American actor Danny Glover and Citigroup CEO Izzat Dajani are guest speakers at 11th Annual Prime Minister’s New Year’s Gala

Danny Glover

BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, JANUARY 3RD 2013 (CUOPM) – American actor, producer and humanitarian Danny Glover and Citigroup’s CEO Izzat Dajani are guest speakers at the 11th Annual Prime Minister’s New Year’s Gala this coming Saturday 5th January 2013.

Chairperson of the Gala Committee, Minister of Health, Community and Social Development, Hon. Marcella Liburd, said the gala event will take place at the Grand Ballroom of the St. Kitts Marriott Resort and Royal Beach Casino.

“Each year at the Prime Minister’s New Year’s Gala, we reflect on our accomplishments as a people, and ready ourselves to move forward with confidence and faith as a nation,” said Ms. Liburd.

She said this United Nations Ambassador, human rights advocate, and Hollywood actor Danny Glover, as well as Izzat Dajani, Chief Executive Officer for Citigroup, Qatar, will be special guests at the gala, sharing their views and insights with us all.

“What a way to start the New Year – hearing the unique views of two global luminaries: one in the field of film, human rights, and justice; the other in the field of international finance and investment,” said Ms. Liburd, who added that international entertainment for the evening will be provided by international comedian Owen “Blakka” Elis.

Music will be provided by Modern Image.

Glover has been a commanding presence on screen, stage and television for more than 25 years. As an actor, his film credits range from the blockbuster Lethal Weapon franchise to smaller independent features, some of which Glover also produced. Most recently, he co-starred in the critically acclaimed feature Dreamgirls directed by Bill Condon and in Po’ Boy’s Game for director Clement Virgo. He appeared in the hit feature Shooter for director Antoine Fuqua and can currently be seen in Honeydripper for director John Sayles and Be Kind, Rewind for director Michel Gondry.

Glover has also gained respect for his wide-reaching community activism and philanthropic efforts, with a particular emphasis on advocacy for economic justice, and access to health care and education programs in the United States and Africa. For these efforts, Glover received a 2006 DGA Honor. Internationally, Glover has served as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Program from 1998-2004, focusing on issues of poverty, disease, and economic development in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean, and currently serves as UNICEF Ambassador.

In 2005, Glover co-founded Louverture Films dedicated to the development and production of films of historical relevance, social purpose, commercial value and artistic integrity. The New York based company has a slate of progressive features and documentaries including Trouble the Water, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, Africa Unite, award winning feature Bamako, and most recent projects Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, and The Disappearance of McKinley Nolan.

A native of San Francisco Glover trained at the Black Actors’ Workshop of the American Conservatory Theater. It was his Broadway debut in Fugard’s Master Harold…and the Boys, which brought him to national recognition and led director Robert Benton to cast Glover in his first leading role in 1984’s Oscar®-nominated Best Picture Places in the Heart. The following year, Glover starred in two more Best Picture nominees: Peter Weir’s Witness and Steven Spielberg’s The Color Purple. In 1987, Glover partnered with Mel Gibson in the first Lethal Weapon film and went on to star in three hugely successful Lethal Weapon sequels.

Glover has also invested his talents in more personal projects, including the award-winning To Sleep With Anger, which he executive produced and for which he won an Independent Spirit Award for Best Actor; Bopha!; Manderlay; Missing in America; and the film version of Athol Fugard’s play Boesman and Lena. On the small screen, Glover won an Image Award and a Cable ACE Award and earned an Emmy nomination for his performance in the title role of the HBO movie Mandela. He has also received Emmy nominations for his work in the acclaimed miniseries Lonesome Dove and the telefilm Freedom Song. As a director, he earned a Daytime Emmy nomination for Showtime’s Just a Dream.

Izzat Dajani

Citigroup’s Izzat Dajani is Chief Executive Officer for Citi Qatar.

Izzat is a seasoned banker with particular strength in Private Equity, Direct Investments, Advisory, private banking and Placements developed throughout twenty years with top financial and investment houses in the Middle East, Australia and East Asia.

He joined Citi from Goldman Sachs International where he had spent more than three years as Head of Key and Priority Clients in the Gulf, based in Dubai.

Prior to this, Izzat held a number of senior positions with the Government of Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) including Chief Executive of the Emirate’s Investment & Development Office, where he led most Investment, Corporate Finance, Advisory and Placement activities for the RAK Government.

A graduate of the Executive Management Program at Stanford University, Izzat also holds an MPA from Harvard University. He is a long-standing member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain.

“Citi’s footprint in Qatar is solid, and together with the Citi team on the ground, we will continue to provide the highest standards of banking service to our niche clients and to fulfill our role as an active member of the Qatari banking community,” remarked Izzat on his appointment in 2011.

Atiq Ur Rehman, Citi’s Chief Executive Officer for the Middle East, said: “Qatar is a key market for Citi, and we plan to further invest in the country. Izzat’s diverse experience and strong regional exposure positions him well for this important assignment.”

Since establishing its fully licensed branch at the Qatar Financial Center in 2007, Citi has evolved into an active member of the Qatari banking sector as well as a responsible corporate citizen with particular interest in supporting financial education and developing Qatar’s talent pool.

Citi’s regional capabilities include Investment Banking, Capital Markets, Equity Sales & Distribution businesses, Global Transactions Services, Equity Research, and Global Islamic Banking.