Ernst & Young's Growing Beyond Summit 2012 to address key regional issues like housing, employment, sustainability, women empowerment and how regional economies deal with opportunities and challenges

Under the patronage of H.E. Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabor Al-Thani, Qatar Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs
H.E. Yousef Hussain Kamal, Qatar Minster of Economy and Finance to deliver the opening address today
Kaspar Villiger, Former President of Switzerland and former Chairman of UBS Bank to speak today at the Ernst & Young Growing Beyond Summit 2012
H.E. Sheikh Thani Bin Abdullah Bin Thani Al-Thani, Founder, Ezdan Holding to be presented with Lifetime Achievement Award
Ernst & Young Middle East Attractiveness Survey to be launched tomorrow

Doha 16 October 2012: Ernst & Young's Growing Beyond Summit 2012 will open with a dinner reception today at the Ritz-Carlton in Doha under the patronage of H.E. Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabor Al-Thani, Qatar Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs. The summit will discuss key regional issues like housing, employment, sustainability, women empowerment and how regional economies deal with opportunities and challenges.

H.E. Yousef Hussain Kamal , Qatar Minster of Economy and Finance will deliver the opening address and Kaspar Villiger, former President of Switzerland and former Chairman of UBS Bank, will speak at the dinner reception today.

Firas Qoussous, Office Managing Partner, Ernst & Young Qatar, says: "The summit will bring together leading statesmen and thinkers who will deliberate on the most pressing subjects in the region. The event will be a unique platform and will aim to help chart the road ahead. The fact that the event is taking place in Qatar highlights the country's role in regional affairs and its preeminence as a key player."

H.E. Sheikh Thani Bin Abdullah Bin Thani Al-Thani, Founder, Ezdan Holding will be presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at Ernst & Young's Growing Beyond Summit 2012 today. The award is in recognition of his contributions to the industry and economy in the State of Qatar. It will be presented by Mark Otty, Managing Partner, Ernst & Young Europe, Middle East, India and Africa (EMEIA).

Notable speakers at the summit tomorrow include Hassan Al-Thawadi, Secretary General of Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee, Dr. Nasser Saidi, former Chief Economist at Dubai International Finance Center (DIFC); John Walker, Chairman and Chief Economist at Oxford Economics; Andrew Stevens, Group CEO of Commercial Bank of Qatar and Adel Abdullah Ali, Chief Executive Officer and Board Member, Air Arabia.

The summit will feature a series of panels addressing important regional issues. Key sectors will be covered during roundtable discussions including oil and gas, retail and consumer products, private equity, aviation, financial services, family business and the public sector.

Housing our people

The first roundtable discussion will be chaired by Jay Nibbe, Markets Leader, Ernst & Young Europe, Middle East, India and Africa. The panellists include Eng. Mohammed bin Ali Al Hedfa, Group CEO, Qatari Diar, Dr Nasser Saidi, Chief Economist, Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC) and David Smith, CEO, Affordable Housing Institute. The session's main topic will be the development of regional infrastructure such as housing, education and health facilities. The panel will also discuss the development of social infrastructure, focusing on finding solutions to house the region's fast growing population.

Empowering our women

The role of women in MENA will be discussed in a panel chaired by Uschi Schreiber, Managing Partner, Ernst & Young Global Government & Public Sector. Uschi will be joined by Professor Saif Al Sowaidi, Vice President for Institutional Planning & Development, Qatar University, Muna Abu Sulayman, Partner, Directions Consulting and former Head of Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation and Professor Linda Scott, DP World Chair for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Said Business School, University of Oxford. This session will discuss how gender equality is key to stability and growth and will focus on the initiatives needed to empower women to help build the future of MENA.

MENA relationship with the global economy

A session on MENA and the global economy will be held, with speakers representing different regions such as the Eurozone, represented by John Walker, Chairman, Oxford Economics; China, represented by Jonathan Fenby, Former Editor of the South China Morning Post; India, represented by Amitabh Dubey, Director of India Research, Trusted Sources; Africa, represented by Nenad Pacek, Former Director of the Economic Intelligence Unitand the US, represented by Charles Davis, Head of Macroeconomics at the Centre for Economics and Business Research. The discussion will focus on developing strategies that further the regional agenda in business, finance and economy.

Filling the employment gap

The employment panel will be chaired by Andrea Vogel, EMEIA Strategic Growth Markets Leader at Ernst & Young. This session will focus on the need to create four million jobs annually through cultivating an environment that encourages entrepreneurship. Tom Speechly, Senior Partner, Abraaj Capital, Andrew Stevens, Group CEO, Commercial Bank of Qatar and Adel Abdullah Ali, Chief Executive Officer and Board Member, Air Arabia will also be on the panel. The panellists will be discussing the requirements to build an ecosystem that encourages and enables entrepreneurialism and job creation.

Attractiveness of doing business in the Middle East

Phil Gandier, Managing Partner, MENA Transaction Advisory Services Leader, Ernst & Young will be presenting a preview of the Ernst & Young Middle East Attractiveness Survey. This session will discuss the Middle East's attractiveness for foreign direct investors and the perception versus reality of the region's attractiveness.

Building a sustainable future

The closing panel will be discussing how to build a sustainable future in the region. This session will touch upon the key issues on how to move away from carbon fuels into a more sustainable method of growth through alternative resources. Juan Costa Climent, Global Leader, Climate Change and Sustainability Services, Ernst & Young will be chairing the panel and will be joined by Hassan Al-Thawadi, Secretary General, Qatar 2022, Jim Davis, President, Chevron Energy Solutions and Wael Sawan, Executive Vice President and Chairman from Qatar Shell.

-Ends-

Contact name: Lamice Murshid
Company: Ernst & Young
Tel: +971 4 332 4000
E-mail: lamice.murshid@ae.ey.com

Contact name: Mohammad Al Qassem
Company: Weber Shandwick
Tel: +971 4 321 0077
E-mail: mohammad.alqassem@ws-mena.com