Dubai selected to host world's top business leaders at 2016 YPO EDGE event

The largest gathering of global CEOs will be hosted in MENA at the YPO EDGE for the first time in March 2016

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 27 December 2015 - Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), the world’s premier peer network of chief executives and business leaders, has selected Dubai as the host city for its landmark annual event, the YPO EDGE, in 2016.

Each year, the world’s premier peer network of business executives gather on a different continent for the EDGE to debate and shape the future of global industries. For two days in March, YPO will host more than 2,000 business leaders from more than 100 countries in Dubai, as the event comes to MENA region for the very first time.

The theme of the event this year is ‘Vision to Reality’, and the agenda is set to deliver powerful idea exchange, inspiration and discovery across a number of industries including business and finance, technology, entertainment, human rights, politics and policy, education, energy, health and wellness, and more.
“At YPO, our common goal is to create better leaders through lifelong learning and idea exchange, supporting businesses and communities around the world,” said Scott Mordell, CEO of YPO.  “The MENA region – and especially Dubai – is the perfect representation of this ambition. Dubai is a city that has captured global attention with its economic resilience and bold vision, and is now strategically positioned as a crossroads for the world’s established and emerging markets. It is the perfect location for our first YPO EDGE event in the MENA region.”

A strong lineup of internationally renowned speakers has been announced for the event including Shereen El Feki , author of “Sex and the Citadel: Intimate Life in a Changing Arab World,.”; Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa, creator of “The 99,” the first group of Islamic superheroes; and David Milliband, president and CEO of the International Rescue Committee. More speakers will be announced in the coming months.

Former participants include His Majesty King Abdullah II, King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan; Sir Richard Branson, founder and chairman of the Virgin Group; Muhtar Kent, chairman and CEO of the Coca-Cola Company; Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and general secretary of the National League for Democracy, and Archbishop Desmond Mpilo Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

As the guiding theme of the EDGE, Vision to Reality, speaks to the entrepreneurial spirit of making the impossible possible, where leaders refuse to accept the status quo, and strive to achieve the extraordinary.  YPO members will explore ways to overcome challenges and risks in moving from vision to reality, set the bar higher to reach their fullest potential in business and life, and to achieve extraordinary breakthroughs and inspire others to do the same.