PRELIMINARY PROGRAMME (at 16th October 2008)   DAY ONE: FRIDAY, 31 October 2008     13:00h – 19.00h Registration Palmyra Room, Four Seasons Hotel     18:00h – 19.00h Meeting of Moderators and Speakers Eshtar Room, Banqueting Level, Four Seasons Hotel     19.00h Welcome Reception Levant Ballroom, Four Seasons Hotel Hosted by: Bank Audi Syria SA Welcoming speech: HE Simon Collis, British Ambassador to Syria         DAY TWO: SATURDAY, 1 November 2008     09.00h – 10.00h Opening Session:       Opening remarks: Dr. Fawaz Akhras, Co-Chairman, British Syrian Society       Keynote Speech One: Relections on the Evolving Global Financial Crisis Dr. Charles Chatterjee, Professor, Global Policy Institute, London Metropolitan University       Presidential Address     10.00 - 11.15h Panel Session 1: What comes after Commercial Banking Moderated by: Faisal Kudsi, Chairman & CEO, Investment Trust Limited, UK   Radwan Termanini, Economic and Business Consultant Marwan Iskandar, Founder & General Manager, MI Associates Mahmoud Abdul Khaleq Al-Nouri, Chairman and Managing Director, Kuwait Syrian Holding Ziad Bahaa Eldin, Legal Advisor and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Egyptian Investment Authority 11.15h - 11.45h Coffee Break     11.45h - 12.15h Keynote Speech Two: HE Dr. Mohammed Al Hussein, Minister of Finance, Syrian Arab Republic     12.15h - 13.30h Panel Session 2: Issues Affecting The Financial Sector Moderated by: Costi Chehlaoui, Advisor to the Board of Directors, Syria Gulf Bank   Dr. Florence Eid, Managing Director Middle East & North Africa, Passport Capital Rabie Rafia, Cham Investment Group Khaled Saoud Al Hasan, Managing Director and CEO, Gulf Insurance Company, Kuwait Fadi Abdulhamid, Executive Director, Talal Abu Ghazaleh, Syria 13.30h - 15.15h Lunch: Orient Club Restaurant Hosted by Syria Gulf Bank     15.15h - 16.15h Panel Session 3: Current Financial Crises: Crucial Role of Governance Moderated by: Wafic Said, Chairman, Said Holdings Ltd HE Dr. Adib Mayelleh, Governor Central Bank Syria HE  Yilmaz Durmus, Governor of Central Bank, Turkey HE Dr. Umayya Salah Toukan, Governor, Central Bank of Jordan 16.15 – 16.45h Tea Break     16.45 – 18.00h Panel Session 4: Islamic Banking: What Does it Offer? Moderated by: Bassil Hamwi, Deputy Chairman and General Manager, Bank Audi Syria, SA   Ibrahim Mardam Bey, Chief Executive Officer, Siraj Capital (Dubai) Ltd. Mamoun Darkazally, General Manager, Al Baraka Bank, Syria (under establishment) John Davie, Head of International Business Development, Vector Management International Limited and Chairman UK Trade & Industry PPP Export Advisory Group Sheikh Dr. Abdul Sattar Abo Guddeh, Chairman, Dar Al Mashorah, Damascus 18.00h – 18.30h Keynote Speech Three: Investment, prosperity, and economic freedom Fred McMahon, Director, Centre for Trade and Globalization Studies, The Fraser Institute, Canada     20.00h Gala Reception and Dinner Hosted by: Emaar Syria at their premises in Yaafour Keynote Speech: HE Mr. Abdulla Dardari, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs*       DAY THREE: SUNDAY, 2 November 2008     09.00h – 09.30h Keynote Speech Four: How to Attract Foreign Direct Investment Salem Ben Nasser Ismaily, Chief Executive Officer, The Omani Centre for Investment Promotion and Export Development     09.30h - 11.00h Panel Session 5: Driving Inward Investment Moderated by: David Freeman, Company Secretary, British Syrian Society   Bachar Jazmati, Associate Director, Middle East & North Africa, Project and Export Finance, HSBC Bank Middle East Ltd Dr. Tamer Alhejjeh, Governor of Aleppo, Syria Poul Gadegaard, Senior International Business Development, Institutional Policy Formulation Expert Fathi Saleh, Country Senior Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Jordan 11.00h – 11:30h Coffee Break     11.30h – 13.00h Panel Session 6: Training and Human Resources Moderated by: Ghayth Armanazi, Executive Director, British Syrian Society   Jackie Makhoul-Winn, Human Resources Director, Standard Chartered Bank Sami Barakat, Chief HR & Admin Officer, Cham Holdings Hussein Ismail, Deputy Director, Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF) and President, Bahrain Society for Training and Development Toufic Tasso, General Manager, Pigier Lebanon (Business Education and Training) & President Business & Management University - Erbil 13.00 – 14.30h Panel Session 7: Brainstorm with the Government   Moderated by: Dr. Fawaz Akhras, Co-Chairman, British Syrian Society A round table discussion with key ministers to analyse the key issues which impact on development       Dr. Mohammed Hussein, Minister of Finance Dr. Dr. Amer Housni Lutfi, Minister Economy & Trade Dr. Dyala Al-Hajj A’ref, Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Dr. Ghayth Barakat, Minister of Higher Education 14.30h - 14.45h Closing Remarks Brian Constant, Treasurer, British Syrian Society     15.30h - 17.00h Farewell Lunch Hosted by the Federation of the Syrian Chambers of Commerce at the farm of Dr. Rateb Shallah           * Not Confirmed

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