‘24 Hours of Proactive Thinking’ event draws in wide participation of high-profile personalities and decision makers
Sharjah Tatweer Forum (STF) revealed the successful completion of its Annual Retreat 2016, a yearly event aimed towards highlighting the importance of unifying efforts and integrating opinions to lead Sharjah’s manufacturing sector into a new phase of growth, development and prosperity. The Annual Retreat 2016 was held under the theme ‘24 Hours of Proactive Thinking’ and attracted high-profile officials and decision makers from government and private sectors to share their visions for the future of Sharjah during thorough discussions focused on innovation in the manufacturing and industry sectors.
The event offered one single platform to engage in fruitful discussions and interactive presentations that addressed the important issues and topics related to the industrial sector. The participants also examined the current status and future prospects in light of the promising opportunities, through envisioning the innovation drivers and their impact on this important industry as a whole.
The retreat highlighted the pivotal role of innovation in reshaping and transforming the manufacturing and industrial industry to keep pace with the requirements of the 21st century.
The discussions between the high-profile attendees from all around the world resulted in the recommendations to further promote innovation and creativity within Sharjah’s manufacturing and industrial sector. The recommendations were shared at the end of The Annual Retreat of Sharjah Tatweer Forum, which was held at Al Maha Resort and Spa with wide regional and international participation.
The event was attended by eminent personalities, including H.E. Abdullah Bin Ahmed Al Saleh, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy for Foreign Trade and Industry; Badr Al-Olama, CEO, Strata; H.E. Khalid bin Butti Al Hajri, Director General, Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI); Dr. Essa Al Bastaki, President of University of Dubai; Eng. Saed Al Awadi, CEO of Dubai Export Development Corporation (DEDC); H.E Marwan Al Sarkal- CEO of Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq); Eng. Saeed Saif Al Matrooshi, Secretary-General of the Executive Council Ajman; Khawla Al Mulla, Chairman, Consultative Council of the Emirate of Sharjah; and Hatem Al Mosa, CEO at Sharjah National Oil Corporation (SNOC).
Among the high-profile attendees were Khalifa Al Jaziri, Director General of E-home Automation International; Eng. Khaled Issa, COO, Juma Al Majid Group; Yousif Al Zarouni, Director of Procurement, Legal and Administration at Bee’ah; Ahmed Marzouki, Director of External Communications at Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA); Ibrahim Al Jarwan, Deputy Director of Sharjah Centre for Astronomy and Space Sciences; Faisal Al Hamoudi, Senior Manager of Takamul Program, Ayman Basha, Regional Head of Banking Unit, CNS; Abdelaziz Shattaf, Director of Sharjah Exports Development Centre (SEDC) at Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI); Lalu Samuel, President, Kingstone; Mohammed Shael Al Saadi. CEO Business Registration and Licensing sector, Department of Economic Development (DED); and Jamal Al Shamsi from Tawazun.
High level officials from Sharjah Tatweer Forum also took part in the discussions of the Annual Retreat 2016, including Jassem Mohammed Albloushi, Chairman; Asma Al Nabooda; Vice president; and Board Members Mohammed Hamdan Bin Jersh and Saud Al-Najjar.
The participants were divided into groups, wherein each group focused on generating new visions and innovative ideas that better support the development and growth of Sharjah’s manufacturing sector. The topics discussed included innovation in the air-conditioning industry in the UAE, Investment opportunities and success of tire manufacturing in the UAE, Creation of ideal environment to attract foreign investments to the local recycling industry, innovation in Internet of Things (IoT) and innovation in 3D printing.
The audience discussed a number of topics such as highlighting the promising opportunities that the Emirate of Sharjah looks for, the emergence of innovative industries, achieving concrete and positive results for the industrial sector as well as the adoption of new standards for the industry to promote adopting modern and innovative techniques that ensure the success of various industries.
Through the working groups, the forum presented a real opportunity to activate the role of government entities in developing the industrial sector through the exchange of views on introducing new mechanisms and qualitative initiatives that make partnership with the private sector, contributing to the development of the economic sector, which is one of the priorities of the Emirate of Sharjah under the directions of HH Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council, Ruler of Sharjah and Honorary Chairman of Sharjah Tatweer Forum, who insisted on the need for integrating efforts and synergy between the public and private sectors to build a competitive economic and investment environment in the emirate.
The discussions mainly focused on the innovation factor, which constitutes a milestone in the growth of any sector, specifically the industry and manufacturing sector, underscoring the great importance of innovation in supporting the overall comprehensive and sustainable development of the UAE and rest of the world.
This year’s forum was a result of the strategic cooperation of the Sharjah Tatweer Forum, SAP and Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry. In the context of this cooperation, SAP has organized a workshop on design thinking, which was attended by high-level stakeholders and contributors to develop effective and strategic plans and innovative solutions in order to face the potential challenges in the industrial sector. During the workshop, participants were divided into separate groups and were asked to focus on a particular issue to develop integrated road maps to help enhance the growth and development of this sector in the coming period.
The attendees have expressed their happiness in attending this extraordinary and important meeting, which was aimed to meet and put forward their views regarding the future of the industry in Sharjah. They stressed that the forum has strengthened the exchange of views in light of the presence of government and private sectors to come up with valuable recommendations.
At the conclusion of the forum, Jassem Albloushi, Chairman of Sharjah Tatweer Forum, expressed his happiness with the remarkable presence of the partners in government and the private sectors, the discussions of all the promising opportunities in the industry sector in Sharjah and the availability of components needed to drive in prosperity for this sector.
He said, “We are happy with the great turnout and the positive outcomes of this annual forum, which has provided an excellent platform over the last two days to exchange bright ideas and innovative suggestions among experts in a joint step to achieve the desired goals and ambitious aspirations that we aspire to achieve in the forum.”
Albloushi also pointed out that the wise leadership of the UAE is keen to organize the national initiatives aimed at consolidating the culture of creativity and innovation in the local community, in line with the process of digital transformation in the country.
He said that Sharjah Tatweer Forum is looking forward to share the outputs with decision-makers, industry leaders and stakeholders to work together to shape a better and a more prosperous future for the industrial and manufacturing sector in Sharjah and the rest of the UAE—further reinforcing the vision of leadership in the continued growth of the emirate.