Expert Speaker Faculty

Sami Abdul-Karim Al-Zuhaibi
Sami Abdul-Karim Al-Zuhaibi is currently Co-Founder, Partner, Consultant and Project Manager for Elixir Consultancy with a vision to “help local companies, governments and individuals to succeed globally via strategic creative solutions”. His responsibilities within the company include: providing consultancy services to gain, manage and retain clients, setting and aligning overall company direction and strategy, and setting and organising structure / company systems. Sami was previously at Proctor & Gamble between 2000 – 2005 and his key responsibilities included working on managing brand management for various P&G brands – Tide, Ariel, Downy, Pantene.
Steve Anastasiadis
Steve Anastasiadis is the Managing Director of Saatchi & Saatchi Dubai, a hub office for clients such as Procter & Gamble, Bel Fromagerie, Qatar Airways and Red Bull across the Middle East and beyond. He is a member of the Saatchi & Saatchi EMEA Board. Prior to arriving in Dubai, he was a key member of Saatchi’s global executive team on Toyota, one of the agency’s largest clients, having held regional responsibilities across Australasia and Europe. In his over 15 years with Saatchi & Saatchi in offices throughout the global network, he has worked with numerous clients at the local, regional and the global levels and has been an avid and passionate observer as to what motivates and drives consumers the world over. Now firmly placed in the region, Steve sees his key role as being that of a ‘connector’; Connecting talent, ideas and best practice from the network to this part of the world.
Bassem Barberi is the Consumer Relationship Marketing (CRM) Manager for Nestlé in the Middle East. Upon completing a 2-year pilot phase testing & measuring various tactical consumer acquisition and relationship-building activities, Bassem prepared a 5-year CRM business plan for Nestlé Middle East, backed by an ROI model. Prior to joining Nestlé, Bassem worked as a CRM consultant in Canada, handling accounts such as Samsung, eCarpet Gallery, North America’s biggest online seller of Persian carpets. Bassem holds a B.Sc. in Computer Science from AUB and an MBA in Marketing from McGill University in Montreal.
Dave Battiston is the Chief Executive Offi cer of AIR MILES. In this capacity Dave oversees the management of the Air Miles Programme that boasts of the most active retail database in the region. Dave is also a Director of Air Miles International Trading - operating the loyalty bestpractice programmes in the UK (recently as Nectar), Canada, Spain and Netherlands for the last 14 years. Prior to his role in the Middle East, Dave has worked with market leading companies in the UK, Canada, Netherlands and Australasia specialising in CRM and Direct Marketing. He holds a Masters Series in Customer Relationship Management and a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce & Administration.
David Bennett is a senior cards marketing practitioner with 25 years global experience within the cards business. David’s global experience includes senior management positions within: Emirates Bank, American Express, M&C Saatchi, Interbrand, Saudi French Bank, Accor International, Burton Group Financial Services and Green Shield. David has 15 years experience within the Middle East region developing card strategy, developing innovative new products, managing loyalty programmes and creating image solutions and corporate culture transitions for many of the regions leading financial institutions. During eight years with Amex, David was awarded the coveted American Express ‘Chairman’s Award’ for two consecutive years. Currently holding the position of Director - Cards Marketing within Emirates Bank, David is responsible for marketing the Emirates Bank cards portfolio.
Samit Bhatta
Samit Bhatta is the General Manager, Sales & Marketing of Damas Jewellery, LLC. Samit’s role is to drive the `DAMAS’ global business of ‘luxury wrapped in trust’. His core areas of responsibility include Sales and Marketing. Prior to joining Damas Jewellery, Samit was the National Sales and Marketing Manager for Diamond Trading Company, India. Samit holds a Masters of business administration from Sydenham Institute of Management. In the last one year, Samit has won the Gemas (Gulf Effectiveness in Marketing Marketing awards) for Best Brand Launch of 2005 and Best Brand Alliance with American Express.
Nassib Boueri is currently Managing Director of Wunderman, responsible for steering the company to its current position of a leading DM/BTL agency in the region. Throughout the last three years, the company has seen a growth rate of 5-30% annually, with major new account wins and has built enduring relationships with regional as well as international clients. Nassib has held other managerial positions in the Middle East and Africa earlier.
Rajeev Budhiraja is Managing Director for Promoseven Relationship Marketing. Promoseven Relationship Marketing’s clients include Emaar, Omantel, Jumeirah, Standard Chartered Bank, Ahli United Bank, RAKBANK, Le Meridien Hotels & Resorts. Prior to the Agency, Rajeev worked with Cathay Pacifi c Airways in the Middle East for nine years and most recently was Regional Marketing Manager for the Middle East. Rajeev graduated in Economics and Law from Cambridge University in UK and subsequently obtained a Masters degree in Law from Cambridge, UK.
Gary Davies MBA DipM MCIM is a consultant, trainer and author with over 30 years experience in sales, marketing and general management. He works with corporate clients and educational institutions, including the IFS School of Finance and the Chartered Institute of Marketing. Prior to establishing his own business, Gary was the General Manager of Tamar Science Park in the UK. Gary has also worked as a Marketing Manager within RTZ and as a Corporate Finance Specialist within the Barclays Bank Group. Gary holds an MBA and the Chartered Institute of Marketing Post Graduate Diploma. He is also a graduate of the Institute of Export.
Thomas Day is an independent international strategic business and marketing planning consultant with over 20 experience, primarily in high technology industries and fi nancial services. Before moving into consulting and training he worked for nine years with Digital Equipment Corporation, two years of which were spent at their commercial business and marketing headquarters in New Hampshire, USA. His other senior management and company director experience was gained at NCR, ICL, The Hoskyns Group and Leasco Software. Tom has a degree in Mathematics, is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (UK) and Member of The British Computer Society.
Martin Diessner is currently CEO of Flip Media. Diessner has more than 10 year’s solid marketing experience, having worked for international corporations including DaimlerChrysler and adidas-Salomon AG. Prior to establishing Flip Media, he was CRM and Strategic Director of Business Development for one of the world’s largest advertising networks, BBDO. A graduate in International Finance and Marketing, Diessner also holds an MBA in Information Systems Technology.
James Duthie, Managing Director, OgilvyOne Middle East, has gained over 16 years integrated communications experience in international markets, 12 of them with the Ogilvy Group. He has developed CRM strategies for many brands in numerous sectors including: airlines, automotive, FMCG and fi nancial services. James experience spans Europe, Asia Pacifi c and most recently, the Middle East. James is a regular contributor to international media on the subject of CRM and has published several papers on best practices.
Paul Gostick B Sc(Hons), DipM, FCIM, FRSA, MCMI, is an experienced business and marketing professional with significant management and channel experience gained with major US and European high technology multinationals and in not-for-profit organisations. Paul was elected International Chairman of The Chartered Institute of Marketing in May 2004 with responsibility for leading, setting and maintaining the strategic direction of the world’s largest professional body for marketing.
He has worked in high technology industries for 29 years, holds an Honours Degree in Electronic Engineering, the Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing, and is a Chartered Marketer. Paul has broad experience of marketing and management in IT and high technology across many vertical markets – finance, telecommunications, retail, manufacturing, energy and public sector. He specialises in services, B2B marketing and branding. He is an accomplished presenter and has spoken at many conferences around the world. Paul gained the Institute’s Diploma in Marketing 1989 and became a full member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing in 1990 and was elected Fellow in 1999. He is also a member of the Institute of Management and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. As a keen supporter of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) he was amongst the fi rst marketers in the world to achieve individual Chartered Status in October 1998. Paul has worked for a number of multinationals – Sun Microsystems, Digital, Tektronix, Bull HN and Brown Broveri Kent in various technical, marketing and managerial positions.
Andreas Gregoriou is the Managing Director Arabian Gulf & Levant at Synovate, UAE. Andreas joined MEMRB Cyprus in 1987, working on the P&G account, and then moved to Jeddah as the P&G Account Group Manager for the Arabian Peninsula. He became the general manager of MEMRB Greece, a position he held for 5 years. In 1998 he joined the Coca-Cola Company and was promoted to become the Strategic Planning and Consumer Insights Manager for South Central Europe. He joined Synovate in 2003 as the Managing Director for Saudi Arabia and in 2004 he became the Managing Director of the Arabian Gulf. In addition to managing the business Andreas is also responsible for our loyalty and motivational research. Andreas has over 19 years experience in market research. Andreas holds an MBA degree from the University of Stirling in Scotland, and he is a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing in the UK.

Ben Hayman Ben Hayman is an experienced brand consultant with a background in innovation, brand strategy and consumer research. Before joining Promise in 2004, Ben spent 4 years at FutureBrand working on the global Insight and Innovation team, in both the London and New York offices. At FutureBrand Ben worked on building insights from consumer trends and primary research into product innovation. At Promise, Ben has developed his interest in consumer research, working on programmes that bring customers and clients together to develop brand strategies and pioneer consumer focused innovation. His client experience includes projects for the British Government, Ford, Coca-Cola, Jumeirah, Sainsbury’s, Nakheel, The Royal Mint and Air Canada. After working with Tony Blair and the Labour party during the general elections in 2005 Ben was co-nominated for the Market Research Society Effectiveness award for best paper, ‘Reconnecting The Prime Minister’.
Roger Haywood has advised some of the world’s largest and most successful organisations in both business and non-profi t areas, including Amnesty International, Aventis, the BBC, Compaq, Electrolux, the European Union, General Electric, General Motors and the UK government. In recent years he has become the UK’s leading issues analyst. He is also the only person to have chaired, the Chartered Institute of Marketing, the worlds’ largest professional marketing body, and the Chartered Institute of Marketing. He was a founder and later the chairman of the world’s largest independent public relations network. Haywood is currently the chief executive of the leading management analysts, Issues Managers and also the honorary chairman of the Public Relations Standards Council.
Siva Kumar joined HSBC in April 2001 as Market Research And Analytics Manager before assuming his current position of Marketing Manager. During his 13 year career, Siva had previously worked for Gallup India, Mashreqbank and Etisalat. Siva is a member of CIM and holds an MBA in marketing.
Christopher Lewis is currently a Senior Director, at the International Hospital of Bahrain. Christopher is a professionally qualifi ed MBA graduate with a proven track record in healthcare management and marketing. His experience includes: strategic and operational management, HR management, change management, business development and budgetary control
Hamad Malik is currently Director – Marketing and Corporate Communications at LG Electronics – Middle East and Africa Operations. His career began with market research projects in US. He then moved to Pakistan where he was involved in marketing and PR in defense industry. In 1995, Hamad joined LG as marketing manager. Last year, he was promoted to his present position. He currently spearheads LG’s regional marketing and corporate communications department and leads a Marcom network that spans 78 countries.
Ahmed Nassef
Ahmed Nassef is Vice President of the Maktoob Group and General Manager of Maktoob.com, the Arab world’s leading Web portal and online community. With 12 years of professional experience in marketing management and consulting both in the US and the Arab world, Ahmed has specialised in the implementation of direct marketing, response-based techniques to maximise the profi tability of customer relationships, both online and through traditional media.Before joining Maktoob, Ahmed was Senior Consultant with database marketing fi rm Cross World Network, where he developed marketing programmes for Acxiom Corporation and McCann Relationship Marketing. He also served as Vice President, Marketing at Omnipod and as Vice President of Marketing for Human-i-Tees, Inc.
Akash Pal Akash Pal has spent over ten years in Market Research, four of which has been with ACNielsen, UAE. Prior to ACNielsen, Akash spent seven years with Research International India and IMRB. His experience cuts across several product categories that include FMCG, Telecommunications, Automotive, Household Durables, IT and other Business-to-Business products and services. As the Regional Account Director for one of the largest food and beverages company in the Middle East and Africa region, he has been instrumental in developing and implementing consumer insights protocol across the region. Akash is a graduate in science and has a Master Diploma in International Business from India. He was recently appointed as Head of Customised Research of ACNielsen, UAE.
Tolga Sezer Tolga Sezer, Vice President Marketing, joined Aujan Industries in mid 2004 and has overall marketing responsibility for Aujan’s own brands – Rani, Barbican, Vimto and Hani. Tolga has played a key role in the introduction of new strategic direction for the Aujan brands and leads a team of highly motivated and professional marketers. Prior to joining Aujan Industries, Tolga worked with Unilever for 9 years. His last position was Marketing Manager, Lipton at Unilever, Turkey. During his tenure at Unilever, Tolga supported Unilever’s marketing operations in Central Asia for Lipton. He was also the out of channels champion for North Africa, Middle East and Turkey business group. He has extensive experience in beverages marketing and out of home channels, having spent 9 years working for Lipton from sales all the way to marketing management.
Stephanie Price Whittle previously worked as UAE Education Promotion Manager with British Council in Dubai and spent 9 years marketing UK education in the Gulf and managing the Education UK brand before joining Virgin Atlantic as Marketing and Communications Manager in the UAE.

About Your Expert Workshop Leaders:
Pre-Forum Workshop A
Sunday , 25 March 2007
Bob Davies MCIM Chartered Marketer, UK specialises in sales and marketing topics, both on the training front and in his own consultancy practice.
Bob has had a very successful career in various sales and marketing management positions with US and UK multinational organisations in which he successfully developed new market areas and sales channels. This role gained him valuable, hands-on experience of both strategic marketing and its practical application through the sales role.
Bob's clients include international companies in manufacturing, telecommunications, software, industrial consumables, office supplies, research organisations, banking and insurance, specialist retail and legal practices.
His international experience includes assignments in UAE, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Tunisia, Russia, USA, Ireland, Germany, Sweden and the Seychelles. As a member of the training faculty of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), Bob has designed and directed many courses for CIM members.

Post-Forum Workshop B
Wednesday, 28 March 2007
Ian Dewar was, and still is, a direct marketing and CRM expert. But he switched his attention to the digital arena when he discovered that it was much more fun to use his skills to engineer website traffic and sales than coupons from press ads and replies from direct mail. He now uses his knowledge as an award-winning copywriter and marketing strategist to make websites achieve a ROI, customer growth and profits.

Roosevelt Best – has been at the forefront of website marketing almost since the web was invented. He started his business career creating customer loyalty campaigns for National Newspapers and Department Stores. He now runs several successful websites of his own and using the knowledge gained through these activities, works as a consultant to clients on their own website design and search engine optimization who wish to emulate his success.

Post-Forum Workshop C
Thursday, 29 March 2007
For the past 20 years, Charles Turner, Consultant has worked in the areas of Advertising, Direct Marketing and Customer Relationship Management. He has held senior roles with international agency groups including TBWA, Grey and Carlson. In 1997 he founded BPM & Associates, a consultancy specialising in marketing and culture areas of CRM. His clients included; Dunnes Stores, Sun Microsystems, Centrica and Bristol Myers Squibb. The business was sold four years later to TBWA/GGT. Charles has also consulted with BP, British Telecom, British Airways, Eurostar and Saab.In his current role he specialises in delivering customer relationship management solutions across business. This involves looking at how businesses can gain a competitive advantage by developing strategies to meet customer needs profi tably; then identifying the implications for Marketing, Sales, Operations, Customer Service, Human Resources and IT. Charles has been a principle lecturer on the Institute of Direct Marketing’s CRM course and co-authored the best selling CRM Management Pocketbook.

	Sami Abdul-Karim Al-Zuhaibi is currently Co-Founder, Partner, Consultant and Project Manager for Elixir Consultancy with a vision to “help local companies, governments and individuals to succeed globally via strategic creative solutions”. His responsibilities within the company include: providing consultancy services to gain, manage and retain clients, setting and aligning overall company direction and strategy, and setting and organising structure / company systems. Sami was previously at Proctor & Gamble between 2000 – 2005 and his key responsibilities included working on managing brand management for various P&G brands – Tide, Ariel, Downy, Pantene.
	Steve Anastasiadis is the Managing Director of Saatchi & Saatchi Dubai, a hub office for clients such as Procter & Gamble, Bel Fromagerie, Qatar Airways and Red Bull across the Middle East and beyond. He is a member of the Saatchi & Saatchi EMEA Board. Prior to arriving in Dubai, he was a key member of Saatchi’s global executive team on Toyota, one of the agency’s largest clients, having held regional responsibilities across Australasia and Europe. In his over 15 years with Saatchi & Saatchi in offices throughout the global network, he has worked with numerous clients at the local, regional and the global levels and has been an avid and passionate observer as to what motivates and drives consumers the world over. Now firmly placed in the region, Steve sees his key role as being that of a ‘connector’; Connecting talent, ideas and best practice from the network to this part of the world.
	Bassem Barberi is the Consumer Relationship Marketing (CRM) Manager for Nestlé in the Middle East. Upon completing a 2-year pilot phase testing & measuring various tactical consumer acquisition and relationship-building activities, Bassem prepared a 5-year CRM business plan for Nestlé Middle East, backed by an ROI model. Prior to joining Nestlé, Bassem worked as a CRM consultant in Canada, handling accounts such as Samsung, eCarpet Gallery, North America’s biggest online seller of Persian carpets. Bassem holds a B.Sc. in Computer Science from AUB and an MBA in Marketing from McGill University in Montreal.
	Dave Battiston is the Chief Executive Offi cer of AIR MILES. In this capacity Dave oversees the management of the Air Miles Programme that boasts of the most active retail database in the region. Dave is also a Director of Air Miles International Trading - operating the loyalty bestpractice programmes in the UK (recently as Nectar), Canada, Spain and Netherlands for the last 14 years. Prior to his role in the Middle East, Dave has worked with market leading companies in the UK, Canada, Netherlands and Australasia specialising in CRM and Direct Marketing. He holds a Masters Series in Customer Relationship Management and a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce & Administration.
	David Bennett is a senior cards marketing practitioner with 25 years global experience within the cards business. David’s global experience includes senior management positions within: Emirates Bank, American Express, M&C Saatchi, Interbrand, Saudi French Bank, Accor International, Burton Group Financial Services and Green Shield. David has 15 years experience within the Middle East region developing card strategy, developing innovative new products, managing loyalty programmes and creating image solutions and corporate culture transitions for many of the regions leading financial institutions. During eight years with Amex, David was awarded the coveted American Express ‘Chairman’s Award’ for two consecutive years. Currently holding the position of Director - Cards Marketing within Emirates Bank, David is responsible for marketing the Emirates Bank cards portfolio.
	Samit Bhatta is the General Manager, Sales & Marketing of Damas Jewellery, LLC. Samit’s role is to drive the `DAMAS’ global business of ‘luxury wrapped in trust’. His core areas of responsibility include Sales and Marketing. Prior to joining Damas Jewellery, Samit was the National Sales and Marketing Manager for Diamond Trading Company, India. Samit holds a Masters of business administration from Sydenham Institute of Management. In the last one year, Samit has won the Gemas (Gulf Effectiveness in Marketing Marketing awards) for Best Brand Launch of 2005 and Best Brand Alliance with American Express.
	Nassib Boueri is currently Managing Director of Wunderman, responsible for steering the company to its current position of a leading DM/BTL agency in the region. Throughout the last three years, the company has seen a growth rate of 5-30% annually, with major new account wins and has built enduring relationships with regional as well as international clients. Nassib has held other managerial positions in the Middle East and Africa earlier.
	Rajeev Budhiraja is Managing Director for Promoseven Relationship Marketing. Promoseven Relationship Marketing’s clients include Emaar, Omantel, Jumeirah, Standard Chartered Bank, Ahli United Bank, RAKBANK, Le Meridien Hotels & Resorts. Prior to the Agency, Rajeev worked with Cathay Pacifi c Airways in the Middle East for nine years and most recently was Regional Marketing Manager for the Middle East. Rajeev graduated in Economics and Law from Cambridge University in UK and subsequently obtained a Masters degree in Law from Cambridge, UK.
	Gary Davies MBA DipM MCIM is a consultant, trainer and author with over 30 years experience in sales, marketing and general management. He works with corporate clients and educational institutions, including the IFS School of Finance and the Chartered Institute of Marketing. Prior to establishing his own business, Gary was the General Manager of Tamar Science Park in the UK. Gary has also worked as a Marketing Manager within RTZ and as a Corporate Finance Specialist within the Barclays Bank Group. Gary holds an MBA and the Chartered Institute of Marketing Post Graduate Diploma. He is also a graduate of the Institute of Export.
	Thomas Day is an independent international strategic business and marketing planning consultant with over 20 experience, primarily in high technology industries and fi nancial services. Before moving into consulting and training he worked for nine years with Digital Equipment Corporation, two years of which were spent at their commercial business and marketing headquarters in New Hampshire, USA. His other senior management and company director experience was gained at NCR, ICL, The Hoskyns Group and Leasco Software. Tom has a degree in Mathematics, is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (UK) and Member of The British Computer Society.
	Martin Diessner is currently CEO of Flip Media. Diessner has more than 10 year’s solid marketing experience, having worked for international corporations including DaimlerChrysler and adidas-Salomon AG. Prior to establishing Flip Media, he was CRM and Strategic Director of Business Development for one of the world’s largest advertising networks, BBDO. A graduate in International Finance and Marketing, Diessner also holds an MBA in Information Systems Technology.
	James Duthie, Managing Director, OgilvyOne Middle East, has gained over 16 years integrated communications experience in international markets, 12 of them with the Ogilvy Group. He has developed CRM strategies for many brands in numerous sectors including: airlines, automotive, FMCG and fi nancial services. James experience spans Europe, Asia Pacifi c and most recently, the Middle East. James is a regular contributor to international media on the subject of CRM and has published several papers on best practices.
	Paul Gostick B Sc(Hons), DipM, FCIM, FRSA, MCMI, is an experienced business and marketing professional with significant management and channel experience gained with major US and European high technology multinationals and in not-for-profit organisations. Paul was elected International Chairman of The Chartered Institute of Marketing in May 2004 with responsibility for leading, setting and maintaining the strategic direction of the world’s largest professional body for marketing. He has worked in high technology industries for 29 years, holds an Honours Degree in Electronic Engineering, the Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing, and is a Chartered Marketer. Paul has broad experience of marketing and management in IT and high technology across many vertical markets – finance, telecommunications, retail, manufacturing, energy and public sector. He specialises in services, B2B marketing and branding. He is an accomplished presenter and has spoken at many conferences around the world. Paul gained the Institute’s Diploma in Marketing 1989 and became a full member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing in 1990 and was elected Fellow in 1999. He is also a member of the Institute of Management and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. As a keen supporter of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) he was amongst the fi rst marketers in the world to achieve individual Chartered Status in October 1998. Paul has worked for a number of multinationals – Sun Microsystems, Digital, Tektronix, Bull HN and Brown Broveri Kent in various technical, marketing and managerial positions.
	Andreas Gregoriou is the Managing Director Arabian Gulf & Levant at Synovate, UAE. Andreas joined MEMRB Cyprus in 1987, working on the P&G account, and then moved to Jeddah as the P&G Account Group Manager for the Arabian Peninsula. He became the general manager of MEMRB Greece, a position he held for 5 years. In 1998 he joined the Coca-Cola Company and was promoted to become the Strategic Planning and Consumer Insights Manager for South Central Europe. He joined Synovate in 2003 as the Managing Director for Saudi Arabia and in 2004 he became the Managing Director of the Arabian Gulf. In addition to managing the business Andreas is also responsible for our loyalty and motivational research. Andreas has over 19 years experience in market research. Andreas holds an MBA degree from the University of Stirling in Scotland, and he is a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing in the UK.
	Ben Hayman is an experienced brand consultant with a background in innovation, brand strategy and consumer research. Before joining Promise in 2004, Ben spent 4 years at FutureBrand working on the global Insight and Innovation team, in both the London and New York offices. At FutureBrand Ben worked on building insights from consumer trends and primary research into product innovation. At Promise, Ben has developed his interest in consumer research, working on programmes that bring customers and clients together to develop brand strategies and pioneer consumer focused innovation. His client experience includes projects for the British Government, Ford, Coca-Cola, Jumeirah, Sainsbury’s, Nakheel, The Royal Mint and Air Canada. After working with Tony Blair and the Labour party during the general elections in 2005 Ben was co-nominated for the Market Research Society Effectiveness award for best paper, ‘Reconnecting The Prime Minister’.
	Roger Haywood has advised some of the world’s largest and most successful organisations in both business and non-profi t areas, including Amnesty International, Aventis, the BBC, Compaq, Electrolux, the European Union, General Electric, General Motors and the UK government. In recent years he has become the UK’s leading issues analyst. He is also the only person to have chaired, the Chartered Institute of Marketing, the worlds’ largest professional marketing body, and the Chartered Institute of Marketing. He was a founder and later the chairman of the world’s largest independent public relations network. Haywood is currently the chief executive of the leading management analysts, Issues Managers and also the honorary chairman of the Public Relations Standards Council.
	Siva Kumar joined HSBC in April 2001 as Market Research And Analytics Manager before assuming his current position of Marketing Manager. During his 13 year career, Siva had previously worked for Gallup India, Mashreqbank and Etisalat. Siva is a member of CIM and holds an MBA in marketing.
	Christopher Lewis is currently a Senior Director, at the International Hospital of Bahrain. Christopher is a professionally qualifi ed MBA graduate with a proven track record in healthcare management and marketing. His experience includes: strategic and operational management, HR management, change management, business development and budgetary control
	Hamad Malik is currently Director – Marketing and Corporate Communications at LG Electronics – Middle East and Africa Operations. His career began with market research projects in US. He then moved to Pakistan where he was involved in marketing and PR in defense industry. In 1995, Hamad joined LG as marketing manager. Last year, he was promoted to his present position. He currently spearheads LG’s regional marketing and corporate communications department and leads a Marcom network that spans 78 countries.
	Ahmed Nassef is Vice President of the Maktoob Group and General Manager of Maktoob.com, the Arab world’s leading Web portal and online community. With 12 years of professional experience in marketing management and consulting both in the US and the Arab world, Ahmed has specialised in the implementation of direct marketing, response-based techniques to maximise the profi tability of customer relationships, both online and through traditional media.Before joining Maktoob, Ahmed was Senior Consultant with database marketing fi rm Cross World Network, where he developed marketing programmes for Acxiom Corporation and McCann Relationship Marketing. He also served as Vice President, Marketing at Omnipod and as Vice President of Marketing for Human-i-Tees, Inc.
	Akash Pal has spent over ten years in Market Research, four of which has been with ACNielsen, UAE. Prior to ACNielsen, Akash spent seven years with Research International India and IMRB. His experience cuts across several product categories that include FMCG, Telecommunications, Automotive, Household Durables, IT and other Business-to-Business products and services. As the Regional Account Director for one of the largest food and beverages company in the Middle East and Africa region, he has been instrumental in developing and implementing consumer insights protocol across the region. Akash is a graduate in science and has a Master Diploma in International Business from India. He was recently appointed as Head of Customised Research of ACNielsen, UAE.
	Tolga Sezer, Vice President Marketing, joined Aujan Industries in mid 2004 and has overall marketing responsibility for Aujan’s own brands – Rani, Barbican, Vimto and Hani. Tolga has played a key role in the introduction of new strategic direction for the Aujan brands and leads a team of highly motivated and professional marketers. Prior to joining Aujan Industries, Tolga worked with Unilever for 9 years. His last position was Marketing Manager, Lipton at Unilever, Turkey. During his tenure at Unilever, Tolga supported Unilever’s marketing operations in Central Asia for Lipton. He was also the out of channels champion for North Africa, Middle East and Turkey business group. He has extensive experience in beverages marketing and out of home channels, having spent 9 years working for Lipton from sales all the way to marketing management.
	Stephanie Price Whittle previously worked as UAE Education Promotion Manager with British Council in Dubai and spent 9 years marketing UK education in the Gulf and managing the Education UK brand before joining Virgin Atlantic as Marketing and Communications Manager in the UAE.