JEDDAH, 21 February 2005 — Mohammed Al-Abbar director general of Emmar Properties disappeared from the JEF after the session “Private Sector: Vital Driver of Local Government,” in which he participated. The press tried to get hold of him to interview him about his new project in Palestine and the new TV program “The Apprentice,” which his company will be producing. Presumably in Jeddah to seek publicity and share his views, Al-Abbar eschewed any interviews and his contact numbers were withheld for security reasons. The main organizers of JEF then informed the press that he left immediately after his session with the Mayor of Jeddah Abdulla Al-Muallimy and Nibras Al-Fadel, economic adviser of the Syrian president. Possible candidates for “The Apprentice” perhaps?
An embarrassing moment for the CEO of a very major global company was averted when he opened his luggage to find that he had forgotten his business cards. Networking with other CEO’s is a major although unadvertised part of the JEF. Scraps of paper were definitely out. However, against all expectations, the Hilton hotel organized the design, printing and delivery of a new batch of cards. In six hours! Arab News still has to establish just who the hotel used; they will be very busy if we find out.
