Business & Money | Monday 28 October, 2019 2:37 pm |

Dedicated to the UAE’s Year of Tolerance, the Asian Business Leadership Forum (ABLF) celebrates its 12th anniversary with a special edition of the ABLF Awards on November 6, 2019, at Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Dubai. Under the theme‘Inclusive Leadership in an Interconnected World: Driving Progress and Sustainability through Tolerance’, the gala will be held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Cabinet Member and Minister of Tolerance, UAE, and in official association with the UAE Ministry of Economy.

250 guests comprising the finest leaders across Asia are expected to attend the upcoming awards night which will recognise 15 visionary leaders for their remarkable contributions to the progress and development of the region and facilitate bespoke networking and knowledge-sharing opportunities among world-renowned leaders.

A spectacular evening of celebration and collaboration awaits as this edition of the ABLF that is set to make history as the leadership platform surges forward through its new innovative activations - the ABLF Talks with CNBC Arabia and the ABLF Magazine (with HT Media in India).

As Malini N Menon, Co-Founder of the ABLF points out: “2019 has been a year of firsts as we continue to innovate and transform, aligning with the dynamic energy that permeates Asia’s economic, social, cultural and technological zeitgeist.” 

For the first time in 12 years, the leadership platform hosts a Guest Nation– India. Highlighting the strong bilateral relations between the UAE and India, the ABLF will receive a powerful delegation from India which includes a high-profile delegation from Madhya Pradesh, India, led by the Chief Minister, H.E. Kamal Nath as well as private sector leaders such as Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman, Aditya Birla Group; Gopichand Hinduja, Co-Chairman, Hinduja Group of Companies; Dr Cyrus Poonawalla, Chairman and Managing Director, Serum Institute of India; Shobhana Bhartia, Chairperson and Editorial Director, HT Media; B.K. Goenka, President, ASSOCHAM; Jaidev Shroff, Global CEO, UPL Limited; Sajjan Jindal, Chairman, JSW Group; Dr Niranjan Hiranandani, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Hiranandani Group; Rajiv Luthra, Founder and Managing Partner, L&L Partners Law Offices; and Madhusudan Agrawal, Co-Founder and Vice Chairman, Ajanta Pharma Ltd.

Welcoming the Guest Nation are key officials from the UAE including the ABLF Patron, H.H. Sheikh Nahayan, H.E. Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Cabinet Member and Minister of Economy, UAE; H.E. Suhail Mohamed Faraj Al Mazrouei, Cabinet Member and Minister of Energy and Industry, UAE; H.E. Dr Maitha Salem Al Shamsi, Minister of State, UAE; H.E. Eng Mohammed Ahmed bin Abdul Aziz Al Shihhi, Undersecretary, Economic Affairs, Ministry of Economy, UAE; and H.E. Tariq Al Gurg, CEO, Dubai Cares, among others. The ABLF will also receive representation from 33 nations of Asia, including H.E. Dr Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al Rabiah, Minister of Health, KSA, and H.E. Dr Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Minister of Finance, Indonesia.

H.E. S Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs, Government of India, says, “The fact that India is the guest nation at the ABLF this year, reflects well on our growing relationship with the UAE… it is important for all the people in the world to come together and I am glad that ABLF is contributing to that effort in the world.”  

The ABLF pays tribute to the founding fathers of the UAE and India – H.H. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and Mahatma Gandhi. A stunning exhibition to be curated by the Four Seasons Ramesh Gallery showcasing rare paintings, artefacts and photographs of the two global icons of tolerance and inclusiveness will be showcased exclusively at the venue. The event will also feature the launch of issue 2 of the India-themed ABLF Magazine.

Through the years, the key personalities who have been part of the ABLF Network are H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Mother of the Nation, UAE; H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airlines and Group; H.E. Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Former Prime Minister, Malaysia; H.E. Reem Ebrahim Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation, UAE, and Director General, EXPO 2020 Dubai Bureau; H.E. Tariq Al Gurg, CEO, Dubai Cares; H.E. Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Cabinet Member and Minister of State, and CEO, ADNOC; H.E. Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Group CEO and Managing Director, Mubadala, and Chairman, Abu Dhabi Executive Affairs Authority; H.E. Mona Al Marri, Director General, Dubai Media Office; Ratan Tata, Chairman, Tata Trusts among others.