As project finance deals are experiencing unprecedented growth with about a total of $1 trillion worth of projects that are underway or in pipeline, Middle East is indeed emerging as a strategic global hub for project financing.

 

These spurring and exponential developments in each industrial segment of Middle East– Oil & Gas, Petrochemicals, Utilities, Metal & Mining and Infrastructure are substantial enough to place the region second only to China as a focus for project finance over the next years. The sheer scale and number of such projects has a profound effect on their finance and planning. As the business has transferred dramatically from past few decades, there seems to be no dearth for project finance opportunities and such prosperity is likely to continue at the same pace over next decade or longer.

On looking the market dynamism and following the overwhelming success of the conference over the last two years, this year, Fleming Gulf is proud to announce its 4^th Annual ME Project Finance Forum, scheduled for 26^th – 28^th May ’08 in  Abu Dhabi, UAE.

 

Hence, the event promises to be even bigger and spectacular this year with a 3 days highly focused program that is finely crafted in support of our distinguished panel of advisors who are expert leaders in regional and international project finance. The forum will provide a comprehensive platform to foster healthy discussions on key pressing issues and will give critical insights into project finance opportunities that the region has to offer and analysing the market potential. This high profile gathering will canvas latest mechanisms for financing complex transactions and outlook for next wave of Mega-deals thereby cementing and reinforcing status that conference acquired over the last three years.

 

It will certainly be the region’s foremost gathering of industry stakeholders, to not only build strong industry relationships but also harness and explore novel routes to project finance in the region.

Abdulla Al Fallaj, Vice President – Finance, Ma’aden

Meshaal Al Mahmoud, Senior Financial Analyst, Qatar Petroleum

Elena Palei, Acting Global Head Infrastructure, MIGA World Bank

Hoda Atia Moustafa, Counsel in the Legal & Claims Group, MIGA World Bank

Ali Khayrandish, Managing Director, Iran LNG

Abdul Mohsen Al Omran, Vice President – Business Affairs, Tasnee Petrochemicals

Fahad Saeed Al Raqbani, Senior Manager, Project & Corporate Finance & GM, Project finance in EMAL, Mubadala Development Company

Greg Fewer, Senior Advisor, Project & Corporate Finance, Mubadala Development Company

Fumio Hoshi, Senior Executive Director, Japan Bank for International Corporation

Christophe Mariot, Regional Head, ECEP, BNP Paribas

Peter Goodall, Managing Director, Head of Project Finance Paris / EMEA, Calyon -Crédit Agricole CIB

Olivier Musset, Managing Director, Deputy Head of Energy Project Finance EMEA, Société Générale Bank

Paul Eardley Taylor, Senior Vice President, Debt and Infrastructure, HSBC Africa

Dr. Hussain Hamid Hassan, President of Fatwa & Shari’a Supervision, Dubai Islamic Bank

Faisal Qadri, Associate Director, Project Export Finance, HSBC Saudi Arabia

Nicholas Grambas, Executive Director, Head of Macquarie Capital Funds, ADCB Macquarie

Dr. Ranald Spiers, CEO – MENA, International Power

Nicolas Thévenot, Head of Project Finance, APICORP

David Wadham, Partner, Ashurst

Nigel Reed, Head of Energy, Project Finance EMEA, Bayern LB

Christopher O’Gorman, Executive Director Head of Power and Infrastructure/ PFI, Mizuho Corporate Bank

Syed Sajjad Haider, Senior Manager – Corporate Finance, Al Tuwairqi Group of Companies

Mazen Matar, Project Director, Red Sea Gateway Terminal Company

C. Anthony Boon Jr., AD Advisory & Execution, (Former Advisor to Mubadala, Dolphin & Abu Dhabi Port Co.)

Patrick Campos, Senior Associate, King & Spalding LLP

Angus McFadden, Counsel – Global Transactions Group, King & Spalding LLP

Scott Samuel, Partner – Finance, King & Spalding LLP

Masood Afridi, Managing Partner, Afridi  & Angell

                  

Advisory Panel

 

Darren Davis, Head of Project & Export Finance, EMEA, HSBC

Irfan Said, Head of Project Finance, Samba Financial Group

Abdulla Al Musallam, Finance Manager, Qatar Petrochemical Company

Ebrahim Al Mannai, Senior Financial Advisor, Qatar Petroleum

Hafidh Al Harthy, Finance Manager & Secretary to Board of Directors, Qahlat LNG

Livio Mignano, Head of Oil & Gas Infrastructure, SACE Spa

Matouq Jannah, Vice President, Projects, SAFRACO

Nicholas Thevenot, Head of Project Finance, APICORP

Christophe Mariot, Regional Head, ECEP, BNP Paribas

Paul De Cordova, Managing Partner, Ashurst

Masood Afridi, Managing Partner, Afridi  & Angell

 

 

• Analyze the ripple impact of subprime contagion on project financing – changing facets?

• Insight on lucratively financing large scale mega projects amidst a volatile market infected by credit squeeze

• Outlook on new innovative structures and mechanism adopted to finance wave of mega projects in the region

• Examining ECA’s growing appetite for exposure in financing ME project : Gauging their role and importance

•Exploring growing opportunities of infrastructure finance in the region and accessing the emerging need/ role of PPP in infrastructure financing

• Emerging role of Islamic project finance and review of its unique characteristics

• Assessing the impact of capital cost inflation on project financing - no sign of abatement as EPC costs move higher

 

Representatives from government, ministries, State & private owned Oil, Gas & Petrochemical Companies, Mining Companies, Utility holdings, EPC giants, Investment & Commercial Banks, Islamic Banks, Project Finance Lawyers, Rating Companies, Export Credit Agency & Monoline Insurers