DOHA: The two-day Qatar International Businesswomen Forum (QIBF) is set to open here today for the third time. St Regis Hotel will be the venue for the forum, which is taking place under the patronage of H E Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani, the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister.
Delegates from 12 Arab countries will attend the meet, in addition to attendees from Germany, Russia, Turkey, the United Kingdom, US, Canada, Australia, Malaysia and others. In total, 800 participants are expected at the forum this year.
A distinguished group of speakers and panelists at fhe Forum will include: Barton Cahir, the President & General Manager of ExxonMobil Qatar Inc; Wael Sawan, Executive Vice President and Country Chairman of Shell Qatar; Clare Harris, Vice President, Gas Development for Shell Qatar; Dr Saad Al Barak, Chairman, ILA Group; Reem Badran, Member of Parliament and Vice Chairman of the Amman Chamber of Commerce, Jordan; Dalal Kaki, Director of the Makkah Chamber of Commerce; Mary Macpherson, Programme Director, Mena Businesswomen’s Network, USA; Fatima Al Jaber, Chairman of the Emirates Businesswomen Council; Lord Michael Hastings, Global Head of Citizenship and Diversity, KPMG London; Hala Latouf, ex-minister of social affairs and development, Jordan; Huda Jalal Yassine, President of the Federation of Arab Women Investors, Egypt; Tatiana Gvilava, President of the All-Russia Public Organisation of Businesswomen, and many other specialists and personalities.
Aisha Alfardan (pictured), Vice-President of the Qatari Businesswomen Forum, said: “The efforts deployed during the past years to organise the Qatar International Businesswomen Forum and to make it an important event that draws the attention to the achievements of the State of Qatar, were a way to show gratitude to our country and the Qatari woman in particular for what she has achieved so far. There is a great deal to be discussed and we anticipate a highly productive couple of days’ work at the forum.”
Raed Chehaib, Chief Executive Officer of Interactive Business Network, the organisers of the Forum, said: “We’re very much looking forward to the third edition of this prestigious and agenda-setting forum, certain in the knowledge that a huge range of topics relevant to business women will be discussed in depth. We are proud of the growth the forum has witnessed and the great reputation it has acquired which are a confirmation that the subject of women empowerment is a very important one.”
The Peninsula
