Kuwait Financial Centre “Markaz” has organized a symposium titled “Education Sector: Trends and Opportunities” on Monday, 4th of November 2019 at Four Seasons Hotel. The symposium included a number of discussion panels with Markaz experts in the investment banking sector and a number of experts in the education sector regionally and globally, including its main players and different educational service providers in Kuwait. The conference was met with great success.
Mr. Manaf A. Alhajeri, Markaz CEO, has moderated the first panel on “Education Sector Overview”, along with Dr. Moudhi Al-Humoud, Former Minister of Education, Former Minister of Higher Education and Professor, Kuwait University, Mr. Chinmay Jhaveri, Principal in the Global Education Practice, L.E.K., Mr. Mohamad Hamade, CIO, Amanat and Mr. Badr Ward, Founder and CEO, Lamsa. The panel clarified that the education landscape has evolved over the years, yet each region of the world has its own dynamics. It discussed the global education landscape and its trends, the GCC education market, and the State of Kuwait’s education sector and what reforms would have to be taken.
The second panel, on “M&A Trends in Kuwait’s Education Sector”, was moderated by Mr. Abdulrazzaq T. Razooqi, AVP, Investment Banking, “Markaz”, along with a number of panelists including Mr. Nawaf Arhamah, CSFO, Boubyan Petrochemical, Ms. Lujain Al Wazzan, CEO & Board Member, Al Wazzan Educational and Mr. Ahmad Al-Falah, EVP, Alternative Investments, Al-Aman Investment. They highlighted that the education sector has received widespread interest from investors over the past few years, the M&A transactions that have taken place during that period, the main transactions and the sector’s main acquisition determinants. The panel also involved a discussion amongst active investors in the sector regarding the assets they have acquired, their strategy, and the challenges they have witnessed. Razooqi presented on M&A trends in Kuwait’s education sector and stated that 12 transactions were executed in 2017 and 2018.
Mr. Ali H. Khalil, Markaz COO, has moderated the third panel highlighting “A Selection of Investors in the Education Sector in Kuwait”, along with a number of family offices in Kuwait including Mr. Bader Musaed Al-Sayer, CEO, Al Dhow Holding, Mr. Meshari Ayman Boodai, Chairman, Gulf North Africa Holding Company, and Mr. Jameel Abdul Razzaq Al-Sane, Chairman and CEO, Abdul Razzaq Al-Sane & Sons Group. The speakers shed light on a number of family groups with interests in a range of different sectors and how they identified the education sector as an important part of their overall portfolios. This panel addressed the strategy shift in each of these family groups, how they view their investment in the sector, whether they would continue investing in it and the challenges in this sector.
Markaz symposium was moderated by Mr. Abdullatif W. Al-Nusif, EVP, Wealth Management and Business Development, Markaz. In this context, he said, “Markaz is keen on keeping its clients and potential investors ahead of the curve by holding such enlightening events to exchange expertise and share our business strategies and investment approaches with our clients. Collaborating with the right partners, this symposium brought regional and international experts to Kuwait to highlight the latest trends in the education sector, in order to provide an added value for our clients.”