Mehmet Abbasoglu, Managing Director - Head of EMEA Telecoms IB , Macquarie Capital Advisers
Mehmet Abbasoglu is a Managing Director in Macquarie's EMEA Telecommunications, Media, Entertainment and Technology team based in London focusing on cross-border M&A between Asia Pacific and EMEA. Mehmet also looks after Macquarie Bank's deployment of capital and Macquarie Funds' principal investments in the sector as an exclusive adviser.

Dr. Adnan Abu-Dayya, Executive Director, QUWIC
Dr. Abu-Dayya has more than 20 years of international experience in the areas of wireless/telecomm R&D, innovations, business development, and services delivery. Before moving to Qatar in March 2007, he worked for 10 years at AT&T Wireless in Seattle, USA where he served in a number of senior management positions covering product innovations & emerging technologies, systems engineering, and product realization. Before that, Adnan worked as a manager at Nortel Networks in Canada in the advanced technology group and as a Senior Consultant at the Communications Research Centre in Ottawa, Canada. From April 2007 to Dec. 2008, he was the chairman of the Electrical Engineering Department at Qatar University. He led the initiative to create and then was appointed as the Executive Director of the newly established QU Wireless Innovations Center (QUWIC) in Dec. 2008.

Adnan received his PhD in Electrical Engineering from Queens University, Canada in 1992. He has many issued patents and more than forty publications in the field of wireless communications.

Ali Al Ahmed Chief Strategy Officer, Etisalat
Ali Al Ahmed is Etisalat’s Group Chief Strategy Officer responsible for identifying new growth opportunities, including the development of content-based services. His responsibilities include the selection of partners, development of effective business models, and determining how Etisalat can best realize these services in the current age of convergence.

Al Ahmed started his career in Etisalat working with its commercial division where he was part of the launch of major telecommunication services such as internet and mobile telephony (GSM) in the UAE. Mr. Al Ahmed also played a key role in the planning, launch and establishment of E-Vision, the first cable TV company in the Middle East based on advanced fiber optic technology.

Subsequently, he moved to the media industry as Managing Director of Abu Dhabi TV assuming responsibility over Emirates Media and its television channels from 2001 until 2007.

Ali Al Ahmed has a total of 12 years’ experience in the telecommunications sector, and 7 years within the television industry.

Mohamed Amersi CEO Emergent Telecom Ventures
Founder & CEO, Emergent Telecom Ventures

Chairman of the Board of Visor Capital Middle-East Limited

Member of the Board of Telia Sonera Asia Holdings, Spice Nepal and Appliphone Cambodia

Member of the Board, Gramercy Communications Partners

Member of the Board of Ventelo

Member of the Board Timeturn Hodings

Mohamed Amersi is CEO and co-founder of Emergent Telecom Ventures, an Emerging Markets Consulting and Asset Management firm specialising in Telecoms, Media & Technology. Prior to co-founding Emergent, Mr. Amersi ran Gramercy Communications Partners, a communications merchant bank, based in New York that he co-founded with Telefonica. Prior to founding Gramercy, Mr. Amersi was one of Europe’s leading Corporate Finance and M&A lawyers, practicing with Clifford Chance and Jones Day and advised, among others, Citi, ExonMobil, the Carlyle Group and Telefonica.

Presently, Mr. Amersi and Emergent have been lead Advisors to a number of Emerging Markets Telecom Operators in the Middle-East, Russia, the CIS, Africa and Emerging Asia on significant M&A initiatives and license purchases. Likewise, on the principal side, Emergent has successfully acquired, managed and exited from a number of Telecom assets, primarily in Russia & the CIS.

Mr. Amersi was educated at Merchant Taylors School and read Jurisprudence. Mr. Amersi has been a member of the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn and a member of the Law Society of England and Wales. Mr. Amersi has been a featured speaker at various forums, symposia and seminars including the Milken Institute on topics relating to telecoms, satellite, internet, media, private equity and international corporate finance. Until recently, Mr. Amersi was a Senior Advisor to the Rothschild Group and a member of the Board of Rothschild Middle-East, a member of the Board and Audit Committee of Megafon and a Senior Advisor for Russia and the CIS to the Motorola Group.

Erik Arveschoug, Head of TMT Corporate Bank/Corporate Finance, CEEMEA, Citi
coming soon.

Akil Beshir, Chairman and CEO, Telecom Egypt
coming soon.

Maroun Fadel Group CTO Bintel ltd
coming soon.

Joachim Fleury, Global Head of TMT, Clifford Chance LLP
coming soon.

Ghassan Hasbani, CEO, STC International
Ghassan Hasbani is the new Chief Executive Officer of the International Operations group of Saudi Telecom Company (STC). He joins STC from the global management consulting firm Booz & Company, where he led the firm’s Middle East Communications and Technology practice. Mr. Hasbani has more than 16 years of experience with telecom operators in the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and Africa. Ghassan brings a wide spectrum of capabilities covering all aspects of the telecommunications industry including investment strategies, mergers and acquisitions, post merger integration, marketing, product and service development, organizational restructuring and governance, technology plans, retail and distribution, channel strategy and management, customer care, business development and CFO and CEO agendas.

Mr. Hasbani has worked with leading organizations in the telecommunication and technology industries, including Nortel Networks and Cable & Wireless and spent the past ten years operating within the Middle East Region. In addition to the Middle East, his global experience includes markets such as Europe, South East Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Mr. Hasbani is also a chartered engineer and a member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) in the U.K. He holds an MBA and a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering with first class honors from the U.K.

The responsibilities of the CEO - International are primarily focused on supporting the group in creating value across the global community of partners and operating companies. The role includes the management of synergy creation activities, post merger integration, market monitoring, legal and strategic governance of board and executive management relationships across the group companies in addition to supporting mergers and acquisitions activities.

Stephen Ho, Head of TMT, Managing Director, DBS Investment Banking Group
Stephen joined DBS’ Investment Banking Group in Singapore in June 2001. Prior to joining DBS, Stephen was the Head of Global Telecom, Media & Technology Group in Asia at the heritage Chase Manhattan of JP Morgan Chase since 1998. He started his career with Chase in 1989 as a M&A generalist in New York before specializing in the TMT sector in New York and subsequently in Asia.

Since 1994, he has led over US$20 bn of bank, bond and convertible bond financing for regional TMT clients from Japan to the Middle East. In addition, Stephen has served as M&A advisor to clients over the years from telcos to financial sponsors, including Bell Canada International, Super TV (Taiwan), Home Cable (Philippines), Tan Sri Vincent Tan (in the sale of a 30% stake in Digi.com in Malaysia to Telenor from Norway}, POSCO (Korea), Asia Pacific Online (Taiwan), Frontline Technologies (Singapore), Singapore Press Holdings, CVC and JP Morgan Partners. Stephen also advised TRI (Malaysia) in the restructuring of its US$534 mn Euro Convertible Bond,

Since 2003, he completed a number of IPOs for clients in Asia including SingPost (S$788 mn), Astro (US$534 mn) and Asiasoft (US$30 mn) on SGX, KLSE and SET, respectively.

He holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Iowa State University, a M.S. from M.I.T. and an MBA from the Wharton School of Finance, University of Pennsylvania.

Jenine Hulsman, Partner, Competition and Regulatory Group, Clifford Chance LLP
coming soon.

Zarif Imam, Global Financing Director, ZTE Corporation
Zarif Imam joined ZTE Corporation in July 2006 to Head the Global Financing Team in London. His principal role is to finance customer projects throughout ZTE’s businesses worldwide. He also manages the banking relationships of ZTE in Europe, deals with equity analysts, and equity investors and supports the ZTE sales teams.

Prior to joining ZTE, Zarif worked for a number of financial institutions in the City of London. His most recent role was Executive Director, Head of TMT at Rabobank International for the UK and Nordic region (2004 to 2006), prior to that he was at Commerzbank from 1999 to 2004 as Director of the pan European Telecom team.

Zarif has spent the main part of his 22 year banking career in the Telecom Media and Technology industry. He has specialized in the telecom sector since 1996, and has worked with the main telecom operators in Europe as well as the global vendors. As coverage officer he has experience in Debt & Equity Capital markets, M&A advisory. He also has a strong background in financial derivatives and project and structured finance.

Zarif graduated with an Honours degree in English and History from the University of Lancaster.

Dr Hessa Al Jaber, Secretart General, ictQatar
Dr Hessa Al-Jaber is Secretary General of The Supreme Council of Information and Communication Technology (ictQATAR), the organization formed to fulfill the key objectives of the nation's ICT strategy. ictQATAR serves as regulator and champion of the ICT sector, connecting people to the technologies that enrich their lives and drive economic development. Dr. Hessa oversees the development and implementation of the nation's ICT vision, strategy, and master plan. She brings to her role a wealth of business and academic experience in ICT development, including serving on the Strategic ICT Committee responsible for shaping Qatar's ICT strategy. Dr. Hessa was previously an advisor for Qtel and also served as the Chair of the Computer Science Department at Qatar University. She holds a Bachelor of Science (Engineering) from Kuwait University and a Master's Degree and Doctorate in Computer Science from George Washington University, Washington D.C.

Abhijit Joshi, Partner, AZB & Partners
coming soon.

Vinod Kumar, President & COO, Tata Communications
coming soon.

Dr Peter Lovelock , Director, TRPC, University of Hong Kong; Pte Ltd
Peter Lovelock is Director of the Telecommunications Research Project (TRP) at the University of Hong Kong, and Chairman of its corporate and training arm, TRPC, based out of Singapore. His 20 years experience in telecoms and Internet research, analysis and consulting includes regulatory assessment, implementation and execution projects, and due diligence and market entry strategic guidance projects throughout Asia.

The TRPC provides in-depth research and consulting services to member companies, as well as to institutions such as the World Bank, the ITU, UNDP and ESCAP, the European Commission in China, and for regulators in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam and India. Telecommunications training services are provided to both telecoms and non-telecoms professionals (eg, in hospitality, advertising and marketing, retail, electronics, energy, etc).

In recent years, Peter has provided advice to RAND, Novell, Macquarie Bank, the Singapore Government and others on developments in China, and worked with companies such as Accenture, Microsoft and CallTime Communications to establish businesses there; provided regulatory and broadband advice to the governments of India, Indonesia, and Singapore; worked on restructuring projects for Carval Investment, and authored reports on fixed-mobile convergence, alternative operator strategies for mobile, and Huawei's 3G expansion for Alcatel-Lucent.

Between 1999 and 2004 Peter built and ran China's leading IT research consultancy, MFC Insight. Headquartered in Beijing, Insight provided strategic guidance to clients including Ericsson, Vodafone, China Mobile, China Railcom, Nokia, Google, Huawei, PWC, and White & Case, as well as to China's State Council.

Prior to MFC Insight, Peter worked as a senior policy analyst at the ITU in Geneva, where he was a principal author on the World Telecommunications Development Report, as well as writing a number of the Secretary-General’s speeches on new technology and digital divide amongst others.

Grahame Maher, CEO, Vodafone Qatar
coming soon.

Albert Momdjian, Managing Director and Head of Middle East and Africa Investment Banking, Calyon
Albert Momdjian has joined CALYON-Crédit Agricole CIB in April 2006 to head their Middle East & Africa Investment banking business Based in Dubai, Mr. Momdjian oversees the investment banking subsidiaries in the region, namely Calyon Saudi Fransi Limited in the KSA, and the DIFC branch.

He previously worked as the Head of Middle East and North Africa Corporate and Investment Banking Coverage for Credit Suisse First Boston (“CSFB”) in London. Prior to joining CSFB, he founded Beryt Financial Advisors, a Mediterranean Basin Corporate Finance and Advisory boutique. He was previously responsible for Merrill Lynch investment banking coverage for the Middle East and North Africa (including M&A, Equity and Equity Linked origination). Before this, he worked for Barings and for HSBC Securities, developing their research capability on the Middle East and North Africa. He helped set up HSBC’s brokerage operations in Egypt, the first such entity to be owned by a foreign investor.

Mr. Momdjian has extensive relationships at all levels with government officials in the Middle East and North Africa region, in addition to extensive relationships with CEOs, CFOs and government officials. He was an advisor to the Cairo Stock Exchange and he was part of the Committee assisting them on strategic initiatives.

Albert has advised Lafarge in 2008 on the largest ever foreign direct investment in the Middle East and Africa region, namely the acquisition of Orascom Construction Industries Cement business for a total consideration of USD 15 billion. He also advised Emirates International Investment Company (“EIIC”), the investment arm of the ruling family of Abu Dhabi on the acquisition of a 3% stake in Vivendi, the largest media company in Europe (USD 1.8 billion). He also advised Kuwait’s Zain Group on the USD 1.9 billion IPO of Zain KSA, the third mobile license in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He is currently working on a large number of assignments in the Middle East and Africa region, including IPOs, M&A mandates as well as corporate derivatives trades.

Throughout his investment banking career, Albert Momdjian has personally been involved in a large number of advisory assignments in the Middle East and North Africa region, including but not limited to: IPO of Telecom Egypt (USD 900 million), DIG/TECOM’s acquisition of a 35% stake in Tunisie Telecom (USD 2.2 billion), USD 2.4 billion financing of MTC re. the acquisition of Celtel, the financing of DIC re the acquisition of Travelodge in the UK (USD 600 million).

Albert holds a Master in in International Finance, with Honours from the University of Paris Dauphine (France).

Mohamad Mourad, Principle, Booz & Company
Mohamad Mourad is a Principal with Booz & Company Communications, Media and Technology practice based in the Middle East. He focuses on the areas of investment strategy development, mergers and acquisitions, due diligence, corporate strategy, and new business development. Mr. Mourad most recent focus has been on the M&A landscape both in the telecommunications and related sectors, including media and retail. In particular, Mr. Mourad has led a number of due diligence and post merger integration programs for cross border acquisitions in the telecom sector. Mr. Mourad holds an MBA degree from INSEAD in France.

Valentin Pitarque, Executive Director Investment Banking, TMT Group, Goldman Sachs International
coming soon.

Karim Sabbagh, Global Practice Leader, Booz & Company
Based in Dubai, Partner Karim Sabbagh leads Booz & Company’s work for global communication, media and technology clients. With more than 20 years of experience in the field, he has expertise in deregulation strategies, privatization, strategy-based transformation, mergers and acquisitions, investment strategies, and operating and governance models. Dr. Sabbagh’s engagements have included economic master planning for telecommunications and media clients and the development of technology incubators for economic development programs.

Dr. Sabbagh is a member of the advisory council of the School of Business Administration of the American University in Dubai. He is a member of the firm Marketing Advisory Council and also the chairman of the Ideation Center that serves as the firm’s think tank in the Middle East. He holds a Ph.D. with honors in strategic management from Century University in the U.S., and both an MBA in finance and a BBA with distinction in marketing from the American University of Beirut.

Jeremy Sell Chief Strategy Officer The Qtel Group

• Joined Qtel in 2006 as head of M&A and Business Development, before assuming the role of Chief Strategy Officer.
• Previous roles as Director BusDev with Virgin, CEO of Orange Sweden, Head of BusDev for Orange and Director BusDev US West Int’l
• Jeremy trained with Arthur Andersen London, is a Chartered Accountant and an MA from Cambridge University

Nina Triantis, Managing Director, Global Head of Telecoms & Media, Standard Bank
coming soon.

David P Wheeler, Chairman EMEA Telecoms, Investment Banking Division, Credit Suisse
David P. Wheeler is a Chairman of Credit Suisse’s EMEA Telecom Group, Deputy Chairman of the European Investment Banking Committee and a Senior Advisor to Credit Suisse. He is a former Vice Chairman of Credit Suisse First Boston. Mr. Wheeler has 33 years of investment banking experience and has worked in London for 27 years. He joined CSFB in 1996 from Lehman Brothers, where he was Co-Head of the Global Media & Telecommunications Group. Previously, he spent 15 years with J.P. Morgan in New York and London.

Mr. Wheeler received a B.A. from Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine, summa cum laude, and an M.B.A. from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He served as a Board Member and Vice Chairman of the European Competitive Telecommunications Association and is a former Board member of Ben Mobile Netherlands (now T Mobile Holland). He is currently member of the Board of Trustees of Bowdoin College and Board member of Panther Media Group (parent company of Orbit Showtime Networks ), DK Group NV and Miniweb Interactive Ltd.

Tony Worthington, Global Head Telecoms, Media & Technology (TMT), Standard Chartered Bank
Tony Worthington is Global Head of TMT at Standard Chartered Bank. He is responsible for the coverage of the bank’s clients in the TMT industries with a particular focus on the delivery of strategic and value added solutions.

Tony has been working with TMT companies since 1994. He has completed over 300 M&A, strategic advisory and financing transactions worldwide but with a particular focus on Standard Chartered’s footprint markets in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

Javier Zurita, Head of Telecoms EMEA, JPMorgan
coming soon.