Convene at the 4th Annual Board of Directors - Middle East

After our participation as sponsor at the Asian Financial Forum in Hong Kong on Jan. 18 and 19, we went to Dubai for our next event, the 4th Annual Board of Directors – Middle East. It was our first time to sponsor this particular conference, but not the first time to attend a Marcus Evans event, so we knew we were going to have both an enjoyable and productive time. It was difficult not to have high expectations, given the theme: Embracing board diversity to increase firm value and remain at the peak of governance.

But of course, our expectations were not only met, but also exceeded. The conference, held at The Address Dubai Marina on Feb. 1 and 2, attracted board members from different organisations who are interested in empowering their boards through diversity of professional experience. As a result, we met with directors who are keen to learn more about digital solutions that can help them transition to technology without a steep learning curve. They agreed that familiarity with technology — once believed to be necessary only in the IT department — is now an important component of a successful board.

As a sponsor, we were happy to introduce Convene to attendees and show them that digital solutions utilizing latest technologies could be user-friendly and secure at the same time. Convene has been designed to meet both the usability and security requirements of boards, so directors don’t need to sacrifice one feature for the other. In this way, they can increase their productivity without worrying about risking the confidentiality of their organisations’s sensitive information.

It was a pleasure to interact with such an engaging set of attendees. It goes to show that directors are now taking more proactive roles in diversifying their skills, which is a good first step towards innovation. We hope to encounter more forward-thinking directors in our next conferences.