‘We live in a globalized world,’ House most ethnically diverse in Canadian history, but still has long way to go: research

‘We live in a globalized world,’ House most ethnically diverse in Canadian history, but still has long way to go: research A record 47 visible minority and 10 indigenous MPs were elected in this House. [caption id="attachment_3076" align="aligncenter" width="500"] The Hill Times photographs by Jake Wright and the Parliament of Canada[/caption] By ABBAS RANA PUBLISHED : Monday, Nov. 21, 2016 12:00 AM PARLIAMENT HILL—It’s the most ethnically diverse House of Commons in Canadian history, but it still has a long way to go. The House is still mostly white, male, and English-speaking, according to a study conducted by Kai Chan, who released his data to The Hill Times, and most MPs are married, 30 per cent are bilingual, 13 per cent were born outside Canada, women make up 26 per cent of the House, 14 per cent are visible minorities, three per cent are indigenous, most studied politics, most were lawyers, and most have post-secondary education. Among the 338 MPs elected in the last general election, the most common age group is 50-59, 214 MPs are married, and 26 MPs have four or more children, according to Mr. Chan, an expatriate Canadian economist who now resides in the United Arab Emirates and who holds a…

Human capital is key to creating knowledge economy

Human capital is key to creating knowledge economy Staff Report/dubai Filed on November 6, 2016 The most critical element for shifting away from hydrocarbons towards a knowledge economy is to build up the human and intelligence capital of a country. If the UAE can continue to provide a stable and open society, it will be able to leverage itself as a gateway connecting the traditional centres of power in the West with the rising East, said Dr Kai L. Chan, economist and distinguished fellow at Insead, advisor to Prime Minister's Office of the UAE/Minister of State Office. Dr Chan spoke to Khaleej Times on the sidelines of the 10th CFO Strategies Forum Mena. "We are moving in a data age which will empower people and generate employment in a very complex world where intelligence capital is very critical." Financial experts, economists and business leaders from around the Mena gathered in Dubai on the first day of the CFO Strategies Forum, organised by business facilitation company Naseba. "The market has undergone rapid changes over the past 12 months. This year, we found that agility, identifying key growth drivers and managing human capital in times of distress were common challenges facing CFOs in the…

Khaleej Times interview on CFO Summit (2016)

The below is my interview with Khaleej Times [video width="640" height="368" mp4="http://www.kailchan.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/KT-Business-Interview_2016.mp4"][/video] ©2020 Galadari Printing and Publishing LLC. All rights reserved

Radio interview with Dubai Eye (FM 103.8) – “Influence & Knowledge”

Economist Kai Chan from INSEAD has been researching which is the world's most powerful language - and its smartest country. The results might not be what you think. Brandy Scott and Malcolm Taylor ask the questions on the Business Breakfast. (Click on picture below for video of the taping.) Copyright © 2016, Arabian Radio Network. All rights reserved.  

English is the modern lingua franca

English is the modern lingua franca Jessica Hill September 7, 2016 Updated: September 7, 2016 02:36 PM [caption id="attachment_2944" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Dr Kai Chan, a distinguished fellow of Insead, used 20 indicators to measure the five basic opportunities afforded by language. Antoine Robertson / The National[/caption] Imagine an alien landed on Earth wanting to interact with humans. Which language would afford them the best opportunities for interaction and success? That’s the question Kai Chan asked himself when, as an associate fellow of Insead, he wrote his research paper "The Power Language Index". Aiming to pinpoint the world’s most influential and powerful languages, Mr Chan used 20 indicators to measure five basic opportunities afforded by language – geo­graphy, economy, communication, knowledge and media, and diplomacy. It might come as no surprise that English ranked in the top spot, with a score of 0.889 – more than double that of the No 2 ranking, the rising star Mandarin. "This index is a snapshot in time and 16 years ago, Mandarin wouldn’t be anywhere close to where it is now," says Mr Chan. "Going forwards, its numbers will surely increase." Mr Chan, 41, was born to a Chinese peasant family on the streets…

Top three data challenges for the Middle East

Top three data challenges for the Middle East 30 AUGUST, 2016 BY JENNIFER AGUINALDO MEED talks to Kai Chan, economist and distinguished fellow at French business school Insead, on what the Middle East has to address to gain the maximum benefit from Big Data. Big Data requires highly numerate people to work with the data Data must be robust, reliable and correct People, businesses, and governments need to be more curious to use the power of Big Data MEED talks to Kai Chan, economist and distinguished fellow at French business school Insead, on what the Middle East has to address to gain the maximum benefit from Big Data MEED: What are the top three challenges that the Middle East has to address if they were to gain the maximum benefit from Big Data?Kai Chan: One, bringing up the human capital skills that can work with Big Data. Big Data is complex; it requires highly numerate people to work with the data and, more importantly, to understand the data and the insights that will come from asking the right research questions and applying the right theories and mathematical or statistical tests to generate fresh insights that can be used to make…

Global Finance Magazine July 2016: “Gulf nations must develop soft infrastructure”

Gulf Nations Must Develop Soft Infrastructure Sparkling office towers won’t draw business without the right policies. JULY 22, 2016 Author: MARK TOWNSEND Governments of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are reacting to the collapse in oil prices in varying degrees, but none can return to the status quo ante of handouts and expensive state-backed subsidies. For years the GCC has lavished billions of dollars on projects, many of which turned out to be white elephants. Perhaps the most vivid example is the 59 mostly empty towers of King Abdullah Financial District in the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh. Reportedly costing $7.8 billion, with floor space of more than 3 million square meters, the project is bereft of the investment bankers it sought to attract. For many, the project symbolizes the latent disconnect between the Gulf’s tendency to spend billions on grandiose infrastructure yet overlook the equally important “soft” infrastructure of regulation, governance and human capital. There are, however, exceptions. The Dubai International Financial Centre, which Riyadh was trying to emulate, has managed to set itself apart from other regional competitors and is noted for the quality of its regulation and transparency embedded in a tax-free zone. Although GCC countries have begun…

3rd Annual Smart Data Summit puts the spotlight on big data-driven innovation

In a bid to stay competitive, companies across industries are generating a significant amount of data and utilizing different tools and techniques to gain useful insights. Against this backdrop, the Smart Data Summit that commenced today explored how organizations can harness the power of big data and analytics to derive maximum business value. Supported by Federal Competitiveness Statistics Authority (FCSA) and organized by global conference producers, Expotrade, the summit attracted over 300 senior IT, marketing and business intelligence specialists. The summit was opened by Dr Kai L. Chan, Special Adviser - National Competitiveness, Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority (FCSA). He delivered the keynote session on the topic using robust data and modelling to win Expo 2020. He emphasized upon the importance of data-driven analysis (DDA for policy and planning). Yousuf Mohammed Al Shaiba, Director - Smart Services Development Dept., Ajman Municipality & Planning Department took the discussion further during his session on creating a Smart Government, emphasizing on the smart services offered by Ajman Municipality. The summit saw over 20 prominent experts and sector specialists including Mohammad Shokoohi-Yekta, Data Scientist, Apple; Sayan Dasgupta, Senior Data Scientist, LinkedIn; Usama Qasem, Regional Digital & Content Marketing Manager, IKEA and Michael Sultan, Senior…

Data science: how is it good for government?

By Tala El Issa via Wamda.com (15 May, 2016) All those zeros and ones - how can you make the most of them? (Image via Digitalgov.gov) “Understanding and innovating with data has the potential to change the way we do almost anything for the better,” said Barack Obama at the start of 2015. That’s why, he explained his administration established data.gov, a portal with almost 200,000 data sets open for the public. In 2015, DJ Patil became the first US data chief scientist. Patil believes data science can improve transparency, create efficiency and provide security. His team is using the data to extract insights for the health and social justice sectors. In a similar vein, Arab countries, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and most importantly UAE, are starting to endorse data policies into governance in the hope of creating knowledge-based societies. In fact, the UAE has developed an ‘open data portal’ that covers sectors including health, agriculture, and education. Kai Chan shares his advice on how government can utilize data. (Image via Kailchan.ca) Kai Chan is an economist and distinguished fellow at Abu Dhabi’s INSEAD, an innovation and policy initiative. He advises the UAE government on national competitiveness, especially in relation to…

Managing in today’s economy

At Institute of Management Technology Dubai, a panel of experts discussed management strategies for today's economy BY JEANETTE TEH | COMMENT | PUBLISHED: 28TH MARCH 2016 AT 12:53 Navigating the current times of uncertainty with low oil prices, a slowdown in economic growth, and geopolitical crises can provide challenges for management. At Institute of Management Technology Dubai last Tuesday, a panel of experts discussed management strategies for today’s economy. Global slowdown and its impact on corporate strategy The average growth rate in 2016 for the world is less than 3 per cent, with all countries growing at a slower pace than the previous year, including China whose slowdown will have effects reverberating across the globe. DP World director of global operations Patrick Bol described the current state of affairs as one wrought with ambiguity and uncertainty where markets act in a way that cannot be easily understood with data, and complexity is characterised by a new way of thinking that presents both challenges and opportunities. Within this global economic framework, IMT Dubai director Dr Rakesh Singh advised corporations to address strategic issues on three different levels: Managing macro-economic fundamentals into corporate strategy. It was also advocated during the panel discussion…