In a world marked by rapid political, financial, social and technological transformation, staying ahead requires insight and foresight. Abu Dhabi’s position as a global hub for innovation and business means that nowhere is more relevant for global leaders in business and policy to chart the path forward. Among the first set of speakers announced are:

Sinan Ulgen, Senior Fellow, Carnegie Europe and Director, EDAM; Hussain Sajwani, Founder and Chairman, Damac Group;

HE Khalfan Belhoul, CEO, Dubai Future Foundation; Mohammed Alabbar, Founder and Chairman, Emaar;

Luigo Di Maio, Special Representative for the Gulf Region, European Union;

Giorgos Gerapetritis, Foreign Minister, Greece;

Abdulaziz Al Sager, Head, Gulf Research Institute;

Deng Chao, CEO, HashKey Capital: Speaking on the ‘Deep tech at scale’ panel;

Jihad Azour, Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department, International Monetary Fund: From modernizing Lebanon’s tax and customs systems in his role as Finance Minister in 2005-08 to now overseeing the IMF’s work in the Middle East, North Africa, central Asia and Caucasus;

Nasser Saidi, Politician and Economist, Former Minister of Economy and Industry, Former Vice Governor, Lebanese Central Bank, Lebanon;

Yusuff Ali, Chairman and Managing Director, Lulu Group; John Pagano, Group CEO, Red Sea Global;

Yusuf Maitama Tuggar OON, Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs, Federal Republic of Nigeria;

Abdulrahman Tarabzouni, CEO, Saudi Technology Ventures: The largest technology-focused venture capital firm in the Middle East and North Africa region manages a US$800 million fund;

HE Dr. Anwar Mohammed Gargash, Diplomatic Advisor to the President of the UAE and Former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs (2008 – 2021).

The agenda covers six main themes:

Geopolitics: The Gulf, like every region in the world, finds itself adapting to significant changes on the world political stage after the “global year of elections.” Shifting trade patterns are also leading to new financial and diplomatic alliances, amid a broader shift toward deglobalization.

Economy & Markets: The Gulf is experiencing a renaissance, bucking global economic trends and growing fast – with growth expected to surge to around 4.4% in 2025, more than doubling 2024 projections.

Banking & Finance: The financial services industry in the Gulf is undergoing a significant transformation, fueled by the advances of digital technology. The Middle East public cloud market is expected to reach almost $10 billion by 2027, but challenges remain in the form of data security and privacy concerns.

Technology & AI: A focus on developing technology and AI has been a key plank of the region’s concerted push to diversify beyond oil and gas. Alongside heavy AI investment, there have been significant efforts to develop Arab-language models trained on local datasets.

Climate & Sustainability: The Gulf is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, with rising temperatures, water scarcity, and environmental degradation posing significant challenges. The spotlight is on the region, and its diversification away from oil, with the UAE hosting COP28

Business Leadership: Social, political, and economic upheaval have been a constant theme around the world, and with it has come an increased need for leaders to steer a steady course and rebuild trust.

In response to a Reuters’s report, international cigarette maker Philip Morris has suspended their global social marketing campaign for their product IQOS. Reuters inquired about the company’s campaign that used an influencer who is under the age of 25. The campaign was designed to use young online personalities to sell its new “heated tobacco” device.

Reuters used reviewed hashtags such as #IQOSAmbassador, #paidad, and #notriskfree to scout out IQOS marketing posts which revealed a certain misconduct when it discovered Alina Tapilina, a 21 year old, Russian influencer to promote the product as #IQOSambassador.

In a statement to Reuters, Philip Morris, said that the suspension of the social marketing campaign is a “concrete proof” of its “conviction to achieve a smoke-free world through socially responsible practices.”

Reuters reported Philip Morris’s negligence of its marketing standards by using a young woman. The Reuters review revealed that much of the company’s overseas social media marketing influencers in Japan, Russia, Switzerland, Italy and Romania did not list their age online and follow a pattern of “thin and young” woman living to be high.

Stephen King, a lecturer in Media at Middlesex University Dubai and a PR personnel, told Communicate that the company has not broken any laws, in either counties in question, making [the suspension] primarily a matter of corporate value and compliance with internal rules.

“It is standard practice to put in place mitigating strategies to reduce the risk of non-compliance and that is what this company has done,” he added.

One of the marketing guidelines set to be followed by Philip Morris, as mentioned in their website, reads, “We don’t use cartoons, youth-oriented celebrities, or models who are or appear to be under the age of 25.”

Philip Morris has recently voiced its concerns about young people smoking and has run a campaign to ensure no tobacco for youth. Reuters reported that when the company submitted their marketing plans with an FDA application for IQOS in 2017, its sample advertisements featured older models that are at least a decade older than what appeared in the campaign.

Phillip Morris set up an internal investigation following Reuters’ questioning. Consequently, the company has decided to cancel its social media campaign. The company commented on the issue to Reuters, “We have taken the decision to suspend all of our product-related digital influencer actions globally.” They admitted that while the influencer was of legal smoking age, their guidelines require them to be 25+, calling it a “clear breach of that guidance.”

IQOS is a new device introduced by the cigarette brand, acronym for “I quit ordinary smoking.” It was given a go to be sold by the US Food and Drug Administration last month after two years of review.  Allegedly, Philip Morris assured that young people would be warned off from using the product.