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The Third Virtual Conclave of the Asian Business Leadership Forum (ABLF), Asia’s most influential leadership platform, saw industry leaders and influential policy makers converge virtually to discuss the urgent need to find innovative solutions to navigate the post pandemic journey into the next decade. Part of the 12-event series, the third edition, was held on December 7, 2020 at the innovative virtual venue, The ABLF City.

The conclave – spread across 12 months until December 2021 – featured some of the most admired leaders from the UAE, the UK, India and Hong Kong including H.E. MansoorAbulhoul(Ambassador, Embassy of the UAE to the United Kingdom; DrWeijian Shan, Group Chairman and CEO, PAG Group, Hong Kong and Best-selling Author; G.P. Hinduja, Co-Chairman, Hinduja Group; and Chairman, Hinduja Automotive Limited, UK; Feryal Ahmadi, COO, DMCC, UAE; Dr Sangita Reddy, President, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industries (FICCI); and Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals Enterprises; and Zohra Khan, Global Policy Advisor, UN Women.

Themed ‘Innovative strategies for a decade of challenges – Asia 2020-2030’, the event touched upon important topics of disruption, determination and commitment with the speakers sharing valuable insights about the collective recovery of the Asian economy during these unprecedented times.

Dr Weijian Shan, Investor and Best-selling Author spoke about his latest book ‘Money Games: The Inside Story of How American Dealmakers Saved Korea’s Most Iconic Bank’, demystifying the role of private equity players in the economy. He also shared his views on how China had managed to stage a recovery in these uncertain times. “China will be the only country to register positive growth in the coming year. The same cannot be said about the other economies in the world,” he said.

Healthcare industry leader Dr Sangita Reddy highlighted the measures taken by governments across the world and the Indian government in particular as they began the long road towards economic stability. She said, “For growth, the overall adoption of digitisation is key. Countries need to do all they can to not just flatten the curve but bend it altogether.”

Feryal Ahmadi, COO, DMCC, UAE focused on the UAE’s strategies to remain the leader of the global trading hub despite the uncertainties around. She said, “The UAE has established itself as the global trading hub and what underpins these are the key focus on leadership, digitisation, regulation and sustainability.”

In his session, H.E. MansoorAbulhoul, Ambassador of the UAE to the UK, highlighted the deep ties between the two countries bolstered by the recent UAE-UK travel corridor and the impact of the historical Abraham accord. He said, “The Abraham Accord was born out of the result of a much-needed strategic shift encompassing a powerful message. It has been much appreciated in the UK and much of Europe.”

Zohra Khan, Global Policy Advisor, UN Women revealed some startling facts on the impact of the pandemic on gender equality and gender parity, resulting in countries needing to reprioritise their measures to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. She said, “The SDGs need not be redesigned but there is a definite and more urgent need to act on them.”

UK-based tycoon G.P. Hinduja focused on the need for businesses to adopt a more humane approach to battle the many challenges resulting from the pandemic with cyber security and investment in renewable energies being the key. He said, “Businesses need to diversify, you need to look beyond your sector and geography, and you also need to think about benefits to society.”

The Third Conclave of the ABLF Talks Live threw up several suggestions by the speakers for governments and industries to adopt and adapt as the world heads towards a brand new era post the pandemic.

Malini N. Menon, President, ABLF Executive Council, said: “The Third Conclave of ABLF Talks Live touched important and very relevant topics of our times. Experts and some of the brightest brains of the continent shared some workable solutions that I am sure are going to play a big role in shaping how the economies around the world recover from the challenges that the pandemic has brought about. “We are immensely proud of this UAE-born leadership platform that continues to encourage knowledge-led conversations and facilitate collaborative ventures.”

The next edition of the ABLF Virtual Conclave Series will be held on January 18, 2021 with a new line-up of leaders from across the world engaging in impactful conversations.

The ABLF Talks Live was supported by our partners Etisalat, Aster DM Healthcare, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), Cicero &Bernay Public Relations, CNBC Arabia, Entrepreneur Middle East and MAA and Partners.