Crossroads Impact Forum in Dubai to foster collaborations

Staff Reporter, Gulf  Today

For the first time, Harvard Business School Club of the Gulf Cooperation Council (HBS GCC) expands its Crossroads Impact Forum to welcome not only HBS alumni but also business leaders and change makers from across the GCC. Organised by the Harvard Business School Club of the Gulf Cooperation Council (HBS GCC), the exclusive event, to be held on Sept 14 and 15 at the Museum of the Future in Dubai will enable public and private partnerships to re-shape, re-imagine and re-engineer businesses and strategies for greater impact in the next 20 years.

As the GCC region continues to gain significance due to geopolitics and recent socio-political and economic developments, the Harvard Business School Club of the GCC recognizes this important time to convene with the growing network of senior level GCC government and business leaders and re-draw agendas to empower the GCC in global development.

Over the two Forum days, VIP keynotes, exclusive panel discussions, interactive fire side chats and lightning talks will discuss leadership in an era of metamorphosis for the GCC. Addressing governance, healthcare, national talent, food security, the digital economy and sustainability, Harvard alumni CEOs and entrepreneurs will drive knowledgeable debate to encourage existing leadership to re-think their business agendas and align together for maximum impact.

 Saleh Lootah, President, of the Harvard Business School Club of the GCC and Chairman of Lootah Holding said: “The main challenges facing us globally and in the GCC are education, food security, health, and national development. We are also in a period of transformation in the GCC, where we are aggressively diversifying our economies, moving away from hydrocarbons and realigning towards more diverse and sustainable formats. This event looks to brings together government and private sector to share ideas and put actionable plans on the ground for the future”.

Speaking at the forum will be  Omar Sultan Al Olama, UAE Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications; Mohammed Al-Jasser, Assistant Minister, Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, KSA;  Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General of Dubai Economy and Tourism, UAE, and Professor John D. Macomber, Senior Lecturer of Business Administration, Harvard Business School and more.

Partners of the 2022 edition of the Crossroads GCC Future Impact Forum include the Department of Health Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabian smart solutions, and business services provider, THIQAH, and Asharq Business Bloomberg.

Highlighting healthcare in the GCC and the public-private partnerships being strongly driven in the sector by governments, Dr. Maliha Hashmi, a prominent health leader in Saudi Arabia, member of the Advisory Board for Arab Health, World Economic Forum Global Future Council expert and recent recipient of the Forbes 2022 Health Leadership Award said: “Opportunities must be identified for healthcare to deliver economical, science-based solutions through innovation. With the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia looking to become a major innovation driver in the region, it is impressively taking major steps to scale up partnerships with the private sector to develop solutions in this field. I am a firm believer that healthcare can catalyse this, as it has the power to transform people and markets above all other sectors and create the much-needed social positive impact globally.

“Policy implementation requires human expertise, the GCC Future Impact Forum will bring across this expertise from government and private sector designed with the right tools that can scale solutions across national and global healthcare networks”.

The digital economy will be a focus of discussions at the GCC Future Impact Forum as governments and business leaders across the GCC are positioning their organizations to be key players in this emerging economy.

Global technology company in the payments industry, Mastercard, sees partnerships as key for the region. “As a trusted partner to governments, traditional financial institutions, and a host of emerging fintechs and new players, Mastercard believes in the power of public-private partnerships to create a thriving and sustainable digital economy. As the event’s official Payment Partner, we look forward to joining this gathering of GCC leaders and championing the people, businesses and innovations that are changing the way the world works,” said J.K. Khalil, Cluster General Manager, MENA East, Mastercard.

The aim to transform the region from digital adoption to digital disruption has great potential to be realised, according to Andreea Danila of Global Millennial Capital, the Middle East’s first venture capital investor to introduce the concept of artificial intelligence (AI) in the traditional investment process.