Professor Anoush Ehteshami (Durham University) 'Asianising trends in the Gulf economies'
Justin Dargin (Dubai Initiative, Harvard University) 'The GCC energy nexus: fuelling Gulf industrialization for the 21st century'
John Willoughby (American University) 'Higher education transformation and the reshaping of Gulf societies'

Chairperson: Professor David Held (LSE)

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12:00 - 13:30: Lunch (Dining Hall, 8th Floor)

13:30 - 15:00: The global financial crisis and the Gulf (Auditorium, basement)

Confirmed speakers:

Professor Danny Quah (LSE) The Gulf: 'Global Financial Crisis between East and West'
Professor David Held (LSE): 'The Global Financial Crisis: business as usual or the end of an era?'
Dr Abbas Al-Mejren (KFAS): 'An assessment of advancement toward economic diversification: the structural change in the GCC countries 1970 - 2008'

Chairperson: Jane Kinninmont (Chatham House)

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09:00 - 10:30: Toward a knowledge-based economy in the GCC (Auditorium, basement)

Confirmed speakers:

Dr Kristian Ulrichsen (LSE): 'Building knowledge economies in the MENA GCC contexts'
Dr Christopher Davidson (Durham University) 'The rentier state and knowledge economy in the Gulf: obstacles and opportunities'
Mr Kenneth Wilson (UAE National Research Council) 'The current state of Gulf knowledge economy -drivers and fundamentals'

Chairperson: Dr Moudi Al-Humood (Kuwaiti Minister of Education and Higher Education)

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10:30-11:00: Lunch (Lobby, ground floor)

11:00 - 12:30: Parallel Sessions

a) Kuwait as a financial centre (Auditorium, basement)

Confirmed speakers:

Dr Alexis Antoniades (Georgetown School of Foreign Service in Qatar) 'Financial hubs in the GCC: the past, the present, and the future'
Mr Michael Webb (formerly Qatar Financial Centre Regulatory Authority) 'Developing a financial centre - some core issues to address'
Mr Abdulmajeed Alshatti (former Chairman of the Board and Managing Director of the Commercial Bank of Kuwait)

Chairperson: Mr Fawzi Hammad Al-Sultan (F&N Consultancy)

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b) Foreign direct investment in the GCC and implications for economic governance Kuwait Hall, 2nd floor)

Confirmed speakers:

Professor Mark Thatcher (LSE) 'GCC Sovereign Wealth Funds investment in industrialised countries'
Dr Mahfouz Tadros (Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research) 'Foreign Direct Investment Trends in GCC countries'
Dr Gawdat Bahgat (National Defense University) 'The GCC investment in alternative energy'

Chairperson: Dr Kristian Ulrichsen (LSE)

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12:30 - 14:00: Lunch (Dining Hall, 8th floor)

14:00 - 15:30: Closing plenary session - Higher education and development in the Gulf (Auditorium, basement)

Confirmed speakers:

Dr Neil Partrick (LSE research affiliate) 'Education, training and the labour market in the Gulf: policy integration or separate worlds?'
Shafeeq Ghabra (Kuwait University): 'Private universities in the Gulf: challenges and possibilities'
Jane Kinninmont (Chatham House) 'Education for diversification: are policymakers solving the right problems?'

Chairperson: Dr Eva-Maria Nag (LSE)

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15:30 - 16:00: Concluding remarks and closing ceremony (Auditorium, basement)