Government and business leaders from region talk technology, energy, and innovation in “Future of MENA” seminars

Wednesday 12 April 2017

Dubai - MENA Herald: Leaders from the region’s public and private sectors will congregate next week in Dubai to explore the future of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, and to share views on the key issues facing it, during a celebration of the 150th anniversary in the region of Thomson Reuters, the international news and information provider for professional markets. Government and business leaders will explore perspectives in economic and human development, energy, and technology by examining vision, business culture, innovation, education, and demographics at the three-day seminar series, which takes place from 17-19 April at the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).
The seminars will feature a number of prominent speakers and panellists, including H.E. Suhail bin Mohammed Faraj Al Mazrouei, UAE Minister of Energy, Khalaf Al-Habtoor, Chairman of Al Habtoor Group and Georges Elhedrey, CEO of HSBC MENA – among many others.
Nadim Najjar, Managing Director of Thomson Reuters MENA, explained the rationale behind the speaker series. “The MENA region is undergoing significant changes that simultaneously present exciting new opportunities,” he said. “In the same way that Thomson Reuters’ arrival in this part of the world 150 years ago was an important milestone, through the opening of our first news reporting bureau in Egypt, we believe that these times call for exchanging views and sharing ideas on what our future might look like, and how to seize the right moments ahead to achieve excellence in both business and government.”
Divided into thematic sessions, the first day of the event will cover “Future of MENA” in the morning, providing a forward-looking perspective of the region through economic, financial, and geopolitical lenses. The afternoon session will look at the “Future of Technology” and will explore how advancements such as fintech, 3D printing, and artificial intelligence are disrupting venerable industries – particularly finance, construction, and legal.
The second day of the series will focus on the “Future of Energy” and will dissect regional and global energy policy, as well as the ways in which MENA economies can diversify their economies from fossil fuels, as well as how to provide “green finance” for renewable energy projects in the region. The closing day is entitled the “Future of People & Economic Development” and will delve into the human element of the region’s development, namely attracting diverse international expertise while creating opportunity for local talent, promoting happiness, and understanding generational changes in our region’s societies.
Reuters Group was founded in 1851 as the Reuters Telegram Company by Paul Julius Reuter in London. The company pioneered the concept of employing the best reporters, capturing trusted breaking news and distributing it to news agencies around the world as quickly as the technology of the time would allow. Its success hinged on its expansive network of managers and correspondents across the trading communities of the British Empire. In the late 1860s the company set up an office in Alexandria, reporting on the prices and supplies of Egyptian cotton to England and India. Today, Reuters is the world’s largest international news content provider, employing more than 2,600 journalists in nearly 200 bureaus around the world delivering news in over 20 different languages. In 2008, Reuters was acquired by the Thomson Corporation to form Thomson Reuters.
The Thomson Reuters 150th Anniversary seminar series will take place in the Atrium, located in Gate District Building 5 at the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).

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