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Bandar Reda (Secretary General & CEO of Arab British Chamber of Commerce)

Bandar Reda

Secretary General & CEO of Arab British Chamber of Commerce

Mr 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.

Abdeslam El-Idrissi (Deputy CEO & Secretary General of Arab British Chamber of Commerce)

Abdeslam El-Idrissi

Deputy CEO & Secretary General of Arab British Chamber of Commerce

Mr Abdeslam El-Idrissi is proud to have served the best part of over 36 years with the Arab British Chamber of Commerce, serving both as Director of Trade Services, Acting General Manager and now his present position as Deputy CEO and Secretary General. During this time, he has cultivated strong relationships with British Chambers, Government bodies, educational institutions, NGOs across both the Arab world and the UK regions, as well as the UK-Arab business communities as a whole.
To this end, Mr El-Idrissi is in much demand across the regions as a keynote speaker and as one of the UK’s leading experts on UK-Arab trade relations.
He is also a key member of the Institute of Export where in the past he has held the position of Vice Chair of the Institute of Export, London Branch for a period of 7 years.

Mij Raja (CEO of Right Brain Thinking International)

Mij Raja

CEO of Right Brain Thinking International

As the CEO of Right Brain Thinking International, Mij Raja plays a pivotal role in driving our success in the Middle East. He expertly bridges the needs of our clients, our talented team, and our network of world-renowned academics and influential personalities. Under Mij’s leadership, we continue to deliver exceptional value and transformative solutions, making him an indispensable force behind our organisation’s growth and impact in the region.

Professor Shabnam Delfani (Programme Director of Right Brain Thinking International)

Professor Shabnam Delfani

Programme Director of Right Brain Thinking International

Professor Shabnam Delfani is an eminent academic, a Women’s leadership pioneer & internationally recognised UN senior associate who specialises in Women’s, environment, climate change & global sustainability concerns. She is engaged with the UN programme as part of the Disaster Committee for the “MENA” region. Professor Delfani has hosted a conference event in the UK Houses of Parliament on Women’s International Day & World Peace.

Tarik Ouahmed (London Branch Chief Manager & SVP Overseas Branches at Riyad Bank)

Tarik Ouahmed

London Branch Chief Manager & SVP Overseas Branches at Riyad Bank

In (May) 2024, Tarik Ouahmed was appointed as Branch Manager for Riyad Bank London Branch and Senior Vice President for Riyad Bank International Offices (US & Asia).

Prior to that, Tarik spent more than 20 years in the banking industry (Credit Suisse, SocGen) as an Investment Banker (Mergers & Acquisitions) and in Strategy Consulting (Partner at Oliver Wyman).

Before joining Riyad Bank, Tarik was most recently Investment Director at The Public Investment Fund, the Sovereign Wealth Fund of Saudi Arabia, based in Riyadh. Tarik was focusing on investments into the financial services sector.

Tarik holds a Masters in Business Administration from London Business School and Columbia Business School.

Doug West (Chief Marketing Officer at Hubl Logistics)

Doug West

Chief Marketing Officer at Hubl Logistics

Doug has worked in a variety of senior sales and marketing roles, primarily in the B2B sector, including 24 years with DHL, and a further five years at Rentokil Initial where he was responsible for marketing and business integration following multiple acquisitions. Having moved from corporate into consultancy, Doug has supported a number of businesses and entrepreneurs through start-up and growth stages to establish the processes, systems and organisational structure necessary to support growth. Alongside this support, Doug has also helped raise financing and has sat on a number of boards as a Non-Executive Director, including Harbinger Group and The Store Room Ltd. Doug has taken on the role of CMO at Hubl and takes responsibility for the sales and marketing function.

Richard Hutchins (Technical Director of PRG Scotland Ltd)

Richard Hutchins

Technical Director of PRG Scotland Ltd

Richard Hutchins is a dedicated advocate for sustainability at PRG Scotland Ltd, where he leads efforts in transforming waste tyres into valuable resources through Continuous Reductive Distillation (CRD). This innovative process converts waste tyres into steel, oil, and carbon black, creating a sustainable route for waste tyres.
Richard's groundbreaking project, "Creating Bitumen from Waste Tyres," earned recognition through funding from the UK’s National Highways Low Carbon Accelerator program. This project supports the goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2040.
Richard holds an MBA from Wolverhampton University Business School (2005-2008). His leadership and collaborative efforts with partners such as Robert Gordon University Aberdeen have been crucial in advancing PRG’s projects. At the recent Highways UK event, Richard and his team were honoured as runners-up for the Startup of the Year award, reinforcing his commitment to sustainable innovation.

Joseph Firas Chakra (Regional Head, Middle East – Origination and Client Coverage at UK Export Finance)

Joseph Firas Chakra

Regional Head, Middle East – Origination and Client Coverage at UK Export Finance