Business leadership and transformation expert joins panel for Mideast retail forum

Dubai, November 16, 2005: René Carayol MBE, a business guru and the author of Corporate Voodoo has agreed to speak at the Middle East Council of Shopping Centres Retail Real Estate Forum & Exhibition, scheduled for 13 to 14 December, 2005 in Dubai.

Carayol's speaking theme, Continue To Do What You Do Best - Partner To Achieve The Rest, will focus on the impossibility of handling all areas of business within a single group, and the necessity of partnering with specialists to achieve business goals. Carayol will provide a series of case studies demonstrating companies that have collaborated successfully, as well as companies that have failed to achieve their aims by going it alone.

Carayol's uses his previous board level experience, to bring together business transformation, greater leadership and talent harnessing. His extensive CV includes serving as a Non-Executive Director for the United Kingdom's Inland Revenue and a former Director of IPC Media; Carayol has also served as an advisor to CBI, McKinsey & Co and Barclays. Carayol was awarded with a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2004 for his services to the business community.

Mike Davidson, President of the MECSC, said: "René Carayol's presentation is quite unique, and certainly stimulating. Participants can look forward to his challenging presentation and thought provoking style, which will show the region's retailers the need change and dynamism, and the resolve to implement this."

A number of key sponsors have signed up to participate in MECSC's Retail Real Estate Forum & Exhibition, including Dubai Festival City, Dubai Properties, BurJuman, Tamdeen Real Estate from Kuwait and PMDC - Property Management and Development Company from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Keith Procter, Senior Manager Saudi Arabia for PMDC, said: "Having a regionally based event of this kind provides retail real estate operators, retailers and mall developers with an excellent opportunity to share information and successes. The level of guest speakers and the panel discussions should make for an interesting event."

Additional speakers will include Senator Feargal Quinn, founder of Ireland's most successful supermarket chain, Phil McArthur, Director of Leasing & Marketing for Dubai Festival City, the MECSC's president, Mike Davidson, as well as Jack Rouse of Jack Rouse and Associates from the United States.

For further information, please contact:

Kate Mullen/Mare Elston
ASDA'A Public Relations
Dubai, UAE
Tel: 9714 3344550
Fax: 971 4 3344556
Email: k.mullen@asdaa.com
http://www.asdaa.com