Dina Ismail, Chief Editor
Budoor, Eman, Hatoon, Raghad, Rama; Contributing Editors
As the JEF drew to a close, the hall at the Jeddah International Conference and Exhibition Center filled for the last time. The audience slowly trickled into the dimly lit hall as the one of a kind Alastair Stewart paused, (presumably for dramatic effect) and directed this thought-provoking question to the audience: ‘Who will be the individuals that recast our future….?’
This is Session 6 of JEF 2008 and the theme is ‘Landscaping The Future: Who Should Take The Lead?’
Although confused by a somewhat inaccurate program, the audience was happy to be introduced to Mark Selby, VP of Industry Liaison and Collaborations at Nokia.
To be blunt, I was a bit perplexed by the topic of Mr. Selby’s presentation, which although was extremely interesting, seemed to be focused on the research efforts of Nokia in order to meet the demand from different market segments. It was an engaging speech but left this reviewer wondering how it was relevant to the session’s theme.
At the conclusion of Mr. Selby’s speech, the audience was awed into hushed whispers at the arrival of a surprise visitor… His Royal Highness Prince Khalid Al Faisal appeared, as if by magic, surrounded by his entourage, and immediately captivated the hall with his presence.
Alastair Stewart introduced HRH Prince Khalid, a man renowned for his intellectualism and poetic skill, and invited him on stage in order to present the award for an outstanding example of Corporate Social Responsibility.
The winner, Abdullah Bahamdan, Chairman of the Board of NCB, made his way on stage to receive this great honor to the accompaniment of great fanfare and applause from the audience. Madame Olfat Kabbani, of the JCCI, made an eloquent and charming speech about the role of banking institutions in developing a sustainable economy from all aspects.
The next speaker, Dr. Hayat Sindi, a visiting scholar from Harvard, faced the daunting task of speaking after the prize ceremony. A petite and prepossessing woman, Dr. Hayat urged the nations of the Middle East to ensure that ‘science and society went hand in hand’ for a more prosperous future as well as encouraging individuals to ‘break boundaries.’
As a highly educated and self-motivated Saudi female who is obviously passionate about her discipline, Dr. Hayat perhaps put it best when she stated that, ‘Innovation cannot lead on it’s own. We must lead innovation.' This remarkable individual demonstrated by her example to young women across the Kingdom that dreams are achieved every day.
The panel session was next and included several distinguished speakers, including Dean Haifa Jamal-Al-Lail, Dr. Qazi Ben Zagr, and eminent figure in the Saudi business world, Mr. Salah Al Turki. The panel consisted of media-based questions, in a Q&A format.
After yet another tea break, the crowd waited with bated breath for the much talked about speech of the one and only Sir Richard Branson. Amongst such dignitaries within the Saudi royal family and economic mavens such as Allan Greenspan, Sir Richard Branson’s celebrity status was much anticipated, particularly amidst the younger crowd.
As if to prolong the suspense, before bringing out Sir Richard, Alastair Stewart introduced a unique and astonishingly entertaining activity involving sharks, fish, and color panels provided by CineMatrix. Sound strange? Guess you had to be there. Suffice to say that it was a suitable team activity for an audience that has experienced the wonders of JEF together for three days. In order to introduce Sir Richard, who had recently completed a successful leg from London to Amsterdam entirely on bio-fuel, the audience also participated in a harrowing collaborative aviation activity.
And finally, it was time for the last speaker of the JEF. Introduced by Alastair Stewart as an ‘incurable adventurer’, the audience was treated to a brief video describing Sir Richard Branson and his internationally renowned brand, Virgin. Looking completely comfortable while being put on the spot in an informal Q&A session with Alastair Stewart, Sir Richard described his visit to Saudi Arabia as ‘a delightful twenty-four hours.’ He also discussed his experiences and talked about the developing relationship between the business class and the government
Bringing a touch of glamour to the fascinating, yet at times pedantic, JEF, Sir Richard was a breath of fresh air and an excellent way to end the Jeddah Economic Forum 2008 with a definite bang.
One may read this review and wonder what this diverse, seemingly unrelated group of speakers has to do with the theme of this session. However, the juxtaposition of ‘big government’ manifesting itself in HRH Prince Khalid Al Faisal, with the quintessential example of successful entrepreneurship, Sir Richard Branson, in addition to intellectuals such as Dr. Hayat Sindi, showed the audience that in the quest to landscape the future, the private and public sector will be moving hand-in-hand to take the lead and to create an economy that can be categorized as both sustainable and prosperous.
