Hawkamah to gather international governance experts at its upcoming annual conference

October 26, 2022: Hawkamah, the Institute for Corporate Governance, announced the speakers for its annual conference for 2022, which will be held on November 15 virtually and in person at Dusit Thani Hotel (Dubai, UAE). The conference, themed ‘Building Investor Confidence through Governance,’ will focus on the importance of governance, as well as the key issues relating to it, including the impact of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices on investor confidence. This year's conference will feature several international experts and stakeholders as speakers, along with other regional and international participants.

Among the prominent speakers at this year’s conference will be H.E. Dr. Ahmad Bin Hassan Al Shaikh, Chairman of the Hawkamah Board, H.E. Dr. Maryam Al Suwaidi, CEO of the UAE Securities and Commodities Authority, H.E. Dr. Mohamed Farid, Chairman of the Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA), George Dallas, Policy Director at the International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN), and Stephen Davis, Member of the Hawkamah Advisory Board among others. Speakers will discuss the significance of investor confidence, their expectations, and interactions with the board on ESG issues, as well as the role of regulators and companies in preparing for IPOs to attract the right investors.

Speakers will share their insights during a series of panel discussions moderated by a group of advisors and experts. The session titled 'Setting A Regulatory Framework,’ will be moderated by George Dallas, Policy Director, International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN) and will include H.E. Dr. Maryam Al Suwaidi, HE Dr. Mohamed Farid, Chairman, Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA), Abigail Ng, Executive Director, Markets Policy & Infrastructure Department at Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), Dr. Christine Chow, Head of Stewardship, HSBC Asset Management, and Mark Babington, Executive Director of Regulatory Standards at the Financial Reporting Council, and Louise Gardiner, Africa and Working Groups Coordinator, Sustainable Banking and Finance Network, South Africa  will explore how regulators worldwide have been setting new ESG expectations and requirements both for companies and financial institutions to consider the latest trends and lessons learned.

This will be followed by the session titled ‘What Do Institutional Investors look for in Board Governance’ moderated by Prof Stephen Davis, and led by Cristina Ungureanu, Governance Manager, Qatar Investment Authority, Hans Cristopher Hirt, Head of Impact Engagement at UBS Asset Management, and Paul Lee, Head of Stewardship and Sustainable Investment Strategy, Redington Group, which will look at the key factors that investors advocate for on board composition and performance when engaging with directors and the priorities these investors are placing on companies around issues related to ESG.

The conference will conclude with the session titled ‘How Do Boards Oversee ESG Implementation?’ moderated by Dr. Ashraf Gamal El Din, CEO of Hawkamah Institute for Corporate Governance, and led by Sandra Guerra, Board Director and Founding Partner at Better Governance, Karina Litvack, Non-Executive Director, at ENI, and Colin Low, Diligent Advisory Board Member, that will talk about the key steps in developing an ESG framework in a company drawing on the experience of boards that have successfully undertaken this journey.

Dr. Ashraf Gamal El Din, Chief Executive Officer, Hawkamah Institute for Corporate Governance said: “Today, asset managers are focusing on responsible investment, especially as corporate sustainability becomes increasingly relevant. As a result, Hawkamah’s conference this year will focus on the broader concept of ESG practices to discuss and identify the path that builds investors’ confidence and unlocks long-term growth and benefits for businesses.”

Since 2006, Hawkamah has been advising regional governments, companies and boardrooms, understanding the regional governance challenges and providing solutions that are tailored to the needs of the institutions in the region.

Hawkamah is a world-class corporate governance institute working to improve corporate governance practices of governments and companies across the MENA region. We help build sound organizations, reform corporate sector, assist banking and financial sector, and promote good governance. We assist companies to develop sound and globally recognized corporate governance frameworks. Hawkamah helps also in building qualified directors and top executives who are able to apply corporate governance in their organizations.

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