2016 C3 US-Arab Business Summit

“Exploring Regional Security Solutions to Drive Job Creation and Public/Private Partnerships”

Monday, September 26th, 2016


AGENDA – Subject to Change


U.S. and Arab relations rooted in commerce and enterprise are historic and grounded in tradition and mutual interest. These unique relations across the Atlantic have influenced and shaped strategic partnerships, strengthened alliances, supported B2B and public- private partnerships.

The C3 U.S. – Arab Business Summit 2016 will assemble business leaders, policy makers, educators and industry professionals from the Arab world and the United States to bolster and promote U.S. and Arab world initiatives that are focused on strengthening commerce and business relations.

In short, the C3 U.S. – Arab Business Summit 2016 will identify profitable investment and economic growth factors in the Arab world and the United States, provide the knowledge of how best to navigate the MENA region’s ample commercial opportunities, and promote bilateral business and civil society partnerships.

7:30 am – 8:15 am

Location: Main Lounge
(First Floor)

Business Summit Registration & Breakfast


The Union League Club
38 East 37th Street
(S.E. Corner of Park & 37th/Entrance on 37th Street)
New York, NY


The 2016 C3 US-Arab Business Summit is an exclusive event dedicated to forging new business relationships, fostering existing partnerships and exchanging best practices by building a cohesive global community through bilateral cooperation.

Reinforcing the theme of the 2015 C3 US-Arab Business Summit entitled “Cyber Security, Smart Cities and Bilateral Prosperity,” the 2016 C3Summit will focus on solving the complex, multi-faceted, interlocking issues of security, technology, science and trade through collaboration, innovation, and partnership.

Human and financial resources are needed to build balanced global markets which are required to deliver services that are properly and adequately staffed/protected to meet changing bilateral issues. Technologies must be designed and harnessed to foster innovation while providing products and services that are effective yet affordable, accessible, safe and secure.

The C3 US-Arab Business Summit will explore what role business and government can play to support economic development regarding solutions to these challenges. Answers to these questions are being tested and implemented on the world-wide stage every day. Finding success through collaboration, innovation, and partnerships (CIP), in the private and public sectors, is a deliverable the C3 US-Arab Business Summit will look to achieve.

8:15 am – 8:30 am

Location: Lincoln Hall
(Second Floor)

WELCOMING REMARKS


2016 C3 US-Arab Business & Healthcare Summit


Mr. Ransel N. Potter,
Founder & Managing Partner,
C3 Summit International


Simply stated, this C3 US-Arab Business & Healthcare Summit is about exploring ideas, suggestions, and realistic recommendations as possible solutions to today’s bilateral security, technology, commercial development and healthcare challenges. Based on the insights of the Summit’s global leaders and thinkers, participants can begin to immediately implement what they will hear and learn to help bring these innovations, pilot projects, cases studies, public-private partnerships and other practical solutions to fruition in the global commercial and healthcare sectors.


OPENING REMARKS


Mr. Matthew Bishop,
Senior Editor,
The Economist Group

8:30 am – 9:30 am

Location: Lincoln Hall
(Second Floor)

OPENING PLENARY


Youth and Migration: Creating Economic Opportunity in MENA


Mr. Ron Bruder,
(Moderator),
Founder & Chairman,
Education For Employment
Mr. Vinícius Carvalho Pinheiro,
Special Representative to the UN;
Director,
ILO Office for the UN
Mr. Matthew Bishop,
Senior Editor,
The Economist Group
Mr. Fadi Elsalameen,
Foreign Policy Institute,
The Johns Hopkins School of
Advanced International Studies;
President
Palestinian Security Project
Mr. Omar Wohabe,
Partner,
Wohabe Law Offices
Mr. George R. Salem,
Managing Partner,
Law Offices of George R. Salem, PLLC

 

Unemployment rates in MENA are among the highest in the world, and the absence of economic opportunity is a key contributor to migration and instability across the region.  Today, improving the economic outlook for MENA’s young women and men in their home countries is imperative for leaders around the world.   Yet general awareness of the issue has not produced an effect response at scale.  Dramatic change is needed to create economic opportunities that enable young women and men in MENA to positively contribute to their economies and societies for the long-term.  What role can the private and public sectors, as well as entrepreneurs and civil society actors, play to bring about this transformation?

9:30 am – 9:40 am

Session Break

9:40 am – 10:40 am

Location: Lincoln Hall
(Second Floor)

AMBASSADORS’ PANEL


Changes and Challenges Raised by Globalization


Ambassador Adam Ereli,
(Moderator),
Former US Ambassador,
Kingdom of Bahrain
Ambassador William V. Roebuck,
U.S. Ambassador,
Kingdom of Bahrain,
U.S. Department of State
Ambassador Dawn M. Liberi,
Republic of Burundi,
U.S. Department of State
Ambassador Patrick Theros,
Former US Ambassador,
State of Qatar
Ambassador James Smith,
Former US Ambassador,
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Ambassador Marc Ginsberg,
Former US Ambassador,
Morocco

The MENA region, along with the rest of the world, is undergoing historic and unprecedented changes. Those who favor the status quo and those who want to upset it are divided by income, education and geography. The well-connected in government, finance and other sectors that benefit from the current system are now aware of the economic and political challenges raised by globalization. Join this panel of distinguished U.S. Ambassadors as they discuss potential solutions on how to manage these challenges and create the “new” paradigm needed for long-term economic growth and regional stability. Topics will include the role of the private sector as a driver of change; the impact of public-private partnerships in stimulating diversification; and governmental decision-making to create the conditions for sustained prosperity based on security-conscience actions.

10:40 am – 10:50 am

Session Break

10:50 am – 11:50 am

Track #1
Location: Lincoln Hall
(Second Floor)

SMART CITIES PANEL


Economic, Social and Urban Growth Drivers Changing the Face of the Arab Region


Mr. Paul Doherty,
(Moderator),
President & CEO,
the digit group
Ambassador Susan L. Ziadeh,
Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State,
Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs,
U.S. Department of State
Ms. Laura Lombard,
President,
Executive Director,
MENA Consultants
Mr. A.J. Colletti,
CEO,
The Phoenix Group;
Sr. Partner,
The Digit Group
Mr. Robert Michael,
Chair,
Committee on Middle Eastern and North African Affairs,
New York City Bar Association

Simply stated, the urban centers of the Middle East are being challenged through economic, social and urban growth drivers to accommodate urgent needs from their inhabitants. Join us for an exploration of three mega-projects, the Qatar FIFA World Cup 2022, The National Transformation Programme of Saudi Arabia and the Dubai Expo 2020, where we will learn of the delivery and legacy of each of these projects. The immediate need of developing economic and environmental sustainable urban environments that will have an enormous economic impact on the region is providing the opportunity to deliver the cities of tomorrow.  The use of innovation in energy, water, transportation, education, entertainment and healthcare are just some of the remarkable deliverables for these projects that will transform the Middle East and provide a sustainable legacy.

10:50 am – 11:50 am

Track #2
Location: Main Lounge
(First Floor)

VENTURE CAPITAL FUNDING PANEL


Sustainable Business Projects in MENA: Country Partner & Prime Opportunities for SME’s


Mr. Hussein Khalifa,
(Keynote Moderator),
Founding Partner,
MVision Private Equity Advisers
Mr. Talat Z. Hafiz,
Secretary General,
Media Committee & Banking Awareness,
Saudi Banks,
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Mr. Pradeep Ramamurthy,
Managing Director,
Head of Global Markets,
The Abraaj Group
Mr. Ken Dorph,
Founder,
Sag Harbor Consulting

Small and Medium Size Enterprise development is the backbone of a prosperous private sector. The social impact of thriving SMEs is job creation and on-going innovation. Recent OECD studies have shown that accumulation of VC is a significant factor contributing to productivity growth. What are the risk/return criteria associated with SME finance? What are some of the hurdles in creating a “double bottom line”, financial and social return? What are US and Arab states’ initiatives in supporting SME growth?

11:50 am – 12:00 pm

Session Break

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

Location: Lincoln Hall
(Second Floor)

KEYNOTE SPEAKER


General David H. Petraeus, (ret.)
Member, KKR,
Chairman, KKR Global Institute
Former Director, Central Intelligence Agency


KEYNOTE INTERVIEWER


Ms. Ellen Lord,
President and Chief Executive Officer,
Textron Systems

1:00 pm – 2:15 pm

Location: Dining Room
(Third Floor)

LUNCHEON BREAK


Welcoming Remarks Introduction


Dr. John Duke Anthony,
Founding President & CEO,
National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations


Luncheon Address


Dr. Ali Al Rakaf,
Founder of Project CODE
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia


Project CODE- Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) recently announced the public launch of Project CODE, an international development effort designed to address three of the biggest challenges confronting the Middle East today: healthcare, food security and homeland security. C3 International, a Project CODE partner, is proud to have “2016 C3 US-Arab Business & Healthcare Summit” serve as the official “launch” of the Project CODE initiative in the United States of America.

Project CODE; a technology transfer project, has been established as an administrative and scientific vehicle for the transfer and localization of many strategic medical and military technologies. It is an accelerator program of unprecedented scale designed to position Saudi Arabia as a leader in both healthcare and security for the Arab world. The goal of Project CODE is to acquire 500 companies in the coming years to bring many of the world’s leading technologies (and technologists) to KSA.

The project is being headed up by Mr. Ali Al Rakaf and Professor Newton Howard from the University of Oxford, who have been entrusted by the government of Saudi Arabia to spend over $1,000,000,000 USD in the coming years to establish a new class of partnership between industry and academia, combining the efforts of several American medical and high-tech companies with many of the top academic and research institutions on the planet. Project CODE is a strategic investment project for KSA and dozens of partner institutions, throughout the world.

2:15 pm – 3:15 pm

Location: Lincoln Hall
(Second Floor)

KEYNOTE PANEL 


The Achilles Heel of National Security: Water, Electricity and the Global Threat of Mutant Viruses


Ambassador James Woolsey,
(Keynote Moderator),
Partner,
Lux Capital Management,
Former Director, Central Intelligence Agency
Mr. Nawaf Althari,
Counter-Terrorism Adviser,
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,
Permanent Mission to the United Nations
Dr. Peter Palese,
Professor and Chair,
Department of Microbiology,
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Mr. Peter  deMenocal,
Professor,
Vice Chair,
Columbia University
Mr. Lorenz R. Spangler,
Team Lead
Radiological Security
Sandia National Laboratories;
Board of Directors
Institute of Hazardous Materials Management

The MENA region holds only 1.4% of the world’s renewable fresh water, yet the region is home to 6.4% of the world’s population. The demand for electricity has increased by about 6-8% annually in MENA, while the rate of global demand for electricity increases by about 2.3% annually. Water and electricity remain at the top of the priority list for MENA policy makers. This panel will examine the importance of implementing water, electrical and healthcare safeguards as national security measures.

3:15 pm – 3:20 pm

Session Break

3:20 pm – 4:20 pm

Track #1
Location: Lincoln Hall
(Second Floor)

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY PANEL


The Importance of Cross Border Protection


Mr. George Likourezos,
(Moderator),
Partner,
Carter, DeLuca, Farrell & Schmidt, LLP
Ms. Aisha Y. Salem,
Intellectual Property Attaché,
MENA, U.S. Embassy Kuwait,
U.S. Patent & Trademark Office,
U.S. Department of Commerce,
USA
Ms. Lisa Pomerantz,
Attorney at Law
Mr. Seth M. Cannon,
Partner,
Carter, DeLuca, Farrell & Schmidt, LLP
Mr. Robert J. Castro
Founder,
Bob Castro Consulting

With every new technological advance, legal issues will arise that address key protection in patent, trademark, industrial design, trade secrets, counterfeiting, consumer security, and other areas of IP litigation regarding commercially important and technically complex intellectual property cases. As companies innovate ever more disruptive technology such as ‘invasive’ or ’embedded’ technology, the legal issues surrounding IP system will be even more challenging to navigate. This panel will discuss the legal issues around the transition in technology from “usage” to increased “interaction” with each other, companies and the environment and review what are the necessary changes required in the law as our traditional relationship with technology evolves beyond our own borders.

3:20 pm – 4:20 pm

Track #2
Location: Main Lounge
(First Floor)

THE NEW MEDIA PANEL


The Global Impact of New Media on Societal Change


Ambassador Frances D. Cook,
(Moderator),
Former Ambassador,
Sultanate of Oman
Mr. Thomas A.W. Miller,
Diplomatic & Global Business Lead,
Bloomberg BNA
Mr. Ted Bailey,
Founder, Chairman & CEO,
Dataminr
Ms. Ana C. Rold,
Founder & Publisher,
Diplomatic Courier
Mr. Cenk Sidar,
President & CEO,
Sidar Global Advisors

As new media provides numerous channels of communication and educates the populous, governments have the incentive to become more open. And as nations open, individual expression becomes commonplace with more citizens whom are willing to engage. Any individual can now become a reporter, a pundit, or an organizer through the web. As a result, the debates and opinions expressed through these new outlets will become more representative of true public opinion. On a more personal level, people who have tasted the freedoms associated with access to sources of new media will then become less willing to live without them. For this reason, these new sources of media will continue to promote public deliberation and education which in turn will support an irreversible, bottom-up push for societal change, even in places that governments currently lack or don’t encourage an open dialogue.

4:20 pm – 4:25pm

Session Break

4:25 pm – 5:25 pm

Track# 1
Location: Lincoln Hall
(Second Floor)

US – ARAB BUSINESS WOMEN PANEL


Perspectives on MENA Business Opportunities & Challenges for Diversity


Ms. Mona Aboelnaga Kanaan,
(Moderator),
Managing Partner,
K6 Investments LLC
Dr. Faten Sabry,
Senior Vice President,
NERA Economic Consulting
Ms. Amal Bouchenaki,
Counsel,
Herbert Smith Freehills New York LLC

A panel of finance professionals with interest in the Middle East and North African will discuss business opportunities in the MENA region, challenges to growth and provide their perspectives on the roles women are playing in development of the private sector. What regulatory hurdles do they see? What big changes need to happen in the region to increase opportunity? What initiatives have been effective in recruiting women into leadership roles?

4:25 pm – 5:25 pm

Track#2
Location: Main Lounge
(First Floor)

PRIVATE PUBLIC PARTNERSHIP PANEL


Economic Security as a Public Good in MENA


Mr. Steve Lutes,
(Moderator),
Executive Director,
U.S.-GCC Business Initiative & Director,
Middle East Affairs,
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Mr. Seth Pinsky,
EVP &, Fund Manager,
Metro Emerging Markets &
Public Affairs Director,
RX Realty
Dr. Efran Ibrahim,
Center Director,
Cyber-Physical Systems Security & Resilience R&D,
National Renewable Energy Lab
Ms. LaVonn Schlegel,
Executive Director,
Institute for International Business;
Managing Director,
Center for International Business, Education and Research,
Kelley School of Business,
Indiana University
Mr. Mohammed Barakat,
Managing Director,
US- QATAR Business Council

 

US-Arab historic relations have evolved over many decades, and these imperative and strategic relations are at a new and exciting threshold. Economic growth and prosperity have always been an integral part of United States foreign policy. Economic growth, business and trade initiatives will become the thrust of future US-Arab relations, with mutual beneficial return for both. As new generations in MENA are becoming more invested in their communities’ social and economic future, private sector growth will hinge on parallel sustainable social and environmental initiatives. Our keynote speaker will highlight the new trends in the US-Arab bilateral relations, the focus on business, trade, skills and management transfers, education and cultural exchanges.

5:25 pm – 5:30pm

Session Break

5:30 pm – 5:45 pm

Location: Lincoln Hall
(Second Floor)

CLOSING PLENARY


Sustainable Investment: Charting a Better Return on US – Arab Investments


Mr. Talat Z. Hafiz,
Secretary General,
Media Committee & Banking Awareness,
Saudi Banks,
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia


Sustainability is not just about contributing to social and environmental good anymore, it is also about long-term profitability. How do investment firms and mutual funds incorporate sustainability in their portfolio? How are emerging sustainability issues and subsequent ROI evaluated?

One in every six dollars is invested sustainably in the United States, with sustainability-focused mutual funds having higher returns and lower volatility 64% of the times compared to traditional funds. What is the trajectory of Sustainable Investment in the United States and what are the lessons learned? What are the trends of Sustainable Investment in the Middle East and North Africa? Where are the critical mutual-interest junctures between the United States and the Arab world?

5:45 pm – 7:00 pm

Location: Main Lounge
(First Floor)

C3 Business and Healthcare Summit Networking Reception

5:45 pm – 7:00 pm

Monday, September 26th, 2016


Welcoming Remarks


Dr. Carlos Rodriguez-Galindo,
Executive Vice President,
Director of International Operations,
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital


The Union League Club
38 East 37th Street
(S.E. Corner of Park & 37th/Entrance on 37th Street)
New York, NY


Music By:
Mr. Joseph Mohan