Zain sponsors MIT conference in Kuwait
Event highlights need for lifestyle change
KUWAIT CITY, April 6: Leaders from government, industry, and academia in the Arab world will gather in Kuwait on April 20-21 for the 8th MIT Pan-Arab Conference, the flagship event of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Arab Alumni Association (MIT AAA). The two-day event will take place at the Symphony Style Hotel in Salmiya, Kuwait.
Organized jointly with the MIT Enterprise Forum of the Pan Arab Region (MIT EF Pan Arab) and with lead sponsorship from Zain Group, this year’s conference addresses the Arab world’s most pressing challenges and discusses the role of innovation and entrepreneurship in overcoming these issues.
Other key sponsors for the conference include global technology provider Ericsson, the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS), the Kuwait-MIT Center for Natural Resources and the Environment, and the Kuwait National Real Estate Company (NREC). The conference this year is being held in conjunction with MIT EF Pan Arab’s annual Arab Startup Competition. Winners of the competition will be announced during a gala dinner on the first day of the conference.
Speakers
Speakers at the conference include Sheikha Al-Zain Al-Sabah, Kuwait’s Undersecretary of the Ministry of State for Youth Affairs; Scott Gegenheimer, CEO of Zain Group; Mohammed Alshaya, Executive Chairman of M. H. Alshaya Co; Dr Fred Moavenzadeh, President of the Masdar Institute in the UAE; Dr Ahmed Ghoniem, Director of the Center for Energy and Propulsion Research at MIT; Dr Bassam Alfeeli from the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science; Dr Murad Abu-Khalaf, Executive Director of the Kuwait-MIT Center for Natural Resources and the Environment; Nizar Al-Adsani, Deputy Chairman and CEO of Kuwait Petroleum; Dr Naif AlMutawa, creator of THE 99, and Tarek Sultan, CEO and Vice-Chairman of Agility, among many other distinguished Kuwait and regional leading economic figures.
Commenting on Zain Group’s sponsorship of the conference, Scott Gegenheimer, CEO of Zain Group said, “Zain Group is delighted to be associated with MITAAAand the esteemed group of speakers assembled for this notable conference being held in Kuwait. The topics of discussion are relevant and important to our region, and Zain has long been of the opinion that innovation, technological advancement, and entrepreneurship will act as major drivers in overcoming a large number of the economic and social challenges currently facing Kuwait and our region.”
The title chosen for the conference is “Driving Growth and Sustainability in an Evolving Landscape”.
“The themes we selected in our previous conferences were specific to certain sectors, such as energy or manufacturing,” commented Hazem Zureiqat, President of MITAAA. “This year, however, we chose to have a broader theme. Our region is going through challenging times, so we need to take a step back and adopt a more holistic approach.”
The MIT AAA was established in the late 1990s to create a bridge between MIT, one of the leading universities in the world, and the Arab region. The association has held seven conference in the past, with the upcoming event being the first in Kuwait. The MIT AAA also recently established a scholarship fund to support Arab students at MIT. For further information and to register for the conference, please visit www.mitaaa.org.