Members of the jury
Henry Azzam
Dr. Henry Azzam joined Deutsche Bank in May 2007 as Chief Executive Officer for Middle East and North Africa Region (MENA). Before that Dr. Azzam was Chief Executive Officer of Amwal Invest, an investment bank he founded in 2005. In addition he held the position of chairman of Dubai International Financial Exchange (DIFX). Before establishing Amwal Invest Azzam was the CEO of Jordinvest (2001-2004), Managing Director of Middle East Capital Group (1998-2001) and AGM (a petroleum engineering company) and Chief Economist of the National Commercial Bank, Jeddah Saudi Arabia (1990-1998) as well as Vice President and Chief Economist of Gulf International Bank in Bahrain (1983-1990). Before that he worked with the Arab Fund in Kuwait and taught economics at the American University of Beirut. He holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. He has published five books in the UK, the last one being “The Arab Economies Facing the Challenge of the New Millennium”.
Kamal Hamdan
Kamal Hamdan (born 1949) studied Petroleum Economics at St. Joseph University in Beirut and at the French Institute of Petroleum (IFP) in Paris (Bachelor of Arts, 1971, D.S. 1973). He is Head of the economic division at “Consultation and Research Institute” (CRI), Beirut since 1977. He has supervised and coordinated a wide range of studies and projects covering social and economic issues, for local and international entities in both private and public sectors. He contributed as senior consultant to many research studies conducted by international institutions, including the World Bank, EU institutions, UNDP, ILO, UNICEF, UNESCWA, UNRISD, UNFPA, UNESCO. He also worked with the private sector on many market and financial feasibility studies. He served as senior consultant to several Lebanese ministerial committees for economic evaluation and reform purposes. His major specific areas of interest are: macroeconomics, labour economics, competitiveness and social development. Professional Affiliation: fellow member of the Economic Research Forum for the Arab Countries, Iran and Turkey (ERF) in Cairo, member of the Arab Organization for Economic Research in Cairo, Member of the Lebanese association of Economists, Member of The Union of Lebanese Writers.
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Mounir al-Hemsh
Mounir al-Hemsh was born in 1938 in Kamishli in Northern Syria. He studied business management at Cairo University (Baccalaureate 1963) and continued his study of economy at Damascus University (Diploma, then Master 1980). Later he studied for a doctorate in philosophy of economy at the Plekhanov Russian Academy of Economics in Moscow (PhD 1990). Mounir al-Hemsh held many appointments in administrative governmental offices, last of all as economical advisor for the prime minister. He was managing director of a Syrian-Libyan investment company for agriculture and industry in Damascus. For a time he was financial director of Centre for Strategic Studies at the University of Damascus. He is member of the Syrian Economic Society and was for a few years its president. He was board member and later president of the Arab Society for Economic Research in Cairo. He has written and edited many books which were published in Arabic, such as: The Development of Modern Syrian Economy; The Syrian Economy on the Threshold of the 21rst Century; Arab Economic Integration; Correcting the Economical Development in an Changing World.
Karima Aly Korayem
Karima Korayem studied economics at Cairo University (B. Sc. 1965) and at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver/Canada (B.C. 1970). She has a PhD in economics from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario/Canada (1974). Currently she is Professor of Economics at the Faculty of Commerce (Girls), Al-Azhar University (since 1986) and member of the promotion committee for Professors of Economics at al-Azhar University. She was chairwoman of the Economics Department, Faculty of Commerce (Girls), Al-Azhar University, 1992–1999. Dr. Korayem was visiting professor at several universities in Egypt, USA and Canada. She was economical consultant to different departments of the United Nations such as UNDP, UNECA, UNSURF-AS, UNDESA, UNICEF, Arab Organization for Human Rights (AOHR), International Development Research Center (IDRC), and the Third World Forum, and as consultant to the Desert Development Center (DDC), the World Bank, the International Labour Office (ILO), the Research Department of the National Bank of Egypt, the League of Arab States, the Institute of Arab Research and Studies and the Ministry of Economy and Ministry of Finance in Cairo. She has many publications including books and research studies: “Women and the New International Economic Order in the Arab World”, 1980; “Women and Work in the Arab World”, co-author (with Earl Sullivan), “Social Implications of Globalization on the Developing Countries” 1999, “Poverty and Globalization; Egypt and the Arab Countries”; co-editor (with Maria Petmesidou) of the book “Poverty and Social Exclusion in the Mediterranean Area”, 1998; “The Impact of China on the Middle East” (co-author Gouda Abdel-Khalek), 2007.
Mohammed al-Maitami
Mohammed al-Maitami (*1956) has been professor of economics at Sana’a University since 1988. He is also Vice Chancellor of Malaysian International University College of Technology Twintech (IUCTT)/Yemen Branch. He obtained his PhD in economics in 1986, his postdoctoral qualification in 2002. Research Fellow and Affiliate of Economic Research Forum (ERF), Cairo, since 2002. Visiting scholar, professor and researcher at Institute for Research and Studies for Arab and Muslim World, France (1994-1995), UC Berkeley California in USA (1998-1999), Georgetown University, Washington DC (2003-2005). Member of the Yemeni Association of Economic Advisors since 1989. Beside his academic career he is Member of Higher Council of Community College, 2007. Economic Advisor to the General Union of Chambers of Trade and Industry since 1993 and its General Director since 2006. Private Sector Liaison Officer Network since 2008, The World Bank Group, Paris 2008. Member of Global Development Network (GDN), 2008. Founding member of the Senate and the Board of Directors of Sheba Center of Strategic Studies, Sana’a, Yemen 2008. Member of Anti-Money Laundering Committee since 2006, Sana’a/Yemen. Vice Director of the Yemeni Center for Studies and Research 1995-1997. Economic advisor for institutions working on Yemeni economic and social development as the Yemen General Union of Chambers of Trade and Industry, the World Bank, IMF, UNDP, UNCIEF, ESCOWA, EU, ILO. Secretary General of the Syndicate of Yemeni Researchers, Since 1992. Founding member and executive director of the Middle East Forum for Democracy, USA, 2004. He is married and has four children. He has many publications in Arabic, English and French, most recently a book in Arabic entitled “Yemen Accession to WTO and its effect on the Yemeni Industry”, 2002.