HE Maria Hanif Al Qassim is the Assistant Undersecretary of Economic Policies and Studies at the UAE Ministry of Economy. Before joining the ministry, she served as the Head of the Government Policies Unit at the UAE General Secretariat of the Cabinet. Maria also has experience in the aid and development sector, having worked at Dubai Cares, a UAE-based NGO focused on education initiatives. Currently, she is a PhD candidate at Oxford University and holds a master's degree in Development Studies from SOAS University of London. Her expertise lies in shaping economic policies that drive sustainable development in the UAE.

Patricia brings over two decades of distinguished leadership and banking experience from a career across the key financial centers of Dubai, London, Hong Kong, and New York.

Today, Patricia manages HSBC’s Commercial Banking franchise for the Middle East, North Africa and Turkiye (MENAT). Based in Dubai, HSBC’s regional headquarter, she is responsible for the Bank’s wholesale client coverage, credit & lending and management of its transaction banking capabilities across the region.

Since joining HSBC in 2004, Patricia has held a number of senior roles across Client Coverage, Product and Credit Risk in markets across the Group’s international network. Patricia was Head of Global Trade and Receivables Finance for North America having led the Bank’s coverage of financial institutions in the US, a role built on her experience in Asia Pacific and Europe. Prior to joining HSBC, Patricia worked with Citigroup in London. She holds an MBA from INSEAD and a Masters in Economics from the Universidade Catolica Portuguesa.

Patricia's extensive industry knowledge, coupled with her proven track record of driving international business growth and fostering strategic partnerships, underscores her instrumental role in advancing HSBC’s commercial banking agenda across the MENAT region. As the co-sponsor of MENAT Balance, HSBC’s Employee Resource Group that aims to promote career development with gender intelligence, Patricia actively champions the establishment of an inclusive workplace by advocating for changes in policies and procedures, as well as building talent programmes that help colleagues develop leadership skills and progress their careers.

Amanda leads the Gallagher M&A insurance practice for the Middle East and Africa. Prior to joining Gallagher, Amanda was Vice President on the M&A insurance team at another top 3 global broker based in Bermuda servicing the US market. She is a qualified lawyer having worked in private practice on the corporate insurance team of a global band 1 offshore law firm.

Thereshini Peter, Chief Financial Officer for GCC, Visa Inc. Thereshini brings over 25 years of senior finance leadership to the table, spanning diverse industries such as finance, FMCG, and payments. With an international outlook, she has navigated finance landscapes across Asia, Middle East, Africa, Europe, and sub-Saharan Africa. She has held multifaceted financial and commercial roles throughout her journey. Having made notable contributions at esteemed companies like Pepsi, Unilever, and Kao Brands, Thereshini embarked on a new chapter by joining Visa Inc. 3 years ago. Presently, she holds the esteemed position of GCC Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for Visa Inc., underscoring her strategic insights in the finance domain. Thereshini boasts credentials as a Chartered Management Accountant and extends her expertise as a board member of Barberry Holdings in South Africa and Gems World Academy in the UAE. Her track record as a strategic business partner echoes in the consistent delivery of robust business outcomes. While she hails from South Africa, Thereshini’s career path has traversed global territories, including South Africa, London, Trinidad and Tobago, and is currently based in the United Arab Emirates. Beyond her professional journey, she is a dedicated mother of two, Kuvar and Liam Peter projecting a passion for coaching, fostering diversity, and promoting inclusion.

Dr. Sonja has over 30 years working experience within the insurance industry (Life and Medical) both in the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates. Over the past 26 years she’s worked in senior management roles for Health insurance companies in the UAE such as AXA/GIG, Aetna International and Now Health of which she has a wealth of knowledge within Sales, Customer Services, Operations, Underwriting and Claims. Having recently joined as COO for Viva Insurance Brokers, Dr. Sonja will be responsible for enhancing their operational efficiency, spearheading new initiatives, and delivering exceptional value to clients and partners.

Having held several senior executive roles in multinational corporations such as Airbus, EuNetworks, British Telecom and currently, Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, Sandrine El Khodry’s professional career spans over 30 years of experience.

Sandrine is a French national who has lived in Paris for most of her professional career. Returning to her Middle Eastern roots, Sandrine relocated to the UAE six years ago for her previous role as Vice President of Alcatel Lucent Enterprise (ALE) Middle East & Africa region. As of April 2024, Sandrine has taken the role of Senior Vice President for the newly formed emerging countries region of EEIMEA (Eastern Europe, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Middle East, Africa, India and South Asia), bringing with her a wealth of experience and the strong dedication for achievement that characterizes her.

Driven by her energy and dedication to the business world, Sandrine has undertaken a doctorate in Business Administration with the University of Geneva, that has a focus on company culture and how it is crucial for enterprises of all sizes.

Sandrine is part of the Foreign Trade Committee Advisors in the MEA Region for the French government as well as a Volunteer Mentor for CCI-France UAE (Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie de France) in the UAE for Entrepreneurs and Start-ups.

Her passion for business and people has made Sandrine sought-after as a keynote speaker to many prestigious and businesses networking events, where she encourages young entrepreneurs and seasoned businesspeople alike for achieving growth and success in their careers. Helping young entrepreneurs to realise their dreams particularly gives Sandrine a great satisfaction, and it is her way of giving back to the business community.

As the Chief Data Officer for PwC Middle East, Ami brings over 15 years of expertise in the region, specialising in transforming data through secure innovation and strategic governance. With a deep understanding of the Middle Eastern market and a commitment to excellence, Ami is dedicated to pioneering data-driven strategies that ensure robust and secure AI implementations, elevating data quality and leveraging advanced data governance frameworks to drive success.

Yvonne Chebib has over 29 years of experience in various industries, including media, telecom & ICT during which she had gained proficiency in operations, finance, business development, sales and general management in prominent regional and multinational firms in Europe and the Middle East.

She joined Microsoft in Oct 2013 as Business Manager Public Sector for Middle East & Africa. In October 2017 her subsequent move to the Gulf Subsidiary as the Sales Director for Energy, Media, Telco, and Growth Industries marked a pivotal moment. Notably, she played a crucial role in establishing the first and largest strategic Azure deal with a Telco in the MEA region with Etisalat. Yvonne led afterwards the GPS organization, and spearheaded the team to drive two significant strategic partnerships: the Etisalat SMB GTM and the G42 strategic partnership. And most recently, Yvonne was appointed to lead the G42 Operating Unit in UAE & now she is appointed as the Public Sector Lead.

She is a two-time award winner, FY20 EMEA Gold Club and FY19 #Better Together - Services Award. Before joining Microsoft, she founded V-Accelerate, an advisory company focusing on matching investors with start-ups. She is Ex. Managing Director of Innosoft Solutions, an IT and Business Solutions company. Prior to that she was Sales Director with Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise where she had constantly excelled and earned several awards.

Ms Chebib has an MBA in General Management with a concentration in Entrepreneurship from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She holds as well a Masters in Economics from the University of Paris II Assas in France and another one from the University of Pierre Mendes France. Yvonne was also on the board of the Chicago Booth UAE Alumni Club and a mentor with The Link mentoring program for young women in UAE. She is a talent alumni with the European Network for Women in Leadership (WIL) and a member of Women in Tech UAE platform.

Yvonne is passionate about building ecosystems and that continues to draw her to the path of empowering entrepreneurs and businesses. Her passionate energy and her drive to add value to those around her has helped her make an impact wherever she goes.  Yvonne is the executive sponsor in Microsoft UAE for Sustainability and an advocate of Diversity & Inclusion, a facilitator supporting Microsoft landing their D&I culture across MEA. She is thriving with style, warmth, compassion, kindness, and an appetite for yoga, travel and coffee with old friends.

Agnes Mwagiru is the Access to Care Lead for the Middle East & Africa at Siemens Healthineers. Prior to this, she was the Siemens Healthineers Head of Enterprise Services for the Middle East, and Southern & Eastern Africa.

She is extremely passionate about revolutionizing healthcare through outcomes-focused strategic partnerships that harness synergies between the public and private sectors.
Her core interest lies in enabling a finer balance between efficient, effective, affordable, and bankable healthcare. She is convinced that this sweet spot is attainable when the public and private sectors combine forces for a common good.

She has also worked in the electronic test & measurement sector and with blue chip corporations in the wireless communications, aerospace & defense, and automobile sectors. She now aims to integrate best practices from these industries into healthcare solution development.
She is an avid traveler and has had the pleasure of working in Europe, Middle East, S. E. Asia, U.S.A and Africa. These enriching experiences are a key element in her thought-process for people-centric healthcare solutions.

She holds an MBA from Warwick University, England and a BSc in Biology from the Constructor University, Germany.