Fuel your curiosity at the 2010 EO Saudi Arabia College! The learning program will feature the perfect blend of unique-to-Saudi-Arabia business and cultural insight, as well as an array of high-quality international speakers. Hear from some of Saudi Arabia’s leading business men and women about the current entrepreneurial climate, participate in intimate cultural learning chats with local members and their families, and get out of the hotel for some off-site business learning opportunities unlike any offered before at EO.
For additional information, please contact learning@eonetwork.org.
Keynote Speakers
Warren S. Rustand
The common thread that permeates Warren S. Rustand's experience is one of vision, strategy and executive leadership. He has created, led and grown many successful private, public and not-for-profit entities. Warren has a passion for family, capital markets, public policy and community.
Warren is the managing director of SC Capital Partners, an investment banking group that includes corporate advisory services, a private equity fund, capital sourcing and a focus on the microcap market, with a special expertise in RTOs or reverse mergers. Warren was previously the CEO of Summit Capital, a firm that specializes in the development of small- to mid-sized companies by sourcing and structuring capital resources for the organization.
Warren was also chairman and CEO of Rural Metro Corporation, a US$500-million, publicly traded emergency services company. He has served as chairman and CEO of Cambridge Co. Ltd., a private merchant banking and management consulting firm. What's more, he has served as chairman/CEO of 17 other companies.
Warren has served as a member of the board of directors for more than 50 public, private and not-for-profit organizations. He currently serves on eight boards, three of which are public, and he chairs two of the boards. The range of these organizations is from multi-billion dollar public companies and to midsize, early stage, and startup. As CEO he has taken two companies public, one of which is the largest in its industry and the other is the second largest in its industry.
In 1973 Warren was selected as a White House Fellow through a nationally competitive process. Initially, he served as special assistant to the Secretary of Commerce and led the first ever Executive Level Trade Mission to the Soviet Union. He joined the staff of US vice president Gerald Ford on the day he was sworn in and served as director of scheduling. In August 1974, when Ford became president of the United States, Warren was asked to serve as appointments secretary and cabinet secretary to the president.
Furthering his interest in community service and public policy, Warren created a seminar in Washington, D.C., titled, "Public Policy and the Private Sector." Now celebrating its 22nd year, the seminar invites CEOs to meet with the highest-level people in government, media and lobbying, which enables them to better understand current issues, public policy and how the private sector can better engage in this process. To date, more than 2,500 individuals have participated in the Seminar. Warren has also served as the international chairman of the World Presidents Organization (WPO), which has more than 5,000 CEOs in 120 countries. He currently serves as the international chairman of L3, a global leadership group focused on one’s contribution during the second half of life.
Dr. Ghazi Faisal Binzagr
Binzagr Group of Companies
Dr. Ghazi Faisal Binzagr holds a B.S. in physics from the University of California, Santa Barbara; an M.D. in international management from Thunderbird; and a Ph.D. in management with a minor in organizational development from New Mexico State University. His Ph.D. thesis focused on transformation and pro-active change.
Ghazi is a fourth-generation member of the Binzagr family business, which started as a trading company in the Arabian Peninsula more than 100 years ago. He serves his family business in various capacities, and has been the president of Arabian Stores Company for seven years. He is currently the deputy chairman of this company, and is also a board member of Binzagr-CoRo. Ghazi also currently overseas various efforts and initiatives for strategic human development and capacity building within the group.
Since earning his Ph.D. in 1997, Ghazi has expanded his interests from organizational development to include the theory and practice of human, community and holistic regional development. He directs all of his volunteer efforts in the service of such issues.
Ghazi is a former member of the HRH Prince Migrin Bin Abdel Aziz Think Tank Group, which was set up specifically to advise on regional development in the Madinah Region. He has also served under the direction of HRH as a volunteer in various roles related to education, human resources and community development.
Ghazi is an active volunteer in the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI), where he served in committees for the development of training and retail. At JCCI, he is currently the chair of the International Relations Committee (IRC), a board member of the Jeddah Marketing Board (JMB) and a board member of Khadijah Bint Khwailid.
Ghazi is an active contributor to the city's annual Jeddah Economic Forum, both as a speaker and adviser. He is also a member of the Honorary Advisory Board to Effat College, the first non-profit private college for women in the kingdom. Ghazi’s passion and life-long quest has always centered on questions of truth, beauty and meaning.
Off-Site Business Learning
Saudi ARAMCO
Perhaps the most interesting part of the College will be a visit to the national oil company, where attendees will get a behind-the-scenes look at Saudi Arabia’s oil fields. This activity is courtesy of Saudi ARAMCO, the national oil company and world’s largest oil producer. On Saudi ARAMCO’s behalf, all attendees will take a round-trip flight on a corporate jet to the eastern province of Saudi Arabia. Upon landing, attendees will visit the on-site oil museum and get an up-close tour of the powerful oil fields. Talk about a once-in-a-lifetime experience in the land of “oil”!
Breakout Speakers
Reg Athwal, IFFPS, FPSA
Reg Athwal is the founder of RAW Group LLC, which has offices in London, England and Dubai. He is also the co-founder and chairman of OneTVO, a past-president of the Professional Speakers Association of the United Kingdom, and Founding chairman of the Professional Speakers Association' of the Middle East.
Prior to becoming a strategic advisor to CEOs and a world renowned professional speaker, Athwal has built numerous startup and fast-growth businesses since the age of 17, and bounced back from bankruptcy at the age of 21 to build his first million-dollar company. His personal success story, extensive research and best practices have been shared with thousands of students at Oxford University, the University of Chicago, Hult Business School, SP Jain Institute of Management, MIT College of Management and Cranfield University.
Athwal is the creator of the "Unleash Your DNA" brand, which incorporates "The DNA Model," "The DNA Masterclass Series," "The DNA Forums" and the unique "BookPill" service. Since 2002, millions of people and more than 30,000 CEOs in 39 countries have experienced "Unleash Your DNA" private sessions and listened to Athwal's talks. He has worked closely with governments, tourism authorities, central banks, educational institutions and health authorities, as well many family-owned SMEs and multi-billion-dollar organizations throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia regions.
Athwal is an approved expert resource and speaker to the world's most influential and private CEO organizations, including Vistage International, The Academy for Chief Executives (ACE), The Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO), The Young Presidents Organization (YPO), The World Presidents Organization (WPO) and The CEO Clubs.
Athwal is a world-class expert advisor, keynote speaker, moderator and master of ceremonies for prominent gatherings, including awards ceremonies, product launches, executive conferences, international congresses, government forums and royal family addresses.
He is also a bestselling co-author, writes regular articles for leading business publications and is frequently inspiring people on radio talk shows. Athwal is also a professional TV anchor and the host of the "Talking Tycoons" and "Entrepreneurs Express" TV shows on OneTVO.
Peter Nixon
Founder, The Potential Network
www.potentialdialogue.com
Based in Hong Kong, China, Peter Nixon is a full-time negotiation and change management consultant. He is also the author of Negotiation, Mastering Business in Asia (Wiley, 2005). Originally from Montreal, Canada, Peter worked with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) as an auditor in Montreal; Geneva, Switzerland; and Hong Kong before launching his consulting practice in 1993.
Peter, a specialist in corporate dialogue, is the founder of The Potential Network, which provides buyers of consulting services with access to a global database of consultants and a rating service to compare consultants available in the market. His international success arises from his mantra that “The solution is in the dialogue,” as well as his combination of financial and communication skills. Peter’s dialogue solutions fall into the following areas: negotiation, business development, strategy, change management and conflict resolution.
With more than 20 years of experience working with executives from blue chip companies in more than 75 countries and territories, Peter specializes in the facilitation, negotiation and implementation of change.
Local Speakers
Ammar Al-Khudairy
Amwal Al Khaleej Commercial Investments, Co.
Ammar Al-Khudairy is a managing director, chief executive officer and founding shareholder of Amwal AlKhaleej. Prior to founding Amwal, Ammar held a number of senior management positions with Saudi Banking institutions, including head of strategic business development and central region head with Banque Saudi Fransi, and country head with Gulf International Bank, etc. Ammar’s professional track record covers a number of banking disciplines, including mergers and acquisitions, project finance, corporate finance, corporate banking and merchant banking.
Ammar currently serves as chairman for Herfy Food Services (Riyadh) and sits on a number of corporate boards, including Savola (Jeddah), Damas (Dubai), Al-Tayyar Travel (Riyadh), Afia (Jeddah), Amwal International (Kuwait), Right Angle Media (Dubai), Dubai Contracting, Co. (Dubai), Kingdom Holding (Riyadh) and Kingdom Hotel (AIM and DIFX listed).
Ammar earned his M.A. in engineering administration from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., USA, after earning a bachelor’s of science in civil engineering.
Click here for a synopsis for Ammar's "Entrepreneurship to Organization” workshop.
Dr. Walid Fitaihi
Consultant, Endocrinology and Diabetes
Dr. Walid Fitaihi is the chairman of the board of directors and chief executive officer of the International Medical Center (IMC).
Walid completed his B.S. in system engineering from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., USA, and was the first in his graduating class (Magna Cum Laude). He then pursued his medical studies at the George Washington Medical School, where he received his M.D., becoming the first Saudi to earn this degree from the US. Walid then completed his internship, residency and Fellowship at Harvard-affiliated programs and hospitals, where he received his American Board in Internal Medicine and American Board in Endocrinology and Diabetes.
During his residency, Walid won many awards, including the David Fromer Award for “Best Resident” from Mount Auburn Hospital, a Harvard teaching hospital. From 1999-2002, Walid worked as a consultant at the well-known Diabetes Center, Joslin Clinic in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, which is affiliated with Harvard medical school. During this time, he joined the faculty of Harvard medical school as an instructor of medicine. He also received a master of public health degree in health policy and management from the Harvard School of Public Health, USA.
In addition to his medical practice, Walid is committed to promoting community service and voluntary activities. Over the years, he has delivered numerous lectures on topics related to medical, social and cultural issues, and has published hundreds of articles in various magazines and newspapers. These articles focused on both health-related and non-health-related topics, and have been published in his book "آفاق من الحياة."
Walid’s mission as a founder of the International Medical Center (IMC) is to fulfill and achieve the IMC vision: “To pioneer a unique approach of healing the body, mind and soul by applying the best global healthcare standards and pursuing divine ethics.”
Walid is married with five children.
Dr. Rashad Hashem Husein
Dr. Rashad Hashem Husein is currently an assistant professor in the civil engineering department at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, KSA. Since 1995, Rashad has served as vice president of South Asia Establishment in Makkah, KSA. Since 1999, he has been a real estate developer in the cities of Jeddah and Makkah.
Rashad is recognized as an author and co-author of numerous engineering and management articles. He is also known for teaching and training a number of academic and professional courses in engineering and management. In addition, Rashad has a wide array of experience managing and supervising more than 5,500 employees in huge operations and serving more than 400,000 pilgrims to Makkah annually. He is a member of numerous government, private and special committees, including the Makkah Cultural and Literature Club in Makkah. Rashad is a partner of several commercial companies in KSA, including Al-Madinah News Establishment in Jeddah.
Rashad is the founder and president of the Saudi-Indian Friendship Society (SIFS) and is a member of the Saudi Commission for Engineers. He served as president of the American Concrete Institute from 2002-2005 in the Saudi Arabia chapter of the Western Region (ACI-SAC,WR) and is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) in the US. Rashad is also a member of the American Concrete Institute (ACI) in the US and the Saudi Society for Civil Engineering (SSCE) in KSA.
Dr. Basmah Mosleh Omair
AlSayeda Khadijah Bint Khouwailid Businesswomen Centre
Dr. Basmah Mosleh Omair is the executive director of the AlSayeda Khadijah Bint Khouwailid Businesswomen Centre at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry. She restructured the centre to become the first lobbying centre that focuses on legislation reform; specifically, reform aimed at removing obstacles facing women in order to truly empower them both economically and socially.
The daughter of a US Saudi diplomat, Basmah was raised and educated in the US for more than 23 years. This gave her a better understanding of both cultures and the ability to take the best of both worlds. Basmah received her BS. in business administration and marketing in 1993, her M.S. in special education in 1997 and her Ph.D. in education technology/management and leadership in 2004 from American University in Washington, D.C., USA.
Prior to her current post, Basmah was a consultant for American University and the Global Peace Organization, where she evaluated the education system in Iraq. From 2004-2007, she was a corporate social responsibility consultant to the Savola Group Saudi Arabia. Basmah is a board member at the Social Economic Circle in Mecca Region and a member of the Young Arab Leaders.