Pittsburgh Middle East Institute Annual Conference to Feature Henry Kissinger and Top Government Officials from Saudi Arabia and Oman Oct. 26 - Special Pricing for GlobalPittsburgh Members

The Pittsburgh Middle East Institute is proud to announce its
FOURTH ANNUAL CONFERENCEOctober 26, 2011
HENRY KISSINGER
Tickets on Sale Now!

Gala Sponsors Dinner 6:30 p.m.
Lecture 8:00 p.m.
Carnegie Music Hall
Business Conference 
8:00 am - 2:00 pm
Fairmont Hotel, Downtown Pittsburgh
Evening Keynote Lecture by Dr. Kissinger
With an Introduction by former U.S. Treasury Secretary, the Honorable Paul H. O’NeillDr. Henry A. Kissinger was sworn in on September 22, 1973, as the 56th Secretary of State, a posi­tion he held until January 20, 1977. He also served as Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs from January 20, 1969, until November 3, 1975. In July 1983 he was appointed by President Reagan to chair the National Bipartisan Commission on Central America until it ceased operation in January 1985, and from 1984-1990 he served as a member of the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board. From 1986-1988 he was a member of the Commission on Integrated Long-Term Strategy of the National Security Council and Defense Department. 

The 2011 Business Conference

Saudi Arabia:  Kingdom of OpportunitySultanate of Oman:  Land of Progress

Wednesday, October 26, 2011 Fairmont Hotel - Downtown Pittsburgh

7:30 am - Registration

8:00 am - 2:00 pm - Program


SPECIAL PRICING FOR GLOBALPITTSBURGH MEMBERS - Tickets must be purchased from GlobalPittsburgh to receive these discounts.
Paid members of GlobalPittsburgh may purchase tickets to the Business Conference for $175 each (regular price $200). Tickets for the Henry Kissinger Keynote Address may be purchased for 20 percent off the regular price for all seats. That means you can purchase $60 seats for $48, $40 seats for $32, and $20 seats for $16.
Purchase tickets by going to www.globalpittsburgh.org and clicking on "Donate to GlobalPittsburgh." Enter the amount of the ticket you want to purchase. Email your receipt to tbuell@globalpittsburgh.org and your tickets will be held at the door. For questions, please send email to tbuell@globalpittsburgh.org or call Tom Buell at 412-392-4513 (office) or 412-720-2218(cell).

Confirmed Speakers Include:

His Royal Highness Prince Turki Al Faisal bin Abdul Aziz Al Sa'ud of Saudi Arabia

His Royal Highness Prince Turki Al Faisal bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud was born on February 15, 1945 in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.  HRH began his schooling at the Taif Model School and then went on to complete his high school diploma at the Lawrenceville School in Princeton.  HRH went on to study at several universities including Georgetown University, class of 1968.

 His Royal Highness was appointed as an Advisor at the Royal Court in 1973.  In 1977, HRH was appointed Director General (with a rank of Minister) of the General Intelligence Directorate (GID), Saudi Arabia’s main foreign intelligence service.  HRH served as the head of the GID until August 2001.

  In October 2002, HRH was appointed as the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.  HRH served in the position until July 2005, when he was appointed as Ambassador to the United States.  He retired in February, 2007.

 His Royal Highness is a Founder and Trustee of the King Faisal Foundation as well as the Chairman of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies.

Her Excellency Dr. Rawya Al Busaidi, Minister of Higher Education, Oman

HE Dr Rawya Saud Al Busaidi, PhD from Oxford University, was the first woman in the Sultanate of Oman to be appointed to full ministerial rank. and has held the post of Minister of Higher Education since March 2004 when she was also appointed as Chair of the Sultan Qaboos University Council and Deputy Chair of the Council of Higher Education. Among the other key posts currently held by Her Excellency are that of Deputy Chair of Oman's new Science Research Council, and Chair of the Board of the College of Law.

HE Ambassador Hunaina Al-Mughairy, Ambassador to U.S. from Oman;Chair, Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center's Oversight Board

Ambassador Al-Mughairy was appointed as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Sultanate of Oman to the United States of America on December 2, 2005. She also serves as Chair, Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center’s Oversight Board.  Ambassador Al-Mughairy is an economist with an extensive business background. Since taking over this position, she has been a strong advocate for the U.S.-Oman Free Trade Agreement and has focused much of her energy on improving relations between the U.S. and Oman. As the first woman to represent an Arab country as an Ambassador in Washington, Ambassador Al-Mughairy wants to improve the image of Arab women in the United States. Prior to her work in diplomacy, she served many roles in Oman’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Omani Center for Investment Promotion & Export Development. H.E. obtained a B.A in Business Communications from the High Polytechnical Institute in Cairo, and an M.A. in Economics from New York University, New York.

Ambassador Elizabeth McKune, Executive Director, Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center

Ambassador Elizabeth McKune assumed the position of Executive Director of the Sultan Qaboos CulturalCenter in 2007, after 33 years as a Foreign Service Officer.  From 1998-2001, she was Ambassador to the State of Qatar. While in the State Department, Ambassador McKune also spent over 17 years abroad inIsrael, Tunisia, Egypt, Lebanon, the Sultanate of Oman, Iraq, and Great Britain. Stateside, she held a deputy assistant secretary position as Deputy Executive Secretary of the State Department.

Jamal Al Kishi, Chief Country Officer & Head of Corporate and Investment Banking for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Deutsche Bank

Deutsche Bank appointed Mr. Jamal Al Kishi as Chief Country Officer for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and Head of Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB) in the KSA on 1 July 2007.  He reports to Dr. Henry Azzam, Chief Executive Officer of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and Mr. Ricardo Honegger, Head of Global Markets MENA regions respectively.

Dr. Amer bin Awadh Al-RawasChief Executive Officer, Oman Telecommunications Company (Omantel)

Dr. Rawas is the Chief Executive Officer of Oman Telecommunications Company (Omantel), which is the first telecommunications company in Oman and the primary provider of Internet Services in the Sultanate.  Prior to his current post, he served as the Managing Director – Oman Mobile. Dr. Rawas holds a PhD in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence from the Sussex University, UK, 1997. In the academic field prior to his joining the Telecom Sector, Dr. Rawas served in various academic and leadership positions at the Sultan Qaboos University (SQU). His last assignment was the Dean of Educational Services.

Dr. John Duke Anthony, President  & CEO,

National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations 

Dr. John Duke Anthony is the Founding President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations. He is also a Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, an Adjunct Professor at the Department of Defense's Institute for Security Assistance Management, an Adjunct Professor at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service's Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, and a Member of the U.S. Department of State's Advisory Committee on International Economic Policy (ACIEP) as well as the ACIEP's Subcommittees on Sanctions and Trade and Investment. 

Edward Burton, President & Managing Director, U.S.-Saudi Arabian Business Council

Edward Burton was appointed President and Managing Director of the U.S.-Saudi Arabian Business Council in March 2006. In his position, he works with the public and private sectors to promote the interests of the U.S.-Saudi Arabian business relationship. The U.S.-Saudi Arabian Business Council was established in December 1993 to improve the mutual knowledge and understanding between the private sectors of the United States and Saudi Arabia, and to promote trade and investment between the two countries.  Over the years, Mr. Burton has counseled numerous Fortune 500 companies as well as middle tier firms in a variety of industries such as construction, medical and pharmaceutical, defense & security and technical services.

Susana Florian International Market Development ManagerParsons Transportation
She works out of Parsons’ Washington D.C. office, and her duties include assessing new markets, cultivating Parsons’ involvement in new global projects, ensuring that multi-Division pursuits take best advantage of global resources and key technical personnel by providing a point of contact and clearinghouse for such opportunities.  She is a licensed professional engineer in Pennsylvania and a certified international value engineering specialist.  After earning a five-year civil engineering degree from the Polytechnic Institute of Cluj in her home country of Romania, Susana spent two decades working in design and construction management of infrastructure projects.

Yusuf Giansiracusa, Partner-in-charge of Jones Day's Riyadh offices

Yusuf Giansiracusa has worked in Saudi Arabia for the last 20 years representing Saudi clients as well as foreign clients doing business in the Kingdom and abroad.  He represents a number of the Kingdom's prominent industrial enterprises and several of the leading commercial and industrial families in the Kingdom. Yusuf has a broad range of experience in commercial and corporate transactions, licensing, industrial and infrastructure projects, OGP, and private client matters.

In association with Alsulaim Alawaji & Partners Law Firm, Yusuf is Partner-in-Charge of the Riyadh Office in Saudi Arabia.

Amer Kayani, Minister Counselor for Commercial Affairs for Saudi ArabiaU.S. Commercial Service

Amer Kayani is the Minister Counselor for Commercial Affairs for Saudi Arabia and Bahrain for the U.S. Commercial Service based at the U.S. Embassy Riyadh.  His extensive experience in the Middle East and North Africa include his role as the Regional Senior Commercial Officer for Egypt, Lebanon, and Libya, Regional Senior Commercial Officer for Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, North Cyprus, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, Commercial Counselor in Pakistan, and Commercial Attaché in Israel. He also served as Director at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s office in Hawaii, and in various positions in California and Washington, D.C.

Sponsorship Information

View the video and program information from the 2010 Business Conference

For more information regarding the Business Conference & Sponsorships, please contact Maria Hastings at 412.995.0076 or maria@pittsburghmideastinstitute.org.