The Bank’s flagship event was attended by key industry leaders, including Dr. Janet Yellen who was this year’sGuest of Honour and Keynote Speaker
Dubai, 18 March 2019: Standard Chartered hosted yet another successful edition of its annual Middle East Summit. In its 3rd year, the flagship event was held exclusively for Standard Chartered clients and, this year, witnessed the attendance of Distinguished Fellow – Dr. Janet L. Yellen, among other high-profile individuals.
Named the second most powerful woman in the world and as one of the most influential economists and policymakers worldwide by Forbes, Dr. Yellen participated in a stimulating panel discussionalong with the bank’s Chairman, José Viñals. The thought-provoking session was moderated by Riad Hamade, Executive Editor at Bloomberg News for the Middle East and Africa. During the panel, Dr. Yellen shared her perspective on the global economicoutlook, the impact of trade tensions on the U.S. economy as well asa GCC economic outlook. In addition, she explained the Federal Reserve’s decision-making process and assessing the global economy’s impact on its decisions.
The summit was held under the theme of “Fighting the Current” and attracted more than 300 regional and global C-suite executives. Sessions that took place throughout the event included key insights and analysis on the local, regional and global economic outlook by David Mann, Chief Economist at Standard Chartered Bank, in addition to 2019 trending topics such as new US tariffs, the US Trade War, OPEC policy, oil prices, strength of the dollar and the impact these topics will have on the region.
The event was also attended by Simon Cooper, Chief Executive Officer, Corporate, Commercial and Institutional Banking, Sunil Kaushal, Regional Chief Executive Officer for Africa and the Middles, Rola Abu Manneh, Chief Executive Officer for the UAE, Sarmad Lone and Saif Malik, Regional Co-Heads of Global Banking, Africa and Middle East, Mohamed Salama, Country Head of Global Banking, and a host of senior representatives from the Bank were also present at the ceremony.
Commenting on her participation at the event, Dr. Yellen said:“It is an honour to have been invited to participate in one of Standard Chartered’s distinguished events. The summit provides a great platform for exchanging ideas and opinions with thought leaders in this region. I found the discussions and insights interesting and thought-provoking and I hope to attend another session in the future.”
The panel discussion also sparked discussion on how Middle Eastern economies are performing, particularly in the GCC. Additionally, touching on topics including inflationary pressures, wage push inflationary and second-round effects.
Sunil Kaushal, Regional Chief Executive Officer, Africa and Middle East said: “We are delighted to host such powerful thought leaders at our annual summit, which has grown from strength to strength over the years. It is refreshing and of great value to hear new perspectives and opinions about the global economy and its impact on our region. As one of the most influential economists and policymakers worldwide, it was a pleasure to host Dr. Yellen to present her insights on local and international emerging trends and topics. We were also honoured to have our Chairman, José Viñales, taking part in this year’s edition.”
“Through flagship events such as the Middle East Summit, we strive to further strengthen our deep and long-term relationships with stakeholders across the bank’s global footprint.” he added
The Middle East Summit has taken place over the past years and is held exclusively for Standard Chartered’s regional and global clients, which includes C-suite executives and decision makers. Previous editions of the summit were held under the themes of “Knowledge to Rise” and “Beneath the Surface”.