Trade in Dubai

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 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 officially appointed Mr Bin Sulayem as the UAE’s Chair of the KP for 2016. Mr Bin Sulayem was reappointed Chair of the KP for a historic second time in 2024, and has continued his leadership role with the position of Custodian Chair in 2025

Andrew Lambert CEng FIET MIoD is the Founder and CEO of Electronic Media Services Ltd (EMS) and Founder and COO of Fibre Ltd. He also chairs the IoD International Trade Special Interest Group.

Andrew is a Founder of Fibre Ltd a telecoms company that installs full-fibre broadband to new housing developments.

Belal Jassoma is the Senior Director of Tech Ecosystems at DMCC, the world’s leading business district and authority on international commodities trade and enterprise.
Belal joined DMCC in 2011 and has been instrumental in scaling up DMCC’s ecosystems and commercial offering, including new products, services and member engagement programmes. In his current capacity as Director for Ecosystems, Belal is responsible for developing key strategic relationships, partnerships and product functions as well as overseeing ecosystem development across several of DMCC’s industry verticals such as crypto, gaming, AI, energy and financial services.
Belal holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the American University of Sharjah and brings over 18 years of experience in real estate, investment, and government administration.

Dario Acconci is Head of Middle East and Asia at Hawksford, where he oversees the strategic direction of the firm’s regional offices and advises international businesses on expansion across Asia and the GCC. Based between Singapore and Dubai, Dario has over two decades of experience supporting foreign investment into China, Southeast Asia and the GCC, with a background in corporate and commercial law.
He began his career in Hong Kong in 2003 and joined Hawksford following the successful growth and merger in 2018 of the regional corporate services firm he co founded. Dario works closely with multinational businesses to structure and establish operations across Asia and the Middle East, drawing on deep regional knowledge and extensive cross border experience.

Managing Director at Fortis Consulting London, Director Medical Prime Menopause Clinic. Leadership Team Member of IoD International Trade Group

Matt began his career in investment banking, working across fund structuring, alternative investments and trading at Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse. Drawing on this experience, Matt has developed extensive expertise in building financial products, structuring, regulation and capital raising. Since launching in 2022, Matt has led Ctrl Alt in building and operating the on-chain infrastructure for digital capital markets, with more than $850 million in assets tokenized. The firm works with governments, major financial institutions, and fintechs to deliver institutional-grade tokenization solutions."