Farah joined Lazard Asset Management in April 2014 as the CEO for the Middle East. She spent six years at ING Investment Management, Dubai, first as the Chief Investment Officer responsible for building the investment team, across various asset classes and became the CEO at the beginning of 2009.

Farah has approximately twenty years experience analyzing and valuing companies in the UK, Europe and most recently in the region. Previous to joining ING IM she was the Head of Asset Management at NBD Investment Bank, managing a team of ten investment professionals and approximately US$2bn of assets under management. Farah was a senior fund manager at EFG-Hermes prior to NBD IB, responsible for managing GCC and MENA funds and portfolios.

Farah spent five years at Deutsche Bank in London, within the Equity Strategy team, developing the in-house valuation model, CROCI, and implementing it across the regional offices. She has also worked at Morgan Stanley within Equity Sales, covering European Institutions, followed by three years in commercial real estate advisory in Europe.

Farah has Private Equity exposure through a private venture in Argentina and an internet start-up in the UK. In 2010, Farah was selected to participate on an advisory panel for the DFSA, Dubai regulator, to review and recommend ammendments to the fund regime regulations to promote the DIFC as a fund domicile location. In 2012 Farah was elected as the chairperson of the board for the UAE Financial Servies Association, a non-profit organisation set up to promote best practice and engage actively with regulators and Government bodies on policy development and critical issues impacting the development of the industry. In 2013 Farah was appointed to the Nawat Investment Committee, multi-family office in Saudi Arabia. December 2013, Farah was one of four founding members of the first non-profit female mentoring program in the DIFC. April 2014 Farah completed her accreditation with Mudara, Institute of Directors, to become the 4th female certified board director in the Gulf region.

Farah holds a BSc Hons in Mathematics from King’s College in London and an MBA from Imperial College, London, specializing in Finance.

Dr Nawal Al-Hosany is the Director of Sustainability at Masdar and the Director of the Zayed Future Energy Prize.

Dr Al-Hosany is a board member of Masdar Investment LLC and of the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Meteorology. She is also an Adjunct Professor and member of the External Advisory Board at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology.

She is a member of the Advisory Panel for the Momentum for Change initiative of the UNFCCC, the Troika Plus of Women Leaders on Gender and Climate Change, and the Energy Efficiency Global Forum.

Dr Al-Hosany graduated from the Faculty of Engineering at the UAE University and obtained her PhD from Newcastle University in the UK. In 2011, Abu Dhabi Magazinecited Dr Al-Hosany as one of the 40 most influential Emiratis who have helped shape the emirate. She is also credited as one of the first two Emirati women to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro.

From former school teacher and principal to current policy maker and thought leader, Fatma Al Marri has been involved in all facets of education.

As CEO of the Dubai School Agency, Al Marri played a major role in innovative teaching and learning in Dubai’s public schools from 2007 to 2011. Using evidence-based indicators to achieve holistic, community-minded goals, Al Marri helped change the culture of education in schools.

One of her main objectives is supporting students enrolled in private education in Dubai. Her priorities lie in helping Emirati parents make confident, informed choices for their children’s schools, promoting Emirati national identity in private schools and recruiting more Emirati teachers to the private education sector.

From 2007 to 2011, Fatma Al Marri was one of nine women appointed as a member of the Federal National Council (FNC). Since 2010, Al Marri has been a member of the Board of Trustees of Hamdan bin Mohammed e-University as well as a member of the Dubai Government Traffic Safety Committee. She is also a member of the Dubai Appreciation Award for Community Services committee - this award honours those people who have made a positive impact in community service in medicine, education, social welfare and other fields.

Dr. Mariam Matar the Chairman & Founder of the UAE Genetic Diseases Association, launched in 2006, which has achieved many outstanding successes under her leadership and she is the Deputy Chairperson of Dubai Cares, which works to improve children's access to quality primary education in developing countries.

In Year 2015: Dr. Mariam Matar has been selected as The International Alliance for Women (TIAW) World of Difference 100 Award recipient 2015 under the Public Service/Government Category, for her contributed to the economic empowerment of women - Washington.

In the same year she received an Achievers Award as one of the most powerful women in Middle East and first woman in genetic research field & CSR by UNASCO- UAE.

Additionally, selected among the 100 most powerful Arab under 40, has been ranked 33 of the list of "100 most powerful Arab under 40" in Science launched by the magazine "Arabian Business" in April 2015.

The U.S. Department of State honored Dr. Maryam as an outstanding woman in science throughout the Middle East North Africa region, for year 2015,

In Year 2014, Dr. Mariam Matar has been listed among the 20 Most Influential Women in Science in the Islamic world, also, she renowned by The International Alternative Investment Review (IAIR) magazine the prestigious title of the IAIR AWARDS(R)  - Woman of the Year” - supporting from the European Commission.

In her achievements for the Year 2012, Dr. Maryam Matar has been ranked first in the UAE and fourth in the Arab world in Sciences and Research category of the most powerful Arab women in 2012 by the Arabian Business magazine. Her abilities have also honored her to be a Board Member of the Global Strategic Initiative on Advanced Radiation Medical Science, Vienna/Austria (NGO GSI-ARMS).

Dr. Maryam was selected by the Arab League's Scientific and Humanitarian Development Program of the Arab Women Organization (AWO) as ambassador of Goodwill for Women and Children for 2012-2012 in the Arab world, by Arab League's Scientific and Humanitarian Development Program. 

Graham Lovett is a partner in the Firm's Middle East Litigation and Dispute Resolution group. Graham was the Managing Partner for our Middle East offices from 2006 to April 2014. Prior to his arrival in Dubai in 2004, Graham was a partner in our London office. Graham specialises in complex commercial arbitration and litigation, often with a cross-border element. Graham regularly appears as an advocate before the DIFC Courts and the Special Tribunal Related to Dubai World and sits as an arbitrator in both domestic and international arbitrations. Graham has also been co-editor of Summaries of UAE Courts' Decisions on Arbitration (ICC) and co-author of the DIFC Courts' Code of Best Legal Professional Practice. He is named in the leading legal directories' in the top tier of litigation practitioners.

Rana is partner in charge of talent and communications at Deloitte in the Middle East region which spans 16 countries. She has worked in a number of countries in the Middle East and Europe

Before joining Deloitte, she was HR Director in the EMEIA (Europe, Middle East, India & Africa) regional management team at Andersen, and previous roles included HR Director of the Growing Economies region. During her career, she provided human capital consulting services to multinational and leading companies in the region. Early in her career, she worked in educational management, and lectured at university level.

Rana is an active champion of women advancement, corporate responsibility, and youth skills building initiatives in the MENA region. She speaks frequently on strategic talent management, corporate responsibility, entrepreneurship, diversity, corporate branding, and communications at regional and international conferences.

Lean in or lean out, Deloitte Women's March 2014

With more than sixteen years experience at Thomson Reuters, Basil has recently been appointed to the post of the President, Intellectual Property and Science business.

Basil began his Thomson Reuters career in Egypt in 1997 and has served in a number of roles including the Managing Director for Middle East, Africa & Russia, Head of Rapidly Developing Economies for financial clients, Investment Associate for the Reuters Venture Capital Group, and as the Head of Business Direct in EMEA. He has worked extensively in a number of countries for Thomson Reuters including Dubai, USA, UK, Italy and Switzerland.

Basil holds a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the American University in Cairo and a Master's of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.

Nadim was appointed Thomson Reuters Managing Director for Middle East, Africa & Russia/CIS in December 2013. Prior to this appointment, Nadim led the Intellectual Property & Science business for the same region.

He joined Thomson Reuters in 1993 and has worked across the business in technical, sales, operations and business management, roles including: Global Head of Business Planning and Operations, Rapidly Developing Economies (2010 – 2012), Managing Director, East Mediterranean & North Africa (2006-2010), and Business Manager, East Mediterranean (2001-2006).

Nadim started his career with IBM’s regional partner in Lebanon and holds a Bachelor of Computer & Communications Engineering from the American University in Beirut, Lebanon. He is fluent in Arabic and English and is based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.