For the first time, Saudi Arabia will host the Top CEO Conference and Awards, an event which will see CEOs, CMOs, Presidents and VPs from across the Arabian Gulf region and beyond gather together on April 10-11 2017 at Bay La Sun Hotel & Marina, King Abdullah Economic City.
The annual event, now in its third edition, serves to address the burning issues facing the corporate world today while also recognizing the very best in GCC business leadership. It is organized by TRENDS magazine and international business school INSEAD, and will take place under the theme ‘Adapting to Disruption: New Roles, New Realities’, to reflect the transformation in the way C-level executives and businesses prepare to make agile strides toward a sustainable future.
“The Top CEO Conference has carved a niche for itself not only as a pioneering regional business conference and awards ceremony, but also as an essential leadership event. Our well-thought-of conferences will bring global issues to light in a regional context. Businesses in the GCC and the Middle East are at a turning point, with the era of abundance coming to an end, old business models changing and slow growth haunting the region. New technologies are being ushered in and the region is fast embracing the concept of a new reality. So, we are trying to put these perennial issues at centre-stage, initiate a dialogue and draft a roadmap for a smooth transition,” said Julien Hawari, Co-Chief Executive Officer, Mediaquest.
The Top CEO Conference is an open discussion between thought leaders, executives and officials. Its purpose is to frame global issues – specifically disruptive leadership, innovative corporate strategies and changing dynamics of the business ecosystem – in a regional context, and help executives and leaders to navigate challenges, embrace a new reality, and take their organisations forward in the right direction. Plenary and breakout sessions are a key highlight, delving into the present and future of business in the region, and exploring how business models in the GCC countries are reshaping themselves in this ever-changing world.
The event will feature both on-record and off-record sessions, covering topics including New Technologies, Challenges of Slow Growth, The Broken Job Machine, Public-Private Partnerships, Leadership 2.0, Big Data & Artificial Intelligence, Vision 2030, Arab Image in the West, Women & Leadership, other sessions will explore investing in Saudi Arabia, the image wars and anti-trust laws, among other subjects.
The awards will also be presented on April 11, 2017 and honor the region’s 100 best-performing CEOs based on an evaluation of their companies performance, growth, profitability, corporate governance and transparency. The Top CEO Awards works with corporate governance institute Hawkamah to ensure that elements of good governance remain an integral part of the overall ranking system, and with one of big four auditors, to ensure same level of rigor and transparency.
