The Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) has announced the celebration of MultaQa Qatar’s 10th anniversary. Over the years, the conference has firmly established itself as the flagship platform of the risk and insurance industry in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena), said QFC chief executive Yousuf Mohamed al-Jaida.
He said since 2007, senior insurance executives and leading experts come to Doha and debate for two days the trends and developments, which currently dominate their agenda.
“It fills us with pride to host the Mena insurance and reinsurance industry for the 10th consecutive time,” al-Jaida said. “We initiated the conference because insurance and reinsurance are essential ingredients for economic and societal progress, in particular in an emerging market like the Mena region.
“Looking back over the past years, MultaQa Qatar has certainly contributed to raising awareness of the benefits of insurance and reinsurance in our region. It has also demonstrated to the industry our region’s potential for their growth and development.”
Al-Jaida said MultaQa Qatar’s recipe for success rests on the combination of first-rate thought-leading conference proceedings, an impressive speaker lineup of industry leading experts and senior executives and, finally, premium meeting facilities, which enable delegates to discuss and negotiate business matters. Resultantly, MultaQa Qatar has grown from about 80 delegates in 2007 to more than 700 participants from more than 30 countries in 2015.
This year’s two-day conference starting tomorrow, will be hosted by the Qatar Central Bank and the QFC, and opened with two keynote addresses from HE the Minister of Finance Ali Sherif al-Emadi, who is also QFC chairman, and HE the Qatar Central Bank Governor Sheikh Abdullah bin Saoud al-Thani. The international industry keynote address will be delivered by Anna Maria D’Hulster, secretary general and managing director of the global insurance industry’s leading think tank, the Geneva Association.
As in prior years, the keynotes are followed by an executive panel. Moderated by Dr Kai-Uwe Schanz, chairman of MultaQa Qatar since 2008; Ali al-Falada, senior deputy CEO & Group president of QIC; Michael Jensen, managing director Mena of AIG; Romel Tabaja, deputy CEO of Trust Re; and David Watson, CEO Reinsurance EMEA of XL Catlin will discuss the accelerating pace of internationalisation of some of the region’s re/insurers and its implications.
On the occasion, the QFC also will launch the 2016 Mena Insurance Barometer, an annual survey based on in-depth interviews with senior executives of regional and international (re)insurance companies and intermediaries, reflecting on the current state and near-term prospects of the $50bn Mena insurance markets.
According to this year’s Barometer, the Mena insurance markets continue to demonstrate their resilience despite the current economic slowdown in the region.
Guests and other dignitaries during the previous MultaQa Qatar conference. The event has grown from about 80 delegates in 2007 to more than 700 from more than 30 countries in 2015.
