ACWANET Knowledge & Collaboration Platform

Speaker
Ahmed AlQassim
Group Head of Wholesale Banking
Emirates NBD 

Ahmed Al Qassim

Group Head, Emirates NBD

8:55 am ~ 9:00 am

• From local to global champion: What role does the Public Investment Fund play in transforming & developing Saudi Arabia’s economy?
•  What is the strategic vision for leveraging funding capacity in the Kingdom? How does Saudi Arabia aim to ensure long-term sustainability through it’s funding strategies?
• What role do regional and international banks play in enhancing the capacity of funding? How does it influence the Kingdom’s economic landscape?
• How has the Public Investment Fund become a driving force in allocating funds to key sectors?
   

Moderator - Fahad Al-Deweesh, Chief Executive Officer, Citi 
Speaker - Rasees Al Saud, Senior Director, Head of Financial Institutions & Investor Relations, Public Investment Fund (PIF) 

Fahad Al-Deweesh

Chief Executive Officer, Citigroup Saudi Arabia

Rasees Al Saud

Senior Director, Public Investment Fund

9:00 am ~ 9:15 am

• Growth and CAPEX locally, regionally and internationally: Where will the opportunities come? 
• M&A, outbound investment, and diversification: Scanning sectors, industries, geographies
• Funding requirements and investment needs: How much capital is needed? How much will be raised? Where and under what circumstances?
• Risks – real, perceived and expectations: What is front-of-mind for those running and managing Saudi Arabia’s leading businesses?
   

Moderator - Bhupinder Singh, Head of Leveraged & Acquisition Finance, First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB)
 

Speakers:

• Abdulhameed AlMuhaidib, Chief Financial Officer, ACWA Power
• Atul Sodhi, Global Head of Debt Capital Markets, Crédit Agricole CIB
• Louis Irvine, Chief Financial Officer, Ma'aden
• Dirk Vanschependom, Chief Financial Officer, NEOM
   

Bhupinder Singh

Managing Director, First Abu Dhabi Bank

Abdulhameed Al Muhaidib

Chief Financial Officer, ACWA

Atul Sodhi

Global Head, Credit Agricole CIB

Louis Irvine

Chief Financial Officer, Maaden

Dirk Vanschependom

Chief Financial Officer, Neom HQ

9:15 am ~ 10:00 am

• Fiscal and monetary policy, GDP growth, inflation and commodity prices: Global outlook, GCC outlook, Saudi outlook 
• What are the potential shocks that could impact Saudi Arabia’s economic performance in 2024? 
• Will the inclusion of Saudi Arabia and other oil-producing countries into BRICS have a positive impact on growth?
• Economic diversification and attracting FDI: Update on the government’s initiatives and updates for plans ahead 

Moderator - Paul Lund, Head of Corporates, Middle East and Africa, Analytics, Fitch Ratings

Speakers

• Dr. Moritz Kraemer, Chief Economist, Landesbank Baden-Württemberg 
• Leslie Maasdorp, Chief Financial Officer, New Development Bank 
• Ismail Radwan, Former World Bank Economist 

Paul Lund

Head, Fitch Ratings

Moritz Kraemer

Chief Economist, Landesbank Baden-Württemberg

Leslie Maasdorp

Chief Financial Officer, New Development Bank

Ismail Radwan

,

10:00 am ~ 10:40 am

• How is rising inflation and interest rates impacting Saudi Arabia’s banking sector? How liquid are the banks? 
• Cost (and sources) of capital: How are banks managing their capital, funding and optimising their balance sheets? 
• Managing risk: How and when to hedge 
• Funding and investment: Where do banks see opportunities to lend and invest? Where are the routes to access competitively priced pools of capital? 
• Is the rise of fintech disrupting the traditional banking sector, or can it support the banking sector to boosting liquidity and greater access to capital? 

Moderator - Sarah Alkhelaiwi, Executive Director, Debt Capital Markets, Standard Chartered Bank 

Speakers

• Victor Mourad, Director, Debt Capital Markets MENA, Citi
• Ashraf Madani, Vice President – Senior Credit Officer, Moody's Investors Service
• Mohammed Elias, Senior Executive Director - Treasurer, National Development Fund
• Abdulkhaliq Elshayyal, Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright LLP
• Johan Llenas, Head of Financial Institutions & SWFs, Middle East Coverage, SMBC EMEA
• Hatem Alzimaiti, Head of EMTN, Saudi National Bank

Sarah Alkhelaiwi

Executive Director, Standard Chartered Bank (London)

Victor Mourad

Director, Citi

Mohammed Elias

Senior Executive Director, National Development Fund

Johan Loynaz

Head, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation

Ashraf Madani

Vice President, Moody's Investors Service

Abdulkhaliq Elshayyal

Partner, Norton Rose (Middle East)

Hatem AlZimaiti

Head, Saudi National Bank

10:40 am ~ 11:25 am

• Project pipelines, rising cost of borrowing, availability of project financing: What are the bottlenecks? 
• Transitioning from project finance structures to unsecured loans: How can project companies restructure to access new capital on an unsecured basis? 
• Local banks vs. regional banks vs. international banks and international investors: Which lenders and partners are best placed to support projects at which phase? 
• Planning, structuring and accessing capital markets and project bonds: How can project companies take a proactive approach to moving from secured loans to capital markets?
• Manifesting Vision 2030: Bringing projects together with private sector investment, green finance and capital markets
   

Moderator - Victoria Harling, Head of Emerging Market, Corporate Debt, Ninety One 

Speakers

• Vishal Rander, Partner, Project & Infrastructure, Finance, Deloitte
• Faisal Qadri, Managing Director and Co Head of Investment Banking, HSBC Saudi Arabia
• Dan Taylor, Senior Adviser, National Infrastructure Fund
• Sofia Bensaid, Director, Infrastructure & Project Finance Ratings, S&P Global Ratings
• Michelle Leong, Country Head for Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain & Jordan, UK Export Finance 

Victoria Harling

Head, Ninety One

Vishal Rander

Partner, Deloitte Corporate Finance

Dan Taylor

Senior Adviser, National Development Fund

Michelle Leong

Country Head, UK Export Finance

Faisal Qadri

Managing Director, HSBC Saudi Arabia

Sofia Bensaid

Director, S&P Global Ratings

11:50 am ~ 12:35 pm

• SAR vs. USD: Who is lending? How much more capacity do they have? Who are the new lenders looking for assets?
• Local banks, regional banks and international banks: Which banks are looking to play lead and supporting roles?
• Underwriting capability and structures: What size and tenor can borrowers’ secure and on what terms?
• How are lenders and borrowers working together to underwrite loans with ESG principles?
• Who can and who can’t: Which sectors are banks comfortable lending to?

Sarah Usmani

Managing Director, First Abu Dhabi Bank

Brian Dominic Tellis

Managing Director, Emirates NBD Capital

Sidra Taj

Director, MASHREQ BANK

Atif Masood

Associate Director, ROSHN

Shamoon Rashid

Syndications & Loans Distribution, Gulf International Bank B.S.C.

Ahmad Alshubbar

Chief Financial Officer, Rawabi Holding Group

Muhammad Akbar

General Manager, Saudi Telecommunication Company

12:35 pm ~ 1:25 pm

• Where does Saudi Arabian credit sit within an international investor’s portfolio? How does it compare to GCC & EM credit? To what extent is there a divergence in issuer vs. investor expectation of debt pricing?
• How has Russia’s exclusion from the EM index and the potential inclusion of Saudi Arabia into BRICS positively influenced the allocation strategy of an EM manager? What specific credits have they shifted their focus towards now?
• To what extent are local regulations impacting international participation? What are investors looking for?
• ESG investing within the Kingdom: Who is financing Saudi’s innovative projects? What are investors’ expectations for ESG transparency? 

Sergey Dergachev

Functional Head, Union Investment Privatfonds

Adrian Petreanu

Manager, Ashmore

Fahad Kordi

Head, Banque Saudi Fransi

Mohieddine (Dino) Kronfol

Chief Investment Officer, Franklin Templeton Investments

Hassan Mansouri

Director, Mizuho EMEA

2:20 pm ~ 3:00 pm

• Identifying the powerhouse sectors driving Saudi Arabia’s IPO renaissance
• Case studies: Navigating the complex journey from private to public
• Curb your enthusiasm: What’s stopping corporates from seizing the opportunity to tap the market?
• SMEs & tech innovators: What opportunities lie ahead?
• Bridging the divide: Local vs. Global investor perspectives
• How can companies and regulators promote investor confidence and attract international investment?
   

Amir Riad

Head, Saudi Fransi Capital

Mohamed Farouk

Group CEO, Advanced Energy Systems

Prasad Chari

Managing Director, Emirates NBD Capital

Azfar Shakeel

Chief Executive Officer, Lumi Rental Company

Merlin Piscitelli

Chief Revenue Officer, Datasite

Tarek Hosni

Chief Executive Officer, Jamjoom Pharma

3:00 pm ~ 4:00 pm

• How does Saudi Arabia’s existing ESG framework differ from global/UNPRI ESG standards? What are they key gaps and areas of misalignment between Saudi regulations and global ESG expectations?
• How can regulatory consistency be achieved while respecting the unique cultural and economic factors of Saudi Arabia?
• To what extent does (mis)-alignment impact Saudi Arabia’s ability to attract foreign investment? How can corporates communicate their ESG efforts to international investors to build trust, confidence and ultimately investment?
• How can corporates improve governance, transparency, board diversity and shareholder rights to attract international investors?
• Are there best practices for fostering collaboration and partnerships with global ESG-focused investors?

Amanda Vainio

Co-Head, MUFG EMEA

Wasim Al Mallouhi

Chief Executive Officer, alfanar Global Development

Husam Abdel Al

Senior Director, MASHREQ BANK

Neil Atkinson

Head, Riyad Bank

Frederik Foussat

Chief Financial Officer, Cenomi Centers

Amr Masry

Group Chief Financial Officer, Middle East Paper Company

4:00 pm ~ 4:40 pm

• From stressed to stress-free: How private companies with cashflow issues can restructure balance sheets and capital structure to roll-over bank funding to the capital markets
• Testing the model: How recent legislative changes are attracting new investors to Saudi Arabia’s sukuk and debt capital markets
• Public vs. privately placed: Why Saudi Arabia’s sukuk market is opening up to CMA-registered publicly placed sukuk now
• Covenants, security over accounts and assets: How to structure the right deal for the right scenario
• What role do credit ratings play in the sukuk market? How can the Kingdom improve the rating process to attract more investors?

Hamed Afzal

Partner, Norton Rose (Middle East)

Yacob AlAjmi

Director, Al Bawani

Ritesh Agarwal

Head, Emirates NBD Capital

Harith Mohamad Rom

Senior Director, GIB Capital

Emad Kordi

Chief Executive Officer, Simah Rating Agency (Tassnief)

4:40 pm ~ 5:20 pm