Robert is the Director of the Economist Corporate Network based in Dubai and covering the MENA region. Robert works closely with network members to help inform their business strategies through political, economic and operational insight and to connect them with their senior leadership peers.
Robert is a business journalist, editor and publisher with nearly 25 years of experience covering a wide variety of sectors, including hospitality, retail, construction, energy and transport, and a particular interest in human capital management.
He is an accomplished event chairman, moderator and speaker.
Robert completed an MBA at the University of Leicester School of Business in 2012 and holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Nottingham.

Cailin Birch is the Global Economist at The Economist Intelligence Unit. She is a frequent guest in national and international media, providing critical insight into global political and economic trends. She is also an experienced speaker and moderator at high-level events, who can deliver thoughtful insights and draw impactful conclusions from complex discussions.

Cailin leads The EIU’s economic and political forecasts for the United States, including in-depth analysis of the health of the US economy, market-moving political and election trends, and how the US and other developed economies affect emerging markets. She is also responsible for The EIU’s five-year oil market outlook, leveraging real-time data to forecast how oil supplies, global demand and geopolitical risk factors will influence oil prices.

Cailin joined The EIU in 2015, and has previously served as a regional expert for the Middle East and Africa and for global commodities. She has a BA in international studies from Georgetown University and a Masters in international security from Sciences-Po Paris.

Patrick began his career in 1979 when he decided to become involved in the realisation of his father’s vision to build a bridge between the East and West and be the ambassador of luxury lifestyle in the region.
In 1990, he created a regional distribution platform in the Jebel Ali Free zone with Fendi, L’Oréal, Dior Parfums and Puig. As the director of Christofle and of Bernardaud, Patrick Chalhoub was involved in the strategic planning for the restructuring and redeployment of these brands. From 2000 he developed the retail network of the Group from a few stores to over 600 stores with a workforce which increased from a few hundreds to over 12,000 in the region and with local implementation in 14 countries.
For nearly 30 years, Patrick has been fully involved in the strategic development of the business to guarantee its long-term success. As such, he continues to expand the Group’s distribution, retail business, marketing and communication activities and is also eager to strengthen the Group’s support services in terms of offer and skills and is very engaged in the Group’s digital transformation.
He has been instrumental in guiding the development of a sustainability strategy for the Group, with a focus on Education, Environmental and Humanitarian sustainability.
Patrick recently established the local chapter of Endeavor, helping start-ups to scale-up. He is also regularly consulted by local Governments on economic development, governance and social responsibilities.

Helmut von Struve has been the CEO of Siemens in the Middle East and the UAE since May 2020, after spending almost 20 years with the company in leadership roles in Germany, the UAE, Libya and Pakistan. As an engineer and business executive, he is focused on melding technologies – such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, additive manufacturing, 5G and automation – into cohesive solutions for the infrastructure and manufacturing industries that will help improve our lives and protect our planet. Von Struve has a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Technical University in Darmstadt, Germany.

Based in Dubai, Khalid is responsible for leading the company’s dynamic MENA business – driving growth and innovation to meet market-specific needs, form new partnerships and deliver on Mastercard’s continued commitment to invest in the region.

Elgibali held several senior positions at leading financial institutions including HSBC Middle East, Standard Chartered Bank, Barclays and Citigroup, and brings a wealth of experience to the role alongside a deep understanding of the regional’s economic and corporate landscape.

Since joining Mastercard in 2016, Khalid has helped reinforce the company’s position as a technology leader and trusted payments advisor to regional governments, enabling the successful execution of national-level programs that support their digital agendas and long term visions. From driving commercial growth through diversification of revenue streams, pioneering cutting edge technology solutions and building strategic partnerships with the region’s leading public and private stakeholders, Khalid is on a mission to create a future ready digital ecosystem in the region through innovations in payments.

A polyglot fluent in six languages (Arabic, English, French, Russian, Italian and Portuguese), Khalid holds a BA in Economics from the American University in Cairo and an MBA from Strathclyde Graduate Business School in Glasgow.

Since joining the global mega project in September 2014 where he assumed multiple roles, Khalid Sharaf is
currently Director of the Expo 2020 Dubai Business Programme. Khalid is responsible for leading &
developing business programmes and platforms which also support participating countries at Expo 2020
Dubai in their business plans; this includes but not limited to a Business Matchmaking service, sector
specific forums, and facilitating partnerships. Khalid is also responsible for B2B outreach to communicate
the business value proposition of Expo 2020 Dubai to the global business community.