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Abdeslam El-Idrissi
Deputy CEO & Secretary General of Arab British Chamber of CommerceMr 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.
Mr Bandar Reda
Secretary General & CEO of ABCCMr 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.
Imran Zawwar
Chief Executive Officer at London Strategy CentreDr Imran Zawwar is an executive development strategist with experience in Asia, Middle East, Europe, and Australia. He is a former Naval officer, and prior to his role with London Strategy Centre (LSC) he was working at Cranfield as Regional Director Executive Development Programmes and Asst. Professor Strategic Management. He has led several executive and corporate development engagements/programmes.
He is an accomplished executive with a proven track record of leading complex portfolios and diverse teams with a vision to transform the learning experience using immersive, experiential and authentic learning opportunities working collaboratively to implement evidence-based change, underpinned by rigorous scholarly analysis.
Imran holds an MBA with two Academic Gold Medals; MS in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University with Highest Academic Distinction and a PhD in Entrepreneurial Economics from Cranfield School of Management.
Ralph Nehme
Economic Attaché at Lebanon Embassy In LondonBefore joining Lebanon’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants in 2018, Mr Nehme has accumulated over 20 years of management and consulting experience in the MENA region, advising the private and public sectors across Telecom, Technology, Hospitality, Real Estate, Construction, Insurance, Oil and Gas, Aviation and Automotive sectors.
In September 2019, Mr Nehme has organised the UK Lebanon Tech Forum which highlighted the global outreach of Lebanon’s Tech industry and digital ecosystem to the United Kingdom. The event brought together the actors who contribute to the growth of the Lebanese tech sector including the Lebanese Government, International Financial Institutions, Lebanese Banks, established companies, start-ups, and investors.
In September 2021, Mr Nehme has organised the Lebanese Pavilion titled “Taste of Lebanon” as part of the Speciality & Fine Food Fair 21 at Olympia, London. The pavillion was awarded the "Most Visited Stand Award".
Mr Nehme is also as a Board Member of the Association of Economic Representatives in London -AERL as of May 2022.
He has held many interventions and organised many webinars to promote bilateral trade between the United Kingdom and Lebanon.
Mr Nehme holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom.
Andrew Elia
Managing Partner at ArishiAndrew is a hard-wired technology expert who has helped hundreds of clients create seamless, trusted applications for the fintech, commercial and advertising sectors.
Understanding the power of agile development and secure, highly performant software, his company, Arishi delivers solutions that are practical, imaginative and robust, with the flexibility to adapt to changing regulatory conditions.
Combining enthusiasm, experience and humour, Andrew is an inspiring speaker on technology. He has written for magazines and spoken at conferences, on how startups should use technology, mobile payments and the sometimes awkward union between technology and business.
Andrew has delivered ground-breaking technology across a variety of areas within financial services and artificial intelligence that others couldn’t, wouldn’t (or just plain didn’t) develop, often years ahead of the competition.
Arishi has become highly regarded in industries across the globe, where split second improvements in performance, usability and visual appeal are becoming increasingly important – government, health, finance, fintech, advertising, and international business, to name a few. Arishi has delivered exceptionally performant digital projects for major clients in the Middle East and has now established an office in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
When he’s not immersed in the virtual world, or pursuing his passion for retro computers, Andrew enjoys spending as much time as possible with his family, who all enjoy exploring the GCC region.
Marwan Gedeon
Founding Partner at CMEMarwan is an ESIB graduate of telecom and network engineering
Marwan is a founding partner of CME and served multiple roles in the Lebanese offshore business leading to where CME is today.
Meeting the technical requirements for his US counterparts, building and scaling the company's ICT infrastructure within a challenging economy, hiring, coaching, retaining like-minded Lebanese
talents to exponentially grow while maintaining a startup mentality, then repeating the approach within new countries (India, China, Argentina, Egypt) to increase the resiliency of his company within the regional turnoil
He traveled around the world to expand his company business and team and promote the resiliency, hard-work, problem solving genes of CME's Lebanese DNA.
When the Lebanese currency collapsed, the Corona pandemic ruled, and the Beirut port blasted, Marwan turned his focus back to his country needs, engagaed in building the public IMPACT platform which organized curfew permits, collaborated with municipalities, scheduled vaccinations, and prioritized financial aids for those in need.
In addition to his CME involvement, Marwan is involved in the young education sector, sitting at the chair of the board for Lycee Amchit school where he lives. At a personal level, Marwan is an enthusiastic father with passion for exploring new places and cultures.