past event
Africa and the Middle East

By Arabs, For Arabs: A New Approach to Media in the Middle East

The Emirates-Aspen Partnership presents an off-the-record event with:

H.E. Noura Al Kaabi, CEO of twofour54

and

Walter Isaacson, President and CEO of the Aspen Institute

This roundtable discussion explored the challenge of Arabic content in print and online media. While Arabic is the 7th most spoken language, it only accounts for 3% of global online content, and the UAE is turning this content challenge into a major media opportunity. HE Noura Al Kaabi in her capacity as CEO of Abu Dhabi-based twofour54 will discuss the dearth of Arabic content available, the impact of that content gap on the Arabic-speaking community, and how twofour54 is working within the UAE, regionally, and internationally to create content, forge partnerships and drive dialogue that grows the cache of Arabic media content and builds bridges across Arabic and non-Arabic speaking communities.

Named after the geographical co-ordinates of Abu Dhabi, twofour54’s vision is to enable the development of world class Arabic media and entertainment content, by Arabs for Arabs, and to position Abu Dhabi as a regional center of excellence in content creation across all media platforms including film, broadcast, music, digital media, events, gaming and publishing.

In addition to her leadership at twofour54, Noura leads the Abu Dhabi Media Zone Authority, overseeing its subsidiaries and initiatives, including the Abu Dhabi Film Festival and TROPFEST Arabia short film competition. Noura is also a member of the Federal National Council of the UAE and sits on the boards of Abu Dhabi Media Company, Image Nation, and the Abu Dhabi Sports Council. In 2012 Noura was voted Arab Business’ Media CEO of the Year and Female CEO of the Year by CEO Middle East, and in 2013 she was named in Forbes Middle East’s 30 Most Influential Women in Government.

Event information
Date
Fri May 10, 2013
12:30pm - 2:00pm EDT
Location
Washington, DC, United States