This is a past event. Registration is closed. View other Arab-British Chamber of Commerce events.
Simon Penney
HM Trade Commissioner for the Middle East and HM Consul General for Dubai at DITSimon Penney, His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner (HTMC) for the Middle East and Pakistan was appointed in May 2018. Simon is also His Majesty’s Consul General (HMCG) to Dubai, appointed in January 2021. Simon has spent the majority of his career in the banking sector with extensive experience leading corporate and financial institution groups and teams across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Simon’s previous roles in the Middle East include: Head of Corporate and Investment Banking at First Gulf Bank, Chief Executive Officer, Middle East and Africa with the Royal Bank of Scotland. Simon was also CEO for ABN AMRO Bank in South Africa before which he led teams in the UK. Before this, he worked in consulting at PwC and in project finance within the construction industry. He holds an MBA with distinction from Nottingham University and a first-class degree from Reading University.
Mohammad Alfardan
Executive Director Group Procurement of Red Sea GlobvalMohammad is a Saudi National and has over 20 years procurement experience gained with Main Contractors in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Paul Donaghy
Executive Director Group Procurement of Red Sea GlobalPaul has over 23 years construction experience, working on both the consultancy and client sides of the industry in Ireland, Mauritius and the Middle East.
Ben Edwards
Group Head of Cost, Commercial and Procurement at Red Sea GlobalBen has nearly three decades of experience gained with leading Contractors within both the building and civil engineering sectors of the construction industry in the UK, Europe, the Caribbean, and the Middle East.”
The Rt Hon Baroness Elizabeth Symons
Chairman at ABCCThe 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 and Minister for Defence Procurement, and the Prime Minister’s envoy to the Gulf.
Previously a trade union general secretary, she was an Equal Opportunities Commissioner and a governor of the London Business School. As well as working closely with DLA Piper, Baroness Symons is now involved with a number of other commercial organisations, including roles as a non-executive director of British Airways, and as an advisor to other companies, including those with strong Middle East links, and with a number of not-for-profit organisations, including the International Red Cross.
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.