Dr. Habib Al Mulla
President

During his tenure as a member of the UAE Federal National Council (2002-2005), Dr. Al Mulla was a member of the Legislative and Economic Committees, which are charged with the review of the legal and economic policies of the UAE. Furthermore, as the former Chairman of the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) (2003 - 2006) and it's Legislative Committee, Dr. Al Mulla was the architect of the legal structure which led to the establishment of the DIFC as the first financial free zone in the UAE. In this capacity he led the structuring, drafting and enactment of all the legislation regulating financial and related ancillary services conducted in the DIFC. Dr. Al Mulla holds an LLB in Shari'a and law from the UAE University, LLM from Harvard Law School and a Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge. He remains Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

David Woods
Vice President/

Born and raised in Ireland, David has worked in banking all his career since graduating from Harvard in 1976. He has lived in the UK, Ireland, Holland, USA, Japan, Sweden, and came to Dubai a year ago as COO for ABN AMRO in the UAE. Divorced with four children, enjoys reading, hillwalking, and most outdoor sports, he plans to be in Dubai for the next five years - and is about to leave ABN AMRO after nearly twenty years and embark on a new phase in his career

Dania Mchaourab
Secretary

Ms. Mchaourab has over 14 years of experience with multinational institutions in the areas of Real Estate Finance and Development. She started her career in Lebanon with Arab Bank and subsequently Merrill Lynch, before moving to the UAE where she worked with Abraaj Capital, and Rasmala. She is currently a Senior Vice President with Forsa, a Dubai World Investment Company created by women for women, working for the Investments Division and concentrating on investments in Real Estate. Ms. Mchaourab is an adjunct instructor at the American University of Dubai. She holds a Master's degree from Harvard University with a Real Estate Development concentration, and a Bachelor degree in Architecture from the American University of Beirut. She is a registered architect with the Lebanese Order of Engineers, and is certified by the Project Management Institute as a Project Management Professional.

Riad Bsaibes
Treasurer

Based in Dubai (UAE), Mr. Bsaibes is the Chief Operating Officer of the Amana Group. He is responsible for the overall business of its fourteen subsidiaries across the region. Prior to that, he was with Corning Inc (Massachusetts, USA) in the capacity of Strategic Marketing Manager where his responsibilities included the market introduction of strategic micro-electronic products to the telecommunications industry. Before Corning, Mr. Bsaibes worked with Schlumberger Oilfield Services for seven years in various managerial positions throughout the Middle East. Mr. Bsaibes earned his Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) in 1991 and his Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from Harvard Business School in 2001. He is a Regional Vice Chairman of the M.I.T. Educational Council in the Middle East

Dr. Sabine Schaffer

Dr. Sabine is Director (investments) at Evolvence Capital, a Financial Institution focusing on the Alternative Asset Classes with headquarters based in Dubai. Prior to this position, she gained her experience in strategy, financial services and M&A activities working for McKinsey & Company in various projects in Europe and the Middle East. In her dissertation, Dr. Schaffer set up a model of how to create trust in the internet. She holds a master of International Business Administration from her Hometown University in Austria and an MPA from Harvard University where she focused on Finance and the Public Sector. In her spare time she likes to sail, play Polo and get involved in charity schooling projects.

Izzat Dajani

Izzat joined Goldman Sachs in Dec 2007 as Head, Key & Priority Clients, Investment Management Division following a lustrous career as Chief Executive of Investment & Development Office (IDO), Government of Ras Al Khaimah.

Izzat has led many if not most of the substantive economic and investment initiatives in the RAK. Izzat graduated with an MPA from Harvard University, JFK School of Government in 1990 and completed the Executive Management Program at Stanford University Graduate School of Business in 1993. He also holds a Bachelor's degree in Pharmacy from UK. Izzat is married and has 2 children.

Ben Bannani

Ben Bennani is an honors graduate of Dartmouth College and holds an M.F.A. from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, a Ph.D. from State University of New York in Binghamton), and a graduate, MA-level certificate in translation. He has taught literature and writing, at the University of Massachusetts, Tufts University, University of Wyoming, and Northeastern University. In 1982-83 Bennani was a Visiting Fellow in Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University; in the fall of 1991 he was a Rockefeller Resident Fellow at Villa Serbelloni in Belagio, Italy; and in 1993-94 he was a Senior Fulbright Fellow in the United Arab Emirates where he currently serves as Assistant Chief Academic Officer for strategic planning and program review and as dean of graduate studies.

Waleed Al Mokarrab Al Muhairi