08.00 to 09.00

09.00 to 09.05

Moderator’s Opening Remarks

Moderator:
Hisham Abu Alfateh
Head of Corporate Communications & Investment Placement Manager
Venture Capital Bank

09.05 to 10.00

Session 6: Enhancing Corporate Governance: Regulatory and Risk Management Priorities for the Middle East Insurance Industry

Speakers:
Mohammed Jaffar Iqbal
Senior Insurance Specialist - Insurance Supervision Directorate
Central Bank of Bahrain

John R. Cashin
General Counsel Middle East and Africa
Zurich Insurance Company Ltd

Vasilis Katsipis
General Manager, Market Development
A.M. Best

Akshay Randeva
Director, Re-Insurance & Captives, Strategic Development
Qatar Financial Centre Authority (QFCA)

Steve Jenkins
Director - Financial Services and Insurance Markets
Chartered Insurance Institute, London

Key Discussion Points:

• Pointing the way forward to a strong regional insurance industry: Towards internationally aligned and robust regulatory frameworks
• Putting in place international governance standards for regional players
• Broadening the scope of risk assessment
  

10.00 to 10.15

Session 7: Alternative Dispute Resolution (Mediation / Arbitration) in the insurance industry

Speaker:
Ahmed Husain
Chief Registrar and Assistant Chief Executive for Arbitration
Bahrain Chamber for Dispute Resolution (BCDR-AAA)

10.15 to 10.55

Session 8: Mergers & Acquisitions in the Regional Insurance Industry: Assessing the Outlook for Industry Consolidation to Boost Scale and Competitiveness in the Middle East Insurance Markets

Session Chair:
Myrna A Barakat
Managing Director
MB Corporate Advisory Partners

Panelists:
Cyril Gourp
Principal
A.T. Kearney Middle East

Mazen Boustany
Head of Banking & Finance
Habib Al Mulla & Company

Dr. AbdelGadir Warsama Ghalib
Senior Legal Advisor & Professor of Law
American University – Bahrain

Key Discussion Points:

• New economic drivers: Are regional players more open to M&A activities in this more austere economic landscape?
• Industry consolidation: Rapidly building scale and boosting competitiveness to create a regional market with stronger insurance players
• Assessing the scope for Mergers & Acquisitions in the regional insurance industry
  

10.55 to 11.25

11.25 to 12.00

Session 9: New Products and Innovation: Key Actuarial and Underwriting Trends in the Middle East Insurance Market

Speakers:
Safder Jaffer
Managing Director & Consulting Actuary
Milliman Middle East

Roy Gilmour
Director Sales- International
Qatarlyst

Ashraf Al Azzouni
General Manager
RGA Reinsurance Company Middle East Limited

Key Discussion Points:

• Matching product development to regional demographic and market trends
• Assessing actuarial and underwriting trends: Implications for the development of the regional insurance market
• Assessing and pricing risk in the challenging global economic climate
  

12.00 to 12.40

Session 10: Islamic Insurance Roundtable Debate: Advancing the Takaful Industry to the Next Level

Session Chair:
Adeel Mushtaq
Senior Manager– Audit and Advisory
KPMG Fakhro

Panelists:
Ajmal Bhatty
President & Chief Executive Officer
Tokio Marine Middle East Limited

Rafiq Halani
General Manager- General & Health Takaful
Salama Islamic Arab Insurance Co. (P.S.C)

Ghassan Marrouche
General Manager
Takaful Emarat

Dawood Taylor
Senior Regional Executive-Takaful-Middle East
Prudential Corporation Asia

Dwane Feehely
Insurance Adviser
Labuan IBFC Inc Sdn Bhd

Key Discussion Points:

• Pinpointing international trends in the Takaful industry and implications for regional players
• Poised for growth: How can the regional Takaful industry achieve critical mass?
• Translating potential into reality: Overcoming obstacles for the development of the Takaful industry
  

12.40 to 13.15

Session 11: Insurance Investments Landscape: Asset and Liability Management in an Austere Economic Climate

Session Chair:
Rehan Pathan
GCC and Shari'ah Asset Management Professional

Panelists:
Youssef Al Kareh
Acting General Manager
Solidarity General Takaful

Ajay Sharma
Executive Director and Head of Private Banking
Sarasin-Alpen Bahrain BSC

Etienne Comon
Head of European Insurance Strategies
Goldman Sachs Asset Management

Key Discussion Points:

• How are insurance companies rethinking their investment strategies in the context of the increasingly challenging global economic climate?
• What advice are investment managers giving their insurance clients?
  

13.15 to 13.20

13.20 to 15.00

15.00