Culture & Education | Wednesday 25 November, 2015 12:00 am |

Experts deliver unique insights into industry opportunities and challenges

Al Masah Capital, a leading UAE centric alternative asset management company, has concluded another successful edition of its Annual Investor Forum, held at the Ritz-Carlton DIFC recently. Gathering banking and investment executives from around the world, the forum held presentations and panel discussions that shed light on the most important issues being faced by the region’s real estate, healthcare, and hospitality industries as well as the overall economic climate in the Middle East and North Africa.

“We are extremely delighted with the success of the 5th Annual Investor Forum,” Mr. Shailesh Dash, founder and CEO of Al Masah Capital. “The depth and breadth of market knowledge, as well as unique insights from global experts that we deliver to our guests is definitely invaluable to investors looking to spot potential future trends in the industries that we cover. We are grateful for the participation of both the government and private entities in order to make this event a resounding success,” he added.

Dr. Fatma Al Sharaf from the Dubai Healthcare Authority highlighted the opportunities and challenges that the UAE’s medical tourism is looking towards until 2020, forecasting revenues to reach Dh2.6 billion by that year while also emphasizing the need for the government and private healthcare providers to actively collaborate in order to achieve such goals.

Akber Naqvi, Executive Director at Al Masah presented the company’s successful strategies in investing in alternative asset classes to generate positive results for their investors. These alternative investments include venture capital, private equity and hedge funds. The benefits of these verticals compared to traditional ones include different fees, shorter life spans, and flexible investment scopes which might suit the requirements of specific investors.

Top executives from the world’s most prominent banks held a panel discussion on the success of MENA IPOs on the London Stock Exchange. Dr. Christopher Laing, MD and Head of Emerging Markets ECM at Deutsche Bank, Joseph Najjar, Director MENA ECM at Credit Suisse, and Arshad Ghafur, President for MENA at Bank of America Merrill Lynch shared the talk with Dubai broadcaster Richard Dean to dissect the benefits and disadvantages of local and regional companies going public on the LSE.

The experts agreed that certain companies will stand to gain from launching an IPO in London, by getting higher access to capital from across the world and achieving better valuations for their firms. Other companies who have a long track record of leadership and strategic management known across the region, meanwhile, will find an IPO on the Dubai Financial Market or Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange will be far beneficial owing to their reputation among Dubai- or GCC-based investors. The experts also noted other differences between the two exchanges, such as more stringent requirements on the LSE that require an overhaul in corporate structure, governance and improved investor relation exercises from companies looking to list.

Highlighting Expo 2020, investment specialists; Nrupaditya Singhdeo- CFO and Partner at Al Masah Capital, Anshul Gupta and Amitava Ghosal- Partners at Al Masah Capital discussed that Dubai will serve as a catalyst, connecting minds from around the world and will inspire participants to mobilize around shared challenges, during a World Expo of unprecedented global scope, under the sub-themes of: Mobility, Sustainability & Opportunity. Contemplating a great deal of optimism and excitement in the market for Dubai expo 2020; Dubai is investing in four main areas – public transportation and transit, accommodation, a strategically-positioned site and a highly scalable supply chain. It will also strengthen the healthcare sector to impart knowledge, share insights and will ensure continued training to medical professionals on various health issues along with focusing on latest medical updates and innovations, treatment modes and technologies. With the Expo 2020 expected to generate 250,000+ jobs until 2021, several sectors like hospitality, education, logistics and food are expected to ramp up to cater to 25 million expected visitors.

Other notable presentations included an overview of the UAE real estate market from Al Masah Capital’s Ryan Fansa, Director and Head of Real Estate and Ian Albert, Regional Director and Head of Valuation and Advisory – MENA at Colliers International, and a panel discussion on the UAE government’s spending for Expo 2020 and its implications on the healthcare, education, logistics and food & beverage sectors.

“We are already looking forward to our sixth Investor Forum, and we promise it to be bigger and better with utmost relevance to the economic and business issues of the time,” Mr. Dash concluded.

About Al Masah Capital

Al Masah Capital is one of the fastest growing alternative asset management firms in the MENA and SEA regions. Established in 2010 and headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Al Masah Capital provides tailored investment solutions to its clientele, from private equity (across Healthcare, Education, Food & Beverages, Logistics and other consumer driven sectors), asset management, corporate and real estate advisory as well as public market research services.

With subsidiaries in Abu Dhabi and Singapore, Al Masah secures opportunities for qualifying investors in 13 focus markets in MENA and South East Asia.