OPENING CEREMONY
Essa Al Ghurair
Mr Essa Abdulla Al Ghurair is one of the leading business entrepreneurs in the region due to his extensive experience in industrial manufacturing and commodities trading in international markets. His vision and business strategies have resulted in the growth of various companies, e.g. Dubai Oil Mills (one of the largest canola and soya crushing plants in the MENA region), National Flour Mills and Al Ghurair Resources, (which are of the largest business entities in the greater Al Ghurair Family and a major supplier in the field of agricultural commodities).
Mr Essa Abdulla Al Ghurair, Chairman of Essa Al Ghurair Investment, also serves as the General Manager of Karam Foods Industries. In addition, Mr Essa Al Ghurair is a major shareholder in Prime HealthCare Group, one of the leading healthcare providers in the UAE, which aims to be the most respected healthcare provider in the region. His team is also involved in a vertical farming research project in Dubai
Welcome Speech
Essa Al Ghurair
IAOM MEA 2024 Conference Chairman
Chairman, Essa Al-Ghurair Investments LLC
(UAE)
Ali Habaj
Ali Habaj holds an M.B.A. in Marketing from the University of Bristol, UK and a General Management Program for top executives from Harvard University, USA to add to his credentials. Having worked in Oman for over 23 years in management roles, he possesses rich experience of which he led Oman Flour Mills Co. SAOG (OFM) and Atyab Investments from 2000 to 2017. During Habaj’s tenure at OFM, the company’s workforce grew from 220 to 1,500 employees. It was under his leadership that Atyab Investments was created, an investment arm focused on value addition through downstream industries. This is evidenced by a notable achievement in revenue growth from 60 Mn USD in 2010 to 220 Mn USD in 2016. Atyab Investments built Oman’s largest industrial bakery and successfully turned around the country’s major poultry farms- broiler and layer facilities. In addition to this, Atyab Investments is setting up new milling and Grain silo facilities in the Industrial Port of Sohar. During the first half of this financial year, the group’s profits grew by 47% compared to the previous year and this robust growth will be seen in the second half as well. The company will continue with its 5-year vision of investing US $1 Billion in the food sector. He continues to be involved in the industry through different board positions and consultancy assignments for the flour milling industry. He is an active member of the Young President Organization (YPO), held the position of chairman for YPO Oman from 2015-2016 and is the elected Chairman for YPO MENA Gold Regional Chair 2022-2024
Opening Speech
Ali Habaj
IAOM MEA Regional Director
(Sultanate of Oman)
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Dan Basse
Daniel Basse is the President of AgResource Company. AgResource Co. is a domestic and international agricultural research firm located in Chicago, which forecasts domestic and world agricultural price trends. AgResource Co. provides information/research to; farmers, elevators, soy and corn processors, wheat millers, food companies, trading companies, importers, exporters and meat packers. AgResource’s research is sold around the globe in 81 nations. Mr Basse is an economist who has been in the commodity business since 1979. Raised on a dairy/grain farm in Waukesha, Wisconsin, Mr Basse has a keen sense of production agriculture. Mr. Basse graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1979 and has worked with Professional Farmers of America, Brock Associates and the ag research division of GNP Commodities in Chicago. In 1987, Mr Basse founded AgResource Company to serve the needs of the US and world agricultural community. Mr. Basse is a member of the Farm Foundation and the Commodity Market Council.
Dan Basse
President & Founder
AgResource Co.
(USA)
Riaz Shah
Riaz Shah, BSc (Hons), FCA, FRSA, OBE
Riaz is Professor of Practice for Innovation & Leadership at Hult International Business School. Until recently he was a Partner for 27 years at EY, where he served clients in Assurance and Technology Consulting and led various business units. His last role was Global Learning Leader, preparing EY’s 400,000 people for the future of work.
His interests are in technology, education and enterprise, and Riaz is engaged in a portfolio of projects, including advising several CEOs, working with governments on education and entrepreneurship initiatives, and hosting tech programs for senior executives in Silicon Valley.
Riaz founded the One Degree Academy, a school in a disadvantaged area of London, and in 2023 he was awarded an OBE for Services to Education by HM King Charles.
Riaz Shah
Professor of Practice – Innovation & Leadership
(UK)
Dr. Hischam El-Agamy
As Executive Director of IMD, Hischam El Agamy is responsible for IMD’s activities in Africa, the Middle East, and South-Central Asia, where he teaches and leads development programs. El Agamy’s expertise and teaching experience include scenario planning, business transformation, family business transformation, public-private partnership, and stakeholder engagement. He teaches regularly in IMD custom programs and has taught several IMD open programs, including its EMBA and MBA programs.
For over 14 years, El Agamy has occupied various international functions in seven European countries as part of a long career with major Swiss multinational corporations in Zürich. During these years, he has driven a number of business transformation initiatives in several European countries.
He has contributed to several advisory assignments for governments in the Gulf region and in the area of competitiveness and human capital development for the government of South Africa.
El Agamy obtained two master’s degrees in applied science from the University of Fribourg and Lausanne in Switzerland. He received his Doctorate from the University of Pierre & Marie Curie in Paris.
Dr. Hischam El-Agamy
Chairman at Target Development GmbH & Executive Director IMD
(Switzerland)