Hawkamah, the institute for corporate governance, and Mudara, the director development institute, in cooperation with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the OECD, are organizing the 8th Annual Conference of Hawkamah on the 11th of November 2014. The conference coincides with the DIFC 10th Anniversary celebrations on the 10th of November. H.E. Hamad Buamim, Chairman of Hawkamah, will welcome the conference participants and H.E. Essa Kazim, Governor of DIFC, will address the audience of the conference in the opening ceremony. Commenting on the importance of the Conference, H.E. Hamad Buamim said: “Timing of the conference could not have been better as Dubai economy is picking up and more and more investors are moving their investments to Dubai. Corporate Governance is an essential component of investor and shareholder protection, thus a key factor in encouraging foreign direct investment.” The title of this year’s conference is “Accountability and Long-Term Sustainability”. The issues of accountability, sustainability, board effectiveness, and value creation will be discussed focusing on different types of business organizations. This includes listed companies, family owned businesses, government owned companies, as well as financial institutions. Each of these different types of businesses has its own set of challenges and priorities. Despite that the focus in the last few years has been on governance of listed companies and financial institutions, the concept is gaining momentum for State Owned Enterprises and Family Owned Businesses, where the application of proper corporate governance systems is a must for their long term sustainability and growth. The conference this year is packed with experienced speakers from the United Arab Emirates and from other countries such as Oman, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Finland, and Pakistan and international organizations. Many leading businesses, regulators, and corporate governance professionals will entertain the audience with their insights and experiences. Participants also come from different countries and will engage in lively discussions as the conference is an interactive one, allowing the audience to engage with the speakers for the maximum benefit for everyone. Hawkamah introduced a competition amongst banks in order to boost their corporate governance practices for a winning title called, “The best MENA bank in Corporate Governance. The conference will witness acknowledgment of the top 5 banks and announcement of the winner of the competition too.