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 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.

Andrew is a principal economist in EIU’s Middle East and Africa team, and is based in the London office. Andrew is responsible for the coverage and forecasts of Iran, Morocco, and Tunisia but also monitors macroeconomic developments in the region as a whole.

After a stint at the IMF and in banking Andrew has returned to the EIU having previously been Director for the Middle East and North Africa. He has variously been a Deputy Division Chief at the IMF, Chief Economist at Arab Banking Corporation, Deputy Chief Economist at Samba Financial Group, Economic Advisor in the UK Treasury, and an Economist at both the Caribbean Development Bank and Commodities Research Unit.

Andrew holds a Masters degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Reading and an Economics and Geography undergraduate degree from London University's School of Oriental and African Studies.

Melanie is a senior research manager at Economist Impact and the general manager of The Economist office in Dubai. She has over ten years of experience delivering consulting and thought leadership projects to public, private and non-for-profit organisations. Based in Dubai, she leads the Middle East and Africa team on research across food sustainability, recycling and the circular economy, renewable energy, fintech, trade and supply chains. She is a specialist in advanced recycling technologies and international trade.

Melanie is a seasoned moderator; she has chaired numerous panel discussions and presented Economist Impact's research at global in-person and virtual conferences.

Before joining The Economist Group, she was a senior analyst at MEED Insight, a research and consulting firm serving clients in the Middle East and North Africa. At MEED, she developed her expertise in delivering bespoke market studies and financial modelling across a range of sectors spanning construction, finance, power and water, oil and gas and renewable energy. She held previous posts at the Office of the Chief Economist at the Dubai International Financial Centre and at the San Francisco Center for Economic Development. Melanie has an MSc in International Strategy and Economics from the University of St Andrews and a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

Prajeet is an accomplished professional with nearly 20 years of experience in Supply Chain Management. For the past 13 years, he has been a key member of the DB Schenker team. With a strong academic background that includes a Master's in Business Administration and a Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering, Prajeet has honed his skills in key areas such as Key Account Management and Sales.

Prajeet started his career in Asia Pacific, where he gained valuable experience that has helped him grow in his current role. As DB Schenker's representative for the Middle East and Africa region, he is responsible for developing and implementing strategic plans that position the company's products towards the Retail & Consumer markets. He is based out of the regional head office in Dubai and leverages sustainable logistics as a core differentiator for the organization.

When he's not working, Prajeet enjoys spending time with his family. He loves playing Badminton with his twin children and exploring the culinary delights of the region with his wife.

Sam is a senior executive with extensive experience in Procurement and Supply Chain management across the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region. He has held Senior Procurement and Strategic Sourcing roles for organisations such as Land Securities in the UK, Abu Dhabi Municipality in the Middle East and MTN across Africa.

An active member of the procurement fraternity, Sam is currently Regional Director of the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) for the MENA Region.

He holds a Master’s Degree in International Procurement from the University of Glamorgan in the UK, MSc in Facilities Management from the University of Westminster (UK) and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply.

He is a regular speaker at industry events and an advocate for professional standards in procurement and supply management.

Mike Bhaskaran is the Group Chief Operating Officer, Digital Technology for DP World. He is responsible for driving the digital transformation of all parts of our value chain globally and operates all aspects of our technology presence, driving global business process improvement and systems implementation.

Mike has valuable experience in Blockchain, e-commerce technology, and driving innovative digital capabilities in complex supply chains at scale. Mike started his career within Engineering before moving into Distribution Operations and Supply Chain at Dell Computer Corporation. Prior to joining DP World, Mike was the Chief Supply Chain Officer at Staples Inc.

Before that he worked various other global organizations including Amazon, The Gap Inc, Starbucks Corporation and Beyond the Rack Inc, where he was responsible for all technology infrastructure and software development efforts.

Mike has a Masters in Industrial Technology & Engineering from Utah State University in the USA and an MBA from Krannert Graduate School of Management at Purdue University in the USA

Frank is the CEO of blueflite, a company solving the modern-day challenges in the logistics industry. blueflite offers a unique platform featuring aerial delivery robots which enable significantly faster deliveries at a much lower cost compared to conventional transport. The blueflite logistics solution allows for integration into an all-automatedi supply chain to for high-speed deliveries at scale. Frank is a serial entrepreneur with a PhD in aeronautical engineering from Cranfield University, and has also gained experience in the corporate world when he worked at McKinsey & Company as strategy consultant.