Kuwait, 13 November 2017: Alghanim Industries, one of the largest privately owned companies in the region, concluded its strategic sponsorship of the 6th annual Tmkeen Youth Symposium, which was held under the patronage of the Emir, H.H. Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, from the 23rd to the 25th of October 2017.

 

Speaking about the sponsorship, Alghanim Industries CEO, Omar Kutayba Alghanim said: "Through six years of growth and continued success, Tmkeen’s Youth Empowerment Symposium has proven to be an excellent forum for young, aspiring, entrepreneurs to interact with key business leaders. Both the public and private sectors must play an active role in enabling our youth to become masters of their economic futures. We hope to see more participants and more success stories out of Kuwait."

He went on to say, "Alghanim Industries is dedicated to youth empowerment and education – that’s why we will continue to support initiatives that address this key segment of our society. We’re proud to have taken part in Tmkeen, and are happy to see it thrive year after year."

The first day of the symposium held at the Jaber Al-Ahmed Cultural Centre (JACC) started with two panel discussions on both "Youth Opportunities in the Energy Sector" and "Startup Opportunities in the Private Sector", in which a group of local business leaders participated in the discussion. Following that, a seminar on "Strategic Leadership" was held, which included Simon Ainslie, former Global Vice President of Nokia, who discussed his perspective on the subject.

The second day of the symposium had a group of young local entrepreneurs engage in a panel discussion titled, "Tech Startups: Growth Challenges". The event continued with two seminars, the first titled "The Secrets of Launching a Startup" where Ghina Abbas, Senior Research Manager of Marketing Services & Insights at Alghanim Industries, spoke about her experience alongside Victoria Grace, Founder of Colle Captial. The day was concluded with a seminar titled "Next Generation of Tech Entrepreneur" featuring Patrick Pichette, former Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Google Inc.

On the third and final day, Sam Chamberlain, Chief Operating Officer of Five Guys Group, spoke of his endeavors in a seminar titled "Building and Evolving Your F&B Brand". The final seminar, "Lessons for Young Entrepreneurs", included Mike Tattersfield, Chairman of Caribou Coffee, who shared his insights on the subject.

Chairman of the Tmkeen Youth Symposium, Ali Al-Ibrahim said: "Alghanim Industries is one of the first companies to support us. We share the same goals to inspire youth to become future leaders and entrepreneurs. As an organization that has set many of the standards that businesses in the country follow today, we are grateful for their partnership and leadership. We thank them once again for placing their trust and confidence in our work and look forward to more successful partnerships in the years to come."

This initiative comes as part of Alghanim Industries’ Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program, which is committed to giving back to the community, supporting education and encouraging entrepreneurship. It is worth noting that the company supported the Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) in the "Educate for a Brighter Kuwait" campaign aimed at providing educational opportunities to all non-Kuwaiti children living in the country. The company has also partnered with UNHCR, signing a MoU through which Alghanim Industries will support the education of Syrian refugee children in Lebanon.