DUBAI PRECIOUS METALS CONFERENCE

Ahmed Bin Sulayem is the Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of DMCC and has driven its growth from a start-up of 28 member companies in 2003 to the world’s leading international business district in 2025 with over 26,000 member companies from 180 countries, employing over 90,000 people.

Tasked with enhancing commodity trade flows through Dubai, DMCC has introduced to the market a number of value-added products and services under Mr Bin Sulayem’s leadership. In 2023, DMCC was named ‘Global Free Zone of the Year’ by The Financial Times fDi Magazine, for a record ninth consecutive year.

Mr Bin Sulayem oversaw the exponential growth of the DMCC Free Zone master development in Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT), a 200-hectare business and residential community in Dubai of over 100,000 people living and working in 87 towers. Mr Bin Sulayem also oversees the development of DMCC’s latest real estate project, the Uptown Dubai district.

Mr Bin Sulayem currently serves as the Chairman of the Dubai Diamond Exchange (DDE) and the Dubai Gold & Commodities Exchange (DGCX).

The Kimberley Process officially appointed the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as the first and only Arab country to Chair the Kimberley Process (KP) in November 2015. Shortly after, the UAE Ministry of Economy appointed Mr Bin Sulayem as the UAE’s Chair of the KP for 2016. Mr Bin Sulayem was reappointed as Chair of the KP for a historic second term in 2024, and again in 2025 as Custodian Chair, marking an unprecedented third term.

His Excellency Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi is the United Arab Emirates’ Minister of Foreign Trade. He is responsible for leading the development of the non-oil foreign trade, including the expansion of global trade partnerships, the increase of national exports, and the consolidation of the UAE’s status as an international trade hub.

H.E. Al Zeyoudi leads the UAE’s efforts to secure Comprehensive Economic Partnerships Agreements (CEPAs) with strategic allies around the world, a program that supports the UAE’s ambitions to boost non-oil trade to AED4 trillion by 2031. Serving as Chair of the Higher Committee of the CEPA Negotiations, he has overseen the conclusion of more than 30 bilateral trade deals, beginning with the UAE-India CEPA in May 2022, the first ever bilateral trade deal signed by the UAE.

Driven by the new opportunities created by the CEPA program, the United Arab Emirates has set new non-oil foreign trade milestones in each of the last four years, achieving its target six years ahead of schedule.

H.E. Al Zeyoudi’s leadership on global trade facilitation was recognized in February 2024 when he Chaired 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Abu Dhabi, during which he was instrumental in ensuring the successful delivery of the Abu Dhabi Declaration, a package of agreements that advanced the cause of open, rules-based trade.

In his role as Minister of Foreign Trade, H.E. Al Zeyoudi works to promote the UAE’s position as a prime destination for business and investment at regional and global levels. He currently serves as Chair of the UAE International Investor Council and, in 2022, launched the NextGen FDI program, which has attracted a multitude of cutting-edge companies to the UAE and helped accelerate the UAE’s economic diversification agenda. In 2024, the UAE welcomed US$45.6 billion in FDI, which ranked 10th in the world.

In parallel, His Excellency is Minister in Charge of Talent Attraction and Retention, in which he ensures the best global talents have the pathways, incentives and opportunities to contribute to the UAE’s long-term economic objectives. He also serves as Vice Chairman of Etihad Credit Insurance’s Board of Directors and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy and of the National Competitiveness Committee.

Prior to his appointment as Minister of Foreign Trade in June 2025, H.E. Dr Thani held the position of Minister of State for Foreign Trade (2020-2025) and, before that, served as the UAE’s Minister of Climate Change and Environment, a role he held between (2016-2020). His Excellency also served as the Director of the Department of Energy and Climate Change at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was appointed as the UAE’s Permanent Representative to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) as extraordinary Ambassador.

His contribution to the UAE’s climate agenda is maintained through his role on the Supreme Committee for the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28), the decision-making body of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and as a Member of the Jury of the Zayed Sustainability Prize. Other notable roles include serving as the Chairman of Board of The Emirates Drug Establishment.

His Excellency’s career began as a Petroleum Engineer at Abu Dhabi Offshore Company (ADMA). He then moved to Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar), where he led the development of renewable energy technologies and solutions and, in 2009, played a key role in the UAE's successful diplomatic campaign to host the headquarters of IRENA in Abu Dhabi.

He was named a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader in 2020 and received the award for Excellence from the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf in 2015. H.E. Al Zeyoudi holds a BASc in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Tulsa, an MBA from the New York Institute of Technology, an MA in Project Management from the British University in Dubai, and a PhD in Strategy, Program and Project Management from Skema Business School in France.

David has been the CEO of the World Gold Council since 2019.

During his 35 years in the financial services industry, David worked for a variety of reputed firms. He was a Managing Director of Credit Suisse Investment Banking division, based in London until 2016, where he was the Global Head of the Macro Products Division (Interest Rates, Fx and Commodities) and sat as a member of the Fixed Income Management Committee. Prior to this role, David was the Global Head of Credit Suisse’s Foreign Exchange and Short-Term Interest Rate Trading.

Previously, he held a partner position at the hedge fund Bluecrest Capital. Prior to this, he was Global Head of FX Proprietary Trading at Credit Suisse for six years until 2002. He started his career in FX market making and Proprietary trading at Goldman Sachs in 1984.

Additionally, he played an active and impactful leadership role in the Securities Accelerated Leadership Programme [women returning to the work environment] as well as advancing the industry’s diversity and culture initiatives. He was the firm’s Macro Financial Market Regulator liaison – PRA, FCA, FED, FINMA & MAS.

He is currently an Independent Member of the Bank of England’s FICC Market Standards Board [FMSB] and chairs the Precious Metals Working Group.

David is also a major supporter and ambassador of the NSPCC and has raised over £8 million for the charity. In 2013 he climbed Everest for the fifth time in support of the charity’s work and in 2007 became the first person to ever perform the North-South traverse of Everest.

He was a former NSPCC Trustee (2011 -2014) and was awarded an MBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 2010 for his services to the charity. David now chairs the charity’s Rebuilding Childhoods Board, caring for sexually abused children.

In February 2020, the movie “Sulphur & White”, an account of David’s life experiences, had its Royal Premier. All proceeds from the film benefited the NSPCC.

From 2010-12 David was also chair of the Child’s Eye Foundation, a Ugandan based, infant relief and rescue charity.

Isabelle Strauss-Kahn is an international financial asset management consultant and serves on the boards of several organisations, including as a Non Executive Director on the LBMA Board.

From 2008 to 2018, Ms Strauss-Kahn served as Lead Financial Officer and Manager of the World Bank Treasury’s Reserve Advisory and Management Partnership (RAMP), providing financial services, technical assistance, and training to central banks and sovereign wealth funds worldwide.

From 1999 to 2008, Ms Strauss-Kahn served first as Deputy Director and then as Director of the Market Operations Department at the Bank of France in Paris. Her responsibilities included managing gold and foreign exchange reserves and overseeing the implementation of monetary policy.

Earlier, she held risk-management leadership roles at the Bank for International Settlements in Basel and at the Bank of France. She was a permanent member of several international and European committees, including those of the European Central Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the G10. She has spoken at numerous conferences organised by public and private sector financial institutions and has published several articles on reserve management.