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| Hilde Schwab |
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| Hilde, Klaus's wife, is a busy woman. She co-founded the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship with her husband in 1998, and is the founder of The Forum of Young Global Leaders (2004). She spends most of her time traveling around the world with her well-connected husband, meeting heads of state and celebrities. |
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| Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum |
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| Ruler of Dubai, and deputy ruler of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed's role in transforming Dubai from an obscure fishing town into the entertainment and business hub it is today is legendary. Dubbed the CEO of Dubai Inc, he heads numerous corporations in the emirate, including the gargantuan Dubai Holding.
When he isn't overseeing Dubai's baffling boom, he's out buying and riding some of the world's most expensive horses, which he keeps at state-of-the-art facilities in both Dubai and abroad.
Last week, he gave the inaugural speech at the World Economic Forum in Dubai. |
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| Mohamed Ali Alabbar |
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| Chairman of Emaar, Alabbar is incessantly featured in the local media. His company, Emaar, is responsible for first introducing freehold properties that non-UAE nationals can buy, as well as building some of the world's most outrageous structures.
Most recently, The Dubai Mall, built by Emaar, opened to much accolade by the public. It houses the world's largest acrylic panel, as well as over 1200 stores. Although, most of them haven't opened yet, but that's a different story.
On Monday, Alabbar addressed the closing plenary of the Summit of the WEF in Dubai, 2008, co-hosted by the Government of Dubai where almost 70 issues were discussed. He was personally invited to attend by Klaus Schwab. |
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| King Abdullah of Jordan |
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| King Abdullah II became of Jordan's ruler in February 1999 and he is the 43rd generation direct descendant of the Prophet Mohammed. He's also an extremely well-spoken individual, with strong views about the Arab world and its role in the international community. A fact those who heard him speak at the WEF in Sharm El Sheikh, 2008, would know.
Born in Amman in 1962, he was educated at schools in England and the United States. He attended Oxford University in 1984, and Georgetown in 1987. In 1993, he married Queen Rania, who has become a fashion icon in recent years. |
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| Mohammad Hosni Sayed Mubarak |
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| Egypt's long-running president (since 1981) is always in the news. Born in 1928, Mubarak was a highly active, somewhat ill-tempered young man who believed Egypt's government could do with a change. At first, he changed things militarily; in 1972, he was commander of the air force and deputy minister of war. In 1973, he was promoted to air chief marshal. Soon afterwards, in 1975, he became the vice-president of Egypt, and in 1981, after the assignation of Muhammad Anwar Al Sadat, he became president. Over the years, he learned how to give impassioned speeches, such as the one he delivered to an audience of businessmen and women at the WEF in Sharm El-Sheikh in 2008. There, he spoke about the importance of change and the need to pull the Arab world's resources together in order to improve the conditions of the Arabs. |
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| Angelina Jolie |
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| Invited by Schwab to attend the WEF, Angelina Jolie is more famous for her pouty lips and sultry looks than her humanitarian work. Still, her presence at the WEF 2006 in Davos brought a significant number of publicity to the event. While there, she spoke of the importance of providing sustained help to the world's needy, and the social responsibilities corporations have to their communities.
While some people listened, most people were star struck; Jolie is, after all, Hollywood's Queen. And she happens to be married to Hollywood's king. |
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