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.

Matt joined Star Fuels in September 2018 after previously running the Dubai office for Freight Investor Services for the last 5 years.  He works closely with clients providing advice and support on managing their requirements for both physical and derivatives across the barrel.  Matt was instrumental in supporting the launch of the AG fuel oil derivative contract in 2016 and is driving other products within the AG region working closely with traders, the Exchanges and PRA's.  Matt was previously a director in London for Nigerian energy company Oando PLC and in Switzerland and Singapore for energy trading
house Trafigura. Matt is a regular published commentator on the oil markets, drawing on his background of more than 20 years’ experience in the oil industry.

Dr. Patrick Allman-Ward is CEO of Dana Gas. He is an accomplished international energy executive with over 36 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. He has held senior positions in locations all over the world, including Europe, the Far East and the Middle East.

Dr. Allman-Ward started his career at Shell in 1982, where he gained extensive experience in a wide range of fields and held many senior positions. Dr. Allman-Ward joined Dana Gas in August 2012 as the General and Country Manager of Dana Gas Egypt. In 2013 Dr. Allman-Ward was selected by the Dana Gas Board to take over as CEO of the Dana Gas Group. Dr. Allman-Ward studied geology at Durham University and earned his PhD from the Royal School of Mines, Imperial College London.