New digital content strategies and partnership opportunities assessed at Middle East conference

PRLog (Press Release) - Apr. 24, 2012 - Dubai, United Arab Emirates, April 24, 2012: Regional leaders from Microsoft, HTC, Yahoo! STC and MBC will debate new content delivery strategies and partnership opportunities at the annual TMT Finance & Investment Middle East Conference in Dubai on May 2.
The two day conference, which is sponsored again this year by Saudi Telecom (STC), features a series of panel discussions and keynote speeches by leadership from telecom, media and technology companies, investment banks, investors and advisers.  
The Digital Media Leadership Round Table, which is moderated by Nadine Hany, Senior Business News Presenter of the Al-Arabiya News Channel, will feature Samer Abu Ltaif, Regional General Manager, Microsoft Gulf; Florian Seiche, President EMEA, HTC; Christos Mastoras, Director of Business Development, Yahoo! Middle East; and Fares Akkad, Senior Manager for Digital Business Development, MBC Group. Earlier, Ghassan Hasbani, CEO STC International, will highlight how the industry is transforming in a visionary keynote speech.
“The digital media landscape in MENA is growing rapidly in terms of number of users online across platforms as well as in terms of monetization opportunities across digital advertising and e-commerce.” said Christos Mastoras, Director of Business Development, Yahoo! Middle East. “As access becomes increasingly universal, the focus is shifting for stakeholders to drive the development of Arabic content and applications, as well as driving adoption and usage.   In this evolving environment, key digital media players such as Yahoo! Maktoob have a key role in collaborating with telecom operators, device manufacturers, ICT authorities and other stakeholders to grow the digital media and entrepreneurial ecosystems that drive the innovation in this space,”

Over 50 speakers have been announced for the conference, including  C-level  executives and regional heads from Etisalat, Google, MTN, STC, Qtel,  Batelco, IHS, Goldman Sachs, EIA, Ericsson, Clifford Chance, Morgan Stanley, Standard Bank, Citigroup, UBS, the World Bank, Ernst & Young, Macquarie and Altimo.
Other key session themes include: Global Telecom Leadership - Strategies for the leading the next wave; The M&A Panel - What’s next for mergers and acquisitions globally?; Telecom CFO Round Table - Creating new paths to operational efficiency; The Financing and Investment Panel; Telecom Policy – Stimulating Investment; Meeting Broadband Demand and Consolidating Networks, Infrastructure  Sharing and the Future of TMT.
The 6th TMT Finance & Investment Middle East Conference and Awards Ceremony takes place at Mina A’ Salam on May 2-3.  The event is supported by STC, IHS, Clifford Chance, Booz & Company, Ernst & Young, Fitch Ratings, Tasc Towers, Capital MSL and TMT Finance.   
For full programme details visit http://www.tmtfinance.com/middleeast/programme
Register to attend at http://www.tmtfinance.com/middleeast