Alpay Akdemir

Anurag Bajpai

Anurag is a Partner with KPMG in the Lower Gulf. He also leads KPMG’s Consumer & Retail sector in the region, with over 26 years of experience of working with clients, largely in the consumer and retail sector, including family owned businesses and global multinationals. He works with clients who have operations across the region. Anurag has contributed to developing a number of retail focused thought leadership publications, and also contributes regularly to KPMG’s global consumer industry publications.

Hozefa Saylawala

Justina Eitzinger

Khadija Al Bastaki

Khadija Al Bastaki is the Senior Vice President of Dubai Design District (d3), a member of TECOM  Group PJSC. She plays a key role in positioning d3 as a global centre for design, art and creativity. Al  Bastaki leads numerous strategic cultural and commercial initiatives to cement Dubai’s position as a  hub for creativity and talent, and contribute to the emirate’s creative economy. 

Her responsibilities include seeking out new ways to enable the city’s creative community and cultivate an ecosystem where creatives can experiment, flourish, inspire and rethink the regular. She also  manages the implementation of d3’s business vision and future growth plans.  

Al Bastaki is an influential figure in the regional fashion and creative industries. She oversaw the launch  of the city’s official Dubai Fashion Week, which evolved from the successful Arab Fashion Week. In  collaboration with the Arab Fashion Council, the event aims to secure Dubai’s position as a global  fashion capital and facilitate new business opportunities for designers. During her tenure at d3, she  has also been responsible for landmark events including Dubai Design Week. She epitomises d3’s ethos  of collaboration, having been instrumental in hosting community engagement experiences, facilitating partnerships and knowledge exchange.  

Al Bastaki brings to her role more than 15 years of executive experience in business development,  portfolio management, business protocol and international relations. 

Prior to her current position, Al Bastaki was the Director of Business Development for Dubai Media  City, Dubai Studio City and Dubai Production City. In this capacity, she was responsible for identifying  and leveraging business growth opportunities within the integrated creative ecosystem that  accelerated Dubai’s emergence as an international media hub.  

In earlier roles, Al Bastaki worked within management roles at Economic Zones World (EZW), Jebel Ali  Free Zone (JAFZA) and DP World.

Classification: Public 

She is a member of various local associatons and corporate bodies, including the Dubai Media  Diplomacy and Communication Network, Dubai Chamber Sustainability Network Task Force working  on Emirati women engagement in development. 

Khadija Al Bastaki holds a master’s degree in Business Administration and Strategic Management from  the Higher Colleges of Technology in Abu Dhabi, and a bachelor’s degree in Software Engineering  Technology from the Higher Colleges of Technology in Dubai.

Laila Suhail

Laila Mohammed Suhail, is the Chief Executive Officer of Strategic Alliances and Partnerships Sector – DET and Entities at Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), the principal authority responsible for strengthening Dubai’s positioning as a world-leading commercial hub and tourism destination.

Mohammad Alawi

Mohammad Alawi is a board member & CEO – Red Sea Markets Company. He comes with over 25 years of experience in creating successful developments and renovating existing retail properties in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He chairs the Shopping Malls Committee at JCCI and is a member of the National Saudi Tourism Board in Riyadh.

Phil McArthur

An experienced shopping centre specialist and renowned leader in the Retail Real Estate Industry providing expertise for over 40 years throughout the MENA region and globally.

Phil along with an extensive team of experts has provided help to over 150 developers in 22 nations planning new retail destinations as well as rescuing poor-performing investments.

Ravi Dhar

Professor Dhar has been involved in pioneering work in understanding the  different factors that influence how consumers think and decide. He has also  served as a consultant to dozens of Fortune 100 companies in a wide variety of  industries, including CPG, health care, high tech, financial services and luxury  goods on developing best practices for generating and using customer insights. 

Ravi has published more than 75 articles and serves on the editorial boards of  several of the leading marketing journals. His research and teaching has been  honored with various awards including the Distinguished Scientific Contribution  Award of the Society for Consumer Psychology, the Distinguished Alumnus Award  from the Indian Institute of Management, and the Yale School of Management  Alumni Association Teaching Award. His work has been frequently mentioned in  Business Week, The New York Times, The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal,  The Economist, USA Today, and other popular media.