Baroness Symons Of Vernham Dean
Chairman at Arab British Chamber of CommerceThe Rt Hon Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean is a senior Labour member of the House of Lords and a business leader. Formerly Deputy Leader of the House of Lords, Baroness Symons was a Minister in the UK Government from 1997 until stepping down in 2005. Among her government posts she was Minister for the Middle East, Minister for International Trade, Minister for Defence Procurement, and the Prime Minister’s envoy to the Gulf.
A former General Secretary of the First Division Association (FDA), she was also an Equal Opportunities Commissioner and a governor of the London Business School and London School of Economics.
As well as working closely with DLA Piper as Head of Government Relations, Baroness Symons was formerly a non-executive director of British Airways and Manchester Airports Group and was on the advisory boards of several companies including those with strong Middle East links, and a number of not-for-profit organisations including the International Red Cross.
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Mohammad Khalid Al Shirawi
Senior Executive at Dubai Airport FreezoneMohammad Khalid Al Shirawi is a Senior Executive in the Marketing & Business Growth department at Dubai Airport Freezone, where he spearheads lead generation initiatives aimed at attracting foreign direct investment from both primary and secondary markets. His strategic efforts play a crucial role in driving business expansion within one of the region’s premier free zones.
Previously, Mohammad served as Country Manager at the UAE Government Experience Exchange Office under the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs, where he successfully led collaborative projects with nine countries, enhancing government reform and operational efficiency. His experience at the Federal Competitiveness & Statistics Centre further honed his skills in data-driven strategy and client relationship management.
Mohammad’s career began in the banking sector, where he excelled as an Institutional Sales Trader at HSBC and held key positions at Citibank. He is also a passionate advocate for sustainable development, having served on the UAE’s National Youth Council for Sustainable Development Goals, where he worked to align national initiatives with global sustainability priorities.
A graduate of New York University Abu Dhabi, Mohammad has furthered his expertise through additional studies in international law, social policy, and economic regulations at prestigious institutions such as Georgetown University, Peking University, and the London School of Economics. His diverse background and commitment to growth and sustainability make him a dynamic leader in his field.
Abdur Rahim Ghulam Nabi
Chief Advisor at Dubai Airport Free ZoneMr. Ghulam Nabi is a qualified professional and has leveraged a successful career in financial leadership to develop expertise in crafting & leading prestigious initiatives as a trusted advisor to executive leadership.
He has over 25 years’ experience advising across a full gamut of innovative and market-leading projects covering broad areas of; Innovation and Future, Special Economic Zones, Islamic Economy & Halal Trade, Digital Transformation and Corporate Strategy
With respect to Corporate Strategic Advisory, he has partnered with world-leading management consultancies such as Strategy &, Bain & Co., Kearney, Accenture, Deloitte and Dinar Standard to advise on the development of new free zones/economic clusters, e-commerce ecosystems & city level breakthrough initiatives
For the Islamic Economy, he played a lead role in developing niche strategies and provided critique on multiple concepts for cross- border Halal trade corridor, Sharia-compliant zones, Halal R&D labs and endowment concepts.
He has been instrumental in contributing and shaping government-led innovation initiatives including Dubai 10X Program, Economic Directions, Tradeline & making Dubai an E-commerce Hub to name a few.
He is a known keynote speaker in global events, including the Brazil Economic Forum, Melbourne Innovation Summit, Mediterranean Leaders Week, Halal Lifestyle and Sarajevo Business Forum, amongst other.
Bandar Reda
Secretary General & CEO of Arab British Chamber of CommerceMr Bandar Ali Reda joined the Arab British Chamber of Commerce, on 1st March 2019, as Secretary General and CEO, becoming the fourth person to lead the Chamber since its foundation almost five decades ago.
As CEO, Mr Reda contributes his expertise by drawing on his wealth of experience as a diplomat and extensive time spent in the private sector to ensure the Chamber moves to the next level.
Mr Reda has a distinguished professional career of more than a decade in banking and corporate industry at SABB HSBC Saudi Arabia, prior to senior positions in the diplomatic service of his country, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where he served as Commercial Attaché in the UK & Europe, based in London, and in Italy and as part of the Saudi delegation to the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) in Paris.
Mr Reda holds a BA in Economics and Business Administration from Orlando, USA. He has been an Executive Member of the Saudi-Italian Business Council, the Council of Saudi Chambers; a Member of the Business Youth Committee, Jeddah Chamber of Commerce; a Member of the Saudi Economy Association; and a Member of the Saudi Arabian legal accountants. Mr Reda has demonstrated his experience and abilities in his roles in both public and private sectors.
Since taking up his post, Mr Reda has successfully steered the Chamber throughout the difficult months of the pandemic and lockdown, a period which presented unprecedented challenges for international trade and the business community. Under Mr Bandar Reda’s guidance and leadership, the Chamber not only continued all its activities uninterrupted but extended its services during this period and has reinforced its reputation as the leading strategic business services organisation in the UK dedicated to strengthening Arab-British trade and building closer business co-operation.
Abdulrahman Shahin
Senior Vice President, Property Management & Supply Chain at Dubai CommerCityAbdulrahman Shahin oversees Dubai CommerCity’s entire Business, Social and Logistics Clusters as its senior vice president for property management & supply chain. He leads the overall delivery of new buildings and facilities, property management, operations, logistics & supply chain and is responsible for ensuring an unparalleled customer experience.
He also championed the required regulatory changes for customs procedures for cross border eCommerce and played an instrumental role in developing Dubai’s CommerCity’s overall e-Commerce strategy.
Abdulrahman joined Dubai CommerCity in 2021 following more than twenty-two years’ experience in the Freezone, Customs, Port Security, supply chain and logistics sector.