Representing a global model of entrepreneurship

Chad Hurley, prominent speaker at the Abu Dhabi Entrepreneurship Forum 2013

UAE, Abu Dhabi, 05th October 2013Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development organising Abu Dhabi Entrepreneurship Forum, has announced that Chad Hurley, co-founder of the social networking site YouTube will be among the luminaries participating in the forum, which will kick off its activities from 7-9 October 2013, at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC).

The forum will be held under the patronage of His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, with the participation of a several members of the ruling family, senior officials and prominent figures in the business sector.

Commenting on his participation in the event, Hurley said: "I am excited to come to Abu Dhabi for the first time and collaborate with Khalifa Fund to share the lessons I learned from my experiences in creating new standards in technology. The UAE and the region are full of opportunities to bring people together. I hope my passion to create new platforms for content sharing will benefit this part of the world as well."

Chad Hurley is highly renowned worldwide for inspiring creativity and innovation as the key pathways to success. He co-founded YouTube in collaboration with Steve Chen and Jawed Karim in 2005. This marked one of the most significant turning points in the history of modern communications, as it greatly accelerated and simplified the process of sharing videos, giving the world unprecedented access to enlightening and entertaining content.

For his part, Hussein Jasim al Nuwais, Chairman of the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, welcomed Hurley's participation in the activities of the forum, expressing that such participation will be an important milestone in enriching participants' knowledge and expertise in entrepreneurship and its application to diverse aspects of business.

He stressed the keenness of the Fund to host all locally, regionally, and globally influential entrepreneurs in order to serve the objectives of the forum and contribute to the upgrading of the culture of entrepreneurship in society, to help them transform their ideas and research into products and services promoting the level of performance of the UAE's economy.

Al Nuwais noted that the forum includes a selection of local entrepreneurs, regional and global, such as: Abdullatif Al Sayegh, CEO of Alsayegh Media; Lord Peter Mendelsohn, former Minister and Chairman of Lazard International and member of the British House of Lords; His Excellency Abdul Baset Al Janahi, CEO of Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for SME Development; Badr Jafar, Managing Director of Crescent Group and co-founder of Global Gumbo Group; Hala Fadel, Chair of the MIT Enterprise Forum in the Pan Arab region; Clare Woodkraft, CEO of the Emirates Foundation for Youth Development.

The forum also features a number of leading companies in the region, notably: the Emirates Foundation for Youth Development, and the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, Microfund for Women Jordan, Bayt.com, LinkedIn Middle East, the International Finance Corporation of Egypt, and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank.

The sponsors of the event include Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, General Holding Corporation “Senaat” and British Petroleum; among others.