This year’s theme ‘Competitive Governments’ draws together an impressive group of over 50 speakers from 22 different countries to discuss the positive impact national competitiveness can have on local, regional and global economic and social development.
The Global Competitiveness Forum (GCF) will be held at the Four Seasons Hotel inRiyadh from January 25-27 and will discuss global and regional trends in governmental competitiveness and developing a world class infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.
Since the founding of the GCF by the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) in 2006, the forum has grown into one of the largest and most important annual gatherings of academics, business leaders, politicians and journalists in the region.
The event will include an ‘Invest in Saudi Arabia’ exhibition which debuted at last year’s forum with great success. This year the exhibition will showcase investment opportunities and highlight major development projects in Saudi, includingJeddah’s Burj al Arab and the Kingdom’s economic cities.
Participants will have the chance to network and interact with a number of renowned guests during panels and workshops at the two day event. Below are some of the featured sessions:
Competitive Government and Saudi Arabia: A Gateway to the World
Lord Peter Mandelson, President of the Policy Network international think-tank, will moderate a distinguished panel led by Nika Gilauri, former Prime Minister ofGeorgia, and including Mustafa Koc, General Manager of Communications at the Ministry of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications; HE Notis Mitarachi, Vice Minister and Member of Parliament forAthens at the Hellenic Republic; and HE Dr Tawfiq Al Rabeeah, Minister of Trade and Commerce.
The Age of Discovery: How Can We Give Innovation and Technologies the Best Chance of Success?
A keynote speech by HE Dr Mohammed Al Suwayel, president of the King Abullah Center for Science and Technology (KACST) will explore the key to making innovation a successful economic reality. He will be joined by a panel of tech experts that includesAli Al Faramawy, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Middle East andAfrica, and Amit Garg, a venture capitalist, formerly of Samsung and Silicon Valley among others.
Make it Work! Developing Jobs for Women in Manufacturing
Nik Gowing, of the BBC will moderate a panel on engaging women in the workforce, and in particular, in the growing field of manufacturing. Among the members of the panel are Dr Maha Al-Muneef, Executive Director of the National Family Safety Program; MsKrista Brookman, Vice President at Catalyst; and Dr Fahad Al Tukhaifi, Undersecretary for Special Programs in the Ministry of Labor.
Learning Today, Leading Tomorrow: How to Empower the Global Youth
HE Federica Guidi, Minister of Economic Development in Italy will lead a panel on engaging the global youth; and how to combine the passion and creativity of youth with the training and development they will need to become tomorrow’s leaders. Also on the panel are Kingsley Bangwell, Founder of Youngstarts Foundation inNigeria; HE Mrs Mbarka Bouaida, Minister Delegate to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation; and Odd Eiken, Executive Vice President of Kunskapsskolan Education.
Keynote speech by Eric Schmidt, the Executive Chairman of Google
For more information, go to: http://www.gcf.org.sa
Ray Hanania is an award winning political and humor columnist who analyzes American and Middle East politics, and life in general. He is an author of several books.
Hanania covered Chicago Politics and Chicago City Hall from 1976 through 1992 at the Daily Southtown and the Chicago Sun-Times. He began writing in 1975 publishing The Middle Eastern Voice newspaper in Chicago (1975-1977). He later published “The National Arab American Times” newspaper (2004-2007).
Hanania writes weekly columns on Middle East and American Arab issues as Special US Correspondent for the Arab News ArabNews.com, at TheArabDailyNews.com, and at SuburbanChicagoland.com. He has published weekly columns in the Jerusalem Post newspaper, YNetNews.com, Newsday, the Orlando Sentinel, Houston Chronical, and Arlington Heights Daily Herald.
Hanania is the recipient of four (4) Chicago Headline Club “Peter Lisagor Awards” for Column writing. In November 2006, he was named “Best Ethnic American Columnist” by the New American Media. In 2009, Hanania received the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi Award for Writing from the Society of Professional Journalists. He is the recipient of the MT Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award. He was honored for his writing skills with two (2) Chicago Stick-o-Type awards from the Chicago Newspaper Guild. In 1990, Hanania was nominated by the Chicago Sun-Times editors for a Pulitzer Prize for his four-part series on the Palestinian Intifada.
His writings have also been honored by two national Awards from ADC for his writing, and from the National Arab American Journalists Association.
Hanania is the US Special Correspondent for the Arab News Newspaper, covering Middle East and Arab American issues. He writes for the Southwest News newspaper group writing on mainstream American issues.
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