2 Apr 2016

Mohammed Al Ardhi, Executive Chairman of Investcorp, a leading provider and manager of alternative investment products, gave the business keynote address at the 11th annual Harvard Arab World Conference held at the Shangri La Hotel in Muscat on April 2, 2016.

Hosted by The Harvard Arab Alumni Association, the conference was titled ‘Innovation: Inspiring a New Arab World’. Over the course of the day nearly 250 professors, policymakers, thinkers, and business leaders discussed the development of the Arab world and the role of innovation. The conference explored innovative initiatives born within the Arab world and discussed opportunities to further the reach of technology, education, the arts, religion and policy.

In his address, Mohammed Al Ardhi said, “Perhaps the first aspect of innovation is to believe that things can change, that what seems impossible could one day become reality. The Arab world has a young population with an incredibly strong entrepreneurial spirit – there is great potential to truly lead the growth and development of this region.”

Mohammed Al Ardhi emphasized the importance of collaboration, saying, “Successful innovation is nearly always a group effort. While it is true that one individual can come up with an idea, it is more often the interchange and collaboration between different minds that enables an idea to take wing.”

The event included a range of panel discussions, including ‘Innovative Politics: Finding Common Grounds in Regional Conflicts’, ‘Building the Innovation Economy in the Arab World’, ‘Innovation in Arab Schools’, ‘Innovation in the Arts and Culture’, ‘Intellectual Innovation: A New Islamic Narrative’ and ‘Innovation & Entrepreneurship’.