Business Extra

The nexus of technology has had a real impact in the way we work and live. What happens when the disruptors have to move even more quickly than they expected? This week, Richard Sikkel, chief executive of Massar Solutions, and Tino Waked, regional general manager of Middle East & Africa at Uber, join Mustafa Alrawi to talk about all things transportation.

In this episode:

What happens when the disruptor becomes disrupted? (0m 41s)

The changes the pandemic has brought (5m 28s)

How Uber moved fast to face the challenge (10m 15s)

The future prospects for Massar Solutions and Uber (11m 33s)

Headlines (15m 52s)

Read more on our website:

• Opec+ weighs options as markets hope for extension of production cuts

• World leaders to address most pressing global challenges at upcoming G20 summit

• Bitcoin retraces 2017 record highs amid pandemic uncertainty

Mustafa Alrawi and Kelsey Warner talk to Huawei's chief technology officer, Paul Scanlan, on the advantages of 5G and why it is better for the future of telecommunication.

In this episode:

Let's talk 5G! (0m 43s)

How is 5G different? (1m 55s)

Living with 5G (5m 32s)

Why is Huawei number one in 5G tech? (9m 24s)

Why is China ahead of the curve? (15m 00s)

Working under the Trump and the new administration (20m 13s)

Information security and Huawei 5G (21m 58s)

Headlines (25m 20s)

Read more on our website:

• Huawei to appeal Sweden’s ‘draconic’ 5G ban

• Investcorp sells US residential properties for $900m

• Britain's jobless rate rises to 4.8% while redundancies reach record high

• Adnoc to explore potential of new fuels such as hydrogen

Uncertainty in Pennsylvania is a potential “perfect storm” for a contested election that would send shockwaves through the markets, but investors are otherwise betting on a Joe Biden win.

 

“The market is a bit pre-positioned for the Democratic wave, unlike last time,” John Hardy, head of FX strategy at Saxo Bank, said, while adding that markets were in no way prepared for President Trump's victory in 2016. He joins co-hosts Mustafa Alrawi and Kelsey Warner this week to outline market scenarios depending on the election’s outcome.

In this episode:

How are the markets affected in the run up to the election? (1m 16s)

Biden win and blue wave scenario (4m 39s)

Where does coronavirus fit in? (7m 54s)

The power of Pennsylvania (9m 35s)

The possibility of a contested election (12m 03s)

The three scenarios (14m 06s)

Markets don't like uncertainty (17m 10s)

Headlines (20m 10s)

Read more on our website:

• Russia’s Sberbank seeks more partnerships with Middle Eastern sovereign investors

• Global travel restrictions mean 174m travel and tourism jobs are at risk

• Why India's poor air quality is taking a toll on its economy

"Last year, between Apple, Tencent and Google, their combined revenue in one year was hundreds of billions of dollars. But who got paid?"

Jennifer Zhu Scott, executive chairman of The Commons Project and a leading voice on technology and artificial intelligence, joins Mustafa Alrawi and Kelsey Warner to discuss her idea that Internet users be paid for the data they share with companies who are profiting from consumer insights.

In this episode:

Overview of US Dept of Justice case against Google (0m 38s)

Why users should get paid for their data (5m 08s)

What is The Commons Project? (9m 34s)

How to fix a 'broken' Internet (11m 45s)

How a data commodity market might work (16m 08s)

Headlines (19m 34s)

Read more on our website:

• US justice department files biggest antitrust lawsuit against Google

• The age of misinformation: Can social media sites actually stamp out false content?

• Facebook offers 'holy grail' data set to tackle renewable energy's unsolved problems

• The damaging effects of social media addiction: ‘A generation that shows itself, but doesn’t know itself’

• Citigroup expects UAE hub to maintain five-year growth track despite pandemic

• Robust healthcare systems and timely GCC policy actions averted deeper crises, IMF says

• Aldar signs deal with ADQ to develop and manage Dh30bn in government capital projects

Ibrahim Ajami joins Kelsey Warner this week to talk about Mubadala's technology investment strategy in a year unlike any other. The head of ventures at Abu Dhabi’s strategic investment fund is looking at 25-year time horizons, longer than the typical private equity investor, and looking for ways to build bridges between Abu Dhabi and tech hubs around the world.

In this episode:

Mubadala and Silver Lake (0m 44s)

The 25-year Investment Strategy (6m 50s)

How was 2020 significant to Mubadala? (9m 00s)

Will the lessons we learnt from the pandemic stick? (14m 10s)

The UAE-Israel $3 billion Abraham Fund (16m 03s)

The Ajami Foundation for Beirut (17m 14s)

Read more on our website:

• Mubadala to invest $2bn in new technology partnership with Silver Lake

• Mukesh Ambani’s retail business receives $1bn from US equity firm Silver Lake

• Mubadala looks to beef up tech investments and boost Asia portfolio

• Covid-19 accelerates Mubadala's pivot to new technology investments, chief executive says

In the race to develop a Covid-19 vaccine, there has been unprecedented international cooperation, with the UAE a most recent example - jumping in to join the phase III trials of Russia's coronavirus vaccine, Sputnik V.

News editor Rory Reynolds, who has been overseeing The National's pandemic coverage, joins the podcast to discuss the role of a vaccine in economic recovery and the companies, investors and citizens who stand to gain and lose.

In this episode:

UAE is hosting the Russian vaccine trials (0m50s) 

Why the UAE is ideal for vaccine trials (2m46s)

Is the vaccine a golden bullet? (5m) 

When will we have a vaccine and who will get it? (7m50s)

The opposition to the vaccine (10m16s)

Global collaboration (11m35s)

Headlines (15m31s)

Read more on our website:

Boris Johnson overruled scientists who called for ‘circuit-breaker’ lockdown

The pandemic is increasing demand for mental health services with uncertainty, isolation and loss of income triggering mental health conditions or exacerbating existing ones, the World Health Organisation said this week. “Covid-19 has interrupted essential mental health services around the world just when they’re needed most,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director general.

Paying close attention to this secondary crisis taking shape is Jerome Droesch, CEO of Cigna MEA. He joins co-hosts Mustafa Alrawi and Kelsey Warner this week to discuss the findings of an ongoing survey by the insurer on stress, burnout and how employers can cope.

In this episode:

The mental health crisis during Covid-19 (0m 34s)

The Cigna survey on mental health (1m 48s)

Lockdown madness (5m 26s)

Burnout and over-working (7m 06s)

Can Telehealth bridge the gap? (9m 59s)

How can SMEs keep up (12m 05s)

Cigna's balancing act (16m 12s)

Headlines (19m 08s)

Read more on our website:

• Anxiety and depression on rise even in countries with low Covid-19 rates

• IFC to grow Middle East and Africa investments amid pandemic, lower oil prices

• Israel's OurCrowd and UAE's Al Naboodah create $100m fund for Gulf tech investors

• Abu Dhabi to create food and beverage behemoth in a share swap deal

Faisal Al Bannai, CEO and managing director of UAE defence conglomerate Edge, and the Secretary General of the Advanced Technology Research Council, joins host Kelsey Warner on the podcast.

Speaking during the Global Aerospace Summit this week, they discuss lessons learned for the defence industry from the pandemic, the UAE’s ambitions with drones, if there is a red line on use of such capabilities and the historic Abraham Accord.

In this episode:

Is the Global Aerospace Summit relevant to Edge? (0m 58s)

The impact of the pandemic on Edge (2m 25s)

Edge and autonomous technology (6m 14s)

Edge and Israel (8m 48s)

Importance of cyber security: overhyped or remains a threat? (9m 54s)

Headlines (12m 48s)

Read more on our website:

• UAE's Edge eyes chips and drones for charting a post-Covid course

• European Central Bank ready to boost stimulus, Lagarde says

• Saudi Arabia's tourism fund signs deal with banks to finance up to $43bn worth of projects

• UAE consumers expect a fully cashless society by 2030

Covid-19 has disrupted progress towards many goals, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Climate Agreement. According to the World Economic Forum, the need for new ideas and collective action “has rarely been more urgent”. But how will action happen and who is leading the charge on the ‘Great Reset’ the forum’s founder, Klaus Schwab, is advocating for?

Terri Toyota, a director at the forum, joins co-hosts Mustafa Alrawi and Kelsey Warner to discuss the fourth Sustainable Development Impact (SDI) Summit, being held virtually for the first time, about how the agenda came together and what comes next.

In this episode:

The show must go on! (0m 40s)

Terri Toyota on the World Economic Forum being held remotely (1m 46s)

Green recovery from Covid-19 (3m 26s)

The reality of re-globalisation (5m 00s)

What role does WEF play for companies? (7m 56s)

Post-pandemic politics and the Impact Summit Programme (10m 14s)

The new US administration and SDI (12m 51s)

Headlines (14m 05s)

Read more on our website:

• HSBC's shares slide to 25-year low amid money laundering claims

• US aviation regulator's engineers say proposed 737 Max fixes not enough

• Microsoft to buy creator of Doom and Fallout games for $7.5bn

This week on Business Extra, Kelsey Warner talks to Sudhir Syal, chief executive of BookMyShow Middle East, and Naji Al Haddad, managing director of the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry for Middle East and Africa about how Covid-19 changed the events and exhibitions industry for the foreseeable future.

In this episode:

How important is the events and exhibitions industry for the UAE economy? (1m 20s)

The impacts of Covid-19 on in-person events (3m 44s)

Role of technology in events and exhibitions (8m 20s)

Will mobile tech in events last even after the pandemic? (11m 07s)

The recovery of the events and exhibition industry (13m 16s)

Read more on our website:

• Abu Dhabi's flagship sustainability event to be held online in 2021

• Abu Dhabi's flagship energy event Adipec to be held virtually in 2020

• Physical catwalk shows to return for London Fashion Week