9:30AM - 12:30PM
Join us for a private business gathering connecting selected Southeast Asian companies with Dubai’s business community and DMCC’s specialised ecosystems.
DMCC, in partnership with the ASEAN Business Councils of Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore and the Philippines, will host this exclusive event, bringing together ambassadors, business council representatives and specially invited member companies from five key Southeast Asian markets for a focused discussion on business expansion through Dubai.
As trade and investment ties between the UAE and Southeast Asia continue to strengthen, the session will explore how companies from the region can use Dubai and DMCC as a strategic base for market access, sector connectivity and regional and global growth.
Panellists:
Access world-class processing, storage, tea blending, and packaging facilities, along with valuable networking opportunities.
The DMCC Tea Centre is a purpose-built facility supporting the global tea trade, with the capacity to handle over 43,000 tonnes of tea annually. Located next to one of the region’s largest ports, the centre offers end-to-end capabilities, including:
Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer,
DMCC
Ahmed Bin Sulayem is the Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of DMCC and has driven its growth from a start-up of 28 member companies in 2003 to the world’s leading international business district in 2025 with over 25,000 member companies from 180 countries, employing over 80,000 people.
Tasked with enhancing commodity trade flows through Dubai, DMCC has introduced to the market a number of value-added products and services under Mr Bin Sulayem’s leadership. In 2023, DMCC was named ‘Global Free Zone of the Year’ by The Financial Times fDi Magazine, for a record ninth consecutive year.
Mr Bin Sulayem oversaw the exponential growth of the DMCC Free Zone master development in Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT), a 200-hectare business and residential community in Dubai of over 100,000 people living and working in 87 towers. Mr Bin Sulayem also oversees the development of DMCC’s latest real estate project, the Uptown Dubai district.
Mr Bin Sulayem currently serves as the Chairman the Dubai Diamond Exchange (DDE) and the Dubai Gold & Commodities Exchange (DGCX).
The Kimberley Process officially appointed the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as the first and only Arab country to Chair the Kimberley Process (KP) in November 2015. Shortly after, the UAE Ministry of Economy officially appointed Mr Bin Sulayem as the UAE’s Chair of the KP for 2016. Mr Bin Sulayem was reappointed Chair of the KP for a historic second time in 2024, and has continued his leadership role with the position of Custodian Chair in 2025.
Chairman,
Malaysian Business Council in the UAE
Owner & Managing Director,
Multiline Design & Contracting LLC
With an impressive career of more than 30 years in Dubai, she established herself as a seasoned Entrepreneur with a diverse skill set of fields.
Her professional journey has been characterised by success and innovation across multiple industries. Either in Architecture or Interior Design field, her creative vision brought countless spaces to life, blending functionality and aesthetic impeccably in different parts of the world. She brought innovative projects to life, redefining urban living and commercial spaces.
At the same time, her journey as a restaurateur has added flavor to Dubai’s culinary scene, delighting patrons with a unique dining experience. And became the Vice Chairman of LFBE “League of Food & Beverage Entrepreneurs” a sub-committee of Philippines Business Council.
Beyond her business endeavors, she also serves the Philippine business community as the Chairwoman of the Philippine Business Council, Dubai & Northern Emirates which is acknowledged by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry.
This commitment to excellence in every field that she pursued has earned her numerous nominations and award as an ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ given by the Philippine government offices and private organizations in the UAE.
With a passion for creativity, business acumen and community engagement, she continues to make a meaningful impact on Dubai’s vibrant setting.
Chairman,
Vietnamese Business Council in the UAE
Harry Nguyen Thanh Tuan is Chairman of the Vietnamese Business Council in the UAE and the former Managing Director of FPT Software Middle East and Africa. With over a decade of experience in technology, trade, and cross-border business development, he is dedicated to strengthening economic and cultural ties between Vietnam and the Gulf region.
At SmartOSC, Harry leads the company’s regional growth strategy, helped enterprises in the UAE and GCC accelerate their digital transformation journeys through scalable IT solutions and innovative technologies. His leadership has enabled organisations to embrace change, improve efficiency, and unlock new opportunities in competitive markets.
Beyond his corporate role, Harry plays an active part in international business communities. As Chairman of the Vietnamese Business Council in the UAE, he champions initiatives that promote bilateral trade, investment, and collaboration, positioning Vietnam as a strategic partner in the Middle East.
Harry’s unique perspective—combining hands-on technology expertise with diplomatic business engagement—makes him a trusted voice on the future of trade and innovation across Asia and the Middle East.
Chairman,
Indonesian Business Council of Dubai
Dian F Suzabar is an Executive Leader with more than 21 years of international banking leadership experience, specialising in market entry, international expansion, government & regulatory affairs, corporate governance, and Islamic finance across Southeast Asia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
Throughout his career, he has been entrusted with assignments requiring strategic leadership, institutional development, and regulatory engagement in highly regulated environments.
Most recently, he served as Senior Executive Officer of PT Bank Syariah Indonesia's Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Branch, where he led the establishment of the first Indonesian banking presence in the Middle East while strengthening relationships with regulators, governments, institutional partners, and key stakeholders across the UAE. He also played a leadership role in initiatives supporting the bank's strategic expansion into Saudi Arabia.
Previously, Dian has served as Group Head Corporate Secretary of Bank Syariah Mandiri, advising Boards of Directors and Commissioners on governance, corporate actions, shareholder relations, regulatory affairs, and institutional strategy.
Across every leadership assignment, his focus has remained consistent:
*Building institutions
*Leading strategic expansion
*Strengthening governance
*Creating trusted partnerships
His expertise includes:
* International Banking
* Market Entry & Expansion
* Government & Regulatory Affairs
* Corporate Governance
* Strategic Partnerships
* Public Policy
* Executive Advisory
* Business Development
* Islamic Finance
* Cross-border Strategy
* Executive Stakeholder Management
Founder & CEO,
Feesable Technologies
Data Infrastructure and AI leader with experience across banking, fintech, insurance, and several notable tech companies. Founder of an AI-native Treasury and Debt Capital Management software company, backed by 500 Global and Sanabil Investments.
Key Strengths:
• Technical Expertise: Built and deployed production-grade machine learning and AI models for several use cases including pricing and incentives, hyper-personalized offers, product recommendations, and credit decisioning.
Built and led the data practice since launch till unicorn at Tamara Pay, Saudi’s first fintech unicorn, growing team from zero to 30+ data analysts, scientists, and engineers.
Business and GTM expertise: Strong core hands-on programming and technical skills paired with business acumen and communication skills for non-technical audiences. Built effective teams and products to scale.
Running an AI-native enterprise software company that builds Treasury and Debt Capital Management software for private credit funds, fintech lenders, and NBFIs across the GCC and Southeast Asia. Backed by 500 Global and Sanabil Investments.
As part of being AI-native, we built a company knowledge engine that supports vector embeddings and semantic search through an MCP tool. The knowledge graph stores both business and technical information about everything in Feesable. Benchmarks show between 81-97% token savings on agentic data and knowledge retrieval costs.
Senior Manager - Corporate Sales,
DMCC
Bassel Bitar is the Senior Manager, Corporate Sales at DMCC, the world’s leading Free Zone and Government of Dubai Authority on commodities trade and enterprise.
Joining DMCC as a Team Leader in 2015, Bassel is responsible for promoting the benefits of doing business in Dubai and setting up companies in DMCC.
Prior to joining DMCC, Bassel held senior sales positions at both Etisalat Telecom and Emirates NBD in Dubai.
Bassel earned a Bachelor of Business administration degree in Hotel Management and tourism from the National American University in 2002.
Malaysia
Precious metals and jewellery, FMCG and foodstuff trading, infrastructure investment and sustainable technology
Singapore
Fintech and digital assets, commodity trading houses, innovation, AI ecosystems and professional services
Financial technology, agri-commodities, green energy and IT/software solutions
Ahmed Bin Sulayem
Executive Chairman & CEO, DMCC
Moderator:
Bassel Bitar
Senior Manager - Corporate Sales, DMCC
Panellists:
Fahmy Ansara Dahalan
Chairman, Malaysian Business Council in the UAE
Evangeline M. Monjardin
Owner & Managing Director, Multiline Design & Contracting LLC
Harry Nguyen
Chairman, Vietnamese Business Council in the UAE
Dian F Suzabar
Chairman, Indonesian Business Council of Dubai
Ali Yaakub
Founder & CEO, Feesable Technologies
For more information about this event