Armand Papazian

Dr. Arman Papazian is the first recipient of the Alpha Centauri Prize at the Space Exploration Awards in the constellation Centauri. He is the founding CEO of International Space Development HUB and the founding chairman and CEO of Keipr Financial Consulting. After obtaining a PhD in economics from the University of Cambridge in the UK, Papachian embarked on a brilliant career in the Middle East capital markets. As the Dubai International Financial Exchange\/Nasdaq; Dr. Papachian, former Managing Director of Innovation and Development at Nasdaq Dubai, collaborated with Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank, and Merrill Lynch to launch the first structured product platform in the Middle East. He also led the issuance of the first listed treasury bond in the Middle East, launched the first Islamic bond with HSBC, and operated the first dual listed stock in the Middle East. Afterwards, he served as the head of UBS AG Islamic Finance, a Swiss bank, overseeing the cross business between UBS Group's global markets and the Middle East in wealth management, asset management, and investment banking. Dr. Papachian is a judge at the Financial Times FT2011 Investment Banking Awards and has served as an honorary researcher at the Cambridge University Judge Business School in the UK. He has published a large number of works and regularly provides insights on policy issues in major media outlets around the world. He is also a widely sought after speaker, economist, and financial advisor.