Dubai Holding sponsors first Wharton Global Alumni Forum in Middle East

DUBAI, 4 March 2009: Dubai Holding today announced its lead sponsorship of the first Wharton Global Alumni Forum to be held in the Middle East. Up to 500 Wharton graduates are expected to attend the forum which will take place at the Grand Hyatt hotel, Dubai, from March 11-12.

Organised by the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, the world's first collegiate business school, the forum will bring together global and regional business leaders, government officials and Wharton School faculty to discuss the challenges faced by the Middle East, in the wake of the global financial crisis.

Khalid Al Shafar, Marketing Director, Dubai Holding said, "Dubai Holding's vision of creating a better tomorrow is strongly aligned with the aim of the forum. The outcomes of the discussions will provide a roadmap to help regional businesses to weather the current global economic storm and ultimately restore market confidence."

As well as providing a platform for many of the region's best minds to exchange information and insights, the forum will also examine the impact of the global economic crisis on regional efforts to diversify economies and improve education.

Wharton School Dean, Thomas S Robertson said, "The Middle East is at the crossroads of a new economic era, which will be influenced and shaped by the shifts in the global economy. The first Wharton School Global Alumni Forum in the region comes at a time when the world is seeking the insights, innovation and leadership that will bring about a new level of prosperity worldwide."

His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, UAE Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and Chancellor of the Higher Colleges of Technology; Nabil Ali Al Yousuf, Director-General, The Executive Office, Dubai; Donald D. Humphreys, Senior Vice President and Treasurer, Exxon Mobil Corporation; Ammar Al Khudairy, CEO of Amwal Al Khaleej and Jeremy Siegel, the Russell E. Palmer Professor of Finance, are among the speakers confirmed for the event.

The two-day forum will also host Wharton graduates and regional business leaders including Mohammed Alshaya, Executive Chairman of M.H. Alshaya Co and Chairman of the Organizing Committee for Wharton Global Alumni Forum; Sami Baroum, Managing Director, Savola Group; Aladdin Saba, Chairman, Beltone Financial; Tarek Sultan, Chairman and Managing Director, Agility Logistics and Ghassan Barrage, Senior Executive Advisor, Booz & Company.

Since 1993, The Wharton School Global Alumni Forums have been held in world's leading cities such as Shanghai, Mumbai, London, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, and Paris. The forum in Dubai is one of Wharton's three global meets this year, the other two being held in Bogota and Beijing.