When and where is the summit?

28–29 October 2026 at Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel and Villas on Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi. Day 1 runs 9:30 am–3:50 pm and Day 2 10:00 am–3:00 pm.

How much does it cost to attend?

The Delegate Pass is listed at $400, with an early-bird price of $200. A Visitor Pass is also available through the registration page.

What does the Delegate Pass include?

Full access to the summit area and all panels, reserved main-stage seating, priority registration, coffee breaks and lunch, and a post-event digital content pack.

Who presents the summit?

It is organised by Forbes Middle East and presented by First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB).

Forbes Middle East Family Business Summit 2026

Name: Forbes Middle East Family Business Summit 2026 – 1st Edition
Start: 2026-10-28T09:30:00+00:00
End: 2026-10-29T15:00:00+00:00
Location: Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel and Villas

About this event

The Forbes Middle East Family Business Summit is a new two-day summit, presented by First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), for the region's family-owned businesses. Its first edition brings family enterprise leaders, family office executives, investors, policymakers and governance experts to Abu Dhabi to discuss how family capital, governance and succession are changing in a fast-moving global economy.

Who attends

The summit is designed for decision-makers from family-owned groups and the advisers and institutions around them.

Family business owners and next-generation leaders
Family office executives
Investors and private bankers
Policymakers and government officials
Governance, tax and succession advisers

What's covered

The programme mixes keynotes, fireside chats and panels across two days.

Governance and succession planning
AI and intelligent family offices
Women in family enterprises
International expansion and reinvention of traditional businesses
Building the modern family office
Private banking, investment strategy and wealth preservation
Longevity, climate and water as investment themes

Format

Day one runs from 9:30 am to about 3:50 pm and includes an opening ceremony, an awards ceremony and a series of panels. Day two runs from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm and closes with signing ceremonies. Parallel next-generation and family wealth tracks also feature fireside chats on leadership succession and family risk.

Tickets & passes

Delegate Pass — USD 400: Early-bird price $200. Full summit access, reserved seating, priority registration, coffee breaks and lunch, digital content pack
Visitor Pass: Access to the summit area, panels, exhibiting partners and networking

Forbes Middle East Family Business Summit 2026 – 1st Edition was a Business & Management event that took place 28-29 Oct 2026 at Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel and Villas, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Event recap

The first Forbes Middle East Family Business Summit took place on 28 and 29 October 2026 at the Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi, under the theme "Where Generations Build Tomorrow", with First Abu Dhabi Bank among its participating partners. More than 60 speakers took part in sessions on governance and succession, AI and data, women in family-business leadership, institutional family offices, IPOs and exits, and water security, alongside a Successors Forum that ran over both days. An awards ceremony recognised companies on Forbes Middle East's Top Arab Family Businesses 2026 list.

Speakers24

Amin Nasser
President & CEO, Aramco
H.E. Juma Mohammed Al Kait
Acting Undersecretary, Minister of Economy and Tourism
H.E. Mohamed Saif Al Suwaidi
Director General of Abu Dhabi Fund for Development & Chairman of the Exports Executive Committee for Abu Dhabi Exports Office (ADEX)
H.E. Hamad Sayah Al Mazrouei
Undersecretary, Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development
H.E. Rashed Abdulkarim Al Blooshi
Chief Executive Officer, Registration Authority, Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM)
H.E. Khaled Alfahim
Chairman, Abu Dhabi Family Business Council (ADFBC); Board Member, Abu Dhabi Chamber
H.E. Dr. Ahmed Abdulrahman Albanna
Chairman, The Emirates Family Office Association
H.E. Lujaina Mohsin Darwish
Chairperson, ITICS – Mohsin Haider Darwish LLC
Ziad Manaseer
Founder & Chairman, Manaseer Group
Gary White
CEO & Co-founder, Water.org
Farhad Azizi
Group CEO, Azizi Developments, Azizi Group
Mohamed Abdulelah Al Kooheji
Group CEO, Yusuf Bin Ahmed Kanoo Group
Neeraj Teckchandani
CEO, Apparel Group
Shehab M. Gargash
Founder & Chairman, Daman Investments
Hanoof Abokhodair
Managing Partner, Business Family House
Yusuf Sidani
Dean, Suliman S. Olayan School of Business (OSB), American University of Beirut (AUB)
Dr. Basma Sulaiman Alzamil
Senior Advisor, Family Business Governance, Lansberg Gersick Advisors - LGA
Dr. Frederick Van Gysegem
Senior Partner, Global Co-Head of the People & Organization practice, Roland Berger
Akram E. Makarem
MD & Global Sector Head - Family Groups and Diversified Conglomerates, First Abu Dhabi Bank
Mansoor Abduljabbar Al Sayegh
Group CEO, Al Sayegh Group
Saeed Ali Al Dhaheri
Executive Board Member, Managing Director of Investments at Ali & Sons Holding LLC
Khaled Sharbatly
CEO, Desert Technologies Holding
Ning Kong
Founding Partner, Lumen Partners
Athbi Alenezi
CEO & Co-founder, Justclean