Ahmed Bin Sulayem

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 free zone in 2023 with 24,000+ 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 has been named the ‘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 across 87 towers. Mr Bin Sulayem also oversees the development of DMCC’s latest real estate project; the much-anticipated Uptown Dubai district.

Mr Bin Sulayem currently serves as the Chairman of 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 in November 2015. Shortly after, the UAE Ministry of Economy officially appointed Mr Bin Sulayem as the UAE’s Chair of the Kimberley Process for 2016.

H.E. Abdulla Saif Al Nuaimi

H.E. Abdulla Saif Al Nuaimi is an embodiment of exemplary Emirati talent. After completing several graduate courses in the United States, he joined the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) as Senior Analyst specializing in the US market. From 1992 to 1997, he was responsible of analyzing US companies for investment opportunities and preparing recommendations for selling and buying shares.

In 1997, Al Nuaimi was seconded to the Privatization Committee for the Water & Electricity Sector in the Abu Dhabi Emirate, taking on the role of Director of Independent Water and Power Producers Projects (IWPP). As part of his responsibilities, he became the first Emirati to preside over a unique UAE privatization enterprise that aims to produce water and electricity in one integrated project. His success with the project was recognized with a number of awards, including the MENA Energy Sector’s coveted Power Personality of the Year for 2014.

In 2011, he was appointed as Director General of the Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (ADWEA), where he continues to serve as an advisor till now. In deference to his expertise and leadership in the power and water sectors, he has been nominated as Chairman of the Board for many public and private enterprises including: the Abu Dhabi Distribution Company and Al Ain Distribution Company; the Abu Dhabi Transmission & Dispatch Company (TRANSCO); Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Company (ADWEC); Al Wathbah Central Services Company; and Taweelah Asia Power Company (TAPCO).

He served as Vice Chairman of the First Energy Bank; Abu Dhabi National Takaful Insurance Co. and Vice Chairman & CEO of The Abu Dhabi National Energy Company, TAQA.

In addition, Al Nuaimi has been a board member for Sohar Aluminium Company LLC; the Federal Electricity and Water Authority and Oman Insurance Company.

He was a member of the Follow-up UAE President’s Initiatives Committee until 2014 and President of the Canadian Emirati Businessmen Council.

Al Nuaimi was shortlisted for Abu Dhabi Excellence Award, administrative sector (2008/2009) and was awarded the UAE Prime Minister's Medal for the Best Ambassador within the sixth edition of the Mohammed bin Rashid Government Excellence Award ( March, 2022)

From November, 2016 till present, Al Nuaimi assumes the duty as the UAE Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Korea.

Hyunwoo Kim

Academic Career

- Master of Enterpreneurship, Chung-Ang University Graduate School (2005–2007)

- Bachelor of Economics, Kyung Hee University (1985–1991)

Awards

- Award for National Industrial Development through Venture Industry Promotion [Presidential Award (Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs, 2007)]

- Award for Achievement in Developing National Industries by Attracting Foreign Inward Investment [Prime Minister’s Award (Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs, 2004)]

Major Careers

- Chief Executive Officer of Seoul Business Agency (November 2, 2021 – Present)

- Professor of Kyung Hee University (2020–2021) –

CEO of Asia Economic TV (2017–2019)

- CEO of GB Boston Investment (2013–2016)

- CEO of Boston Investment (2004–2013)

Jonathan Jeon

EDUCATION

- Master of Science in Computer Science, KAIST (2001.02)

- Register KAIST History Portal Archive

HONORS & AWARDS·

- Awarded by the Minister of SMEs and Startups for the first time in the accelerator industry (2020)

- Presidential Award for the 20th Korea Software Awards Product Award (2019)

- Presidential Commendation of Merit for Venture Start-up Promotion (2019)

- Awarded by the Minister of SMEs and Startups (2019) for exemplary SMEs· Award from the Information and Communication Industry Promotion Agency (2018)

- Commendation of the Minister of Science and ICT for Distinguished Service in Software Industry Development (2018)

- Presidential Commendation for ICT Innovation (2015) - Young Entrepreneur Award – Young Leader Award for Prime Minister (2013)

- Commendation of the Director of Small and Medium Business (2012)

- Young Entrepreneurs Award (2012)

- Promising Information and Communication Enterprise Award (2003)

- Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Award for New Technology Evaluation (2002)

WORK EXPERIENCE

- Current CEO of CNT Tech (Since. 2003)

- Current Chairman of the Korea Accelerator Association

- Current guest professor of startup CEO course at Dongguk University

- Current Registered Director of Angel Investment Association

- Current Registered Director of the Venture Business Association

- Current Registered Director of the Korea YWCA Sponsor Association

- Current KAIST E*5 Mentor (Since. 2013)

- Adjunct professor at SogangUniversity's Graduate School

- Adjunct Professor at Dankook University Graduate School

- Chung-Ang University Graduate School of Industrial Start-up Management (2014-2020)

- an adjunct professor at Dongguk University's Center for Young Entrepreneurs

- Registered Director of Ulsan Creative Economy Innovation Center (2015-2018)

Chiara de Caro

Chiara de Caro is an entrepreneur, global advisor and investor with experience in building and scaling startups since her first company in 2007. She is the co-founder and managing partner of AGCC, a Dubai based accelerator that helps businesses to scale in global markets. Chiara is also a partner at Million Ventures, a Berlin-based venture studio focusing on building early startups from 0 to revenue stage.

Chiara’s track record includes the successful launch and expansion of three startups, among them a $60M funded Rocket Internet venture, which she helped scale across three continents. Her achievements as a founder have been recognized by media outlets such as Rai TG1, Rai News 24, Wired, Il Sole 24 Ore, and La Repubblica. Wired Magazine notably included her in their list of 10 Italians poised to shape the future of the country.

In addition, Chiara is actively involved with different Non-Profit Organizations, among them Rotary International and The Aspen Institute, underlining her commitment to community and global development. She is also an active angel investor, further demonstrating her dedication to fostering emerging businesses.

Born in Italy and raised in the US, Chiara has lived and worked across the world, giving her a comprehensive understanding of the global business landscape. This rich background informs her approach to business advice and investment, making her an invaluable asset to startups looking to navigate the complexities of international expansion.

Keon Jae Lee

Jong Kap Kim

Jongkap Kim is the President & CEO of the Global Digital Innovation Network (former Born2Global Centre), an independent foundation registered under the Ministry of Science and ICT of the Republic of Korea, with the objectives of building a global digital industry ecosystem, sourcing and accelerating innovative digital tech companies, and promoting global digital collaboration and market expansion.

Previously, he headed the Born2Global Centre as the Chief Executive Director for 8 years after having worked for over 20 years at Silicon Valley as the founding member and CEO of ETRI (Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute of Korea) Silicon Valley, and CEO of iPark Silicon Valley, a government agency for incubating tech entrepreneurs and businesses. During his time in Silicon Valley, he was responsible for developing, implementing, and managing business strategies for deep-tech companies and advising the Korean government on policies and new programs for the development of the deep-tech industry. In addition, he worked to create investment opportunities, partnerships and strategic alliances with U.S. channel partners. He himself is also an entrepreneur with multiple startups in the heart of Silicon Valley, Santa Clara. With expertise in technology startups and global ecosystem, he has supported over 3,000 startups penetrate the global market.

He has served in various committees and councils including as the Leader Group Mentor of the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, Global Advisory Member of the Mobile Convergence Technology Centre of Seoul City, Member of the Council for Seoul Creative Economy, and Member of the SW Cloud ride to the World TF of the Ministry of Science and Technology. He is currently a member of the Big Data Committee of Gyeonggi Province, Global SaaS Incubating Project Committee, ICT Internationalization Project Committee and National R&D Policy Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Science and ICT, and Personal Information Protection Commission.

He completed a Ph.D. course in Finance at Vanderbilt University and received an M.S. in Environmental Planning and Design from Seoul National University.

Belal Jassoma

Belal Jassoma is Director of Ecosystems at DMCC, the world’s leading business district and authority on international commodities trade and enterprise.

Belal joined DMCC in 2011 and has been instrumental in scaling up DMCC’s ecosystems and commercial offering, including new products, services and member engagement programmes. In his current capacity as Director for Ecosystems, Belal is responsible for developing key strategic relationships, partnerships and product functions as well as overseeing ecosystem development across several of DMCC’s industry verticals such as crypto, gaming, AI, energy and financial services.

Belal holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the American University of Sharjah and brings over 18 years of experience in real estate, investment, and government administration.

Young-Ju Koh

Dr. Youngjoo Ko is a principal researcher working at the office of global cooperation division in Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology which is government-funded research institute. He took Master degree in the field of chemistry in 1988 and PhD in STI Policy and Technology Management in the University of Manchester in 2006.

Since 2020, He has been working as a president of Asian Society for Innovation and Policy and as a member of Presidential Council for National Intellectual Property since 2020. He is now a member of R&D Strategy Committee of National Research Council of Science and Technology.

He was an adjunct professor of University of Science and Technology(UST) between 2009 and 2020 and now adjunct professor of Solbridge International School of Business. He was also a first president of Daejeon Institute of S&T for Enterprise and People which is a regional innovation think-tank funded by Daejeon Metropolitan City for the last three years from Sep. 2020 to Sep.2023. He has worked for the development of STI policy including technology commercialization and international cooperation particularly in the field of Government and Public sector not only as members of so many committees and directors of KRICT for the last more than 15 years. He is currently very much interested in not only transfer and commercialization of technologies produced in KRICT and other public research institutes but also global technology business cooperation especially with many Asian countries and regional innovation.

Wonjo Jung

Mr. Wonjo Jung, leader of NAVER LABS’ Digital Twin group, is responsible for NAVER’s digital twin technology. He is driving research on the technologies for future spaces, leading the development of original technology that allows the building of city-level digital twin data utilizing aerial photography, AI, and mobile mapping systems.

While digitizing large metropolitan areas including Seoul, South Korea and Tokyo, Japan, he is creating technologies that connect various services required for cities, such as smart cities, urban water management, service robots, autonomous mobility, real estate, and street-level traffic information. Starting with the 2023 digital twin creation project of major cities in Saudi Arabia, he is currently focusing on developing tech platforms, on which digital infrastructure for a variety of future cities can be established.

Jemma Jeon

Jemma Jeon is an entrepreneur, investor and Korean government expert member with a focus on global commercialization. At the age of 22, she embarked on her first global venture, founding a business in Australia, marking the beginning of her career to enter global markets. Her role at KAIST, a leading science and technology institute in South Korea, saw her facilitate the entry of Korean technology-based SMEs into international markets. Through a comprehensive support program, she was responsible for technology transfer and global expansion, particularly in North America and Europe, setting a new benchmark for cross-border innovation and collaboration.

Driven by a passion for global business development, Jemma later established her next company that specialized in the global localization of startups as well as medium to large enterprises. For instance, Jemma brought KAIST’s technologies to a village in Mandalay in Myanmar, and based on her experience running an energy self-reliant village project, she was able to carry out further projects to find and match Korean technologies and business items with Southeast Asian public and private corporations. Jemma’s influence extended to the creation of strategic global expansion programs, leveraging her extensive network and partnerships with key startups ecosystems incl. government agencies and universities across Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, and more. Furthermore, as Partner and CSO of the global accelerator, Company A, Jemma led to the creation of a growing investment portfolio, encompassing over 30 investments and facilitating numerous global market entries.

Currently, appointed as an expert member of the Sejong Special Governing City Working Committee and an advisory member for Sejong City’s future strategy under the leadership of the Prime Minister of South Korea, Jemma contributes her expertise to policy-making on economic growth, startups, and investment for the Sejong City region. Her ambition is not only to elevate Korea’s global stature but also to illuminate the path for promising Korean technologies and companies to achieve worldwide recognition.

Mun Hyuk Kwon

- General Manager, Water Resources Operation Dept.

- University of Bristol, Ph.D. in Civil ENG

- He operates Digital Twin Project with NAVER in Saudi and completed papers, <Establishment of a digital twin-based dam, basin, and river One System platform>, <Development of a smart water management platform> based on digital twin technology using digital twin technology at K Water

Ryu Chang Wan

Professor Ryoo Chang-Wan graduated from Hanyang University and obtained his master's and doctorate degrees from the graduate school of the same university.

After working for 10 years in international telecommunication service marketing and overseas business at DACOM, he started a venture company as an in-house venture and worked as a CEO for about 10 years, experiencing most of the processes of the start-up ecosystem, including attracting investment, listing on KOSDAQ, mergers and acquisitions, and selling management rights. Hoping that these 20 years of field experience and practical wisdom will grow into the entrepreneurship spirit of young people, he took up a position as a professor at his alma mater and has been teaching younger students for 15 years.

In 2009, he was appointed as the first center director of Hanyang University's Entrepreneurship Center (currently Hanyang Institute for Entrepreneurship), which was established for the first time at a domestic university, and established a Korean-style university start-up education system and opened more than 30 start-up courses for students, which was in itself a manifestation of the entrepreneurial spirit. These days, as the university has established itself as a leading university for start-ups that produces the most venture entrepreneurs and student founders for five consecutive years, new resolutions are being made as it seems that the fruits of his guidance have been paid off.

He served as an executive of the Venture Business Association, Innobiz Association, and Internet Business Association, was awarded the Bronze Medal Order of Industrial Service Merit for his e-commerce activation in 2006, and was awarded the Presidential Commendation in 2016 for the Promotion of Startup Merit. He is currently serving as a professor in the School of Interdisciplinary Industrial  Studies at Hanyang University, and is the head of the Hanyang Institute for Entrepreneurship, which oversees university startups. He is also the head of the Entrepreneurship Centered University Business Unit of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, and the head of the Seoul Campus Town Business Unit.