The Circuit Milken Edition
☀️ Good morning and welcome to The Circuit’s special coverage of the Milken Institute’s annual Middle East and Africa Summit. I’m Jonathan Ferziger, here with Omnia Al Desoukie at the St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort to offer some guidance through the thicket of news, banquets and buzz coming at you over the next two days in Abu Dhabi.
Up Front: Michael Milken will take the stage today right from the beginning, moderating the opening session at 9 a.m. on “Navigating a Changing Global Economy.” Anchoring the panel is Prince Turki Al Faisal, the former Saudi intelligence chief and Ambassador to the U.S., now Chairman of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies in Riyadh.
Curtain Call: Milken will also wrap up the conference in its final session tomorrow when he interviews Khaldoon Al Mubarak, CEO and Managing Director of the Mubadala sovereign wealth fund and a member of Abu Dhabi’s Executive Council. Al Mubarak is also Chairman of soccer clubs Manchester City, Melbourne City and Dubai City.
Late Addition: Just before the opening bell, it was announced that Dr. Jill Biden, First Lady of the United States, will drop by Saadiyat Island for a 20-minute conversation focusing on women’s health care, one of her main initiatives in the White House.
Wall Street Wizard: Investment bankers, hedge fund managers and bond traders always form the core of Milken Summits. Among those taking part in the Abu Dhabi edition are Guggenheim Partners’ Alan Schwartz, Golub Capital’s Lawrence Golub, Goldman Sachs’ Stephanie Rader, Eldridge Industries’ Todd Boelhy, TCW’s Katie Koch and Brightstar Capital’s Andrew Weinberg.
Lights, Camera: Hollywood has come to the Middle East in the person of actor Edward Norton, who will talk about “The Art of Storytelling” during a Milken Summit lunch discussion. Also appearing with him is Elie Saab Jr., CEO of Lebanese couture house ELIE SAAB.
Hush-Hush: While speakers on the main stage talk on-the-record in panel discussions that are live-streamed, much of the Milken Summit action takes place behind closed doors in sessions where participants expect that they won’t be quoted. Among the participants in an invite-only roundtable on sovereign wealth funds today is Samer Haj-Yehia, the former Executive Chairman of Bank Leumi, Israel’s largest bank, who was the only Arab chairman of a publicly traded Israeli company. He is now Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Nevo Investment and ExBorder Partners, and consults with businesses both in Israel and across the Middle East.
Innovation Finance: Kanika Singh, the Milken Institute’s Director of Innovative Finance and moderator of two panels, told The Circuit’s Omnia Al Desoukie that the organization is working with businesses and institutions in the region to “explore market failures and financing gaps that have economic or social consequences.” She said the Institute is working with partners to “address gaps across the spectrum, from investing in infrastructure, in emerging markets, renewable energy, water security, and developing green financing.”
Who, what, where: Keep track of all the conference’s panel sessions, lunch talks and evening receptions by downloading the Milken Events app on your mobile device. The “Matches” and “Business Card” features are especially useful to connect with fellow delegates listed in an alphabetical directory.
Heard Around Milken
Before today’s opening of the two-day Milken talkfest, early-arriving delegates mixed over drinks at the St. Regis’ Buddha Bar last night, chatting over light music from a DJ, with a view of the beach stretching along the Gulf coastline.
“For us, Milken is this perfect intersection of people who are in our industry, doing similar work,” said Tre’ Scott, Co-Founder of Folk Media Group, which is based in New York and London and invests in entertainment businesses. “But the best part of it is being around people who think differently from you, who see the world from a different angle and you start to collaborate.”
On Tap Today
9 a.m. – Opening Session: Navigating a Changing Global Economy. Moderator: Michael Milken; Saudi Prince Turki Al Faisal, King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies Chairman; Makhtar Diop, International Finance Corp. Managing Director; Mohamed Mansour, Man Capital Founder and Chairman; Alan Schwartz, Guggenheim Partners Executive Chairman.
9:55 a.m. – A conversation with Sheikh Shakhboot Nahyan, UAE Minister of State for African Affairs. Moderator: Emily Musil, Senior Director, Social Innovation, Philanthropy, Milken Institute.
10:15 a.m. – The Private Credit Playbook. Moderator: CAIA CEO William Kelly; PGIM Private Capital CEO Mathew Douglass; Sound Point Capital CEO Stephen Ketchum; Fortress Co-CEO Drew McKnight; Carmen Alonso, Patria Investments, CEO for Europe and Middle East.
11 a.m. – Asset Management: Vying for the Competitive Edge. Eldridge Industries CEO Todd Boehly; Golub Capital CEO Lawrence Golub; Barings Global Head of Public Assets Martin Horne; Mubadala Investment Co., Direct Investments Platform Deputy CEO Camilla Languille; Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Global Co-Head of Alternatives Capital Formation Stephanie Rader. Moderator: Michael Piwowar, Executive Vice President, Milken Insitute Finance.
12 noon – Game On: Unlocking the Social Impact of Sports – Red Bull Racing CEO Christian Horner and Wladimir Klitschko, Principal, Kliwa Family Office. Moderator: Melissa Stevens, Executive Vice President, Milken Institute Strategic Philanthropy.
12:30 p.m. – A conversation with Abu Dhabi Health Department Chairman Mansoor Al Mansoori on “Transforming Health Care for Tomorrow.” Moderator: James Bethell, Member of House of Lords, U.K. Parliament.
1:30 p.m. Lunch
1:45 p.m. A conversation with Harvard happiness researcher Arthur Brooks on “Global Prosperity.” Moderator: Conrad Kiechel, Executive Director, Global Programming and Events, Milken Institute.
2:15 p.m. Conversations with actor Edward Norton and Elie Saab Jr., CEO of Lebanese couture house ELIE SAAB, on “The Art of Storytelling.” Moderator: Louise Tabbiner, Senior Advisor, Middle East and North Africa, Milken Institute.
3:15 p.m. – Global Investment Outlook: Investing in a Shared Future. Moderator: Dan Murphy, Anchor and Correspondent, CNBC. Waleed Al Mokarrab Al Muhairi, Deputy Group CEO, Mubadala Investment Co.; Katie Koch, President and CEO, TCW; Tony Minella, Co-Founder and President, Eldridge Industries; Anne Walsh, Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer, Guggenheim Partners Investment Management.
4 p.m. – The Evolving Landscape of Private Markets. Moderator: Laura Merlini, CAIA Managing Director, EMEA. Panelists: Lauren Goodwin, Chief Market Strategist, New York Life Investments; Klaus Hommels, Founder and Chairman of Lakestar, and Chairman, NATO Innovation Fund; Scott Spielvogel, Managing Partner, One Rock; David Steinbach, Global Chief Investment Officer, Hines; Andrew Weinberg, Founder and CEO, Brightstar Capital Partners.
5 p.m. – A conversation with First Lady of the United States Dr. Jill Biden on how the U.S. approaches and funds research in women’s health.
5:20 p.m. – Credit Investors Taking the Reins. Moderator, Michael Piwowar, Executive Vice President, Milken Institute Finance; Sandeep Chandak, Managing Director, Elham Credit Partners; Michael Gross, Co-Founder, SLR Capital Partners; Zia Uddin, President, Monroe Capital; Orla Walsh, Managing Director, Europe Private Credit, Barings.
6: 15 p.m. MEA Summit Reception
7 p.m. Dinner Program
7:15 p.m. – A conversation on the Future of AI with Faisal Al Bannai, Advisor to the UAE President for Strategic Research and Advanced Technology Affairs; Secretary General, Advanced Technology Research Council. Moderator: Mina Al-Oraibi, Editor-in-Chief, The National.
8 p.m. – AI: A Multiplier or a Divider. Moderator: Nicole Valentine, Director, FinTech, Milken Institute. Panelists: Prem Akkaraju, CEO, Stability AI; Kate Kallot; Founder and CEO, Amini; Rohan Patel, Senior Vice President, Engineering, Builder.ai; Grant Verstandig, Founder, Chairman and CEO, Red Cell Partners.
8:45 p.m. – Musical Performance by Saudi opera singer Sawsan Albahiti.
