This document provides information about an upcoming conference on the role of board secretaries. The conference will take place in Dubai from May 9-11, 2016 and feature esteemed speakers and panelists discussing topics relevant to board secretaries such as governance best practices, risk management, and conflict resolution. It also advertises the benefits of attending the conference, which include supercharging one's role as a strategic advisor to the board and strengthening leadership and communication skills.

1. conferences
You are the voice of the board.
You are the strategic advisor.
You are the guardian of the company.
You are the board secretary.
Today, your role has been crowned as guardians of the board,
and trusted with jewels of the organisation
Conrad Dubai, United Arab Emirates
9th
– 11th
May 2016
w Featuring a Post Conference Workshop:
Leadership and Communication Skills for an Efficient Board Secretary
International Workshop Leader:
Ralph Ward Publisher and Consultant
BoardroomINSIDER.com, United States
Ralph Ward is an internationally recognised writer and commentator on the role of
boards of directors, the secrets of how “benchmark” boards excel, corporate scandals
and reforms, and the future of governance worldwide.
He is the author of the following:
• Boardroom Q&A (2011)
• The New Boardroom Leaders (2008)
• Saving the Corporate Board (2003)
• Improving Corporate Boards: The Boardroom INSIDER Guidebook (2000)
• 21st Century Corporate Board (1997)
Partial client list and organisations that Ralph has trained:
• Accenture, US
• Chrysler Corporation, US
• Emirates Advanced Investments Group, UAE
• KPMG, South Africa
• SAP America
YourDistinguishedChairperson:
Robert L Ford Board Secretary – Board Affairs
Dubai Properties Group, UAE
Robert is a governance and compliance specialist who has helped many MNCs
implement change initiatives. He is a fellow member of ICSA, IOD (UK) and Mudara
Dubai, and Vice – Chairman of the ICSA Gulf Forum Steering Committee
Qais Gharaibeh Sales and Business Development Director – Middle East
Diligent Corporation, UAE
Testimonialsfrompastmarcus evansBoardSecretaryevents:
It was a very fruitful experience, the topics were very interesting.
Batelco
All topics were well presented and the organisation from marcus evans
was perfect.
Arab Shipbuilding and Repair Yard
Overall great program, very useful information and updates that has certainly help to
put my role as a Company Secretary in better perspective.
ExxonMobil
Thequalityofkeynoteandinvitedspeakerswereofthehighestlevel.
Oman Flour Mills
Thespeakersfromdifferentpartsoftheworldwasagoodexperience.
Al Murjan
Benefits of Attending:
• Supercharging your role as the catalyst to an effective board
• Establishing a strong regulatory framework as a guardian of governance
• Conveying your skills as a board secretary to a valuable business asset
• Strengthening leadership and communication techniques for greater influence
in the boardroom
• Translating board resolutions into action plans for effective implementation
Board Secretary 2016
Navigating your board’s corporate journey as the strategic advisor and the gatekeeper of governance
8th Annual
Dr Ashraf Gamaleldin CEO
Hawkamah – The Institute for Corporate
Governance, UAE
Former Executive Director of the Egyptian
Institute of Directors (EIoD), the Institute of
Corporate Governance in Egypt and Arab
region.
Hamdy El-Sayed CFO and Former
Board Secretary
AlAhliCapital(EgyptNationalBank),Egypt
More than 30 years of experience working in
multinational and mega institutions, Hamdy
was also former CIA and Secretary of Audit
Committee and was previously with GSK and
Ernst & Young
Jane Valls Executive Director
GCC Board Directors Institute, UAE
Former CEO of the Mauritius Institute of
Directors (MIOD) and an accredited trainer
with the IFC Global Corporate Governance
Forum.
Lubna Qassim Executive Vice President,
Group General Counsel and Company
Secretary
Emirates NBD, UAE
Lubna has previously held positions as Director
of the Department of Economic Legislations at
the UAE Ministry of Economy.
Souhayel Tayeb General Counsel and Group
Company Secretary
Commercial Bank of Dubai PSC, UAE
Founder and President of the International
Association of Tunisian Banking and Finance
Experts
Carina Wessels Group Company Secretary,
Corporate Secretariat and Legal
Exxaro, South Africa
Past President of Chartered Secretaries Southern
Africa (CSSA) and immediate past President
of the Corporate Secretaries International
Association (CSIA)
Neha Shah Assistant Board Secretary
Dubai Properties Group, UAE
Roula Zahar Director of Legal and
Board Affairs
Dubai Real Estate Corporation, UAE
Roula is an accredited Directory by Mudara
Institute of Directors and serves on several
boards
Ezzeddine Bizri Company Secretary
National Bank of Oman, Oman
First runner up of the 2nd Corporate
Governance Excellence Award in 2011 by
Oman’s Centre for Corporate Governance in
Capital Market Authority.
Distinguished Corporate Governance
Award 2008 – 2010 by Institute of Corporate
Governance (Hawkamah) and the Union of
Arab Banks (UAB).
Ayed Al Githami Chief Audit Executive and
Board Secretary
Aljazira Takaful, KSA
Noura Ben Farhat Executive Counsel
GE Oil and Gas – MENAT, UAE
Vijay Ojha Company Secretary and
Compliance Manager
Sharaf Group, UAE
The Sharaf Group is one of UAE’s largest and
most respected business conglomerates,
having operations in more than 40 countries
Hukam Rawat Company Secretary and
Compliance Manager
DAMAC Group, UAE
Gayatri G. A Company Secretary and
Compliance Officer
Super-Max Group, UAE
Fellow member of ICSI and formerly engaged
with Signature Group, Dubai
Eng’r. Osama Shaikh Planning General
Manager and Secretary of the Board
Saudi Ground Services Company, KSA
James D. Weier General Counsel and Board
Secretary
Abu Dhabi Airports, UAE
Featuring Esteemed Line-Up of Speakers, Panelists and Moderators:
Platinum Sponsor: Silver Sponsor:
(Co-located with: 8th Annual MENA CFO 2016 & 2nd Annual MENA CEO)

2. R
Day One
Monday 9th
May 2016
0800 Registration and Coffee
0830 Opening Remarks from the Chair
Robert L Ford Board Secretary – Board Affairs
Dubai Properties Group, UAE
0845 Contact Initiation Session (CIS):
In this 15 minutes session, delegates and speakers are encouraged to get to
know their peers and exchange business cards
GOOD GOVERNANCE DOES NOT STOP AT COMPLIANCE
0900 Opening Keynote:
Board Secretary and Their Relationship with the Chairman and
CEO
• Magnifying the evolving role of today’s Board Secretary
• Analysing and developing the synergy between the Board Secretary and
the Chairman
• Fostering an ideal relationship between the Board Secretary and the CEO
Jane Valls Executive Director
GCC Board Directors Institute, UAE
0945 Expert Presentation:
Board Secretaries as Board Leaders: From Administrative to
Compliance to Strategic Advisor
• Exercising your strategic potential and capabilities as part of your career
progression
• Presenting effective approaches to the Chairman and Board Members
while fine tuning board operations
• Demonstrating key leadership attributes to be recognised as a key advisor
in the boardroom
• Prioritising good governance on all levels towards influencing positive
board performance
Ezzeddine Bizri Company Secretary
National Bank of Oman, Oman
1030 Coffee and Networking Break
GOVERNANCE SPOTLIGHT AND ROUNDTABLE
1045 Surveying Governance: It’s On Paper, But Is It In Practice?
In this session, our appointed speakers representing various industries
will provide insights to the points below. Each speaker will present for 15
minutes and to conclude this session, delegates are required to break out into
roundtables discussion for further discussion on the subject. Each table will
nominate a Roundtable Host.
• Identifying gaps within the governance framework
• What measurements or metrics should be put in place?
• Linking good governance to corporate performance
• Promoting corporate governance to uphold accountability and
transparency
• What items should be part of the corporate governance reporting?
Panellists:
Dr Ashraf Gamaleldin CEO
Hawkamah – The Institute for Corporate Governance, UAE
Ayed Al Githami Chief Audit Executive and Board Secretary
Aljazira Takaful, KSA
James D. Weier General Counsel and Board Secretary
Abu Dhabi Airports, UAE
At the end of the discussion, the roundtable host will summarise the feedback
to the rest of the group
1215 Networking Lunch
1315 Expert Presentation:
Towards Effective Internal Control Framework: Management
Monitoring, Compliance Infrastructure, Governance Boards and
ERM Programs
• Enterprise values and oversight: What needs to be considered?
• Strengthening the compliance infrastructure and enforcement methods
• Cultivating the idea of independent assurance and business monitoring
within the organisation
• Establishing governance boards’ role and its robust act in the risk
management program
• Recap: Steps towards an effective Internal Control Framework
Hamdy El-Sayed CFO and Former Board Secretary
Al Ahli Capital (Egypt National Bank), Egypt
RISKS, TRENDS AND CHALLENGES IN 2016
1400 Expert Presentation:
Implementing the 10 Practical Steps to Improve Board
Communications
• An insight to the Corporate Secretaries International paper launched in
April 2016
• Addressing the challenging paradigms on the role of the Board Secretary in
board communications
• Reviewing international case studies on board communications
Carina Wessels Group Company Secretary, Corporate Secretariat and Legal
Exxaro, South Africa
1445 Expert Presentation:
Prepping the Board: Is Cyber Security on Your Agenda Yet?
• Recognising key areas for potential cyber attacks and making
recommendations
• Tackling the increasing threat of cyber security through future-proof
tactics and emergency plans
• Deploying specific risk, audit and cyber security committee to ensure safe
harbours are in place
• Determining business continuity plans and insurance options as a fallback
measure
Souhayel Tayeb General Counsel and Group Company Secretary
Commercial Bank of Dubai PSC, UAE
1530 Coffee Networking Break and End of Day One
Why You Should Attend:
The pinnacle shift in today’s economy and corporate agendas which demands for
more regulatory scrutiny is pinning the limelight on board secretaries more so than
ever. The competent board secretary today not only assumes the role of a minutes-
taker, but sets the tone in the boardroom while expected to provide key advisory
roles on matters of governance and commercial viability.
Sohaveyousuperchargedyourroleasthetrustedadvisorintheboardroom?Have
youreceivedtherecognitionforyourpivotalrole?Areyouaddingtherightbusiness
valueandsuccessfullydirectingyourboard’sfocustothebusiness?Astheguardianof
governance,hasyourframeworksandguidelinesincreasedyourboard’saccountability
andtransparency?
The role of a board secretary is getting trickier as the business reality is demanding
more. Join us at our flagship “8th Annual Board Secretary” and benchmark yourself
with our experts on themes such as corporate governance and compliance, conflict
resolution in the boardroom, cybersecurity risk, and succession planning. Leverage
on our post conference workshop focusing on leadership and communication skills
for an efficient board secretary!
Remember, your role as a board secretary is the catalyst to an effective board.
Platinum Sponsor:
Diligent helps the world’s leading organizations by equipping their boards and
management team to make better decisions. Over 3,100 clients in more than 50 countries
rely on Diligent for immediate access to their most time-sensitive and confidential
information along with the tools to review, discuss and collaborate on it with key decision
makers. The Diligent Boards solution speeds and simplifies how board materials are
produced and delivered via iPad, Windows devices and browsers. At the same time, it
delivers practical advantages like cutting production costs, supporting sustainability goals,
and saving administrative and IT time. Visit us at www.diligent.com .
Booking Line:
Bernardine Michael
Tel.: + 603 2723 6604
Fax: + 603 2723 6699
Email: BernadineM@marcusevanskl.com
Business Development Opportunities:
Does your company have services, solutions or technologies that the conference
delegates would benefit from knowing about?
If so, you can find out more about the exhibiting, networking and branding
opportunities available by contacting:
Bernardine Michael, Media & PR Coordinator,
marcus evansMalaysia.Tel:+603 2723 6604,
E-Mail:BernadineM@marcusevanskl.com

3. Day Two
Tuesday 10th
May 2016
0800 Registration and Coffee
0845 Opening Remarks from the Chair
Qais Gharaibeh Sales and Business Development Director – Middle East
Diligent Corporation, UAE
CONFLICT RESOLUTION IN THE BOARDROOM
0900 Expert Presentation:
Tackling Conflicts of Interest from the Beginning to Uphold Good
Governance and Corporate Integrity
• Setting out a Conflict of Interest Policy and procedures while keeping a
register of outside interests
• Making it an obligation for board members and executive management
to undergo declaration of potential conflicts
• Arranging training and inductions for board members as a precautionary
step to mitigate conflicting scenarios
• Examining practical strategies for effectively managing conflict of
interests and avoiding undesirable consequences
Eng’r. Osama Shaikh Planning General Manager and Secretary of the Board
Saudi Ground Services Company, KSA
0945 Expert Presentation:
Conflict in the Case of A Joint Venture: Creating the Balance and
Drive for a Smooth Conflict Resolution
• Promoting dialogue to avoid deadlocks which may create more sensitivity
at the board
• Realigning matter of conflict to a business perspective and encouraging
them to work together for a solution
• Discharging your duty in line with corporate documents and avoiding
exposure under legislation
• Analysing key attributes as a successful board mediator: Speak up, be
assertive and remain neutral
Noura Ben Farhat Executive Counsel
GE Oil and Gas – MENAT, UAE
1030 Photography Session:
In this 15 minutes session, all delegates and speakers are encouraged to
participate in a photo taking session
1045 Coffee and Networking Break
1100 Conflict Emulation Session:
In this session, participants will be tasked with various conflicts where
they will be responsible to brainstorm and solve the conflict in the best
possible manner. Delegates will be divided into groups to discuss one or
more scenarios from the given choices that may relate to their experience.
Panellists will guide and channel the content to emulate the circumstances
and best course of actions to be taken under emulated conditions.
Scenarios (Select from the following):
• A board member that sits on the board of another organisation currently
in a legal dispute with your current organisation
• A board member that sits on the board of another organisation and was
awarded a contract by the organisation
• Conflicts of loyalty – a board member’s duty in competing stance with
another duty linked to a different organisation
• A board member gaining personal benefit from their peers for knowledge
exchange or insider information
• Unjustifiable payouts to board members for their services
At the end of the discussion, each panellist will summarise the feedback to the
rest of the group and conclude with an action plan and milestones.
Panellists:
Roula Zahar Director of Legal and Board Affairs
Dubai Real Estate Corporation, UAE
Ralph Ward Publisher and Consultant
BoardroomINSIDER.com, United States
Jane Valls Executive Director
GCC Board Directors Institute, UAE
1230 Networking Lunch
BOARD SECRETARIES AS THE CATALYST TO AN EFFECTIVE BOARD
1330 Expert Presentation:
Enforcing Board Evaluation to Improve Underperforming Boards
• Exercising your role as a board secretary in contributing to the board
evaluation system
• Conducting regular internal reviews of board members’ duties and goals
to benchmark and improve on board operations
• Leveraging on key success factors for a successful board evaluation process
• Evaluating the impact and progress made from internal / external
evaluations and implementing an action plan
Lubna Qassim Executive Vice President, Group General Counsel and
Company Secretary
Emirates NBD, UAE
1415 Mini Think Tank Session:
Bringing Innovation to the Boardroom: Creating Value for Long
Term Business Sustainability and Competitive Edge
This mini think tank session is a straightforward problem-solving session
whereby delegates can brainstorm and analyse potential factors to propose
solutions. It identifies underlying assumptions and even challenges their
essential validity. Delegates learn to question the question itself. This will be
an in-depth process and goes beyond ‘how’ to ‘why’ and beyond ‘what’ to
‘what if’. It is essential that all are prepared to participate to ensure a smooth
discussion flow and fruitful session.
Delegates will have the opportunity to participate on one of the following
think tank table below:
Think Tank Table One
Enhancing communication flow with your shareholders:
Reporting and narrations
Think Tank Table Two
Advocating new soft skills that are indispensable towards
enhancing board effectiveness
Think Tank Table Three
Innovating your role as a board secretary and tackling on new
ideas for board planning and decision making process
Panellists:
Vijay Ojha Company Secretary and Compliance Manager
Sharaf Group, UAE
Gayatri G.A. Company Secretary and Compliance Officer
Super-Max Group, UAE
Hukam Rawat Company Secretary and Compliance Manager
DAMAC Group, UAE
At the end of the session, the think tank table moderator will summarise the
feedback to the rest of the group
1515 Closing Remarks from the Chair
1530 Coffee Networking Break and End of Day Two
marcus evanswould like to thank everyone who has helped with the research
and organisation of this event, particularly the speakers and their staff for their
support and commitment.
Who Should Attend:
From the full spectrum of industries including but not limited to:
• Company secretaries
• Board secretaries
• Secretary to the board of directors
• Corporate secretaries
• Legal advisors
• Legal counsel
• General counsel
• In-house lawyers
• Managing directors
• Chief executive officers
• Chief regulatory officers
• Chief legal officers
• Chief finance officers
• Corporate governance officers
• Compliance officers
• Investor relations officers
• Internal control managers
• Internal audit managers
• Chief administration officers
• Financial controllers
• Commercial lawyers
• Banking and finance
• Oil and gas
• Real estate
• Petrochemicals and chemicals
• IT and telecommunication
• Power and utilities
• Heavy industries
• Airlines
• Manufacturing
• Heavy industries
• Construction & building materials
• Conglomerates&familyownedbusinesses
• Importers & exporters
• Ports and maritime
• Government agencies
Booking Line:
Bernardine Michael
Tel.: + 603 2723 6604
Fax: + 603 2723 6699
Email: BernadineM@marcusevanskl.com

4. Post – Conference Workshop
Wednesday 11th
May 2016
LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS FOR AN EFFICIENT BOARD SECRETARY
The Corporate Board Model: How, Why And Who
• Why today’s corporate board is a relic (but why we still use it)
• Elements of the board role in governance
• Examining the jobs of your board and committee chairs
The Board’s Reporting Relationships
• What makes an effective board / chair / secretary relationship
• Relations between the board and CEO
• The board and legal counsel, auditors, Chief Financial Officers
The Structure And Workings Of An Effective Board
• Fresh best practices for agendas, calendars, minutes
• Board meetings that work - big ideas (and little ideas)
• Board information flow - new tools for stemming the flood
Boards - Special Cases (And Special Problems)
• Boardroomissuesoffamilycompanies,SOEs/parastatals,jointventures,etc
• The top sources of boardroom conflict (and defusing them)
• Flashpoints! Real quandaries and crises facing boards and secretaries
Case Studies of Tough Issues from Real Boardrooms for Discussion:
• One of Africa’s largest, most successful travel businesses is declining under its own
weight. The two founders hold all the equity, are themselves the board, and have
trouble delegating. You are one of the top staffers -- how would you advise them
to refresh their governance?
• Some current financial numbers don’t look good, but the CEO is sure he can fix the
problem in short order, and tells the company secretary “don’t tell the board about
this.” As secretary, how do you respond?
• The founder of a booming construction business has led his company through
its listing on a public stock exchange, building an independent board, and
implementing good governance procedures. He turns over the chief executive role
to a talented subordinate -- but her first day on the job, makes clear that he still
intends to make all the decisions. What should the new CEO do?
Facilitated by:
Ralph Ward Publisher and Consultant
BoardroomINSIDER.com, United States
Workshop Schedule:
0830 Registration and morning coffee
0900 Workshop commence
1030 Morning refreshment and networking break
1045 Workshop re-commence
1215 Networking luncheon
1330 Workshop commence
1500 Afternoon refreshment
1515 Workshop concludes with a networking break
International Workshop Leader:
Ralph Ward Publisher and Consultant
BoardroomINSIDER.com, United States
Ralph Ward is an internationally recognised writer and commentator on the role of
boards of directors, the secrets of how “benchmark” boards excel, corporate scandals and
reforms, and the future of governance worldwide. Ward is a publisher of the online email
newsletter Boardroom INSIDER, the worldwide source for practical, first-hand advice on
better boards and directors.
He is the author of the following:
• Boardroom Q&A (2011)
• The New Boardroom Leaders (2008)
• Saving the Corporate Board (2003)
• ImprovingCorporateBoards:TheBoardroomINSIDERGuidebook(2000)
• 21st Century Corporate Board (1997)
He speaks extensively on boardroom issues in the United States and internationally. He also
teaches “Boardroom Masterclass” seminars on board and governance best practice. His
media appearances include TheStreet.com, CNNfn, C-SPAN, Voice of America, Bloomberg,
National Public Radio, Marketplace and CNBC (United States and United Kingdom).
Ward has also edited The Corporate Board magazine, the international journal of
corporate governance, since 1990. He writes and comments on boardroom matters for a
number of other publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA
Today, Across the Board, Crains, Vital Speeches, the Detroit Free Press, Barrons’and INC.
com.; and serves on several advisory and non-profit boards.
Partial client list and organisations that Ralph has trained:
• Accenture, United States
• ArabBankingCorporation,Bahrain
• Booz & Co., United States
• CapitalOneServices,UnitedStates
• Chrysler Corp. United States
• Conversys Corp., United States
• Conference Board of Canada, Canada
• Emirates Advanced Investments Group,
United Arab Emirates
• Financial Executives International,
United States
• Freddie Mac, United States
• KPMG, South Africa
• McLaren Health System, United States
• Michigan State Medical Society,
United States
• SAP America Inc., United States
• National Penn Bank SunPower Corp.,
United States
• PolyComm, United States
• TD Ameritrade, United States
• UnitedHealthGroup,UnitedStates
Media Partner:
50 Words for Catalogue Listing
Bloomberg Businessweek Middle East provides indispensable content to business
leaders that helps them innovate and stay ahead of their competitors. From economics,
politics, technology and finance to travel, fashion and lifestyle pursuits, Businessweek
Middle East offers unique insights and analysis of major developments shaping the region.
Launched in 2013, Bloomberg Businessweek Middle East has set a new benchmark for
business publications in the region. It provides a compelling mix of content sourced from
dedicated news bureaus in the Middle East and around the world.
Silver Sponsor:
With over 25 years’ experience, ICSA Software International and ICSA Boardroom
Apps Limited are the software companies of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and
Administrators (The ICSA).
Renowned for our global entity management, corporate governance and compliance
software, as well as highly secure board portals for the iPad and Windows devices, we
have been the supplier of choice for company secretarial departments and boardrooms
around the world.
BoardPad is a meeting and document collaboration solution that turns directors’ devices into
highly secure digital board and meeting packs, available online or offline from any location.
Blueprint OneWorld is a web-based entity management, governance and compliance
solution, allowing you to access and manage your corporate compliance data 24/7,
anytime, anywhere.
Our commitment to providing a suite of highly secure and integrated solutions is
the reason why many FTSE100, FORTUNE 500, EURONEXT 100, ASX 50, government
organisations and public bodies trust us to manage their corporate information to deliver
good governance across the board.
Knowledge Partner:
About the GCC Board Directors Institute (BDI)
Launched in 2007, the GCC Board Directors Institute (BDI) is a not-for-profit organization that
guides board directors of organizations, from family-owned businesses to listed companies,
to acquire the know-how and the tools to reach and sustain effective governance.
BDI is founded by four leading regional corporations - Investcorp, SABIC, Saudi Aramco and
Emirates NBD - and it is supported by five advisory firms: Allen &Overy, Heidrick& Struggles,
McKinsey &Company, and PricewaterhouseCoopers, as well as regional regulatory
authorities: the Emirates Security and Commodities Authority of the UAE, the Capital Market
Authorities of both Saudi Arabia and Oman, the Central Bank of Bahrain and the Qatar
Financial Centre Regulatory Authority.
BDI now works with over 600 members who benefit from a network of business leaders and
a variety of workshops designed for senior directors. Notably, the Institute hosts an annual
Chairman Summit that brings together regional leaders and actors to explore the evolving
role and value of Boards as well as appropriate corporate governance standards.
Today the Institute is globally recognized and the only Directors Institute from the region to
be admitted to the Global Network of Directors Institute.
We encourage you to visit the Institute’s website at www.gccbdi.org to learn more and get
involved with the BDI. Or, write to us directly at: getinvolved@gccbdi.org