Wael Bayazid | Head of Fundraising at The Carlyle Group (New York) ​​​​​

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​Wael Bayazid  is Head of Fundraising, Business Development and Investor Relations at The Carlyle Group, the largest Private Equity firm in the world. The Carlyle Group operates in four business areas: corporate private equity, real assets, market strategies and fund of funds through its AlpInvest subsidiary. In its 2012 annual report, Carlyle reported assets in excess of $150 billion under management diversified over 84 distinct funds. The firm employs more than 890 employees, including 495 investment professionals, in 20 countries with offices in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Australia, and its portfolio companies employ more than 415,000 people worldwide. The firm has over 1,300 investment partners in 71 countries. Wael is based in New York City. Prior to joining The Carlyle Group at its inception in 1987, Mr. Bayazid was the Global Country Head for Saudi Arabia in the Global Asset Management Group of Chase Manhattan Bank, based in Geneva,   Switzerland. Previously, Wael  headed the Middle East Private Banking Group for   Chase Manhattan in New York City. Prior to that, Wael was a Vice President for the   Middle East at Bankers Trust Private Bank in New York City. Mr. Bayazid is a   Board Director of the Arab Bankers Association of North America (ABANA) and   serves on the Board of Trustees of International College, Lebanon. Mr. Bayazid is a graduate of International College, Beirut, Lebanon and also a graduate of   the American College of Switzerland.

 

​Karl Alomar | CEO at AC&E and COO at Digital Ocean (New York)

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Karl is a serial  entrepreneur with extensive experience in starting, developing and selling high  growth businesses in various market segments. Karl has not only co-founded two  successful ventures of his own, but has also served as an interim executive or  executive advisor to numerous distressed to high growth young businesses while  acting in his capacity as a principal at AC&E Partners. Karl received his  MBA from Columbia Business School in New York and a BEng in Electrical and  Electronic Engineering from Imperial College London.  With a strong  technology pedigree and over 18 years’ experience in executive management roles  in institutionally funded businesses. Karl acted as cofounder and CEO of China  Export Finance, pioneering open credit trade as an alternative to traditional  Letter of Credit and at-sight payment terms in China and securing $300,000,000  of trade in three years. As such, he is recognized by global media outlets as  an expert on finance in China. Prior to China Export Finance, Karl brought a  groundbreaking technology to market and shepherded Clearview Networks from  startup through the company's profitable sale. Prior to Cleraview Networks, Karl secured almost $1,000,000,000 in contracts for Petrotec, an engineering  procurement and construction company in the petrochemical industry, while  developing the brand in the emerging markets.

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​Marwan Dalloul | President at American Properties Inc. (New York)

 

Marwan is the President at  American Properties Inc. (API), a leading Owner and Developer of prime commercial and residential real estate across the world. API's primary areas of focus are the  United States and Middle East markets where API completed several landmark real  estate transactions over the last 25 years. Marwan is also a Managing Partner at Dalfa Group (a global investment firm) and Eat and  Go Nigeria (a Food and Beverage concern and the holder of several global franchises such as Domino's Pizza and Coldstone Creamery for Nigeria and other African countries). Marwan also has previous in-depth experience with the prestigious Abu Dhabi  Investment Authority (ADIA), one of the largest institutional investors in the world. He holds a bachelor degree from the American  University in Washington DC and completed the Building Construction Program delivered by New York University. Marwan also holds a Masters in Real Estate Development  from Columbia University and a MBA from Columbia Business School, both in New  York. He is also a respected member of the Real Estate Board of New York.

 

Dr. Carlos Haddad | Chairman at Haddad Advisory (Monaco)

 

Dr. Carlos Haddad is an influential yet extremely discreet Brazilian business tycoon and philanthropist. He is the Founder and Chairman of Haddad Advisory, a Global High Caliber Introductory, Lead Generation, Capital Introduction and Business Development services firm as well as a Global Investment company leveraging Dr. Carlos Haddad's unique and extensive international contact network built over the last 50 years in global business. Dr. Haddad serves as the Founder and Chairman of the Haddad Foundation, a charitable organization whose mission is to provide social programs to young people from low-income communities. Dr. Haddad is also the Founder and Chairman of Gentech Holdings, a private and discreet diversified global holding company that holds significant investments in the South America and United States ICT, financial and real estate sectors. Finally, Dr. Haddad is the Founder and Chairman of AC Construction (ACC), a construction company founded in 1976 that operates across South America and is particularly involved in the construction of luxury hotels, resorts and residences. Prior to his stellar entrepreneurial career, Dr. Haddad held senior positions with Credit Suisse, Morgan Stanley and Bouygues Construction. He is the Founder of several think tanks and charitable foundations (in addition to the Haddad Foundation) and sits on the board of more than a dozen international corporations where his knowledge of entrepreneurship, business, finance, technology and construction are of great added value. He speaks fluently English, Portuguese and Spanish as well as solid French, Italian, Chinese, German and Russian. Dr. Haddad is the recipient of over a dozen prestigious international award and honors in the fields of business, entrepreneurship, technology, social aid and philanthropy. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng.) and and MBA from the University of São Paulo as well as a PhD in Technology from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

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​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Theodore Hatem | CEO at ICA ​Group of Companies (Hong Kong)​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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​Theodore Hatem is the CEO at ICA, an investment holding company   for a number of firms operating in the fields of real estate, technology and   trading. In 2007, ICA reported consolidated revenues of 1.2 billion dollars and   a net profit of 250 million dollars. ICA, through its operating companies owns   and manages a network of income generating real assets in Asia. ICAs trading   companies include firms operating in the fields of gold, silver and copper.   ICA's technology companies include six firms in Shenzen and Shanghai. A   self-made man, Theodore was one of the first businessmen to invest in   post-communist China. Shunning the limelight, ICA's operating companies   typically invest in opportunities not available to most investors. A contrarian   thinker, Th​eodore has often gone against the tide and reaped extraordinary   rewards. He and his two sons Marcus and Roger, both brought up in the US, have   recently setup an investment holding company to capitalize on opportunities in   mainland China, where Theodore has extensive personal connections. Theodore's   daughter Pita is the founder and CEO of a Korean technology company listed on   the Seoul stock market. Theodore was born in Los Angeles to a Lebanese father   and an American mother. He holds a BA in Communication as well as MS in   Management from the University of Hong Kong.

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​​Paulo Germanos | CEO at SAFI (Sao Paulo)

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Paulo is the CEO at SAFI (South American Financial Investments), a 3 billion dollars investment holding company. SAFI regroups four South American families from Brazil and   Argentina. These families have interests in construction, oil and gas, real   estate and trading. SAFI was setup to manage their financial interests. SAFI is   heavily invested in alternative investments such as private equity, venture   capital and hedge funds. Paulo joined SAFI in 1998 and was responsible for   building the private equity and venture capital investing division from three to   eight investment professionals. Before SAFI, Paulo spent three years as the   personal advisor of a South American billionaire. Paulo advised him on his   financial investment strategy and setup a group of three investment   professionals to implement the plan. From 1991 to 1995, Paulo and his brother   Ricardo managed his family's boutique investment banking business, increasing   revenue from 25 million dollars to over 75 million dollars. Paulo continues to   sit on the board of the company. His brother Ricardo is currently the company's CEO. Paulo has a BA in Management and an MS in Finance from Sao Paulo   University. He also holds an MBA in Finance as well as a PhD in Advanced   Financial Structuring from Brasilia University.

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​Prakash Krishan | COO at Krishan Holdings (New Delhi)

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Prakash is the COO at Krishan Holdings (KH), an Indian investment holding company with   assets in excess of 2 billion dollars. Founded and still managed by Prakash's   father Mahesh, KH is currently owned by several Indian families with interests   in oil and gas, manufacturing and technology. KIH's operating companies include   a petroleum distribution company in Jaipur, two textile manufacturing plants in   Kandla, a call center in Nagpur, eight technology companies in Bangalore as well   as several real estate assets in Chennai and Pondicherry. KIH recently acquired   several manufacturing plants in Hyderabad and spun off its technology assets as   a separate entity, Krishan Technology Holdings (KTH), managed by Prakash's   younger brother Ajay. As a group, KTH alone reported 2007 revenues of 275   million dollars and a net profit of 50 million dollars. As KH's COO, Prakash is constantly looking for investment opportunities   in India and abroad. Since 2004, KH decided to diversify its investments out of   India and into other emerging markets. KH recently acquired real estate assets   in Hong Kong and Shanghai as well as a textile manufacturing plant in Shenzhen.   Prakash holds a BA in Mathematics as well as an MBA in Management from Delhi   University.

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​Linda Simons | CEO at PRP (Hong Kong)

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Linda Simons is the CEO at PRP, a  leading PR company based out of Hong Kong and catering to the super rich. A  discreet yet extremely effective company, PRP operates a number of PR agencies  across the world. Each agency is adapted to the regional and social fabric of  the market in which it operates and run by seasoned PR executives. These  agencies have worked for and with some of the leading companies and brands in  the world, effectively managing the spread of information between them and the  public at large. Linda has more than 15 years’ experience in the PR industry  and more than 20 years’ experience in the business world where she held several  key positions such as CMO, COO and CEO, giving her a unique exposure to how  best of breed companies operate and what they need. PRP's decision to move its  headquarters from London to Hong Kong is the result of Linda's successful  efforts to tap into the rich emerging Asian markets. Linda holds a BA in  Communication as well as an MBA from City University London.

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​Paul Kemper | CEO at Mediasparks Holdings (Chicago)

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Paul Kemper is the CEO at  Mediasparks Holdings, a global Internet holding company for several successful  online businesses. Paul Kemper started his career in 1994 with the creation of  his first startup, a software company that developed applications allowing for  compatibility between the PC and Mac worlds. After selling the business to his  partner, Paul worked for several internet giants with ever increasing positions  and titles. For 15 years, Paul learnt from the most respected and pioneering companies  in the Internet industry, focusing on software engineering, his core domain of expertise.  In 2009, Paul launched Mediasparks Holdings with three other Internet veterans.  Mediasparks Holdings has since then launched 5 successful online startup  businesses: 2 e-commerce platforms catering to third world countries, a mobile  app development company as well as 2 mobile software development concerns. With almost 20 years’ experience in the Internet  industry, Paul is a respected authority. He holds a BS in Engineering as well  as a Masters in Computer Science from the University of Sydney in Australia.