The Rt Hon. Alderman David Wootton, the Lord Mayor of the City of London, and the Rt Hon. Lord David Howell to Take the Stage at GCC and the City Summit in London

LONDON, May 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Key financial stakeholders from the Gulf will come together with their City of London counterparts on 20 June for investment opportunities in the Gulf.  GCC and the City, organised by MEED Events in partnership with the Middle East Association, will take place at the Merchant Taylors Hall in London.

For the past decade, the Gulf region has enjoyed unprecedented growth, with its economies growing by an annual compound rate of more than 10%. Consistently high oil prices coupled with extensive population growth, and a concerted push towards economic diversification, make the GCC one of the premier investment destinations worldwide.

Dr. Ranald Spiers, Director General, Middle East Association, said, "We are delighted to be partnering with MEED for this exciting conference, which will display the sheer scale of the breath-taking opportunities within the Gulf region, and where the City of London can benefit.

"The GCC economies have accounted for more than half of the Middle East's GDP in 2012 and there have been more than US$1 trillion worth of major projects implemented in the region during the last decade. Our line-up of speakers - drawn from both the Middle East and the UK - will be providing the information that is needed to harness the power of this global economic hub."

The Rt Hon Alderman David Wootton, Lord Mayor of the City of London and The Rt Hon Lord David Howell, Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office will deliver keynote speeches discussing the development of successful trade relations between the UK and GCC countries, and the extensive opportunities that exist for UK financial organisations.

Other speakers include The Rt Hon Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean, Chairman of the Arab British Chamber of Commerce, and representatives from the Qatar Financial Centre Authority (QFCA), ACWA Power, Al Rajhi Bank, HSBC, Gulf Bank, IFC, Moodys, Gulf Investment Corporation (GIC) and the Partnerships Technical Bureau (PTB). Topics to be discussed include the euro zone crisis and how this has impacted liquidity in the global markets, investment strategies available in the Gulf project finance market, trends in alternative sources of project finance funding, London's Islamic finance market and asset management in the GCC.

For more information and to secure a place at GCC and the City visit http://www.GCCandTheCity.com or call: +971(0)4-390-0049

Press attendance is strictly by pre-registration.

Louise Waters
Middle East Association
louise.waters@the-mea.co.uk