Gareth Smyth is a journalist, writer and editor. Living in Beirut 1996-2003 and 2008-09, and in Tehran 2003- 2007, Gareth has also worked in Iraq, including the 2003 war and its aftermath, and Syria. In 2006, the Financial Times nominated him as foreign correspondent of the year in the British Press Awards. Although best known as an FT reporter, Gareth has contributed to a variety of publications in the U.S., Europe and the Middle East. These include BBC radio, the Christian Science Monitor, the National (Abu Dhabi), the Glasgow Herald, the Gulf-based Arabies Trends and Khaleej Times. In 2008 and 2009, he covered regional issues for Emerging Markets (the Euro-money daily) at the annual meetings of the IMF and World Bank in Washington and Istanbul. Gareth was ghost-writer for the 2012 publication of Passion for Adventure (Bloomsbury), the autobiography of Saad Al Barrak, former CEO of Zain, who transformed the telecoms company from a Kuwaiti operation with 500,000 customers to an international giant with 72 million customers and $8 billion revenue across 23 counties. Gareth has extensive editorial experience. In 1996-7 he was opinion and features editor of the Beirut Daily Star. In 1994-5 he edited supplements in London for the New Statesman/Channel 4 television. In London, November 2007-April 2008 he edited Financial Times special reports, including ‘Spread Betting’ and ‘India’. He has edited publications for the World Bank and War on Want, and three three books.