forward to engaging in an open debate with my five co-panellists, delegates and speakers that will lay the foundation for an ongoing dialogue between business leaders in the Arab world," Al-Essa added.
Last year's Leaders in Dubai Business Forum attracted over 2000 prominent decision makers and leaders from across the Middle East region. This year's conference features a host of acclaimed speakers which include Colin Powell, Michael Eisner and Her Majesty Queen Noor.
Yousef Al-Essa is Chief Executive Officer of Bahrain based Addax Investment Bank. Addax was founded in 2003 and has an authorized capital of $100 million. Addax provides corporate finance and wealth management services to clients in the Middle East region. Some of the major projects that Addax has undertaken include:
- Arranging $200 million capital from strategic investors to develop 19 Holiday Inn Express Hotels throughout the GCC
- Underwriting a 10% stake in $300 million Jordan Dubai Capital and placing it with strategic investors.
- $20 million capital raising for MENA Business Services
- Alliance with The Ascott Group to launch a $1 billion services residence fund for the Middle East
- $50 million investment in Saraya Middle East Fund
- Establishment of $10 million restaurants holding company focused on opportunities in the Middle East.
Prior to joining Addax, Mr. Al-Essa was a co-founder and a Managing Director of Amwal, a company focused on bringing and developing advanced financial technology solutions to the Middle East region.
Prior to starting Amwal, Mr. Al-Essa worked at the National Bank of Kuwait where he worked in institutional and corporate banking.
Mr. Al-Essa serves on a number of corporate Boards including:
- Vice Chairman: Ishraq Gulf Real Estate Company, Bahrain
- Vice Chairman: Jordan Dubai Capital, Jordan
- Director: Kuwait Interest for Financial Investments, Kuwait
- Chairman: Mesk Hospitality Holdings, Bahrain
- Director: Tatweer Development Company, Qatar.
Mr. Al-Essa received his Bachelor of Science in International Finance from Georgetown University and his Masters in Business Administration from Harvard University.
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About Addax Investment Bank
Addax Investment Bank has an authorised capital of US$100 million and is regulated by the Bahrain Monetary Agency (BMA). The Bank was formed in 2003 and has been involved in a number of high profile deals in the region.
Addax Investment Bank's landmark deals include: participation with Dubai International Capital and other lead investors in creating JD Capital, a US$300 million (approximately) company targeting investment opportunities in Jordan. Addax Investment Bank was also responsible for the structuring and placement of the US$ 150 million deal to finance 20 Express by Holiday Inn hotels across five countries in the GCC.
Additionally, Addax Investment Bank has launched a US$1 billion investment fund, the MENA Serviced Residence Fund, in collaboration with The Ascott Group of Singapore, to acquire and manage a chain of serviced residences throughout the Middle East and North Africa. The first phase of capital fund raising towards the US$ 1 billion MENA Serviced Residence Fund was successfully completed earlier this year; the private placement was well received by investors and was oversubscribed by 150% within record time.
Addax Investment Bank reported a consolidated net profit of US$3.2 million for the year ended 31 December 2005, an increase of 220% over the previous year.
Addax Investment Bank announced a consolidated net profit of US$3.4 million for the six-month period ended 30th June 2006, an increase of 170% over the previous year.
Addax Investment Bank reported record profits for the nine-month period ended 30th September 2006. Addax reported consolidated net profit of US$5.86 million for the said period, an increase of 132% over the previous year
In September 2006 Addax Investment Bank formed its newest subsidiary, Addax Media. Addax Media, wholly owned by Addax Investment Bank will be a holding company that will focus on acquiring innovative, high-quality media productions ranging from full length movies to television serials. Addax Media's first production "Khalid Bin Waleed" was aired on MBC and Dubai Television.
In November 2006, Addax Investment Bank, launched Addax Education Holdings (AEH), a holding company based in the Kingdom of Bahrain, established in partnership with a team of education and private equity professionals to invest and manage education and education related businesses across the GCC, Levant and North Africa.
Addax is fast gaining a reputation for launching innovative and unique deals in the Middle East region.
For further information, please contact:
Mona Akhtarzadeh
TEL: +973 17 535 246
Email: mona@addaxbank.com
© Press Release 2006
