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Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, in collaboration with the Dubai Media Council, hosted the ‘Dubai Rising: Building Tomorrow’s Global Business Capital’ conference at the Museum of the Future. The exclusive, closed-door gathering convened a distinguished group of policymakers, business leaders, media professionals, and scholars from the UAE, the United States, and beyond, fostering candid discussions on Dubai’s strategic vision for global commerce and sustainable economic growth.
Held at the Museum of the Future, the conference featured 19 high-level speakers who shared insights into policies, investments, and technological advancements that are playing a central role in Dubai’s economic transformation.
The event aligns with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to enhance Dubai’s role in driving sustainable growth and shared prosperity worldwide. It also directly supports the Dubai Economic Agenda ‘D33’, a strategic roadmap aimed at doubling Dubai’s GDP by 2033 and positioning the emirate as a global economic powerhouse.
Keynote address – ‘The Blueprint for Sustainable Excellence’
Delivered by His Excellency Mohammad Ali bin Rashed Lootah, President and CEO of Dubai Chambers, the keynote outlined the D33 economic agenda and its goals, emphasising essential economic development pillars such as attracting and nurturing external investment, embracing digital transformation, incorporating sustainable initiatives, and advancing societal development efforts to attract, support, and retain talent.
Panel discussions on critical topics
Four key panel discussions covered various topics, with subject experts providing valuable commentary and insights for attendees.
Key takeaways from the first panel discussion of the day titled ‘Designing and Communicating the Physical, Digital, and Social Infrastructure of Tomorrow’ included an outline of the social agenda, which was announced in support of the D33 economic agenda by Her Excellency Maitha Mohammed Al Shamsi, CEO of the Community Empowerment Sector at the Community Development Authority (CDA) in Dubai, and key developments that will enable people to continue to grow and thrive in Dubai; supporting the wider economic plans at a social level. His Excellency Mohamed AlMulla, CEO of Dubai Media and Member of the Dubai Media Council, outlined that technical evolution continues to drive economic success and that the future belongs to those who can imagine it, design it and execute it, whilst being mindful that “the future” is not a destination or place, but instead a constant evolution, which can be dominated by those who embrace a disruptive mindset to evolve. Dr. Marwan Al Zarouni, CEO of AI for the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), added that the leadership of Dubai has ensured that digital goals are built into the wider economic vision, making the Government of Dubai one of the first to pioneer this approach.
The second panel deliberated on the topic ‘The Global Business Landscape: Challenges and Opportunities for the UAE and Dubai.’ Martina A. Strong, Ambassador of the United States to the UAE, illustrated how growth continues to accelerate, allowing US businesses to benefit from the dynamism and the connective power in Dubai, highlighting its significance as a location to not just do business in, but a location to do business from, enabling connections with Africa, Europe and Asia. Ambassador Strong was joined by Sima Ved, Founder and CEO of Apparel Group, who outlined that, of the 85 brands in the Apparel Group’s stable, 28 had opted for Dubai to be their first foray into the international market. Ved underscored that, when looking ahead at marketing for the next 10 years, the group takes numerous lessons and examples from Dubai directly regarding how it markets itself as a destination on a global stage.
Exploring the impact of diversification, Reena Aggarwal, Professor and Director of the Psaros Center for Financial Markets and Policy at Georgetown McDonough’s School of Business, observed that it’s not only the diversification of sectors and industries that the Dubai Government has been so astute to explore, but also its continued diversification in international partners – ensuring stability and security for its economic growth plans.
Spearheading innovation
The panel on ‘Financing Infrastructure Investment: The Next 10 Years’ provided perspectives and commentary on infrastructure, with Salmaan Jaffery, Chief Business Development Officer at DIFC, commenting that infrastructure isn’t only the physical but also the legislative and regulatory framework, and that DIFC was a leading model of innovation for future emerging markets – demonstrating the past and present vision of the leadership of Dubai. Jad Ellawn, Managing Partner and Head of the Middle East at Brookfield, responded to a question on local and regional financing competition between locations, affirming that as long as the UAE and/or region was doing well in its entirety, then healthy competition can encourage collective growth for the benefit of all. When asked what skills they are looking for in their future hires, Henrik Raber, Global Head Global Banking at Standard Chartered Bank, outlined that freethinkers and those who demonstrated humility were top of his hiring list.
The final panel, discussing ‘AI, Technology and a Changing Business Environment,’ opened with a comment from Dr. Karim El Solh, Founder and Managing Director of Gulf Capital, who discussed how Gulf Capital had been investing in AI before it became a popular and well-understood concept. He noted that their growth would have been impossible without a deep understanding of AI and machine learning. Rostin Behnam, former Chairman of the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission, addressed the delicate balance between regulating AI and attracting AI businesses, noting that incentivising entrepreneurs to set up their businesses doesn’t often align with a regulator’s view in terms of risk management and security. He also referenced that AI presents a whole set of challenges – considering how technology intersects with principles. Meanwhile, Raakin Iqbal, Founder and CEO of NucleusAI, outlined that innovation in government is not a luxury, it’s a necessity to move forward, and Dubai is leading the charge in tackling some of the global challenges related to AI, working to find solutions for all.
Dynamic platform
Her Excellency Nehal Badri, Secretary General of the Dubai Media Council, commented on the event’s success: “The conference highlighted the power of knowledge exchange, dialogue, and cross-sector collaboration in driving excellence and innovation. It offered a dynamic platform for global leaders to explore transformative ideas, reinforcing Dubai’s position as an international hub for business, creativity, and technology. By partnering with esteemed institutions like Georgetown University, the Dubai Media Council continues to support Dubai’s vision to lead the future and stay ahead of emerging global trends.”
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