Events

Anita Krishna Gupta presently with the Wealth Management CIO Office at Emirates NBD as a senior strategist. An alumnus of IIM Calcutta, India supplemented with further leadership, NED and tech learning over the years. Passionate mentor for women’s financial literacy and girls education. 35 years of experience across the global investment arena.

Zeena Zalamea is a broadcaster and producer for TV, radio, podcasts and global events. She has produced more than 10,000 hours of quality on-air content for Dubai Eye 103.8, Dubai One TV and a number of podcast series. She co-founded Portal Productions, a podcast production company, and developed the Soundbite Media Communication Programme, which prepares individuals for media interviews and other public speaking engagements.

Dr. Anita is a seasoned wholesale banker and board member with over 30 years of experience in capital markets and development finance across Australia, Asia, China, India, and the Middle East. She has held leadership roles at multinational organizations such as the New Development Bank, UBS, Nomura, Moody’s, and Emirates NBD, among others. Dr. Yadav is highly skilled in mobilizing private capital, macroeconomic analysis, debt and equity capital markets (DCM & ECM), loan syndication, sovereign and corporate debt analysis, credit and market risk, Islamic finance, investments, lending, trading, and funds management. She has a proven track record of establishing new business lines in culturally and geographically diverse markets, consistently exceeding profit targets while leading and managing large teams. A founding board member of the Gulf Capital Market Association, Dr. Yadav is currently focused on ESG and development finance, leveraging her expertise to drive sustainable financial solutions and market growth.

Neil Cabral is an accomplished executive and has extensive experience spanning over three decades having worked in global companies across strategy, finance, wellness, pharmaceuticals, family offices, private, retail and corporate banking, business development and leading complex businesses which span multiple geographical regions. His remarkable ascent to be ranked 45th amongst the 100 Most Influential Indians in UAE and 63rd amongst the 100 Most Successful Indians in UAE underscores Cabral’s outstanding achievements in his illustrious career.

Cabral, till recently, was the executive director and board member of Himalaya Wellness Worldwide (erstwhile The Himalaya Drug Company), one of India’s largest multinational pharmaceutical company where he laid the foundation for global expansion. He was also the CEO of its’ single-family office. Cabral has held several senior leadership positions across multiple global financial hubs including managing director and global head at Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) private bank, executive director at Standard Chartered Bank, executive director at Credit Agricole (Suisse) SA Private Bank, senior vice president at Citibank, vice president HSBC, director at ICICI Bank and managing director & global head of key clients at Lighthouse Canton, a Singapore headquartered leading investment management firm and multi-family office overseeing in excess of $4 billion of total assets under management and advisory. He’s closely worked with various principals and stakeholders across Europe, Dubai, Singapore, London, Switzerland, Paris, India and Hong Kong. Cabral also actively serves as a board member on several prominent companies globally including Reliance and Star India as well as a renowned media company, Beacon Media co-founded by Dr. Deepak Chopra.

Maliha Jilani is Managing Partner of Heidrick & Struggles’ Middle East and North Africa, based in the Dubai office. She is a member of the firm’s global Social Impact and Board practices. Maliha has been a trusted advisor to clients for over 20 years on topics including CEO succession planning, organizational culture and effectiveness, and board governance, and brings strong expertise in leading CEO, C-suite and board placements. Maliha also co-chairs Women’s Inclusion Network (WIN) for Asia Pacific and Middle East, an Employee Resource Group (ERG) to support the development of women within Heidrick & Struggles. An alumnus of the University of Virginia, she is committed to contributing to and promoting a positive and inclusive culture wherever she works.

Dolly Ramaiya is the Founder and Managing Director of Truleum Studio, a venture builder based in Dubai; and the Founding Partner & SEO of Truleum Venture Partners, a technology-focused early-stage venture capital firm—both based in Dubai, UAE.

With over 17 years of experience in the GCC region, predominantly in the fintech sector, Dolly has been a driving force behind the growth of several transformative companies. As a founding team member of YAP, the UAE’s first independent digital banking platform, she played a critical role in establishing strategic partnerships, spearheading regional expansion, and structuring regulatory frameworks. Her expertise extends to organizational restructuring, regulatory compliance, and leading major M&A projects with entities like C3 Card Edenred.

Dolly’s career reflects a front-row seat to the “Fintech Revolution,” witnessing the evolution of traditional banking, payment systems, and cards into a thriving ecosystem of digital innovation. Her tenure at American Express further honed her expertise in managing consumer premium products, credit operations, and corporate business strategies.

In addition to her fintech accomplishments, Dolly has provided strategic consulting to startups in Oman and the UAE, leveraging her deep industry & market knowledge to support their growth and success. She is passionate about bridging the gap between venture building and investment, aligning operational and intellectual capital to empower early-stage companies.

Through Truleum Studio and Truleum Venture Partners, Dolly champions a holistic, hands-on approach to startup development and investment, fostering innovation and sustainable growth across the Middle East.

In November 2022, Jack Uppal was named President and Managing Director for General Motors (GM) in Africa and the Middle East. In this position, Uppal is responsible for driving long-term strategic and sustainable growth for General Motors throughout the region.

To-date, he has spearheaded the acceleration of the organization’s digital transformation and expanded GM Middle East’s connectivity footprint across the region, powered by OnStar. With the aim of reimagining the customer journey, his vision of the future of mobility championed the integration of connectivity features with IoT technology to enhance the driving experience and safety in smart cities.

In addition, Uppal has a demonstrated history of commercial success and expertise in electrification, which will be crucial as GM guides the industry’s shift towards an all-electric future, aligned with their global vision of zero crashes, zero emissions, and zero congestion. Uppal strongly believes in putting the consumer at the forefront of the business, enhancing internal culture and employee development, establishing robust relationships, and incorporating innovation to promote a strategic and inclusive approach.

Uppal brings a wealth of global experience, having held numerous leadership roles with General Motors in sales, marketing, and strategic planning across China, India, Singapore, Egypt, the Middle East, and his home country of Canada. He was instrumental in guiding GM China’s Chevrolet towards an electric vehicle portfolio, supporting distribution channels, and significantly contributing to product development and design.

Suvo Sarkar is an international banker with an experience of 35 years in consumer banking and wealth management. His last role was to oversee the global retail banking and private banking businesses at Emirates NBD, the most profitable bank in the Middle East. He is also the founder of the region’s first digital bank Liv. Suvo currently runs his own advisory business that focuses on data, digitization and design of financial services. He is based in Dubai and hosts a popular podcast on banking called Money Majlis.

Noreen Nasralla is the Executive Director of Marketing at Al-Futtaim Real Estate, where she oversees brand management, marketing and communications for a diverse, multi-billion-dollar portfolio, encompassing the complete real estate value chain, across the Middle East and North Africa region. Noreen manages the brand presence and marketing strategies for over one million square metres of gross leasable area across five malls, that attracts over 80 million annual visitors. Additionally, she directs marketing for Al-Futtaim’s contracting business.

Ali is a seasoned technology executive, an independent board member, a strategic advisor, and a social entrepreneur. With over 35 years of experience in corporate roles, 25 of which were spent at Microsoft, Ali is now focused on his independent board and advisory work primarily around the themes of digital transformation, financial inclusion, and youth empowerment.In his current portfolio, Ali serves on the boards of Valentino in Italy, Balmain in France, Beymen in Turkey, the Central Bank of Egypt, the American University in Cairo, and eXtra in Saudi Arabia. He also provides strategic advice to organizations on topics such as digital transformation and organizational and business development