Richard Melson

November 2005

World Islamic Banking Conference

Middle East Global Advisors (MEGA)

November 08, 2005

INTERNATIONAL SPEAKERS & HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL DUO

TO ADDRESS WIBC AUDIENCE

Bahrain Financial Harbour Also Announced as Financial Centre Partner

Notable industry figures from across the globe along with professors from Harvard Business School will address participants during the 12^th World Islamic Banking Conference, which runs from December 10-12 at the Gulf International Convention Centre in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Pre-conference briefings will take place on December 10, while the conference will run from Dec 11 to 12, during which Nima Abu-Wardeh, presenter of BBC Middle East Business Report, will moderate eight interactive sessions.

In addition, Bahrain Financial Harbour has been announced as the Financial Centre Partner. Commenting on the partnership Mr. Esam Janahi, Chairman of Bahrain Financial Harbour Holding Company B.S.C. (c), said: "Bahrain Financial Harbour’s continued association, now three years in a row, and support of the World Islamic Banking Conference is an expression of our commitment to the development of the booming Islamic finance industry and the regional banking sector."

"We view the WIBC as a key platform that is playing a critical role in reiterating the growing international acceptance of the Islamic financial industry and thus consider ourselves extremely privileged to be associated with the 12^th edition of this event," Mr. Janahi added.

The panellists for the inaugural Governors Table session on Dec 11 include HE Rasheed Mohammed Al Maraj, Governor, Bahrain Monetary Agency; HE Dr. Ahmed Mohammed Ali, President, Islamic Development Bank; Dr. David Mullins, Chief Executive Officer, VEGA Institutional Advisors; Wafik Grais, Senior Adviser, Financial Sector Global Partnership Group, The World Bank; Teo Swee Lian, Deputy Managing Director (Prudential Supervision), The Monetary Authority of Singapore; and Bilal San, Member of the Auditing Committee, Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey.

Harvard Business School professors Samuel L. Hayes III and Robert Kaplan will speak on 11 & 12 Dec respectively during other sessions of the conference.

Professor Samuel L. Hayes III, Jacob Schiff Professor of Investment Banking Emeritus, Harvard Business School, will speak on Islamic Banks and Corporate Finance.

"The growing acceptance among Muslims of Halal savings and investment products over the past decade has been impressive. Consequently, a number of conventional western financial institutions have eagerly moved into this market as the array of investment vehicles has broadened. Less attention has been paid to the financing needs of Islamic business firms. At the WIBC 2005 gathering, I will review the Halal solutions available to accommodate the financing requirements of Islamic businesses in the 21st century," said Professor Hayes.

Professor Hayes' research has focused on capital markets and on the corporate interface with securities markets. He has written numerous working papers and articles on related topics in several journals including Harvard Business Review.

He is the co-author or editor of seven books, including Competition in the Investment Banking Industry, Wall Street and Regulation, Managing Financial Institutions and Islamic Law and Finance: Religion, Risk, and Return.

Professor Robert Kaplan is a Baker Foundation Professor at the Harvard Business School. He will speak on Making Leadership Work: Converting Strategy into Results.

"I look forward to presenting to Islamic banking leaders the latest ideas on
strategy execution that delivers performance breakthroughs. I will present
how successful organizations have built strategy maps around a common value proposition, communicated to and motivated the workforce, and installed a new Office of Strategy Management to sustain strategy execution," added Professor Kaplan.

Professor Kaplan has authored or co-authored 12 books including Strategy Maps, Cost & Effect, The Strategy-Focused Organization and The Balanced Scorecard as well as several Harvard Business Review articles. Kaplan has received a number of accolades including the Telecom Italia "Prize for Leadership on Business and Economic Thinking" in December 2004 and he is one of the most valuable speakers in the field of business strategy and leadership.

In addition, speakers and panelists who will address delegates during the conference include the Bahrain Monetary Agency, McKinsey & Company, Noriba Bank, Kuwait Finance House Bahrain, National Commercial Bank, Bahrain Financial Harbour, Unicorn Investment Bank, SAMBA Financial Group, Al Rajhi Banking & Investment Corporation, Mashreqbank, Dar Al-Maal Al-Islami Trust, Ernst & Young, CIMB Islamic, CIMB Banking Group, Credit Suisse, Calyon Corporate & Investment Bank, London Metal Exchange, Goldman Sachs International, Solidarity General Takaful, Shamil Bank, Sheikan Insurance & Reinsurance Company, Islamic International Rating Agency (IIRA), JCR-VIS Credit Rating Agency, Japan Credit Rating Agency, Mercer Zainal Consulting, King Abdulaziz University, Dubai Islamic Bank, International Islamic Financial Market and Norton Rose .

More information on the World Islamic Banking Conference

is available on the conference website at www.megaevents.net/wibc

-ENDS-

Issued on behalf of Middle East Global Advisors (MEGA) by Hill & Knowlton.

For more information, please contact:

Jamil Alsharif on:

Tel: +973 17533532 Fax: +973 17533370

or e-mail:

jsharif@hillandknowlton.com.bh

World Islamic Banking Conference 2005

Neena nina@hillandknowlton.com.bh

Attachment:

WIBC2005-Internationalspeakers(A)8.11.05.doc (0.43 MB)

SHayesPublicityPhoto.jpg (0.02 MB)

WIBC2005-Intn_lSpeakers(E)08-11-05.doc(0.42MB)

RobertKaplan.jpg (0.17 MB)

Tuesday, November 8, 2005