Opportunity Arabia 7 Conference – Middle East Association
September 23, 2010
London
[Link here for conference overview and additional speakers' remarks.]
Introduction – Michael Thomas, Director General, The Middle East Association
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen. And thank you Alan. It is with enormous pleasure that I welcome you to this the MEA’s 7th Annual Conference on Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia continues to offer the UK wonderful opportunities for business development.
Associations like ours have much to do to ensure that the private sector really does appreciate the importance of the business development opportunities on offer to us from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and I hope that today we will go some way to achieve this.
The MEA, firstly with Laurie Walker and now with David Lloyd, has probably taken more new businesses to Saudi Arabia than any other organization. When I last asked David Lloyd to do a spot check on how businesses who joined our trade missions had fared on their visits to the Kingdom over the last two years, David confirmed that of those companies he was able to speak to, he could verify ten million pounds worth of business. This is some achievement, particularly this was new business with SMEs.
We are only just scratching the surface, ladies and gentlemen. And I am pleased to say that David is continuing to lead our efforts promoting British interests to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
I must also if I may pay tribute to Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean, our Vice President and soon to be Chairman of the Arab British Chamber. Liz has done a remarkable job in not only supporting our government’s efforts to promote the business with the Kingdom but also the private sector at the highest possible level through the Saudi British Joint Business Council. The Council is absolutely crucial to maintaining good trade relations between our two Kingdoms.
Lades and gentlemen, many of you will know Chris Innes-Hopkins of the FCO, who has acted as my deputy and with whom I have been able to develop the Association to its current level. I’m delighted to tell you that Chris has recently been appointed the next director of trade and investment in Saudi Arabia, responsible for all commercial matters in the Kingdom. Chris takes over from Paul Williams to whom I must pay tribute and thank for all his efforts in promoting British business in the Kingdom.
Chris will be managing not only the office in Riyadh but also the offices in Jeddah and Al Khobar. I cannot think of a better person to take over this job. We are extremely fortunate to have such a good friend in the Kingdom. And I hope that you all contact Chris whenever you are going to Saudi Arabia. And Chris is with us today.
It is my role here today, ladies and gentlemen, to thank you and our sponsors, and David Lloyd and his MEA team for organizing this conference. I wish you all a very successful day and I will now return you to your Chairman.
Thank you.
***
Mr. Michael Thomas
Director General, The Middle East Association
Michael Thomas’ association with the Middle East goes back to 1971 just prior to the first oil boom. He has been with the Middle East Association for ten years and for the last five years as Director General.
Michael was previously Regional Director of COMET, the Committee for Middle East Trade, the UK Government’s Private Sector Advisory Group on Trade with the Middle East.
His background in the Middle East has involved trading and shipping firstly with the Guinness Peat group under Lord Kissen and latterly he was one of a small team of British people who developed the Kuwait Shipping Company, now known as the United Arab Shipping Company (UASC), from small beginnings to one of the largest merchant fleets in the world.
Source: Middle East Association
http://www.the-mea.co.uk/
