Telecom CEOs meet in Dubai to debate new dynamic for international investment

April 25, 2012 - PRLog -- CEOs, CFOs and regional leadership from telecom companies, sovereign wealth funds, investment banks, and specialist advisers are meeting in Dubai to debate new investment strategies at the annual TMT Finance Middle East conference on May 2-3.
Saudi Telecom (STC), Etisalat, Qtel, MTN, Batelco, Emirates Investments Authority (EIA), Goldman Sachs, UBS, Citigroup, the World Bank, Google, Yahoo!, HTC, MBC, IHS, Clifford Chance and Ernst & Young, are among the 50 companies with speakers represented at the influential forum. Critical to this year’s debate is how telecom operators assess new investment opportunities in content and technology across globally positioned telecom portfolios.
Karim Sabbagh, Senior Vice President at Booz & Company, will chair the Telecom Leadership Round Table,  which opens the conference with Ahmad Abdul Karim Julfar, Group CEO, Etisalat; Ghassan Hasbani, CEO, STC International; Kaj Relander, Chief Investment Officer, Emirates Investment Authority and Jeremy Sell, Group Chief Strategy Officer, Qtel debating the latest investment strategies.
“The opening panel session will tackle critical developments in the telecoms industry, including the latest approaches to issues of commoditization, regional and global consolidation, and exciting new opportunities for investment and partnership into adjacent markets,” said Karim Sabbagh. “In keeping with the wider themes of the rest of the conference, and the international audience,  we will debate how economic and funding capabilities of telcos will influence the next pivotal strategic choices. We will also discuss the top three disruptions in the telecom industry, joint ventures and partnership opportunities and the changing tenets of shareholders’ expectations  in the medium to long term.”
The conference provides a unique knowledge sharing platform for international leaders and features a series of keynotes , panel discussions and networking opportunities across two days. Key sessions also include: The M&A Panel – What’s next for transactions globally?; Telecom CFO Round Table Financing Telecoms; Digital Media Leadership; The Telecom Policy Panel, Broadband Leadership; Infrastructure Sharing and the Future of TMT.  Visionary Keynote speeches will also be made by leaders from Saudi Telecom, Citigroup, Fitch Ratings, Friendi Group, Booz &  Company, Ernst & Young and IHS.
The TMT Finance Middle East Awards Dinner which celebrates the leading telecom companies, investments, financiers and advisers across the region over the year, will also take place on Wednesday, May 2 from 18.30-21.30 at the Majlis Al Salam main ballroom Mina A’Salam. Awards to be presented include for Telecom Deal of the Year, Mobile Operator, Growth Story, Outstanding Leader, M&A Adviser, Financing Bank, Broadband Operator, and Legal Adviser.
Now in its sixth year, the TMT Finance & Investment Middle East Conference and Awards Ceremony takes place at Mina A’ Salam from May 2-3.  The event is supported by STC as Main Event Sponsor, IHS, Clifford Chance, Booz & Company, Ernst & Young, SNR Denton, Fitch Ratings, Trowers & Hamlin, Tasc Towers, Capital MSL, Thomson Reuters, CNN Arabia, Zawya and TMT Finance News.
For full programme details visit www.tmtfinance.com/me/programme
Register to attend at http://www.tmtfinance.com/middleeast/register/