The 1St Europe-Iran Forum Preparing Post-Sanctions Investment and Trade

The 1st Europe-Iran Forum Preparing post-sanctions investment and trade

15-16 October 2014, Grosvenor Square Hotel, London

PREMIER SPONSOR: CLASSIC SPONSOR:

www.europeiranforum.com #EuIranForum The 1st Europe‐Iran Forum 1

Table of contents

2. Welcome letter

3. Administrative notes

4. OFAC Regulations

7. Speakers’ biographies

34. A word from our sponsors

36. European Voice’s upcoming events

37. European Voice’s past events

European Voice

Established by The Economist Group in 1995, European Voice provides essential, independent insight into the Brussels beltway for insiders and outsiders, both in print and online. As the leading source of news and analysis on key EU policies, laws and institutions, European Voice informs business leaders, policymakers and all those who have a stake in EU decisions. Our reporters cut through the complexity. They bridge the gap between technical minutiae and the big political picture. These values infuse our flagship weekly newspaper, our daily digital briefings and our live events.

European Voice organises and hosts high‐level conferences, seminars, fairs and debates bringing together professionals across a wide range of EU related disciplines.

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October 15th 2014

WELCOME TO EUROPEAN VOICE’S First Europe‐Iran Forum

Dear Colleague,

On behalf of European Voice it is my great pleasure to welcome you to The 1st Europe‐Iran Forum.

On July 18th in Vienna, Iran and the P5+1 (United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia, China and Germany) announced the continuation of their negotiations regarding the Islamic Republic’s nuclear programme, through to November 24th 2014. This decision confirms the gathered parties' determination to come to a final agreement and foreshadows an expected rollback of the current international sanctions against Iran.

The 1st Europe‐Iran Forum is an incomparable occasion to gain practical insights from experts across all industries, providing the most relevant, up‐to‐date information from Iran and Europe. The forum's various panels and workshops will provide a clear sense of: • Which sanctions are being lifted and which ones remain active? • What will an agreement entail and what will be its impact on trade and investment relations between Europe and Iran? • What are the main challenges of doing business in Iran? • Which cases demonstrate the potential for long‐term relationships between European and Iranian companies? How do executives with extensive in‐country experience see the landscape in Iran?

Through the workshop discussions, you will have the unique opportunity to debate and network with over 200 senior business executives from across sectors, as well as policy makers from Iran and Europe, on the opportunities and challenges represented by Iran's valuable and largely untapped marketplace. We hope that you take the opportunity to participate actively in these discussions.

We value your feedback and look forward to receiving your comments on this event. We would be grateful if you could complete the evaluation form included with this documentation, and return it to the event staff at the end of the forum. Your comments will be taken into consideration when planning future events.

Yours sincerely,

Shéhérazade Semsar‐de Boisséson Esfandyar Batmanghelidj Managing Director Organising Partner European Voice Europe‐Iran Forum

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Administrative notes

Feedback form We would very much like to hear your thoughts about this event. Please complete the feedback form in this delegate book and hand it to any of the members of staff. We truly value your comments for future events. Thank you.

Presentations If requested, speakers’ presentations may be e‐mailed after the conference; please leave your email address with a member of the staff.

Security Please do not leave briefcases, packages or other personal belongings unattended at any time. European Voice doesn’t accept responsibility for any valuables or written notes left in the conference room or registration area. Due to heightened security, badges must be worn at all times. In the event of an emergency, please follow instructions from the staff and venue security personnel.

Smoking Please note that smoking is NOT permitted inside the Grosvenor Square Hotel.

Mobile phones Please ensure that your mobile phone is SWITCHED OFF during the main conference sessions.

Photography and filming There will be photography and/or filming at this event and your image may be captured by us and used for our business and promotional purposes in printed publications, videos and/or on our website. By registering for the event you are giving us your permission to use your image in this way. If you have any queries about this, however, please e‐mail service‐clients@development‐institute.com.

Our supporting organisations:

Our media partner:

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The Europe‐Iran Forum has been specifically designed to comply with all relevant OFAC regulations pertaining to Iran sanctions law. The event is a forum for the exchange of views and information gained through the personal experiences of our speakers. There is to be no negotiation, deal making, or commercial transactions conducted or completed at the conference. We invite our prospective attendees to review the below regulations.

OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control) regulations that apply to the event:

• §560.208 Prohibited facilitation by United States persons of transactions by foreign persons.

Except as otherwise authorized pursuant to this part, and notwithstanding any contract entered into or any license or permit granted prior to May 7, 1995, no United States person, wherever located, may approve, finance, facilitate, or guarantee any transaction by a foreign person where the transaction by that foreign person would be prohibited by this part if performed by a United States person or within the United States.

• §560.417 Facilitation; change of policies and procedures; referral of business opportunities offshore.

With respect to §560.208, a prohibited facilitation or approval of a transaction by a foreign person occurs, among other instances, when a United States person:

(a) Alters its operating policies or procedures, or those of a foreign affiliate, to permit a foreign affiliate to accept or perform a specific contract, engagement or transaction involving Iran or the Government of Iran without the approval of the United States person, where such transaction previously required approval by the United States person and such transaction by the foreign affiliate would be prohibited by this part if performed directly by a United States person or from the United States;

(b) Refers to a foreign person purchase orders, requests for bids, or similar business opportunities involving Iran or the Government of Iran to which the United States person could not directly respond as a result of the prohibitions contained in this part; or

(c) Changes the operating policies and procedures of a particular affiliate with the specific purpose of facilitating transactions that would be prohibited by this part if performed by a United States person or from the United States.

• §560.204 Prohibited exportation, reexportation, sale, or supply of goods, technology, or services to Iran.

Except as otherwise authorized pursuant to this part, and notwithstanding any contract entered into or any license or permit granted prior to May 7, 1995, the exportation, reexportation, sale, or supply, directly or indirectly, from the United States, or by a United States person, wherever located, of any

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goods, technology, or services to Iran or the Government of Iran is prohibited, including the exportation, reexportation, sale, or supply of any goods technology, or services to a person in a third country undertaken with knowledge or reason to know that:

(a) Such goods, technology, or services are intended specifically for supply, transshipment, or reexportation, directly or indirectly, to Iran or the Government of Iran; or

(b) Such goods, technology, or services are intended specifically for use in the production of, for commingling with, or for incorporation into goods, technology, or services to be directly or indirectly supplied, transshipped, or reexported exclusively or predominantly to Iran or the Government of Iran.

• §560.410 Provision of services.

(a) The prohibition on the exportation, reexportation, sale or supply of services contained in §560.204 applies to services performed on behalf of a person in Iran or the Government of Iran or where the benefit of such services is otherwise received in Iran, if suchservices are performed:

(1) In the United States, or (2) Outside the United States by a United States person, including by an overseas branch of an entity located in the United States.

(b) The benefit of services performed anywhere in the world on behalf of the Government of Iran is presumed to be received in Iran.

(c) The prohibitions on transactions involving blocked property contained in §560.211 apply to services performed in the United States or by U.S. persons, wherever located, including by an overseas branch of an entity located in the United States:

(1) On behalf of or for the benefit of the Government of Iran, an Iranian financial institution, or any other person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to §560.211; or (2) With respect to property interests of the Government of Iran, an Iranian financial institution, or any other person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to §560.211.

(d) Example. A United States person is engaged in a prohibited exportation of services to Iran when it extends credit to a thirdcountry firm specifically to enable that firm to manufacture goods for sale to Iran or for an entity of the Government of Iran. See also

• §560.210 Exempt transactions.

(a) Personal communications. The prohibitions contained in this part do not apply to any postal, telegraphic, telephonic, or other personal communication that does not involve the transfer of anything of value.

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(b) Humanitarian donations. The prohibitions of §§560.204 and 560.206 do not apply to donations by United States persons of articles, such as food, clothing, and medicine, intended to be used to relieve human suffering. (c) Information or informational materials. (1) The prohibitions contained in this part do not apply to the importation from any country and the exportation to any country of information or informational materials, as defined in §560.315, whether commercial or otherwise, regardless of format or medium of transmission. (2) This section does not exempt from regulation or authorize transactions related to information or informational materials not fully created and in existence at the date of the transactions, or to the substantive or artistic alteration or enhancement of informational materials, or to the provision of marketing and business consulting services. Such prohibited transactions include, but are not limited to, payment of advances for information or informational materials not yet created and completed (with the exception of prepaid subscriptions for widely circulated magazines and other periodical publications); provision of services to market, produce or coproduce, create, or assist in the creation of information or informati1nal materials; and payment of royalties with respect to income received for enhancements or alterations made by u.s. persons to such information or informational materials.

• §560.554 Importation and exportation of services related to conferences in the United States or third countries authorized.

(a) Subject to the restrictions in paragraph (c) of this section, the importation of Iranian‐ origin services into the United States or other dealing in such services and the exportation, reexportation, sale, or supply of services from the United States or by a U.S. person are authorized where such services are performed or provided in the United States by or for a person who is ordinarily resident in Iran, other than the Government of Iran, an Iranian financial institution, or any other person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to §560.211, for the purpose of, or which directly relate to, participating in a public conference, performance, exhibition or similar event, and such services are consistent with that purpose.

(b) To the extent riot otherwise exempt from the prohibitions of this part and subject to the restrictions in paragraph (c) of this section, the exportation, reexportation, sale, or supply of services directly related to the sponsorship by a U.S. person of a public conference or other similar public event in a third country that is attended by persons who are ordinarily resident in Iran, other than the Government of Iran, an Iranian financial institution, or any other person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to §560.211, is authorized, provided that attendance and participation at the conference or other similar public event is open for the public and that the conference or other similar event is not tailored in whole or in part to or for Iran or persons who are ordinarily resident in Iran.

(c) This section does not authorize: (1) Any release of technology or software to a person who is ordinarily resident in Iran; and (2) The exportation, reexportation, sale or supply of services, or the importation of Iranian‐origin services or other dealing in such services, related to the petroleum or petrochemical industries, energy development, crude oil or natural gas, pipelines, or the oil services industry.

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Biographies

‐Moderators‐

John Andrews Consultant Editor The Economist

John Andrews is a consultant editor for The Economist, the prestigious British weekly. Until moving back to London in November 2006, he was The Economist’s most experienced foreign correspondent. In a 24‐year career that included positions in London as industry editor and Asia editor, his foreign postings have ranged from Singapore and Hong Kong to Brussels, Washington DC, Paris and finally Los Angeles.

John Andrews has written two books on Asia, co‐authored a book on Europe and contributed chapters to other books, including the Encyclopaedia Britannica. He has been a Hearst journalism fellow at the Annenberg School of Communication, University of Southern California. His latest book is The Economist Book of Isms and he is currently writing The World in Conflict, an analysis of present‐ day war and terrorism to be published by Profile Books under The Economist imprint in 2015. Andrews is the co‐editor of Megachange: The World in 2050, which examines the key developments that will determine our future. His special reports in The Economist —12,000–word essays which, unlike the magazine’s other articles, carry a by‐line—have covered subjects as diverse as civil aerospace, the European Union and the world of sport. He is a frequent broadcaster and public speaker.

Georges Malbrunot Middle East Special Correspondent Le Figaro

Georges Malbrunot graduated from l’Institut Pratique du Journalisme in 1986. His first experience was at the newspaper La Croix, in the national politics section. Interested in the Middle‐East, he moved to Jerusalem in 1994 and became a reporter. He covered topics related to the Israeli‐Palestinian conflict for French media, such as Europe1, Ouest France, Le Figaro and RTL.

In April 2003, Mr Malbrunot moved to Bagdad, after the fall of Saddam Hussein. In August 2004, Georges Malbrunot (and his colleague Christian Chesnot) were kidnapped in Iraq and were taken as hostages by an Islamist group demanding the cancelation of the secularism law in France. After 124 days of detention, they were liberated.

Once back in France, Georges Malbrunot decided to work only for one newspaper, Le Figaro. He wrote several books about Iraq, Qatar, the Israeli‐Palestinian conflict and Syria.

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Sir Richard Dalton Associate Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Program Chatham House‐ The Royal Institute of International Affairs

Sir Richard is an associate fellow of the Middle East and North Africa programme and a consultant and commentator on Middle East issues. He was a British career diplomat from 1970 to 2006. Between 1991 and 1992 he was a research fellow at Chatham House and published a study on security architecture for the Persian Gulf region. He was consul general in Jerusalem from 1993 to 1997. In 1999 he re‐established UK diplomatic relations with Libya, paving the way for the 2003 breakthrough on Libya’s Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs). From 2002 to 2006, as ambassador to Iran, he played a role in European negotiations with Iran, including on prevention of an Iranian military nuclear capability.

From 2006 to 2010 he worked with the Libyan British Business Council as director‐general. In 2008 he co‐wrote the Chatham House Middle East programme report, Iran: Breaking the Nuclear Deadlock. He chairs Chatham House’s round table on Libya.

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‐Speakers‐

Toby Iles Regional Editor & Economist, Middle East and Africa Economist Intelligence Unit

Toby Iles is a senior analyst in the EIU's Middle East and Africa team. He joined the company in 2006 doing research across the EMEA region for EIU Corporate Network clients, before shifting to the Country Analysis section in 2008. Toby now covers an interesting range of oil and gas producers, including Iran, Iraq and the UAE, variously grappling with diversification challenges and political risks. Toby has built up expertise in sovereign risk, helping to manage the EIU's Country Risk Service product. He has also played a role on the company's Global Forecasting Team. He contributed to the recently published Economist Guide to Emerging Markets.

Toby holds an Economics degree from Birkbeck College, University of London, and a Masters in International Relations from the University of Vienna. Previously, Toby gained a first class BA in Classics from Oxford.

Rt. Hon. Jack Straw MP Blackburn, Former Foreign Secretary United Kingdom

Rt. Hon. Jack Straw has been Member of Parliament for Blackburn since May 1979. He was last re‐elected at the General Election in May 2010, where unusually he saw a swing to Labour of 1.1%, contrary to the national trend. His majority is now 9,856.

Mr Straw served continuously on the Labour front‐bench for 30 years‐ from November 1980 until October 2010. He was a senior member of the Labour Cabinet for the whole period of the 1997‐2000 Labour Government. He served successively as Home Secretary (1997‐2001), Foreign Secretary (2001‐2006), Leader of the Commons (2006‐7), and then Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary (2007‐2010).

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Hubert Védrine Former French Minister for Foreign Affairs France

Former student at the French Institute of Political studies known as “SciencesPo” and at the National School of public administration called ENA, Hubert Védrine served successively as a diplomatic advisor, spokesman and Secretary‐General (chief of staff) under the presidency of François Mitterrand, from 1981 to 1995.

He was Minister of Foreign Affairs in the government of the Prime Minister Lionel Jospin under the presidency of Jacques Chirac, from 1997 to 2002.

In January 2003, Hubert Védrine founded “HUBERT VEDRINE CONSEIL”, a public consulting firm specializing in foreign, economic and geopolitical affairs.

He has chaired the François Mitterrand Institute since 2003. Hubert Védrine has been appointed as an independent director of LVMH since 2004.

He was chosen by Kofi Anan to be one the twenty international members of the High Level Group of the “Alliance of Civilizations” in 2005 and 2006.

He is the author of many works on politics and foreign policy.

Sir Martin Sorrell Chief Executive Officer WPP

Sir Martin Sorrell is the entrepreneurial founder and CEO of WPP, the world’s largest marketing communications group. He is one of the most respected global industry leaders whose views on business and the world economy are widely sought. WPP employs over 179,000 people (including associates and investments) in over 3,000 offices in 110 countries.

The Group’s worldwide companies include JWT, Ogilvy & Mather, Y&R, Grey, Mindshare, MEC, MediaCom, Kantar (including Millward Brown and TNS), OgilvyOne Worldwide, Wunderman, Burson‐Marsteller, Hill+Knowlton Strategies, Landor, Brand Union, AKQA and WPP Digital.

Sir Martin has degrees from Cambridge University and Harvard Business School. He actively supports the advancement of international business schools, advising Harvard, IESE and Indian School of Business, among others.

Recent recognitions for Group: In 2014 Holding Company of the Year at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity (fourth year running) and Most Effective Holding Company in Effie Global Effectiveness Index (third year running).

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Ramin Hariri Partner Dentons Europe

Ramin Hariri is a partner in Dentons’ Paris office. He assists large energy, oil, gas, mining and construction companies as well as governments.

Ramin has a wealth of experience in M&A transactions and due diligence, project management, cross‐border contracts, joint ventures, and corporate structuring. He also intervenes on infrastructure projects and their financing, public‐private partnerships and foreign investments regulation.

He assists governments and public companies in Francophone Africa in particular in foreign investments regulation, drafting of laws in energy, oil and gas (upstream and downstream), mining (exploration, production, trading), agro‐industries, and building of capacity and trainings in those sectors.

Charles Hollis Managing Director, Global Risks and Investigations Practice FTI Consulting

Charles Hollis is Managing Director in FTI Consulting’s Global Risk and Investigations Practice, specializing in the MENA region. He has worked with clients over many years to understand and manage political and business risks. He deploys his extensive networks, regional background and industry experience to oversee investigations, due diligence assignments and strategy formulation on behalf of clients.

Charles spent fourteen years serving at home and overseas with the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office. He enjoyed several postings including Deputy Head of Mission in Tehran, as well as at the UK Mission to the United Nations in New York.

Charles left the Diplomatic Service in 1997 to study for an MBA at Columbia Business School. In January 2005 Charles joined Kroll as Head of the Middle East Practice and in 2010 took up the position of Director General of the Middle East Association, the UK’s leading business forum for promoting trade and relations with the Middle East, North Africa and Iran. He left the MEA in April 2011 in order to take up his current position with FTI Consulting.

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Michael Tockuss Managing Member of the Board German‐Iranian Chamber of Commerce Association

Michael Tockuss is since 2007 Managing Member of the Board of the German‐Iran Chamber of Commerce Association, Hamburg Germany, a bilateral trade promotion organization founded 1952 in Germany (www.dihkev.de). The Chamber takes care about the business interests of more than 120 companies based in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Netherland and Belgium. He served in the past as Managing Director of the German‐Iran Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Tehran, Iran and Delegate of German Industry and Commerce for Saudi Arabia in Riyadh, KSA.

Michael Tockuss is one of the leading European advisors for investment and trade with Iran. He has a special focus on Iran sanctions and financial transactions in regard of Iran business. He is a regular speaker in Iran‐related trade conferences and seminars all over Europe and does regularly In‐house‐ Seminars to structure internal processes in companies and banks with Iran activities.

Marie‐Claire Aoun Director of the Center for Energy Ifri

Since March 2014, Marie‐Claire Aoun is Director of the Center for Energy at Ifri.

Marie‐Claire Aoun began her carrier in the energy sector in 2004 as a researcher at the Center of Geopolitics of Energy and Raw Materials (CGEMP) at Paris Dauphine University. She holds a PhD in Economics from Paris Dauphine University. Her thesis, defended in March 2008, focused on the impact of the oil rent on the economic development of oil exporting countries.

Economist at the French energy regulator (Commission de Régulation de l’Energie) between June 2008 and February 2014, she contributed to the works on the European gas markets integration within the framework of the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators.

She was notably involved in the works on gas transmission capacity allocation mechanisms, investments in gas infrastructures, harmonization of natural gas transmission tariffs structures and the congestion management procedures in the European gas transmission pipelines.

Marie‐Claire Aoun also participates to the teachings of the Master “Energy, Finance, Carbon” of Paris Dauphine University.

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Elham Hassanzadeh Research Fellow Oxford Institute for Energy Research

Elham Hassanzadeh is a research fellow at Oxford Institute for Energy Studies where she has conducted extensive research on legal and political aspects of oil and gas industry development in the Middle East, particularly in Iran and Iraq. She is the author of “Iran’s natural gas industry in the post‐Revolutionary period” which is published by Oxford University Press in summer 2014. She also has publications on the Middle East’s energy market reform with International Institute for Sustainable Development where she is a visiting fellow.

Elham is a qualified lawyer at the Iranian Central Bar Association, a visiting lecturer in Azad Tehran University and a researcher to the World Bank on the Iranian investment laws and regulations and subsidies reform. She holds an LL.M in international commercial law from University of Cambridge where she was Cambridge Overseas Trust scholar and a PhD in Oil and Gas Law and Policy Studies from the Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy (CEPMLP), University of Dundee.

Amir Handjani Lead Director RAK Petroleum

Amir Handjani is currently a lead director of RAK Petroleum PCL, an oil and gas company with extensive drilling operations in the Middle East and North Africa. Prior to his appointment to the Board of Directors, he was the General Counsel of RAK Petroleum from its inception in 2005 through 2011. He has been involved in the formulation of all legal, financial, and technical projects the Company has undertaken since inception. In his capacity as General Counsel of the Company, Mr. Handjani played a leading role in the acquisition of Indago Petroleum, an AIM listed company as well as RAK Petroleum’s 42% equity stake in DNO, a Norwegian Exploration and Production company listed on the Oslo exchange with operations in Iraq, Yemen, Tunisia and the UAE.

Mr. Handjani has been instrumental in managing RAK Petroleum’s government relations with the Governments of Oman, UAE as well as the Kurdistan Regional Government (Northern Iraq). He is currently a member of the Advisor Board of PT Capital LLC a leading Arctic Asset Manager. He is also a Senior Advisor to Karv Communications, a consulting firm with a focus on corporate communications, crisis management and public affairs in New York

A contributor to Huffington Post, The National Interest, The Hill and Al Jazeera, Mr. Handjani is regarded as a Middle East and Iran expert with extensive knowledge of the political and economic climate of the region. He frequently travels to Iran, the Persian Gulf and other countries in the Middle East.

He is a member of the District of Columbia and New Jersey Bar Association. He graduated from Boston College and Northeastern University School of Law.

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Shahriar Besharat Founder, Former Chief Executive Officer Damavand Mineral Water

Honours Degree in physics from McGill University and ESSEC business school of France, Shahriar Besharat left Iran one year after the revolution, when all the family businesses were nationalized and came back for the first time in 1998. He successfully managed one of the first privatization in the mineral water sector.

This company is now the current market leader of the sector, initially under a joint venture partnership with Groupe Castel of France and SABMiller of South Africa and now with Groupe Danone. This project initiated a new legislation for foreign investment in Iran and was the first foreign owned company after the Revolution. Over a 10‐year period Damavand Mineral Water has multiplied its sales by 40. Cash on cash return for this 10‐year period has been 63x (51% IRR) and both Castel and Danone have received FIPPA protection. The first Group of foreign shareholders (Castel and Ferminvest, our financial partner) has since fully exited Iran and realized their gains.

OIETAI is currently featuring Damavand on its public brochures and quotes the company as a model success story for its activities.

Fardin Alizad Chairman Sunich

Mr. Fardin Alizad, born in Iran in 1963, studied in Iran until high school, which he completed in France. He then pursued a degree in business administration in the United States. Having worked in the food distribution sector in the US until 1990, he returned to Iran and established two food manufacturing companies and a related food and pharmaceutical distribution company in Iran. Specializing in fruit juices, concentrates, beverages and confectionary products, Sunich boasts a number of Iran’s market leading brands. As Chairman, Mr. Alizad oversees an organization that has grown to include over 3000 employees.

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Amir Nabi Director, Iran World Franchise Associates

Amir Nabi is a serial entrepreneur with over 20 years of international expertise in the fields of marketing and brand consultancy. He started his career within the family business, a holding‐company specializing in strategic development with a significant interest in the food and services industry, prior to venturing out on his own to pursue his passion for creating lifestyle brands.

Amir has worked as Head of Franchising for Wayne’s Coffee the largest coffee shop brand in Scandinavia with more than 150 outlets in Scandinavia, Polen, Estonia, China and Saudi Arabia. He has signed more than 60 franchise deals during his professional carrier internationally. Amir has created a number of successful Hospitality brands in Sweden and recently was the Head of Business Development of the Dubai based Holding Whissle with brands as OKKU, CLAW, Riva Beach Club, and Sophie’s Gastro Café.

Currently Amir is Group Partner for a Trade & Hospitality company based in Dubai Merchant Star International who is developing and operating new funky & urban lifestyle brands and Amir is holding a Director position for World Franchise Association Iran as well, presenting more than 150 international brands under the company portfolio.

Rouzbeh Pirouz Chair, Board of Governors Iranian Business School

Mr. Pirouz received his Bachelor's degree from Stanford University, a Master's degree from Harvard University and was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University. He is the Executive Chairman of Turquoise Partners, a leading Iranian financial services group. He is also Senior Partner at Pelican Partners, a private equity and real estate investment company headquartered in London. He has been selected by the World Economic Forum (Davos, Switzerland) as a Young Global Leader. Mr. Pirouz is the chairman of the Iranian Business School (IBS) which is a philanthropically‐ motivated project aimed at creating a world‐class business school in Iran. He also sits on the board of the Iranian Heritage Foundation which is a non‐political UK registered charity with the mission to promote and preserve the history, languages and cultures of Iran and the Persian world.

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Dr. Pari Namazie Co‐founder The Simorgh Iran‐EU Foundation

Pari Namazie is the Chairwoman of the Simorgh Iran‐EU Foundation, a non‐profit organization based in Vienna (www.thesimorgh.com). The Simorgh Foundation is dedicated to improving ties between Iran and the EU through cultural and advocacy exchange initiatives. The Simorgh pursues activities in education, research and public policy.

Pari comes with a 20 year experience in human resources, talent management, training and development. She is a founding partner of the Atieh Group, a leading management consulting group based in Tehran. Pari founded Atieh Roshan Consulting in 2002, which is known as a leading Strategic Human Resources consultancy in Tehran. Pari holds a PhD in International Human Resources Management and contributes regularly to academic journals and conferences on the development of HRM in Iran.

Nadereh Chamlou Former Senior Advisor to the Chief Economist of MENA World Bank

Nadereh Chamlou is currently an international development advisor. She was formerly Senior Advisor to the Chief Economist of the World Bank's Middle East and North Africa Region. In her three decades with the World Bank, she held technical, coordination, managerial, and advisory positions across the World Bank and International Finance Corporation in such areas as economic management, private sector development, financial markets, knowledge economy, environmental sustainability, corporate governance, gender and development, and infrastructure.

Her experience extends to Latin America, East Asia and Pacific, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East and North Africa. She co‐authored the World Bank flagship report on “Corporate Governance: A Framework for Implementation”, which led to her co‐founding the World Bank/OECD sponsored Global Corporate Governance Forum and heading its Secretariat from 1998‐2000.

Her research focuses on labor markets, particularly on talent pool and knowledge economy, stressing competitiveness and growth through diversity. She has authored several works and journal articles and speaks frequently at international conferences. In addition to her work at the World Bank, she sits on multiple boards and councils of various organizations and research institutions, including the Iranian International Economic Association (IIEA); and the newly established West Asia Council. She has a B.S. in Foreign Service and a M.A. in Economics from Georgetown University.

She authored “Gender and Development in the Middle East and North Africa Region – Women in the Public Sphere”; and “The Environment for Women’s Entrepreneurship in the Middle East and North Africa Region”.

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Arash Vafadari Chief Executive Officer Mana Payam

Arash is the founder and Managing Director of Mana Payam Public Relations based in Tehran Iran. Mana Payam is Iran’s only dedicated, full service public relations consultancy with comprehensive experience in meeting the growing demands of medium and large businesses either already established or looking to enter the local market.

Since the company’s inception more than five years ago, the understanding of credible PR in Iran has grown considerably. Arash with his supporting team has now turned Mana Payam into the market leader with 20+ employees.

The company currently works with many foreign and local companies conducting business, or wishing to expand their operations in the country.

In addition to his leading role at Mana Payam, Arash also lectures at the Vije School of Communications in Tehran teaching modern public relation courses. He is also an advisor to the Iranian Business School (IBS), a not‐for‐profit academic institution founded by prominent Iranian business people.

Prior to his roles in Iran, Arash founded the Maison d’Edition Ketabe Iran‐Canada in Montreal. The centre has become one of the leading cultural organizations promoting the Middle East’s rich history and cultural vibrancy. During his time studying, Arash gained multiple qualifications from universities inside Iran and at Canada’s McGill University in Montreal.

Upon return to Iran, Arash has developed insight and knowledge into devising successful marketing and communications campaigns furthering the goals of his clients.

Dr. Farbod Nasserabadi Managing Director, Founder MCG Mena

Dr. Farbod Nasserabadi holds a PhD in Medicine. His passion for marketing communications goes back to the medical school days; together with his classmate Dr. Farzad Rezajouie they organized successful conferences and exhibitions on health related issues. Later on in 1999 they together with Behnam Karami, founded MCG, a leading advertising and media communication company in Iran.

Dr. Farbod is actively involved in the group's day to day operations. He oversees the strategy and creative developent aspects of the brands handled by the group. Dr. Farbod has been instrumental in launching and overseeing campaigns for MTN Irancell, Danone, DIGI KALA a leading e‐commerce brand in Iran, Sony Mobile, and many other Iranian brands.

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Arash Ahmadi Founder Ahmadi Studio

Architect Arash Ahmadi is the founder of the successful architectural Arash Ahmadi Studio. His passion for architecture goes back to his university days when, after graduation, he became the youngest associate professor at La Sapienza University in Rome. He also created and promoted several architectural workshops between Italy and Iran, held in both Italy and Iran. Meanwhile he established his studios in Rome and Tehran.

After achieving his Ph.D. degree in urban planning he decided to focus on the studio since he has been assigned important projects all around the Middle East area.

In Iran he has been and still is involved in several luxury private projects and in important public projects like the interior design for the Iranian National Jewels Museum and the Iranian Pavillion for Expo 2015.

Shirin Partovi Tavakolian Founder and Director Shirin Gallery

Shirin Partovi established Shirin Art Gallery in Tehran in 2004. The gallery is committed to establishing an international context for the broad range of contemporary art practices within Iran. The gallery features two exhibition spaces— one dedicated to the gallery’s permanent collection and the second featuring bi‐weekly exhibitions of works by both established artists and upcoming talents. The gallery also includes a bookstore and meeting spaces.

In 2013, Shirin Gallery opened its New York branch in the famed Chelsea gallery district. Shirin Gallery NY represents a commitment to advance Iranian contemporary art with a critical and socially aware perspective, challenging many common perceptions of the Middle East. Shirin Gallery prides itself on its strong relationships with both artists and collectors, and seeks to act as a steward for Iranian art, presenting at leading international art fairs, and organizing major art events within Iran.

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Roxane Zand Deputy Chairman, Middle East and Gulf Region Sotheby’s

Harvard and Oxford educated, Roxane Zand began a career in museum and arts administration after three years in UNESCO. She left Iran after the Revolution to resume professional activities in London in the field of education, and as one of the founding members of the UK Harvard Club.

She was an officer of the Iran Heritage Foundation before moving to Asia House, and worked variously as arts editor of the Encyclopaedia Islamica and freelance consultant for numerous projects for the British Museum and elsewhere in the art world before joining Sothebys in 2006 where she is now Deputy Chairman for the Middle East. Currently she sits on the Advisory Council of the Pictet Art Prize, the Development Board of the University of the Arts London, and has been appointed as a Deputy Lieutenant for Greater London.

Morad Montazami Adjunct Research‐Curator for the Middle East and Maghreb, supported by Iran Heritage Foundation Tate Modern

Morad Montazami is adjunct research‐curator at Tate Modern for the Middle East and Maghreb, supported by Iran Heritage Foundation. He co‐curated the exhibition UNEDITED HISTORY: IRAN 1960‐2014 at Musée d'art moderne de la ville de Paris. He also runs the journal in middle‐eastern studies and visual culture Zamân.

Dorothée Schmid Research Fellow, in charge of Turquey Programme Ifri

Dorothée Schmid is the acting Director of the Contemporary Turkey program at IFRI. She holds a PHD in Political Science from Paris‐II University (Panthéon‐Sorbonne), and a Master in Political Economy from Sciences‐Po Paris in addition to the Sciences‐Po Paris diploma. Dorothée joined Ifri in 2003 as an expert on Mediterranean and Middle Eastern issue, before establishing the Turkish programme in 2008.

Her current interests focus on Western policies vis‐à‐vis the Middle East, political transitions and the political economy of the region (geopolitics of energy in the Levant, future of the rentier states). She follows closely Turkey’s internal governance and edited in 2011 a book exposing to Turkey’s diplomatic ambitions in the Middle East, La Turquie au Moyen‐Orient : le retour d'une puissance régionale ? (Turkey and the Middle East: Return of a Regional Power?), CNRS Editions. She comments regularly in the French and international media on Turkey, the Syrian crisis and France’s outlook in the region.

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Esfandyar Batmanghelidj Organising Partner Europe‐Iran Forum

Esfandyar Batmanghelidj is a Founding Partner of the Europe‐Iran Forum. He is an Associate at Counterpoint, a UK based risk advisory specializing in cultural intelligence. He is also a Senior Research Associate at Iran Tobacco Research Group, a research partnership seeking to develop public health strategies for smoking cessation in Iran. ITRG was the first company to initiate an OFAC approved clinical trial in Iran, in cooperation with Shahid Beheshti Medical University in Tehran and the Iranian Ministry of Health. Esfandyar studied at Columbia University, with a focus on Political Science and Middle Eastern Studies. His research on Iranian political economy and social history has been published in the journal Iranian Studies and in the Encyclopedia Iranica among other peer‐review publications and media outlets.

Dina Esfandiary Research Associate, Non‐Proliferation and Disarmament Programme International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS)

Dina Esfandiary is a Research Associate who joined the Non‐Proliferation and Disarmament programme of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London in October 2009. Her research focuses on security, relations between states and non‐ proliferation in the Middle East, including Iran and Syria’s WMD programmes. Prior to this, she worked at a disarmament NGO focusing on non‐State actors.

Dina has published widely, including in the Atlantic, the Huffington Post, Arms Control Today, Al Monitor, Survival (the IISS’ journal), Le Temps, the Australian and the Diplomat. Dina holds Masters Degrees from Kings College London and the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva.

Raymond Saner Professor, Organisation and International Management University of Basel

Raymond Saner is Professor Titular in Organisation and International Management (University of Basle). He is the co‐founder of CSEND, a Geneva based NGRDO (non‐ governmental research and development organisation (since 1993) and the director of CSEND’'s Diplomacy Dialogue branch.

His research and consulting focuses on conflict studies and international negotiations at bilateral, plurilateral and multilateral levels in the field of trade (WTO), employment and poverty reduction (ILO, PRSP), trade and development (WTO, UNCTAD, EIF), human and social capital development in the educational sector (GATS/ES/WTO and OECD) and trade, investment and climate change (UNCTAD).

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He is professor titular at Basle University, Dept of Economics and Management where he teaches negotiations and dispute settlement at WTO. He also teaches negotiations in multistakeholder context at the Centre for Sustainability (CSM), Leuphana University, Lüneburg.

Raymond Saner pioneered the field of business diplomacy and contributes to the study of multi‐ stakeholder diplomacy within the field of diplomacy and teaches at Diplomatic Academies and Schools in Europe and North America.

He is a reviewer of the Journal of Applied Behaviour (JABS), the Journal of Managerial Psychology, and the Public Organization Review.

Dr. Nigel Coulthard President Cercle Iran Economie Former Country President Alstom

Nigel Coulthard manages an international management consulting activity and is president of the Paris based “Cercle Iran Economie”. He has held senior management positions in large international industrial groups, notably in the Semiconductor and Engineering sectors, in both the UK and France. He has also spent many years in Iran, as a youngster under the Shah in the 1970s, through the 1979 Islamic Revolution and more recently during the Khatami and Ahmadinejad presidencies as corporate Country President for the ALSTOM group.

After graduating in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Bristol he was awarded a research doctorate in Applied Physics from the University of Toulouse. Nigel later obtained an Executive MBA from HEC, the prestigious French Business School, and an Advanced Diploma in Persian Studies from INALCO, the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilisations in Paris. He is author of the recently published book “IRAN, Hussein’s dilemma”.

Ulf Hambeck Country Manager Scania

Ulf Hambeck is Scania’s Country Manager for Iran. He holds overall responsibly for Scania’s undertakings in Iran and manages the relationships with its local suppliers and customers. Scania’s activities range in Iran from overall business development, to the managing of the brand franchise, and the provision of aftersale services. Ulf has spent 9 years with the company in 5 different managerial capacities. In this period, he spent 6 years stationed abroad in Spain, Italy, and France. Ulf holds an LLM in contractual law and a BA in finance from Lund University in Sweden.

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Dr. Fereidoun Mahboudi Chairman CinnaGen

Fereidoun Mahboudi is the founder of four successful medical biotechnology companies in Iran.

He founded CinnaGen for the production and sales of biotechnology in Iran in 1993, later expanding with an in house R&D department. CinnaGen shifted to biopharmaceutical production in 2003. Over the last ten years, the company has expanded into CinnaGen Group, producing 12 biosimilar medicines under the CinnaGen and Aryogen brands. The company is now the largest in this sector in Iran, with 80% domestic market share and increasing exports to neighboring countries. For the majority of pharmaceuticals in their product family, CinnaGen counts as the second largest producer in the world.

Mr. Mahboudi is now leads the Iranian Manufacturer and Export Society for Medical Biotechnology and directs the industry group's center for policy and planning.

He is also an Associate Professor at the Pasteur Institute of Iran, and has published more than 90 scientific papers and three books.

Ali Amiri Director Arya Diesel

Ali Amiri is founding partner of ACL. He is an entrepreneur and investor in Iran with both a strong investment track record in the Iranian Market and reach into the country’s business community. Ali has a deep understanding of the Iranian investment opportunity and a strong belief in the economic potential of the country and the ability of the Iranian people to prosper through business.

Ali Amiri holds a MBA from Harvard Business School (2006) and a BA in Economics from Columbia (1990). He has a number of management positions and board directorships including:

He is Founding Shareholder and Chairman of Guarantee Finance LLC (Kurdistan), Founding Partner of ACL (Cayman Islands), Director of Arya Diesel (Iran) and Director of Maadiran Group (Iran)

Ali Amiri is married, has three daughters, lives in London and travels frequently to Tehran.

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Charles Robertson Global Chief Economist and Head of Macro‐Strategy Unit Renaissance Capital

Charles Robertson, a leading emerging markets specialist, is Renaissance Capital’s Global Chief Economist and Head of the Firm’s Macro‐strategy Unit. Mr. Robertson covers the global economic themes having the greatest impact on emerging markets.

Over the past decade, the scope of Mr. Robertson’s work has covered, among other topics: quantifying political risk in emerging markets; how the retirement age rising to 67 reflects deep‐ rooted problems in the West and great opportunities in emerging markets; the revolutionary nature of growth in countries with non‐democratic governments; the fact that Africa’s economies are now returning some of the highest growth rates on Earth, and how this trend is set to play out; the impact of terrorism and natural disasters on economies; the effects of falling agricultural stocks on food prices and inflation; and how emerging‐markets banks may have the best growth potential over the coming years.

Mr. Robertson is the lead author of The Fastest Billion: The Story Behind Africa’s Economic Revolution (www.fastestbillion.com), published in October 2012.

Mr. Robertson was ranked the number‐one economics and macro analyst for emerging Europe, the Middle East and Africa in the Extel survey in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. In addition, the team he led was ranked the best macro team in Extel’s 2010 survey of equity investors. Another of Charlie’s teams took first place for SSA coverage in the institutional investor survey for 2012. Mr. Robertson graduated from the London School of Economics in 1993, and worked at a UK parliamentary defence think‐tank and a research boutique until joining the financial services industry in 1998.

Cyrus Razzaghi President and Chief Executive Officer Ara Enterprise

Cyrus Razzaghi is an Iranian scholar, business analyst and entrepreneur with a 20‐year international career in 3 continents and more than 10 countries. After serving as the European General Manager for the world’s 2nd largest software company at the time, Cyrus left London‐UK in 2003 to explore opportunities in the Middle East. While building one of the region’s largest boutique management consultancies (Ara Enterprise: www.AraEnterprise.com) and launching several successful e‐Commerce companies/ventures in the region and the US (including www.PersianLuxury.com and www.SabioQ.com), he did extensive research on the Middle East’s politics and political economy, the topic of his PhD candidacy. During the past 12 years in the Middle East, he has also helped numerous global brands enter and/or expand in the region, most especially in Iran.

He is regularly quoted by the world’s most prestigious publications and holds business degrees including EMBA, MBA, Bachelor of Commerce and International Management Diploma from Hautes Etudes Commerciales (HEC), London School of Economics (LSE)/New York University (NYU) and University of British Columbia (UBC).

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Prof. Hadi Salehi Esfahani Professor University of Illinois Urbana‐Champaign

Hadi Salehi Esfahani is a Professor of Economics and Business Administration at the University of Illinois at Urbana‐Champaign. In addition, he currently serves as the Editor‐in‐Chief of the Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance. He is also a member of Board of Trustees of the Economic Research Forum for the Arab Countries, Iran & Turkey and a founder and Board member of the International Iranian Economic Association. In the past, he has served as the Executive Secretary and the President of Middle East Economic Association and as the Director of the Global Studies Program and the Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Illinois. He has also worked for the World Bank as a policy research economist and as a consultant.

He holds a B.Sc. in engineering from the University of Tehran and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of California at Berkeley. His research focuses on the role of politics and governance in economic policy formation, especially in fiscal, labor, and trade areas. His main area of specialization is the political economy of development in the Middle East and North Africa region.

Ignazio Moncada Former Chairman Fata, Finmeccanica

Ignazio Moncada is Senior Advisor to public and private Institutions, Former Chairman of Fata S.p.A, Pianezza (TO). He is also, Chairman of Fata Logistic Systems S.p.A, Pianezza (TO), Deputy Chairman of Musinet Engineering S.p.A., Turin, Board Director of Fata Hunter Inc., Riverside, California (USA) and Chairman of Fata Gulf Co. W.L.L., Doha (Qatar). He is listed in the Italian National Auditor Directory. He is member of the Board of Eu‐China Business Dialogue, Beijing (China), Member of the Board of Italy‐China Chamber of Commerce, Milan, Member of the Board of Italy‐China Foundation, Milan, Member of the E.U. – QATAR relations Committee, Member of the Board of Italy‐Iran Chamber of Commerce, Rome and Member of the Board of the Italian Myanmar Business Council.

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Thomas Schulz Chief Executive Officer FLSmidth

MSc (Engineering), PhD Mining Engineering (Dissertation in Mineral Mining and Quarrying), Group Chief Executive Officer, with FLSmidth since May 2013. Born 1965, German. Formerly Chairman of SJL Shan Bao (2011‐2012) and various managerial positions in Sandvik since 2001: President of the Business Area Construction (2011‐2012), President, Construction, and SVP, Mining and Construction (2005‐2011), Managing Director, Mining and Construction Southeast Asia Ltd. (2009‐2012), Regional President Mining and Construction Central Europe (2001‐2002).

With Svedala, Germany: Business Area Manager (1999‐2001), Product Support Manager (1998‐1999).

With Technical University of Aachen: Assistance of Science (1994‐1998), International Consultant for Mining (1994‐1998).

Mohammad Reza Ansari Chairman Kayson

Mohammad Reza Ansari is the Chairman of Kayson, Iran’s largest privately held General Contractor and Development Company. He founded the company in 1975, and grew its operations as an internationally active construction conglomerate. Kayson is comprised of five divisions representing the company’s competencies: Mass Housing and Urban Development, Rail and Transportation, Water Management, Oil, Gas and Petrochemicals and Civil Engineering. In addition to his role at Kayson, Mr. Ansari is the Chairman of the Board of the International Consultants and Contractors Association of Iran and a member of the high councils of both the Tehran University Alumni Association and the Syndicate of Iranian Contractors. He holds an M.S. degree in civil engineering from Tehran University.

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Maryam Kiaie International Business Development Director Rah‐Shahr International Group

Maryam Kiaie is the International Business Development Director of Rah‐Shahr International Group based in London. She holds a Ph.D. in Facility Management and Construction, and a master’s degree in Project Management from the University of Greenwich and a B.A. in Architecture from AA (Architectural Association) School of Architecture in London.

Her current interests focus on cultural, educational, political and economic transitions faced by Western companies working in developing countries. She also has presented several papers at different international conferences on barriers and drivers influencing the process of technology and knowledge transfers and adaptation from West to Iran.

Maryam is currently working to promote investment potentials and to attract investors for the Imam Khomeini International Airport City which is a 14,000 hectares project comprising of seven distinctive centers (cores) with various land uses dispersed throughout the City, including 1,500 ha of Free Trade Zone and 2,500 ha of Special Economic Zone. Along with this development plan, the Master Plan for the development of aeronautical, cargo and passenger operations for four development phases up to 90 million annual passengers has been foreseen and is in progress.

Mohsen Malayeri Co‐Founder, Managing Director Avatech Co‐Founder, Former Vice‐President Iran Entrepreneurship Association

Mohsen Malayeri is an Iranian entrepreneur and startup community leader. After co‐founding a startup in Online Advertising in 2009, Mohsen continued his journey by co‐founding Iran Entrepreneurship Association (IEA) in 2012. The organization has played an important role in building startup and entrepreneurship ecosystem in Iran through initiatives such as StartupWeekend, Global Entrepreneurship Weekend (GEW) operating nationally. In 2014 he cofounded Avatech, the first startup accelerator in Iran to help entrepreneurs create sustainable startups and opportunity to raise money.

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Rupesh Chatwani Founder Damavand Investment Former Senior Banker EBRD

Rupesh Chatwani has been working with fast‐growing technology companies for the last 15 years. Most recently he was working for the EBRD. Prior to joining the EBRD, Rupesh was an adviser to and investor in numerous technology companies – working closely with entrepreneurs and management teams on strategy, business development, recruiting and fundraising.

Prior to that, Rupesh was an Investment Director at Add Partners, a €175 million European venture capital firm focused on technology investments and a Vice President at Broadview International, a technology‐focused M&A advisory firm. Rupesh has also worked as a software engineer at Cadence and as a hardware engineer at Data General. Rupesh is an Austrian citizen and he earned an MBA from LBS and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Northeastern University.

Hamid Mohammadi Chief Executive Officer Digikala

What would you do if you could change everything? This was the question that inspired Hamid Mohammadi and his brother to found Digikala ten years ago. Now Iran's leading e‐commerce platform, Digikala caters to millions of customers each month. After an experience purchasing a digital camera, Hamid decided to launch a service for Iran that not only provided a platform to purchase high‐quality electronics, but also provided accurate information to help shoppers make intelligent buying decisions. This formula made Digikala one of Iran's most valuable web properties and the company has now expanded from consumer electronics to act as an online marketplace with a wide range of products for all lifestyles and consumer needs. Hamid holds an MBA from IUST.

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Faranak Askari Founder ToIran.com

Faranak was born in Shiraz, Iran, and raised in Canada. She is a management expert, who holds a degree from Ryerson University in Canada. In the past decade, she has used her keen business sense to launch different, successful startups. She has attended and spoken at several startup events in Iran and abroad, where she has put to use her unique coaching skills to guide young minds.

Faranak lived in Canada, the US, UK and UAE before returning to her fatherland to use her passion for Iran, business experience, international expertise to revolutionize the country’s tourism industry. She is the visionary founder behind toiran.com, Iran’s first online tourism platform, cultural website and information directory. She is currently working with her team to build the technological side of Iran’s tourism industry. Faranak is an environmental activist and ensures all ventures she pursues are completely green. Faranak is an artr love who travels for art and supports young, emerging Iranian and international artists.

Emad Sharghi Member, Board of Directors SI Retail, Auchan Franchise Iraq

With over 25 years of sales & marketing experience in the Middle East and the United states, Mr. Sharghi presently heads the Middle East and North Africa operations for SI Capital Partners (SICP), an independent investment company with a diverse portfolio in a variety of business sectors which include large scale retail, automotive, food manufacturing and aviation. As one of the Managing Partners, he has been instrumental in establishing the Auchan Hypermarket chain in Iraq and currently serves on the Board of Directors of SI Retail, Auchan's franchisee in Iraq. In addition, he currently serves as the CEO of EAS, Ltd., a leading global aircraft brokerage company providing client tailored aviation solutions to airlines, governments, corporations and high net worth individuals based in Abu Dhabi and Moscow.

Mr. Sharghi's past experience includes establishing turnkey manufacturing projects in the Middle East in the dairy and bottled water sectors. As founder of Dubex Group in the United States, Mr. Sharghi represented major American petrochemical companies throughout the Middle East. In 2001, he co‐founded Sigmaplast GmbH and Sigmaplast Russia, as the exclusive distributors for GE Plastics.

Mr. Sharghi holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Maryland and a Masters of Science in Information Systems from George Washington University.

Alireza Kolahi‐Samadi Chairman Abhar Wire and Cable Company Vice‐President Iran Electrical Industry Syndicate

Alireza Kolahi is currently Executive Chairman of Abhar Wire and Cable, Iran's leading manufacturer of cables. He is also CEO of Noorin Industrial Holdings, a private holding company active in the metal, electrical and polymer industries, as well as Vice President of Iran Electrical Industry Syndicate, Iran's largest industrial NGO representing some 500 companies with a combined turnover of over USD 20 billion.

Alireza Kolahi is also Member of Board Sarava Pars, a VC specializing in e‐commerce and Member of Board of Noavaran Fanavaze (DigiKala.com), Iran's largest online retailer.

After completing his schooling at Winchester College and higher education at Imperial College, London, Alireza Kolahi moved back to Iran in 1996 where he joined Ernst & Young Iran's consulting team. He then joined the family holding company Noorin Industrial Holdings. He has successfully navigated the group through both the favourable conditions of the late 1990s and the crisis of the past few years to become one of the country's largest privately held industrial concerns.

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Andreas Schweitzer Managing Director Investissements Mistral Ltd.

Andreas Schweitzer started his career in Swiss private banking and went on to create and manage a $200 million market‐timing fund. He is the Managing Director of Investissements Mistral Ltd and co‐founder of Acquarossa Terme SA, a Swiss Thermal Spa Resort Development. With a well‐rounded knowledge of start‐ups, SMEs and especially frontier markets, Schweitzer invested since 2005 in wind energy as well as in the development of hydro‐electric power drive systems for mid‐size on‐ and off grid wind turbines.

Schweitzer’s Iranian business experience began in 2009 as an investor on his own account in the wind industry in Iran. Today he is an advisor for the Iran market to Metallco International Ltd., an industrial merchant company specializing in automotive/rail, defense, power generation and counter trade. Schweitzer now maintains a Tehran office and advises financial and industrial institutions interested in investing in or trading with Iran. He is a speaker at various upcoming International Iran Business Forums.

Ali Eslami Bidgoli Chairman Arman Ati Investment Advisory

Ali Eslami‐Bidgoli is currently the Chairman of Arman‐Ati Investment Advising Company, a private and Tehran‐based advisory and asset management group. Arman‐Ati is one of the first companies regulated by Iranian Securities & Exchange Organization (SEO) and holds the following licenses; Investment Consulting; Asset Management ; Portfolio Management; Mutual Funds (Establishment & Management); Issuing Equities; IPO Advisory ; Listing Advisory; Training ; ETF (Establishment, Management & Market Making);Market Making.

Mr Eslami is currently board member of Iran's biggest Mining holding company as well as consultant to Iran's biggest private bank, Iranian Association of Investment Companies, a Real Estate Development Company, Iran's Steel Pension Fund and has previously served executive positions in one of Iran's biggest private investment companies (CEO), a leading brokerage firm (CEO), and Iran's first Investment Bank (CEO), Tehran Stock Exchange Company(Board Member), Iran's Financial Centre(Board Member).

Mr Eslami's goals are to diversify the vehicles for investment. Mr Eslami currently advises many international companies and investors in the Iranian market through a strategic partnership.

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Majid Zamani Chief Executive Officer Kardan Investment Bank

Mr. Majid Zamani is the CEO of Kardan Investment Bank. Kardan is a fully fledged investment bank operating from Tehran‐Iran and has business relationships with clients, investors, advisers and other stakeholders in several key regions and financial centers of the world. Kardan’s main shareholders are three licensed commercial banks, Bank Tejarat, Saman Bank, and Middle East Bank.

Mr. Zamani is a former World Bank consultant and has worked for AIG in New York, and Petroleum Finance Corporation in Washington DC. He earned his MBA from University of Illinois – Chicago and an MPA from Columbia University – New York and a BSc. in Electrical Engineering from University of Tehran.

Mr. Zamani is the co‐founder of the first structured Venture Capital fund in E‐commerce in Iran with successful portfolio companies. He has been involved in several international merger and acquisition transactions and has provided financial advisory to corporations across various industries.

Parviz Aghili Chief Executive Officer Middle East Bank

Parviz Aghili is the Managing Director and Vice‐Chairman of Khavarmianeh (Middle East) Bank, one of Iran's newest and most innovative financial institutions. Parviz previously held the position of Managing Director at both Karafarin Bank and Industrial Investment of Iran. His career as a banker has spanned North America, Sub‐Sahran Africa, and the Middle East.

Middle East Bank completed its first year of operations in 2013, but has quickly developed a reputation for its quality of service and world‐class banking practices. As a wholesale bank, with limited branches, Middle East Bank has pioneered electronic banking in Iran. The bank's strong commitment to the development and training of its employees, leading to the formation of Iran's most talented team of young bankers, is reflected in Aghili's long commitment to education.

Parviz holds a PhD in Finance from the University of Wisconsin and currently teaches at in the Graduate School of Management Studies at the Sharif University of Technology.

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Ramin Rabii Managing Director Turquoise Partners

Since the launch of Turquoise, Ramin has been running the company as the Managing Director. Under his management the company has grown to become the largest foreign investor on the Tehran Stock Exchange, managing over 90% of the foreign capital on the market. Turquoise has now grown into a financial group which consists of asset management, brokerage, investment banking and private equity and employs over 70 people.

Turquoise's Newsletter is widely read by investors as well as analysts around the world and the company is largely quoted in the global financial media. Prior to Turquoise, Ramin worked for Tehran‐based Atieh Bahar Consulting, advising clients on their foreign investment strategy in Iran.

Ramin has an international educational background, having obtained a Masters degree in International Management for the Middle East and North Africa from SOAS University of London and a BSc from Queen’s University, Canada.

Sifiso Dabengwa President and Chief Executive Officer MTN Group

He is an executive Director of MTN Group since 2001.

Mr. Dabengwa has been with the MTN Group since 1999 when he was appointed MD of MTN SA. Then, he was appointed CEO of MTN Nigeria in early 2004; he held this position until late 2006 when he was appointed to the position of Group COO, before being appointed Group President and CEO in March 2011.

He holds a BSc and a MBA.

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Moosa Khajooyi Chief Executive Officer Hamrah VAS

Dr. Moosa Khajooyi is a career technology entrepreneur active in Mobile Communication, e‐Commerce and Nanotechnology. He is the Founder and CEO of Hamrah VAS, a mobile communications Value Added Service (VAS) provider with more than 17 million subscribers and a pioneer in the introduction of new technologies and services in Iran’s Telecom sector, from mobile gaming to electronic and mobile health applications.

He is also the Founder and Chairman of the Board of Hamgara, one of Iran’s pioneers in nanotechnology with innovative solutions including gas and bio‐sensing with massive potential applications in industry and healthcare as part of its larger M2M strategy. He holds a PhD in Information Technology from Amir Kabir Technology University, and a Master’s of Science from Sharif University.

Bernard Hourcade Senior Research Fellow, Emeritus CNRS

Bernard Hourcade (b. 1946) is a geographer, Senior Research Fellow, emeritus at CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris) and Woodrow Wilson Center Global Fellow (USA). He was Director of the Institut Français de Recherche en Iran (Ifri) (1978‐ 1993, Tehran), and of the research center Monde iranien (1993‐2003, Paris).

Bernard Hourcade conducted numerous field researches with Iranian scholars on the social, cultural, political and economic geography of Iran and about urban development, especially Greater Tehran. His analysis on Iran have been published or broadcast in many French international journals and media. He founded in 2011 “Irancarto”, a web site devoted to geographical studies on Iran (www.irancarto.cnr.fr).

Bernard Hourcade is currently consultant on Iranian political and social issues for public institutions and private companies. Bernard Hourcade is agrégé in history and geography (1969) and doctor in geography (Univ. Paris‐Sorbonne, 1975).

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The First Europe‐Iran Forum 35

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Upcoming 2014 events include:

The event Where When What EV Health Check Forum 2015 Brussels 4 November 2014 Policy event One‐day conference, 9.00am‐5.30pm

EMIR Paris 6 November 2014 Business event One‐day conference, 9.00am‐5.30pm

For more information on future European Voice events, visit www.europeanvoice.com/events or contact Mathilde Ciocci at [email protected]

The First Europe‐Iran Forum 37

Past European Voice events have included:

Data : the new currency ? Brussels 15 October 2014 Policy Event

23 September Cyber‐Security in 2014 Paris Business event 2014

18 September Connected Vehicles Brussels Business event 2014

Head of Public Affairs Paris 19 June 2014 Business event

Clinical Trials Paris 16 May 2014 Business event

The Future of Transatlantic Trade Paris 10 April 2014 Business event

European Food Safety Summit Paris 8 April 2014 Business event

European Shale Gas Revolution Paris 1 April 2014 Business event

The Future of Taxation Brussels 23 March 2014 Policy event

Europe's Energy Transition Brussels 5 March 2014 Policy event

Tackling Cyber‐Crime Brussels 26 November 2013 Policy event

Digital Privacy & Data Protection Paris 22 October 2013 Business event

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