Abdul Rahman al-Tuwaijri, Capital Market Authority, Saudi Arabia

Abdul Rahman al-Tuwaijri is chairman of the Capital Market Authority, which regulates the Tadawul stock exchange. He is also secretary-general of the country's Supreme Economic Council. Prior to this, Al-Tuwaijri was economic adviser to the General Secretariat of the GCC, and has also held the position of executive director for Saudi Arabia at the IM F in Washington. He has served as chairman of the Election Committee of Executive Directors at the fund and a member of the Committee on Administrative Policies and the Committee on Liaison with the World Trade Organisation. Al-Tuwaijri is a board member of Saudi Aramco and deputy chairman of the Saudi Economic Association. He has a bachelor's degree in economics from King Saud University and a PhD in economics from Iowa State University in the US.

Email: info@cma.org.sa

David Knott, Dubai Financial Services Authority

David Knott has been the chief executive officer (CEO) of Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) since June 2005. The DFSA regulates all activities, from wholesale banking to legal services and accounting, in the financial free zone Dubai International Financial Centre. It also regulates the Dubai International Financial Exchange, which opened in September 2005. Knott moved to Dubai from Australia, where he was chairman of the Australian Securities & Investments Commission. He was also chairman of the Technical Committee of the International Organisation of Securities Commissions. Other positions he has held include chief operating officer of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, CEO of Commonwealth Funds Management, CEO of the Australian Financial Institutions Commission and a director of the Australian Crime Commission.

Tel: (+9714) 362 1500

Abdullah Salem al-Turafi, Emirates Securities & Commodities Authority

Abdullah Salem al-Turafi is chief executive officer of the Emirates Securities & Commodities Authority, which is the market regulator for the Abu Dhabi Stock Exchange and the Dubai Financial Market. He also holds the position of first secretary-general for the Union of Arab Securities Authorities. Al-Turafi has held various government executive positions, including assistant under-secretary for economic affairs at the Ministry of Economy & Trade. In 1999, upon the request of the ruler of Sharjah, Al-Turafi was assigned as director of the Hamriyah free zone and was a board member of Emirates Industrial Bank. In the finance sector, he has worked for a range of banking institutions, including Citibank Dubai and National Bank of Abu Dhabi. Al-Turafi studied business at UAE University and completed a diploma in finance in the US.

Email: alturafi@sca.ae

Phillip Thorpe, Regulator Qatar Financial Centre Regulatory Authority

Phillip Thorpe was appointed chairman and chief executive officer of the Qatar Financial Centre Regulatory Authority (QFCRA) in March 2005. He came to Qatar after establishing the regulatory framework of the Dubai International Financial Centre and launching the Dubai Financial Services Authority in August 2004. He has worked in financial regulation worldwide, from president of the non-profit data services and training organisation Futures Industry Institute, based in Washington, to managing director of the UK's Financial Services Authority. Thorpe originally trained as a barrister and solicitor in his native New Zealand and moved to Hong Kong in 1981. Following the market crash in October 1987, he was appointed CEO of the Hong Kong Futures Exchange.

Email: info@qfcra.com

Ahmed Saad, Capital Market Authority, Egypt

Ahmed Saad was appointed chairman of the Capital Market Authority in June 2007. He also serves as a member of the board of directors of the Central Bank of Egypt and is a member of the Trustee Council of the General Authority of Investment, the Institute of Directors and the Egyptian Money Laundering Combating Unit. Previous positions include chief financial consultant at Egyptian investment bank Naeem Holding and adviser to the former chairmen of the Capital Market Authority and the Cairo & Alexandria Stock Exchanges. Saad has served on several other committees, including the Egyptian Insurance Supervisory Authority, Mortgage Guarantee & Subsidy Fund, Investor Protection Fund, Settlement Guarantee Fund, the Egyptian Company for Financial Leasing and Roots Stock Brokerage Company. He is a professor of finance at Cairo University.

Tel: (+202) 3537 0034

Falah Fahad Mohammed al-Hajri, Executive Committee, Kuwait Stock Exchange

Falah Fahad Mohammed al-Hajri is president of the Executive Committee for the Kuwait Stock Exchange. Kuwait is the only Gulf state that does not have an independent regulator to oversee its stock market, a situation that many in the sector expect will change in the long term. Instead, an 11-member executive committee is responsible for all regulatory activities, and this is then audited by an internal audit department. With his role as president of the executive committee, Al-Hajri is also Minister of Commerce & Industry, a position he has held since July 2006. The stock market director reports to the executive committee and the head of the market, and three deputy directors in turn report to the market director. Born in 1966, engineer Al-Hajri studied civil engineering at the University of Kuwait.

Tel: (+965) 242 3130