KU Leuven: Internationalisation of universities and the national language

I spoke at KU Leuven at their symposium on "Internationalisation of Universities and the National Language" (4 May 2018). My talk was on the Power Language Index as it pertains to the dominance of English in the sphere of scholarly research (and thus the challenge of universities from the non-anglophone world that must work in English to be relevant and competitive on the global stage). The organisers compiled the presentations and published a book on the topics presented: "Internationalisation of Universities and the National Language: Language Policy Interventions and Case Studies"

naseba: 12th annual human capital forum MENA

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INSEAD: Gender Progress Index (International Women’s Day)

I spoke at the Abu Dhabi INSEAD campus's International Women's Day event (8 March 2017). The subject of the talk was the Gender Progress Index. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBMyayWVDL4 Dr. Kai L. Chan, Distinguished Fellow, Innovation and Policy Initiative at INSEAD presented the Gender Progress Index that takes a holistic view towards gender issues. The conference featured several women leaders in the Middle East who have made a significant contribution to the region and society.

UAE EN: Decoding international benchmarking reports

I spoke at the UAE Economics Network at the Canadian embassy in Abu Dhabi on 29 Sep 2016. The title of my presentation was "Decoding global performance indices: The role and merit of 'competitivness' reports in guiding policy in the UAE". The presentation can be found here.

K16: The Emirates’ competitiveness strategy

I spoke at the Kazakhstan Growth Forum 2016 (K16) on the UAE's competitiveness strategy on 21 Sep 2016. The presentation can be found here.

BCG (Montreal): The UAE’s competitiveness strategy: The use of international benchmarks to guide policy

TITLE The UAE's competitiveness strategy: The use of international benchmarks to guide policy. ABSTRACT  In less than two generations, the UAE transformed itself from an unknown, sparsely-populated desert nation into a globally competitive country that is home to the Arab world's first global city (Dubai). The nation is now a tourism hot spot that is home to several global brands, including Emirates Airlines. The nation is also favourably known for its foresight in developing a large SWF that has been used to spur research and innovation in the country (e.g. Mubadala). The UAE was, on paper, one of the least likely place in the Arab world to become its leading nation. Although hydrocarbon wealth initially catapulted the nation, today it accounts for less than a quarter of its GDP, and just 2 percent of output in Dubai. Underpinning the Emirate's meterioric rise is strategic policy planning by the government through the use of third-party international benchmarks to incentivise both public and private sector stakeholders. Competitiveness KPIs have enabled a high degree of transparency within the UAE, a quality missing from much of the region. Most notably, the nation's strategic development goals (Vision 2021) target outcomes in international competitiveness reports. BIO…

Concordia: Dubai’s competitiveness through international benchmarks

Dubai's competitiveness through international benchmarks (10 Aug 2016) In less than 2 generations, Dubai transformed itself from an unknown, sparsely-populated desert outpost into a global city and tourism hot spot that is home to several global brands, including Emirates Airlines. Dubai was, on paper, the least likely place in the Arab world to become its premier city. Most remarkable about its ascension is that hydrocarbons have played only a secondary role in its development. Today, oil accounts for just 2 percent of its GDP. Underpinning the emirate's meteoric rise is strategic policy planning by the government through the use of third-party international benchmarks to incentivise both public and private sector stakeholders. Competitiveness KPIs have enabled a level of transparency within Dubai, a quality missing from much of the region. What future lies ahead for the emirate as an era of low oil prices depresses the MENA region and as it aspires to transform into a knowledge economy?

INSEAD: Power Language Index

IIPI Policy Breakfast Series - May 2016 *The Policy Breakfasts are a series of early morning seminars that focuses on current policy issues through the lenses of academics and practitioners in industry and government. The series is aimed at professionals concerned with government policy. The Power Language Index - The Most Influential Languages in the Word Speaker: Dr. Kai Chan, Distinguished Fellow at INSEAD Innovation & Policy Initiative (IIPI). Dr. Chan is also an advisor to the UAE federal government on national competitiveness and statistics. Wednesday, 25 May 2016 INSEAD Middle East Campus in Abu Dhabi, 08.30-10.30am The Power Language Index - The Most Influential Languages in the World A rigorous assessment of the efficacy of language in geography (travel), economy, communication and diplomacy. (Does language predict the outcome of the global elite?) There are over 6,000 languages spoken in the world today, but some 2,000 of them count fewer than a thousand speakers. Moreover, just 15 of them account for half of the languages spoken in the world. Which are the world's most influential languages? The Power Language Index is a measure of a language's efficacy by measuring its influence in 5 domains ("opportunities"): (1) geography, (2) economy, (3) communication,…

IMT (Dubai): Current state of the economy

A presentation shared with the students of the Institute of Management Technology (IMT) on Dubai. The topic was the "Current state of the economy: ready for liftoff". The slides can be found here.

WSS: Competitiveness to transform Dubai into a global city

Presentation at the World Strategy Summit. My talk was entitled "Competitiveness to transform Dubai into a global city". The slides can be found here.