JEDDAH, 3 September 2006 — Dr. Nahed Taher, CEO of Gulf One Bank, is participating in the sixth annual Forbes Global CEO Conference 2006 to be held in Singapore tomorrow and Tuesday. The conference is a gathering of top international CEOs of companies and banks and aims at presenting lectures and discussions between managers, exchange views on ways of overcoming obstacles, and discuss strategies to lead their companies to success.
Taher is the first and so far the only Saudi woman to become a CEO of a bank. She ranked No. 72 on Forbes’s recent list of the world’s most powerful women, leading the list of Arab women. (German Chancellor Angela Merkel is No. 1.)
Also on the list representing Arab women are: Queen Rania of Jordan (No. 81), Kuwait’s Maha Al-Ghunaim, Global Investment House vice chairwoman and managing director (No. 91) and Olayan Financing CEO Lubna Olaya of Saudi Arabia (No. 97).
“I was really thrilled by the ranking considering the great achievements of the others,” Taher told Arab News. “However, I see this as more of a responsibility for being among the most powerful people in terms of economic and financial achievements - more hard work in order for me to keep a bright picture of Saudi Arabia and of Saudi women.” She also finds her participation in the Forbes conference will also enhance these efforts.
“Participating in this reputable conference will enhance the role of Gulf One and other regional banks,” she added. “The Kingdom is investing in more industrial and infrastructure projects that require lots of sophisticated financial restructuring and diversified partnerships from international and regional institutions.”
In a volatile world, the conference asks how can one successfully gauge the risks to move ahead — be it in business, personal achievement or economic growth. More than 350 of the most influential people in business are meeting on Singapore’s island resort of Sentosa to discuss the strategy of going for the green.
Taher is participating in the topic of discussion entitled, “Handicapping investments: picking the right portfolio”. “The main issues this panel will discuss is the indicators that tell us which financial assets and markets might be the next investment winners and which markets, and types of asset, look set for a tumble,” she said. Other issues are on how can pension funds, corporations and individuals navigate the ever-more diverse investment world to find the right mix to achieve the highest possible return at the lowest possible risk.
Taher will also be addressing of whether increasingly large and mutual fund-like hedge funds still offer a real chance of outsized risk-adjusted returns and how can enthusiastic individuals boost their chances of combining pleasure with their portfolios to make money out of art, wine, stamps, cars or horses.
Joining her in this discussion is Philippe Collas, CEO of Global Investment Management and Services (GIMS) of French Societe Generale Group and Daniel A. Caroll, managing director of TPG Newbridge Capital. Moderating the discussion is Steve Hanke, professor of applied economics at The John Hopkins University.
Some of the main speakers include Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Singapore Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lee Hsien Loong, Gerard Kleisterlee, president and CEO, Royal Philips Electronics, Steve Forbes, president, CEO and Editor in Chief, Forbes magazine, Subhash Chandra, chairman, Essel Group of Industries, and Ronnie C. Chan, chairman, Hang Lung Properties.