Ellecia Saffron

Founder & Managing Director, Maysaffron

Ellecia advises firms and funds globally to connect with the Middle East and Asia Pacific. Maysaffron, which she founded in 2015 is the solution for institutions wanting to connect intelligently and effectively with the Middle East region. The group focuses on thematic areas of Natural Resources, Disruptive Industry, Technology and Health Care and also works with funds wanting to connect with the region. Formerly a Fund Manager at the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (Australia, Asia Pacific & Global mandates) and prior to this a Research Analyst at Macquarie Bank, Ellecia is currently the Deputy Chair of 100 Women in Finance Middle East, Co-Deputy Chair Australian Institute of Company Directors Middle East and the Chair and Co-Founder of the Australian Business Group Middle East Association and sits on the Australian Business Group Abu Dhabi Board. She is passionate about community and giving back. In 2018 she was one of 100 recipients in the UAE of an award in honour of the Founder of the UAE the late Sheikh Zayed, for contributions to the business community. Ellecia received honours for her MBA dissertation in 2010 on “Diversity at the top” a study of the top 200 Australian companies measuring the diversity on their board and management teams and financial performance. The study found a link between the more diverse leadership teams and outperformance. She speaks regularly at conferences on diversity, females in finance and funds management, portfolio management and also has spoken several times as a key note speaker (Private Equity Fund AGM in New York, Middle East Mining Forum & the Kuwait Australian Ambassadors Residence) on the future outlook for commodity demand and the potential disruption of Electric Vehicles in the hydrocarbon market.

Gabrielle “Ellie” Rubenstein

Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Manna Tree Partners

Gabrielle “Ellie” Rubenstein has over 10 years of experience in asset management, including as a Partner with a well-known, high net worth individual in Los Angeles, as Co-Founder of Pt Holdings, an arctic asset manager headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska, and as a founding investor of the Alaska Angel Investment Network. As a member of a prominent family of asset managers, Ellie has been involved and mentored in the industry since a young age.

Ellie holds a MS-MBA in Food and Agribusiness Management, a dual degree program that awards an MS in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University and an MBA from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business. While studying at Indiana University, she was honored to be accepted into the Tobias Leadership Fellows program. Ellie attended Harvard University where she received a BA in Sociology with an honors thesis on Philanthropy and was a Varsity Ski Racer. Having experienced the healing power of food and the outdoors in her own life, she also earned a graduate certificate in Mind-Body-Wellness from UCLA’s Center for East-West Medicine, and the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior.

Ellie’s role as CEO includes driving a strong culture toward the firms billion dollar vision to revolutionize the food supply chain. She leads the firms fundraising efforts and is a member of the Investment Committee. Her expertise of global food systems and international network creates meaningful value for Manna Tree Partners Fund investors.

An active philanthropist, Ellie was awarded a Presidential Volunteerism Medal, currently serves on the American Red Cross as Lead Volunteer Advisor for Service to Armed Forces at its national headquarters, and as Board Member of the Mission and Outreach Committee at the American Red Cross of Alaska. Ellie also serves on various local boards and initiatives focused on the Military, Public Policy, Health, and Education.

Ellie is an avid hunter and fisher and spends much of her free time on the shores or in the woods pursuing protein sources. A self-described ‘foodie’, Ellie enjoys nothing more than sharing the nutritious food she has harvested with family and friends.

David Rubenstein

Co-Founder & Co-Chairman, The Carlyle Group

David M. Rubenstein is Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of The Carlyle Group, one of the world’s largest and most successful private investment firms. Established in 1987, Carlyle now manages $276 billion from 27 offices around the world.

Mr. Rubenstein is Chairman of the Boards of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Economic Club of Washington; a Fellow of the Harvard Corporation; a Trustee of the National Gallery of Art, the University of Chicago, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins Medicine, the Institute for Advanced Study, the National Constitution Center, the Brookings Institution, and the World Economic Forum; and a Director of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Mr. Rubenstein is a member of the American Philosophical Society, Business Council, Harvard Global Advisory Council (Chairman), Madison Council of the Library of Congress (Chairman), Board of Dean’s Advisors of the Business School at Harvard, Advisory Board of the School of Economics and Management at Tsinghua University (former Chairman), and Board of the World Economic Forum Global Shapers Community.

Mr. Rubenstein has served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Duke University and the Smithsonian Institution, and Co-Chairman of the Board of the Brookings Institution.

Mr. Rubenstein is an original signer of The Giving Pledge, a significant donor to all of the above-mentioned non-profit organizations, and a recipient of the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy, and the MoMA’s David Rockefeller Award, among other philanthropic awards.

Mr. Rubenstein is a leader in the area of Patriotic Philanthropy, having made transformative gifts for the restoration or repair of the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Monticello, Montpelier, Mount Vernon, Arlington House, Iwo Jima Memorial, the Kennedy Center, the Smithsonian, the National Archives, the National Zoo, the Library of Congress, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Mr. Rubenstein has also provided to the U.S. government long-term loans of his rare copies of the Magna Carta, the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Emancipation Proclamation, the 13th Amendment, the first map of the U.S. (Abel Buell map), and the first book printed in the U.S. (Bay Psalm Book).

Mr. Rubenstein is the host of The David Rubenstein Show: Peer-to-Peer Conversations on Bloomberg TV and PBS and Bloomberg Wealth with David Rubenstein on Bloomberg TV; and the author of The American Story: Conversations with Master Historians, a book published by Simon & Schuster in October 2019, and How to Lead: Wisdom from the World's Greatest CEOs, Founders, and Game Changers, a book published by Simon & Schuster in September 2020.

Mr. Rubenstein, a native of Baltimore, is a 1970 magna cum laude graduate of Duke University, where he was elected Phi Beta Kappa. Mr. Rubenstein graduated in 1973 from the University of Chicago Law School, where he was an editor of the Law Review.

From 1973-1975, Mr. Rubenstein practiced law in New York with Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. From 1975-1976, he served as Chief Counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Constitutional Amendments. From 1977-1981, during the Carter Administration, Mr. Rubenstein was Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy. After his White House service and before co-founding Carlyle, Mr. Rubenstein practiced law in Washington with Shaw, Pittman, Potts & Trowbridge (now Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman).

Norman T. Roule

Chief Executive Officer, Pharos Strategic Consulting LLC

Norman T. Roule is a business consultant on Middle East political, security, economic, and energy issues with an emphasis on the Gulf Cooperation Council states and Iran. He served for 34-years in the Central Intelligence Agency, managing multiple programs relating to the Middle East. His work in the CIA’s Directorate of Operations included service as Division Chief and Chief of Station as well as more than 15 years of overseas work.

Mr. Roule served as the National Intelligence Manager for Iran (NIM-I) at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence from November 2008 until September 2017. As NIM-I, he was the principal Intelligence Community (IC) official responsible for national intelligence policy & activities related to Iran-related issues, to include IC engagement on these topics with senior-most policymakers in the National Security Council, the Departments of State, Defense, and Energy, and Congress. Mr. Roule has received multiple national security awards and was decorated by President Obama. Since his retirement, Mr. Roule continues to engage policymakers in the U.S. and the Middle East.

Mr. Roule is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a non-resident Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, and a Visiting Fellow at George Mason University. He is frequently asked to comment on Middle East issues for international media.

Saleh Romeih

Managing Partner, SoftBank Investment Advisers

Saleh Romeih serves as a Managing Partner at SoftBank Investment Advisers and is a member of its Investment Committee. Prior to joining SoftBank, Saleh was a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs as Head of Securities for the Middle East and North Africa region. Previously, he spent 17 years at Deutsche Bank, notably as Head of Corporate Coverage for Asia, and Head of Central Europe, Middle East and Africa regions for the CIB Divisions. He began his banking career in 1989 with BNP Paribas. Saleh serves on the boards of SoftBank Investment Advisers and Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. He previously served on the boards of Auto 1 and Abraaj Capital and Deutsche Bank Saudi Arabia.

Hartley Rogers

Chairman, Hamilton Lane

Hartley Rogers is the Chairman of Hamilton Lane. As such, he plays significant roles in the Firm’s investing and client relationship activities, as well as in its strategic and organizational development. He is a member of various Investment Committees of the Firm and is the Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Founded in 1991, Hamilton Lane is a private markets asset management firm that helps pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, endowments and other institutional investors create and manage diversified private markets programs tailored to their needs and risk tolerances. With approximately $65 billion in discretionary assets under management and oversight of an additional $400 billion in advisory assets, Hamilton Lane is the largest allocator of capital to private equity funds in the world and is a significant player in the private markets secondary and co-investment arenas. A publicly-traded firm (Nasdaq: HLNE), Hamilton Lane has approximately 375 employees based in 16 offices worldwide.

Prior to joining Hamilton Lane in 2003, Hartley was a Managing Director in the private equity fund management areas at Morgan Stanley and at Credit Suisse.

He is the Chairman of the Advisory Board of HarvardX, the on-line learning initiative of Harvard University. He also serves on the Boards of the Institute of International Education and Bessemer Securities. He is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Business School.

Christopher T. Rogers, J.D.

Partner, Lumia Capital

Christopher T. Rogers, J.D. is a Partner at Lumia Capital where he is responsible for leading Lumia’s global and mobile investment and value-add activities. Lumia invests in category-leading US SaaS companies seeking a global footprint and in breakout players in South East Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Their GCC based investments include Careem, Kitopi and Shedul.

Prior to Lumia, Chris was the co-founder of Nextel Communications, a US mobile carrier which grew to $13B in sales and 19k employees before being acquired by Sprint for $35+ billion. Chris brings 30 years of mobile and tech industry experience as a founder, advisor, and operator.

Prior to the 2005 acquisition, Chris helped spearhead the roll-up of local carriers that transformed Nextel into a major national operator. He also led a series of transactions in Mexico, Argentina, Peru, and Brazil that resulted in the creation of Nextel International. In 2005 he orchestrated a JV in KSA with Saudi Telecom and also negotiated deals in Jordan, China, India and Pakistan.

Throughout his time at Nextel and Sprint, Chris sat on the boards of numerous venture-backed companies across five continents. Additionally, Chris has served as a director on multiple public company boards and as well as several Washington, D.C.-based philanthropic organizations. He currently sits on the board of Digital Turbine (NASDAQ:APPS), NII Holdings (NASDAQ:NIHD).

Tarek Rizk

Head of Systematic & Global Macro Funds, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA)

Tarek Rizk is the Head of Systematic and Global Macro Funds at ADIA. Prior to joining ADIA in 2012, Tarek was Co-Sector Head Tactical Trading at Credit Suisse Asset Management from 2005 to 2011 and a Partner at Tages Group from 2011 to 2012.

Tarek holds a PhD in Engineering from George Washington University and has completed graduate courses in Financial Engineering at Michigan.

Adam Rilander

Portfolio Manager & Head of Agency MBS Trading, The Galton Team at Mariner Investment Group

Mr. Rilander is a Mariner employee and serves as the Head of Agency MBS Investing for the Galton Team. He has spent the past 15 years focused on investing in, trading and researching Agency Mortgage Backed Securities. Most recently, from 2015 through 2016, Mr. Rilander was running a team overseeing the Agency derivative and mortgage option position at Premium Point Investments. From 2006-2015, he was trading Agency Mortgage Backed Securities at JPMorgan, becoming a Managing Director and the senior secondary trader on the Agency MBS desk. Prior to joining JPM, Mr. Rilander began his career in 2003 at Bear Stearns as a research analyst focused on Agency Mortgage Backed Securities. Mr. Rilander co-authored a chapter in Fabozzi’s “The Handbook of Mortgage Backed Securities, Sixth Edition” titled “Uncovering the Risk-Adjusted Carry in MBS.” Mr. Rilander graduated with an A.B. in Economics from Princeton University in 2003.

Matteo Renzi

Prime Minister of Italy (2014-2016)

Matteo Renzi was born in Florence in January 1975. In 2004 he is elected President of the Province of Florence.

In 2008 he takes on a seminal challenge and announces his intention to stand in the primary elections to run as a Democratic candidate for Mayor of Florence. Against all odds, he breaks the old political consensus with a landslide victory with over 40,52% of the votes. In June 2009 he is elected Mayor.

In 2012 he announced his candidacy as leader of the Democratic Party, standing in the primaries and losing in a dramatic head-to-head competition against the experienced leader of the Left, once again proving his groundbreaking fresh leadership style. Meanwhile, he continued to serve his term as Mayor of Florence. A year after, in 2013 he stands once again in the primaries, this time winning with 67,5% of the vote.

In 2014, Mr. Renzi was appointed Prime Minister of Italy, the youngest in history. After the negative result of the embattled constitutional referendum, in December 2016, he resigns as Prime Minister; and following the results of the Italian parliamentary election in 2018, he resigns as leader of the PD.

Matteo Renzi is currently a sitting Senator for Florence. His activity as a politician has been accompanied by his writings: “Fuori!” (2011), “Stilnovo” (2012), “Oltre la rottamazione” (2013), “Avanti! Perché l’Italia non si ferma” (2017)" and a new book out this year: “Un'altra strada”.

Dr. Russell Read

Group Managing Partner, C Change Group

Russell Read is Group Managing Partner for the C Change Group of investment funds, companies, and advisors, dedicated to materially transforming the production, distribution, and consumption of natural resources around the globe. In addition, Dr. Read serves as Senior Advisor to MSCI with respect to crafting solutions for the global asset owner community. Prior to C Change, he was Chief Investment Officer (CIO) of the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation, the Gulf Investment Corporation (GIC), and the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS).

Dr. Read has been a resource for regulatory agencies internationally, state governments, the US Congress, and the US Senate for over two decades and served as Chairman of the Investors’ Committee of the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets under Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. He was named as one of America’s 30 most influential players in business and finance by SmartMoney and #35 on Institutional Investor’s list of the 75 most effective chief executives.

Dr. Read received his undergraduate degree in Statistics and his MBA in Finance and International Business both from the University of Chicago and his masters in Economics and doctorate in Political Economy from Stanford University. His doctoral work The Politics and Policies of National Economic Growth focused on the particular economic roles of natural resources in economic development. He has taught graduate-level courses at the University of California at Davis, the University of Maine, and Stanford University.

Gideon Rachman

Chief Foreign Commentator, Financial Times

Gideon Rachman translates his extensive travels and his remarkable access to world leaders into an insider’s view of global events. He speaks about politics, economics and globalisation as they apply to Asia, Europe, the Middle East, the Americas, and more.

At the FT, Gideon writes a weekly column on international politics as well as feature articles. He has reported for the FT from all over the world. Before joining the FT in 2006, he worked for The Economist for 15 years in a range of jobs, including as a foreign correspondent in Brussels, Bangkok and Washington and as business editor.

Gideon’s most recent book, Easternisation: War and Peace in the Asian Century concentrates on how the growing wealth of Asia nations is transforming the international balance of power. The Sunday Times called it as “masterly account”.

Gideon’s book Zero-Sum World, published in 2010, predicted the current trade war between the US and China.

Gideon received the 2016 Orwell Prize for journalism, Britain’s most prestigious prize for political writing.

He has also written for numerous other publications, including Foreign Policy, National Interest, The Washington Quarterly and Prospect magazines. He is a regular broadcaster for — amongst others — the BBC, CNN and NPR.

Deborah Quazzo

Managing Partner, GSV AcceleraTE Fund

Deborah is the Managing Partner of GSV Ventures, an early stage venture capital fund investing in education and workforce technology entrepreneurs disrupting the $6 trillion sector. She is the Co-founder of the ASU GSV Summit, an event that attracts over 5,500 attendees annually. Previously Deborah co-founded ThinkEquity Partners, a boutique technology focused investment bank, which was acquired in 2007. Prior to ThinkEquity Partners, she was a Managing Director in Investment Banking and head of the Global Growth Group at Merrill Lynch & Co. She currently serves on the boards of Aakash Educational Services Ltd (a leading tutoring and test preparation company in India), Ascend Learning (a portfolio company of Blackstone and CCCP), Degreed, The Educational Testing Service (ETS), Intellispark, Mighty, Remind, and Turnitin (an Advance Communications company). Deborah graduated cum laude with a BA in history from Princeton University, and an MBA from Harvard University.

David Pilling

Associate Editor & Africa Editor, Financial Times

As Asia Editor and the FT’s Tokyo Bureau Chief, David became known for his coverage of business, economics and politics in China, India, Japan and Asia more generally. He now adds close-up knowledge of Africa, with a particular emphasis on Nigeria and South Africa and some of the continent’s more promising economies.

With some twenty-five years of journalistic experience, David shares his insights on economics, politics, culture and development across Asia.

David crystallised his experience living and working in Japan in a widely acclaimed book about the country’s social and economic resilience: Bending Adversity: Japan and the Art of Survival.

David has had a distinguished career at the FT as a foreign correspondent, senior editor, and columnist, starting in 1990.

In his latest book, ‘The Growth Delusion: Why economists are getting it wrong and what we can do about it’ (2018), David explores the pitfalls of how we measure our economy and how to correct them. The book has been nominated for the prestigious Orwell Prize for Political writing.

David was named Best Commentator by the Society of Publishers in Asia for his weekly column in 2011.

Rachel Pether, CFA

Television Host, Fintech TV; Senior Advisor, SALT

Rachel is a television news anchor and sits on the board of various digital asset companies, including cryptocurrency exchange MidChains, the world’s first Shariah-compliant cryptocurrency Islamic Coin, and Web3 gaming company Chain X Game.

Based in the Middle East since 2008, Rachel spent almost a decade at Mubadala Investment Company - one of the Middle East’s largest sovereign wealth funds - in their Capital Markets & Treasury team. A CFA Charterholder and chartered treasurer, in 2014 the Association of Corporate Treasurers named Rachel “The One to Watch” in Treasury.

Rachel began her career as a journalist and spent 5 years with the BBC. She currently hosts two shows produced by FintechTV (Digital Asset Report and TheIMPACT) which broadcasts daily from their studio in the Abu Dhabi Global Market. She acts as MC for numerous international high-profile events such as SALT, Crypto Bahamas, the SWFI Summit Series and the Global Entrepreneurship Summit.

Passionate about helping others become more confident public speakers, Rachel is also the Co-Founder of “The Speakeasy Club”, an online training course for Public Speaking that empowers individuals to hone leadership-level speaking skills and build personal confidence.

In 2009 Rachel published her first book - Jandal Prints on the Globe – and helped to establish a charity called Espoir so that sale proceeds could go towards supporting youth entrepreneurship in New Zealand. She is also a member of Mensa and an advisory board member at the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute.

Carol Pepper

Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Pepper International, LLC

Pepper International is a highly respected firm that has received significant recognition in the financial services industry:

• Carol has been nominated as Power Woman North America for 2020 by Citywealth UK.

• In 2019, Carol received the Bronze award of Power Woman of the Year North America by Citywealth in the United Kingdom.

• In 2017, Pepper International was named Boutique Firm of the Year Award by STEP (Society of Trust and Estate Planners).

• In 2017, Citywealth in the UK named Carol one of the Top 50 CEOs in Wealth Management and a Power Woman.

• In 2017, Pepper International was nominated for three PAM Private Asset Management Awards in the US: Best Outsourced CIO Solution, Best Family Office Consultant and Best MFO for Client Service under $2 Billion in AUM.

• In 2016 and 2015, Carol was named one of the 50 Most Influential Women in Private Wealth by Private Asset Management.

• In 2014, 2012 and 2011, Pepper International was nominated for Private Asset Management awards for Best MFO with AUM under $2.5 billion.

• In 2009, Barron’s named Pepper International as one of the top family offices in the United States.

• In 2007, Carol was named a Rising Star in Wealth Management by Institutional Investor.

Carol acts as the External CIO to wealthy families and Single Family Offices. She oversees all asset classes and puts in place a comprehensive consolidated reporting system. She is an expert in Impact Investing.

Carol acts as a consultant to families that would like to create their own family offices and has built family offices around the globe. She also helps restructure existing Single Family Offices to bring them to top global standards and to prepare them to work with the next generation. She works with top international families.

In 2019, Carol launched a new venture, www.familyofficebootcamp.com. This online site provides curated courses on how to create a family office, educating the next generation in investing, as well as in-depth courses of interest to wealthy families worldwide.

In 2019, Carol became a co-founder with Sheila Barry Driscoll and Deanna Guerreiro of the “Explore, Empower, Enlighten” private conferences for women of wealth, www.eeesummit.com. The first conference will be held in 2020 in Key Biscayne, Florida.

Carol sits on the Advisory Board of New Maple Holdings, a private Canadian Cannabis Company.

Carol lectures extensively around the world on issues of interest to wealthy families. She also appears regularly in the financial press and on television, including the Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Fox Business and Bloomberg, commenting on the markets. She now co-hosts CNBC London for two hours on a regular basis when in London.

Carol has over 25 years of experience in the wealth management industry. Prior to forming Pepper International in 2001, Carol had extensive experience as a private banker at JP Morgan Private Bank, Citibank Private Bank and Credit Suisse Private Bank. She managed over $1 billion of private client assets as a Senior Relationship Manager and Portfolio Manager at Rockefeller & Co., the multi-family office formed by the Rockefeller family. As a principal at Morgan Stanley, she was instrumental in creating a web-based virtual family office prototype.

Carol graduated cum laude from Bryn Mawr College with a BA in philosophy and a minor in Russian language. She obtained an MBA in entrepreneurial studies from Columbia University Business School.

Carol is co-author, with top journalist Camilla Webster, of The Seven Pearls of Financial Wisdom: A Woman’s Guide to Enjoying Wealth and Power. The book's website is www.thesevenpearls.com. The book has received positive reviews from The Wall Street Journal, Economist Nouriel Roubini, Morgan Stanley Chief Investment Strategic David Darst, and CEO Liz Lange, among others. The Seven Pearls was named one of the top five business books in 2012 by The Library Journal.

Carol self-published her first novel, a wealth management thriller called Beyond Blood, in October 2009. The book’s website is www.beyondblood.com. The book won a 2010 Indie Book Award and was named as an Editor’s Choice Book by iUniverse.

Carol has been involved in numerous philanthropic causes over the course of her career. Currently, she is assisting the Global White Lion Protection Trust in South Africa, www.whitelions.org. She also supports local causes in Bay Shore, New York.

Carol lives in New York and Miami with her husband, daughter and canine furry son, a Shipoo (Shih Tzu-Poodle mix) named Maradona.

Ketan Patel

Chairman, Force for Good: Chief Executive Officer & Founder, Greater Pacific Capital

Ketan is the founder and chairman of ‘Force for Good’, established in support of the UN Secretary General’s roadmap for sustainable development, examining and engaging 100 leading global financial institutions.

He leads Greater Pacific Capital, investing in high growth enterprises making an impact, sustainably and profitably, and leading GPC’s research on peace, prosperity and freedom.

Ketan was formerly a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs, heading the Strategic Group, providing strategic counsel to selected leaders worldwide.

Previously, he was a partner, board member at KPMG, leading the Strategy and Business Transformation business. Prior to which, he worked at Hewlett- Packard.

Ketan is a fellow, and board member of the World Academy of Art and Science, member of the working groups of the UN SDSN Senior Working Group on the EGD and SDGs and the Lancet Commission COVID 19 Green Recovery Task Force on Sustainable Finance.

He is the author of ‘The Master Strategist’ (Random House, 2005). He studied Economics at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and has an MBA and ACMA.

Sorana Parvulescu

Senior Partner, Control Risks

Sorana leads the geopolitical risk analysis team for the Middle East and North Africa and is part of the company’s regional management team based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). She is an experienced risk management professional who has focused on helping private and public organisations to make informed decisions about emerging market opportunities by enabling them to understand the political, integrity and security risks to their operations in specific jurisdictions.

During more than a decade with Control Risks, she has gained significant experience in advising clients on government relations. She has also helped clients to identify and manage reputational risks stemming from their partnerships with companies and individuals across the Middle East, the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.

The projects Sorana has managed recently include:

• A retainer service for one of the world’s largest oil and gas companies, which Control Risks advises on geopolitical trends in the hydrocarbons sector.

• An assessment of the specific political, operational and security risks to the education sector for a private equity company, which was looking to acquire a business with operations in 21 jurisdictions across five continents.

• A comprehensive risk assessment for an international NGO that was planning to open offices across the Middle East and North Africa.

Mapping key stakeholders in the automotive sector for a client that was looking to re-enter the Iranian market. This enabled the company to devise an informed strategy for re-entry and select a reliable local business partner.

Analysing the geopolitical, political and economic factors affecting developments in the oil and gas sector in the eastern Mediterranean. This included mapping the key figures with domestic and international governments who would be likely to influence the sector in one of the Levant countries.

Sorana holds an International Risk Management Certificate from the Institute of Risk Management and a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science, both with distinction. She also holds bachelor’s degrees in political science and in international economic relations from two universities in Bucharest, Romania, and a postgraduate certificate from the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Germany. Sorana is a regular speaker at global and regional conferences and has been quoted by various media, including Reuters, the Financial Times, and Forbes.

Kalpen Parekh

President, DSP Investment Managers

Kalpen Parekh is the President of DSP Investment Managers Pvt. Ltd.

He has over two decades of experience in finance and asset management. Prior to joining DSP, Mr. Parekh was responsible for growing businesses at IDFC Mutual Fund, Birla Sun Life Asset Management Company Ltd., and ICICI Prudential Asset Management Company Ltd.

He is passionate about behavioural finance and believes that investor behaviour is one of the most crucial aspects to a good investment experience. Mr. Parkeh has undertaken various initiatives in the organisations that he has worked with to highlight the importance and learnings of behavioural finance across the value chain.

A prolific Twitter user, he uses the medium to post messages on behavioural finance and interact with the community on the subject.

Mr. Parekh holds a master’s degree in management studies in finance from the Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies and a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Bharati Vidyapeeth, Pune.

Abdallah Obeikan

Chief Executive Officer, Obeikan Investment Group

Abdallah Obeikan, CEO of Obeikan Investment Group, born on 06th Nov 1964, Mr.Obeikan holds BSC in Electrical Engineering, King Saud University, Riyadh, K.S.A, 1986. He started working with Obeikan since 1987 and moved from one position to another until he became CEO in 2000. Obeikan Investment Group is a major player in packaging and education industries located in Riyadh K.S.A. It operates more than 24 companies works mainly in; liquid packaging, paper & Board, Plastic and Education. Mr.Obeikan is a board member in several companies and committees among these are Board Member of Obeikan Investment Group (OIG), Board Member of SIG Combibloc Obeikan co. (JV), Chairman of Elopak Obeikan co. (JV), Board Member of Obeikan Glass (JV), Board Member of Arabian shield co. (listed co), Vice Chairman of the Board of MESC co. (listed co), Board Member of National Water Co., Board Member of Social Development Bank, Board Member of Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC), Board Member of the General Authority of Saudi Customs and Board Member of the Industrial Council.