One Marylebone, London
10 June 2026
9:00AM - 12:00PM
.gif?width=600&height=337&name=Discover%20The%20Future%20of%20Trade%20Report%202024%20-%20DMCC%20Authority%20(1080p).gif "Discover The Future of Trade Report 2024 - DMCC Authority (1080p)")
Explore the key forces shaping global trade – including the collapse of rules-based multilateralism, the rise of trade blocs, and the new geography of supply chains
Understand how South-South trade, middle powers, and shifting corridors are creating new winners, and why the UAE continues to scale among the world's top trade and investment destinations
Assess how AI has moved from experimentation to operational scale and what the widening gap between early movers and laggards means for competitive positioning
Examine the future of trade finance, digital infrastructure, and cross-border settlement as stablecoins, tokenisation and CBDCs reshape the landscape
Gain perspectives from senior government and industry stakeholders
Senior decision-makers
Policymakers
Business leaders
Investors
Trade professionals
Industry stakeholders
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Ahmed Bin Sulayem
Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer,
DMCC
Speaker Profile
Ahmed Bin Sulayem
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 26,000 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.
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Feryal Ahmadi
Deputy CEO and Chief Operating Officer,
DMCC
Speaker Profile
Feryal Ahmadi
Deputy CEO and Chief Operating Officer,DMCC
Feryal Ahmadi serves as the Deputy CEO and Chief Operating Officer of DMCC, playing a pivotal role in cementing its status as the world’s leading authority on international commodities trade and enterprise.
With two decades’ experience, Feryal oversees DMCC’s long-term strategic growth, driving corporate governance excellence and fostering initiatives that amplify global trade flows through Dubai. She has been instrumental in shaping and managing the development of DMCC’s flagship Uptown Dubai and Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT) business districts, as well as spearheading the innovative DMCC Smart and Sustainable District Strategy.
As an official DMCC spokesperson, Feryal represents DMCC on global platforms, engaging with local and international media to elevate the organisation’s profile and champion Dubai’s thought leadership credentials on the world stage. Her influence has earned her repeated recognition in Forbes Middle East’s Top 100 Most Powerful Businesswomen, and she was named one of Arabian Business’s Top 100 Most Inspiring Women in 2025.
As a vocal advocate for sustainability, inclusivity, and women in leadership, Feryal is a member of the Women Empowerment Principles (WEPs) committee, established by UN Global Compact and UN Women. She leads DMCC’s comprehensive sustainability programmes and actively contributes to a number of semi-governmental boards across the UAE.
Feryal holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the American University of Sharjah and an Executive MBA from Harvard University.
Jennifer DJ Nordquist
Deputy Director-General,
World Trade Organization
Speaker Profile
Jennifer DJ Nordquist
Deputy Director-General,World Trade Organization
Ms Jennifer DJ Nordquist became Deputy Director-General of the World Trade Organization in October 2025. She brings to the WTO more than 30 years of experience in economics and public policy.
Before joining the WTO, Ms Nordquist was Counsellor at the Council of Economic Advisers in the Executive Office of the President of the United States. Prior to that, she was Executive Vice President of the Economic Innovation Group, served on corporate and non-profit boards, and was a senior fellow or adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Special Competitive Studies Project, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and several other think tanks. Her previous senior leadership positions include serving as Executive Director for the United States at the World Bank Group, for which she was unanimously confirmed by the US Senate; Chief of Staff for the Economic Studies program at the Brookings Institution; Assistant Secretary (delegated authority) at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; Senior Advisor in the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding; Deputy Chief of Staff at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; and Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Education. She also worked in the private sector in France, Sweden, and Thailand, and began her career on Capitol Hill.
Ms Nordquist holds a B.A. from Stanford University and an M.S. from Northwestern University.
Jack Hampson
Senior Director, CX AI,
Cisco
Speaker Profile
Jack Hampson
Senior Director, CX AI,Cisco
Jack leads Cisco’s global AI Advisory team in CX for Line of Business. His focus is supporting customers adopt AI properly across their organisations, with an emphasis on high-value, secure, safe, and trustworthy use cases that deliver sustainable results.
Jack was formerly the CEO and Founder of Deeper Insights, a Forbes Top 10 AI consultancy that he ran for 10 years before it was acquired by Cisco. Leading a team of passionate data and AI experts, his team designed and implemented custom AI solutions for government agencies, enterprises, and third-sector clients starting in 2014. Along the way, his team won many awards, were listed at the top of leading business directories, and essentially created the playbook for how to do AI consulting.
With over 10 years of experience in the fields of Generative AI, Agentic AI and Machine Learning. Jack brings execution and strategy experience ranging from building AI to managing global teams. He has built Data Science and Engineering teams in the UK and nearshore, and has deployed production-ready Artificial Intelligence solutions for enterprises and scale-ups, delivering cloud-based, hybrid, and on-prem AI solutions at scale.
Prior to that, Jack built and exited a consumer software app business and a successful consumer electronics business operating in Asia, Europe, and the USA. In these roles, he gained experience designing and manufacturing products, managing supply chains in Asia, and building European and US sales channels via distribution partners and a direct-to-consumer e-commerce business.
Jack has also worked in an advisory role for the UK Government's Department for Business & Trade, where he helped to source, verify, and mentor passionate deep-tech founders looking to build their businesses from the UK. He is passionate about the environment and extremely conscious of technology and AI's increasing demand for energy. Jack currently leads the UK&I Green Team as Executive Sponsor at Cisco, and he would love to work with other organisations to tackle this growing issue.
Michael Lawrence
Chief Executive,
Asia House
Speaker Profile
Michael Lawrence
Chief Executive,Asia House
Michael Lawrence leads the Asia House team in delivering business and market intelligence to some of the world’s biggest companies and governments in Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
Michael was appointed Chief Executive in September 2012 after a distinguished career as a journalist, editor and executive in international media. He has developed Asia House into the premier UK-based institution on Asia and the Middle East, chairing high-level dialogues between senior political figures and multinational businesses.
Michael is in regular conversations with global leaders in foreign affairs, finance, trade, technology and national development, and can offer valuable perspectives on how to navigate the intersection between economic, security and political issues.
Prior to joining Asia House, Michael spent 18 years at Reuters (later Thomson Reuters), the international news and financial information organisation, where he held several senior positions including Global Editor (2006-2012). In his roles at Reuters, Michael was on the frontline of all major international news events as they evolved over more than 30 years.
Michael was awarded an OBE in the King’s 2023 New Year Honours list for his services to international relations between the UK and Asia.
Mallika Ishwaran
Chief Economist,
Shell
Speaker Profile
Mallika Ishwaran
Chief Economist,Shell
Mallika is Shell’s Chief Economist. She advises on macroeconomic issues, economic trends, and related policy matters to shape Shell’s long-term scenario outlooks. She leads strategic engagements on energy transitions with national and city governments across the world, notably a multi-year collaboration with the Chinese government. Mallika also advises on Shell’s strategic policy and advocacy approach to support the company’s energy transition strategy. She sits on a range of external advisory boards.
Prior to joining Shell, she was Deputy Director at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs responsible for evidence and analysis across the environment, food, and green economy portfolio. She has held senior positions across the UK government, including at the Cabinet Office as Head of Policy Analysis for the 2009 G20 London Summit. Before that, Mallika worked in senior economics and policy roles in the USA.
Mallika holds Ph.D. and M.S degrees from Carnegie Mellon University, and a B.A. from St. Stephen's College, Delhi University.
Dr. Helen Belopolsky
Global Head of Geopolitical Research,
Deutsche Bank
Speaker Profile
Dr. Helen Belopolsky
Global Head of Geopolitical Research,Deutsche Bank
Dr. Helen Belopolsky is the Global Head of Geopolitical Research for Deutsche Bank. Helen is a leading expert with an international reputation at the nexus of geopolitics and business, having advised the c-suites and Boards of some of the largest multinationals, sovereign wealth funds and financial institutions globally.
She holds a DPhil in International Relations from the University of Oxford, a Master’s degree from Carleton University in Ottawa, and an Honours Bachelor's degree from McGill University in Montreal. She has over 20 years of experience across financial services and in government as a senior advisor to Canada's Prime Minister and National Security Advisor, as well as U.S. military officials. She has worked in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, and has deployed to Afghanistan and Russia.
Madelaine Tuininga
Minister Counsellor and Head of Economic and Trade Affairs
Speaker Profile
Madelaine Tuininga
Minister Counsellor and Head of Economic and Trade AffairsMadelaine Tuininga currently works at the EU delegation to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland as Minister Counsellor and Head of Economic and Trade Affairs. Between 2007 and 2024, she held various management positions in the Directorate-General for Trade of the European Commission. Areas included the trade and sustainable development agenda (labour, environment, climate, human rights, responsible business conduct) in autonomous (EU measures), unilateral (Generalised System of Preferences), bilateral (free trade agreements) and multilateral setting (World Trade Organisation, OECD, G20, G7); trade defence investigations; market access; and industrial sectors, raw materials and energy covering policy development, market access activities, negotiation and implementation of the trade agenda in these areas.
She was coordinator and market access negotiator for free trade agreements with Mexico, Chile and Mercosur (1998-2003) and for WTO accessions (Russia) (2004-2006). Before joining the Commission (1995-1998), she worked at the Ministry of Economic Affairs in the Netherlands where she was policy officer for the US and Canada and for some WTO dossiers (intellectual property and government procurement). Madelaine Tuininga holds a law degree from the University of Amsterdam.
Nina Skero
Chief Executive,
Centre for Economics and Business Research
Speaker Profile
Nina Skero
Chief Executive,Centre for Economics and Business Research
Nina is the Chief Executive of Cebr, a leading economics consultancy based in London. Prior to her current role, she served as head of Cebr’s Forecasting and Thought Leadership team.
She is a prominent voice in the economics space, regularly speaking at global conferences, appearing on BBC News, Bloomberg TV, Al Jazeera and CNBC, and being quoted by The Times, Financial Times, The Guardian and City A.M.
She is also a participant in the Bank of England’s and the HM Treasury’s polls of leading economists and has given evidence to the House of Commons Treasury Committee on various occasions.
In 2025 she was appointed as a Trustee at the National Centre for Social Research, the UK’s largest independent social research organisation.
Before joining Cebr, Nina worked as an analyst conducting demand forecasting. She graduated summa cum laude from Babson College in Massachusetts and holds an MSc from the London School of Economics.