Youth meet opens with lineup of key speakers

KUWAIT: The fifth annual Youth Empowerment Symposium (Tmkeen) kicked off yesterday with the aim of providing opportunities for Kuwaiti youth to gain valuable insights about entrepreneurship from industry leaders, academics and experts. At the inaugural seminar, Bader Al-Kharafi, Vice Chairman of Zain Group, and Corey Owens, Head of Public Policy at WeWork, spoke about innovation and the future of technology.

Kharafi said Zain has continually invested in new technologies to stay ahead of the competition. “If we ask people what they want, they will say the latest car and the latest phone - the answer will always be related to the newest technologies,” he said. Aside from continuing the family legacy, Kharafi has shown a dedication to investing in other people and providing the youth of Kuwait with new opportunities, as the job market continues to change and adapt.

Along with Owens, the former head of public policy at Uber and Facebook, Tmkeen is hosting two other successful startup entrepreneurs - Jeremy Liew, a Partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners and a key investor in Snapchat, and Jennifer Boulanger, Head of Global Recruitment at Booking.com.

Tmkeen is a national initiative that is delivered by Kuwaiti youth to the youth in Kuwait. It has been holding this annual youth symposium, as well as separate events during the year to educate, inform and inspire. It also works to assist youth business leaders by providing a training and development leadership program.