With the participation of leading bankers and investment professionals from around the world, Al Masa Capital, the UAE's leading alternative asset manager, concluded its annual investor conference held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in the Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC). The event featured presentations and panel discussions to highlight the key issues and questions facing the region's real estate, healthcare, and consumer-based industries, as well as the overall economic climate in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

The event was held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in the Dubai International Financial Center.

A clear vision of the regional economic scenario

In his opening remarks, Mr. Shailesh Dash, CEO of Al Masa Capital, said: “It was an honor to have such an elite group of banking experts at our events and panel discussions, and we are very pleased with the success of the sixth edition of the Annual Investor Forum.”

In his opening remarks, Mr. Shailesh Dash, CEO of Al Masa Capital, said: “It was an honor to have such an elite group of banking experts at our events and panel discussions. <Dash added: ”The deep insights, market knowledge, studies and unique perspectives of our speakers reflected their expertise and knowledge to enrich the forum and maximize the benefit of the participants. We are pleased to have provided our guests with a clear vision and unparalleled understanding of the regional economic scenario, which will help investors looking at potential future investment directions for the various industries we cover." Dash added: "I would like to thank everyone who participated in the forum and all those who contributed to the success of this prestigious event."

Dash added.

Positive growth through diversification

<Akbar Naqvi, Executive Director at Al Masa Capital, presented the state of regional economies and the outlook for their future prospects. He stated that there is a need to change the heavy reliance on the oil sector and a great need to diversify non-oil economies to ensure positive growth. In order to maintain a strong economy with stable and distinct performance even in a volatile market, the Middle East needs to invest outside the oil sector, as non-oil GDP is growing faster, while countries like Saudi Arabia and UAE are doing well.

The importance of real estate asset management

<Discussing real estate asset management services and their importance in the growth of regional markets, a panel discussion featuring Nicholas McLean (Managing Director, CB Richard Ellis Middle East), Greg Ward (Managing Director, Transguard Group), Philip Atkinson (Corporate Finance Partner, Grant Thornton), Stephen Flanagan (Partner and Head of Valuation, Knight Frank MENA) and Ryan Vansa (Head of Real Estate, Al Masa Capital) reviewed the GCC real estate sector as one of the fastest growing sectors in the world. Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Doha have been at the forefront of the region's real estate landscape due to numerous international projects, investment flows and a growing population. In addition, Dubai's Expo 2020 and Doha's 2022 FIFA World Cup will mainly support the demand for exclusively designed facilities and spaces with world-class luxury infrastructure. Overall, the real estate sector's performance has been stable despite oil price fluctuations, and the dynamic sector is likely to be resilient, registering further growth and offering many promising opportunities for real estate asset management service providers. The panel discussion also highlighted regional governments' attempts to invest in equities and funds to move the region's development away from the oil economy.

The real estate sector is stable despite oil price fluctuations.

Healthcare Services Sector Workshop

The conference included a panel discussion on the GCC healthcare services sector and its current role in providing attractive investment opportunities. Senior executives from the world's leading banking and financial institutions participated in the panel discussion, including Dheeraj Joshi (Partner, Head of Healthcare Strategy, PricewaterhouseCoopers Middle East), Dheeraj Joshi (Partner and Head of Healthcare Strategy, PricewaterhouseCoopers Middle East) Pervaiz Akhtar (Regional Managing Partner and Head of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer Middle East), Kevin Gallagher (Managing Director and Head of Healthcare Investment Banking at Citibank) and Amitava Ghosal (Board Member and CEO of Avivo Group) discussed the challenges and benefits of investing in the healthcare sector. The panel discussion was a lively exchange of ideas and insights on encouraging governments to engage the private sector in the industry. The role of governments as regulators and observers has positively complemented the health services industry. The panelists emphasized that investors see opportunities in the region's health services sector and that it has the potential to deliver strong returns. The region's healthcare sector has seen continued growth, with 2016 being a good indicator, with 90% of healthcare portfolios growing and some achieving growth rates ranging from 16%-17% in terms of revenues. Amitava Ghosal concluded the discussion by noting that the healthcare sector represents a promising opportunity for investment in the region.