Inside Investor Forum Asia 2012

 

 

 

 

Organised by international media group and consultancy Inside Investor, it will bring together heads of state, investors and top-level company executives from Thailand, other ASEAN nations and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to identify bilateral investment opportunities in both regions.

  The forum at St Regis Doha hotel will be joined by senior-level executives from more than 100 companies plus more than 500 delegates and 46 speakers who are scheduled to discuss the latest investment trends, opportunities, partnerships and portfolio diversification strategies.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is expected to hold a keynote address.

The forum is expecting a delegation of Thai business people and senior officials and follows the landmark visit made by Yingluck in Bahrain and Qatar in May 2012, as well as a delegation of Qatari businessmen and officials who visited Bangkok in June 2012 where potential investment opportunities in the sectors of health, hotels and finance have been discussed.

 

Trade between Qatar and Thailand grew from US$2.3 billion in 2007 to $2.8 billion last year, with the pace now expected to accelerate. Automotive products, iron, steel, air conditioners and jewelry are currently among Thailand’s top exports to Qatar. The Gulf state mainly exports petroleum, fertilisers and chemical products to Thailand.

 

The list of speakers and panelists at the forum include, among others, Taib Mahmud, Chief Minister of Sarawak, Cristino L Panlilio, Undersecretary, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Rajat M. Nag, Managing Director General, Asian Development Bank and See Leng Tan, CEO & MD, Parkway Holdings, Thailand, along with Andrew Stevens, GCEO, Commercial Bank of Qatar, Mashhour F. Mourad, CEO, ANFAAL Capital, Saudi Arabia, James Cameron, Head of Project Finance, Asia Pacific Global Banking, HSBC, Kamran M. Khan, Programme Director - Global Infrastructure Finance Centre of Excellence & Urban Hub, World Bank, Singapore, Rushdi Siddiqui, Global Director -Islamic Finance, OIC, Thomson Reuters, Tariq Al-Rifai, Director, Islamic Market Indexes, Dow Jones, Toby O'Connor, CEO, The Islamic Bank of Asia, Singapore.

 

The focus of the event will be to highlight investment opportunities, partnerships, and technology and know-how transfers between the GCC and Southeast Asia, as well as private equity opportunities and capital market investments. One special focus will be on healthcare and medical tourism, where Thailand has taken the global lead with the GCC as the most important source market for health tourists. Bilateral investment strategies in food security, green technology, real estate, education, transport and infrastructure will be other topics on the agenda.

 

The event will also see the launch of in-depth business reports in both regions produced by Inside Investor, containing specialised information for investors, namely the detailed two-part Inside ASEAN 2012 report, as well as Inside Thailand 2012 and Inside Qatar 2012. The reports provide overviews of key industries and analyses on major economic and infrastructural developments in these regions along with interviews of prominent personalities from the public and private sector. Experienced researchers and journalists compiled them over several months to help investors identify opportunities in various fields, such as manufacturing and industry, technology and innovation, energy and resources, and tourism and hospitality. The reports also feature case studies and doing business guides for each country.

 

The event is being held with the Qatari Businessmen Association as a strategic partner and has the kind support of Thailand’s Board of Investment. Thailand’s renowned news publications The Nation and Asia News Network are acting as media partners for Thailand.