HE Mohammed Jalal Al Raisi Director General of the Emirates News Agency

HE Mohammed Jalal Al Raisi is currently the Director General of the Emirates News Agency (WAM). He has held the position of Executive Director of the Agency, and assumed responsibility for developing its work mechanisms, ensuring they are aligned with the strategy of the UAE government.

Al Raisi supervised the implementation of the agency's development strategy, in line with its vital role in disseminating the country’s messages and highlighting national achievements and gains, and works to enhance its international presence by establishing strategic partnerships with international agencies and media institutions.

Al Raisi is a member of the national media team and represented the agency in a number of prominent regional and international media forums and conferences, and worked on the finalisation of dozens of cooperation and news exchange agreements.

Prior to joining the agency, Al Raisi held the position of head of the media office for the development projects of the UAE in Egypt, as well as a media advisor for the government media delegation for Egyptian affairs. He has also worked as the director of communication and the official spokesperson for the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority.

Al Raisi holds a Master's degree in Communication Sciences and Public Relations from the University of Maryland, US. He also holds a higher degree from the same university in the field of strategic planning for media. Al Raisi has won many awards during his career.

HE Ali Jaber Director of MBC Group and Dean of Mohammad Bin Rashid School of Communications (MBRSC), American University in Dubai

HE Ali Jaber is Group TV Director of MBC’s 13 channels. He oversees content planning, acquisition, and programming for the group’s entertainment channels. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Young Arab Leaders (YAL); and the Advisory Board of American University of Beirut, School of Architecture and Design, in Beirut, Lebanon.

Jaber was mandated by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to set up the MBRSC at the American University in Dubai and was appointed its Dean. He was also charged with managing the Dubai Media Incorporation (DMI) and revamping its four pan-Arab channels. Ali is also the Editor-in-Chief of DMI.

HE Sami Al Reyami Editor-in-Chief, Emarat Al Youm

Eminent journalist and columnist Sami Al Reyami has been the Editor-in-Chief of Emarat Al Youm newspaper since 2005. He previously worked at Al Bayan newspaper. His published books include ‘Oyoun Al Kalam’ (Speech’s Eyes) and ‘Kainaat fi Hikayaat’ (Creatures in Stories).

HE Shihab Alhammadi Vice Chancellor for Administrative and Financial Affairs - University of Sharjah

Shihab Ahmed Alhammadi currently holds the position of Vice Chancellor of the University of Sharjah for Administrative and Financial Affairs, adding another milestone to his distinguished record of achievements. Before entering the field of higher education, Alhammadi played a significant role in various initiatives in Sharjah. He was instrumental in establishing the Sharjah Media City (Shams) and setting up its business center while serving as the Director of the Sharjah Media Corporation. Additionally, he made tangible efforts to achieve the highest growth rates for the free zone at the national level.

Alhammadi is known for his inspiring leadership style, utilizing modern technology to support and achieve ambitious strategic visions that have a wide impact on various sectors.

Prior to joining Shams, Alhammadi served as Director of Support Services for five years at Sharjah Media Corporation after gaining comprehensive experience in various aspects of the media at Sharjah Television, including Finance, HR, Marketing, Commercial Ads, Graphic Design and Video Editing.

Alhammadi holds an EMBA from the University of Sharjah and an Innovation Diploma from Mohammed Bin Rashid Center for Government Innovation. Motivated by excellence and technology, Alhammadi has continuously pursued his personal growth by engaging in leadership programs. He is committed to helping others build their own careers – something he does through his role as a Certified Trainer.

His Excellency Dr. Ali Qasim Jawad Al Lawati President of The Royal Academy of Management

With over thirty years of multi-disciplinary experience, Dr Ali Qassim Jawad is a recognised expert in public sector transformation, having led national policies and strategic programmes at the institutional and national levels in the Middle East. In his current capacity, as a Senior Advisor and the Head of the Think Tank Unit ( at the Diwan of Royal Court in Oman, Dr Jawad spearheads a number of strategic initiatives which underpin Oman’s socio economic development. Dr. Jawad has held key positions leading and advising on strategic initiatives and programmes in the public sector across the Middle East. Key highlights include overseeing a government economic reform agenda, developing a national innovation policy agenda, and establishing a national competitiveness office. His private sector experience includes working with leading consulting firms, including Booz Allen Hamilton and PA Consulting on a variety of multi-disciplinary projects, ranging from strategy development to design implementation. In addition to authoring numerous articles on leadership, competitiveness and scenario planning, Dr Jawad has co-authored three books - Leading Smart Transformation: A Roadmap for a World Class Government (March 2011) Redefining Well Being in Nations and Organizations: A Process of Improvement (February 2016) both published by Palgrave Macmillan, and recently Leadership Intelligence The 5 Qs (March 2019) published by Bloomsbury. Dr Jawad serves on a number of advisory boards, including the Cranfield School of Management, the American University in Cairo (School of Business), and International Culture Communication Center in China. Additionally, throughout his career he has been affiliated with a number of leading academic institutions, including Sultan Qaboos University, Yale University, INSEAD, Henely Business School, and the Cranfield University as a Research Fellow and Visiting Scholar. Dr Jawad holds a B Sc in Electrical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis (USA) and a Ph D from Cranfield University (UK) in Technology Management.

Dr Yasar Jarrar Author of the “Sheikh CEO” Book

Dr Yasar Jarrar is a senior strategy advisor focused on emerging markets, with experience in Public Sector Modernisation, Technology for Development, and Education. He is a co-founder of specialised advisory firms, IAG Gov-Insights. He is also a Senior Advisor at Mohammed Bin Rashid Center for Innovations in Government (UAE).

Dr Jarrar is a former partner at Bain & Company (head of Public Sector Practice in Middle East) and prior to that, a partner at PwC, leading the Middle East Strategy Group and Global Education Practice. Before PwC, he served as Strategy Director at the Executive Office of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum in Dubai, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai. He was also the founding Executive Dean of the Dubai School of Government. He also co-chaired Global Agenda Council on the Future of Government (World Economic Forum).

Dr. Jarrar obtained a Ph.D. in Manufacturing and Engineering from Birmingham University (USA) and is a Fellow at Cranfield School of Management (UK), and a Global Economy Fellow at the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth (USA).

Mona El-Shazly Egyptian TV host

Mona El-Shazly is a prominent Egyptian journalist, who has left her mark through her various programmes and interviews with a large number of public figures and celebrities locally and internationally, including heads of state, prime ministers, Nobel laureates and Hollywood stars.

She has received numerous awards and honours from major Arab and international media organisations.

Mona El-Shazly studied journalism and media at the American University in Cairo. She joined the Arab Radio and Television Network (ART) and MBC. She joined the Dream TV network to present her most famous programme, "Ten in the Evening", hosting many important and political figures.

Mona El-Shazly currently hosts the "Mona El-Shazly With You" programme on the Egyptian satellite channel CBC, featuring celebrities and distinguished people in various fields, including artists, singers, athletes, writers, intellectuals and inspiring human stories.

The "Mona El-Shazly With You" programme is one of the most successful in the Middle East, recording millions of daily views. She strives for uniqueness in her programmes, creating distinguished content that is both significant and refreshing, appealing to its large audience.

Muhammad Majid Al Suwaidi Acting Director, Sharjah Sports Channel, United Arab Emirates

Muhammad Majid Al Suwaidi is an Emirati journalist with an experience spanning more than 15 years. He joined as a trainee at Sharjah TV in 2007. He started as a broadcaster while he was still a student at the College of Communication at the University of Sharjah, from which he graduated in 2009.

During his media journey, he has presented a number of television programmes. Some of his popular programmes include In the Presence of the Book, Villages, Watani, With Official, Youth Opinion, Sharjah Economy, Direct Line, and others.

Dr Ahmed Abdel Rahman Al Arfaj Writer and Journalist, Saudi Arabia

Dr Ahmed Abdel Rahman Al Arfaj holds a PhD in media studies from the University of Birmingham in Britain, a master's degree from Umm Al Qura University, and a BA in Arabic from the Islamic University in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

He has published a number of papers and books and has contributed several articles in various newspapers and magazines.

He presents the popular “Ya Hala Bel Arfaj” weekly programme on the Gulf Rotana television channel. He was appointed a member of the Board of Trustees of the King Abdulaziz Center for National Dialogue through a royal decree in 2018.