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Mr Ibrahim Ahli
Director Investment Promotion Division of Dubai FDIAs a Director of Investment Promotion Division at Dubai FDI, Dubai FDI, the foreign investment promotion agency in the Department of Economic Development (DED) in Dubai, Ibrahim Ahli assists investors with their service requirements and supports companies looking to set up in Dubai or any of its free zones to serve local, regional and international markets.
Ibrahim has a solid background in destination marketing and customer relations, having worked in the travel & tourism industry for more than 12 years during which he has led
various promotion campaigns for Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. He started his career with the Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing (DTCM) in Dubai where he was
Manager Overseas Promotions for 10 years. He has also led successful marketing and brand management initiatives over a period of six years as Director of Marketing & Corporate Communications in the Dubai Airport Free Zone and as Director of Marketing for the Dubai Flower Centre, a perishable goods transshipment hub.
Ibrahim steers the investor outreach and promotion efforts of Dubai FDI with his vast experience in attracting international business and supporting them to establish their operations in the United Arab Emirates in general and in Dubai specifically. His main focus in on identifying the best source markets for foreign direct investment (FDI) into Dubai and cementing the emirate’s position as the best investment destination in the Middle East. Ibrahim can be contacted directly at brahim.ahli@fdidubai.gov.ae
For further information on Dubai FDI please visit http://www.dubaifdi.gov.ae/en
Mr Ayman Al Awadhi
Group Managing Director of The Corporate GroupAyman is the Co-Founder and Group Managing Director of The Corporate Group. He is in charge of subsidiaries responsible for delivering one-stop-shop of professional services related to business setup solutions and enabling both FDIs and foreign companies to do business in UAE and the region.
He has attracted businesses across all sizes and industries such as but not limited to education, healthcare, technology, energy, professional services. Some of these businesses are listed in global stock market while others are start-ups offering disruptive technologies/ideas in UAE and GCC.
Furthermore, his experience includes advising companies for corporate structuring and merge & acquisition transactions, developing operational framework that delivers unique customer engagement with clients and stakeholders along with association with both private and government sectors.
PAST WORK EXPERIENCE:
Worked in Government Resource Planning project (currently known as Smart Dubai) for Oracle implementation across local government departments of Dubai Government (2002-2006)
Co-Founder and COO of Zeroday IT Solution, an information and cyber security consulting company based in Dubai (since 2007)
Managing Director of Corporate Business Services, a corporate service provider company specialized in company formation solutions and business consultancy based in Dubai (since 2007)
PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENTS:
Awarded for outstanding performance and achievements made in GRP project (currently known as Smart Dubai)
Participating as judge for various business award programs within UAE
Active speaker in number of local and global seminars and conferences sharing knowledge and experience around entrepreneurship and legal/operational framework of doing business in UAE
Active member of Institute of Directors, Hawkama at DIFC
Member of advisory board for ARCET Global, leader provider in awards programme in UAE
Founder member of Business Incubator of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center @ American University in Dubai (AUD)
Ayman is fluent in English and Arabic. He earned his BA in Business Administration and Information Systems at University of Colorado (USA).
Mr 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.
Ms Fayha Sultan
UK Director-Business Development of The Corporate GroupFayha Sultan, based in London, specialises in the UAE commercial market. Currently she is the UK Director-Business Development at The Corporate Group, an Emirati owned corporate based in Dubai. Fayha assists companies in the UK with their market entry into the UAE in collaboration with UK and UAE organisations.
Previously Fayha worked as the Marketing Manager for Commerce at the UK and Ireland representative office of Dubai Tourism & Commerce Marketing (DTCM). During her role she worked closely with the Dubai Foreign Direct Investment Department and various Dubai free zones organising promotional events in the UK and trade missions to
Dubai to facilitate UK companies’ entry into Dubai. She collaborated with various UK government entities in assisting UK companies into the UAE market to deliver Dubai’s vision and objectives in becoming the number one global business destination.
Prior to joining DTCM she worked for the UAE Embassy in London for 10 years in a range of industry sectors including politics, media and commerce.
Fayha has an exemplary track record, and through her extended tenure working with multiple UAE organisations she has gained an in-depth knowledge of the Gulf market, its cultural practices and strategies.
Fayha was educated in the USA, she holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Central Oklahoma and a Master of Science degree from Arizona State University. She gained a Bachelor degree from Utah State University in the USA.
She is fluent in both Arabic and English with understanding of French.
Mr Abdeslam El-Idrissi
Deputy SG & CEO 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.
Professor Robert Volterra
Partner at Volterra FiettaProfessor Robert Volterra is one of the most respected public international law practitioners in the world. He has acted in many of the seminal cases of recent times, including having had the honour of representing the UAE and other Arab countries before the International Court of Justice. Law Directories consistently rank Professor Volterra in the elite tier of international lawyers, describing him as “Probably the best PIL lawyer on the planet” and the “go-to lawyer for difficult and complex cases”.
Professor Volterra regularly advises and represents governments, international organisations and private clients on a wide range of contentious and non-contentious public international law and international dispute resolution issues, including investor-State dispute settlement. He has significant experience of the business framework in the UAE, having advised Dubai on aspects of the formation of the Dubai International Financial Centre.
Mr Jehad Mustafa
Barrister-at-law and Associate at Volterra FiettaJehad is an English-qualified barrister and Senior Associate at Volterra Fietta. He advises and represents States and private entities on national and international law matters, and has acted for a number of Middle-East governments in matters of international significance.
Jehad has a broad range of experience covering national and cross-border dispute resolution, including investor-State arbitration, immunities and enforcement proceedings in national courts. He has appeared before the World Bank’s ICSID tribunals, in Courts in the Caribbean and at all levels of the English Court system.
Ms Karen Worcester
Director of Expatriate Tax Advisory Service LimitedKaren Worcester is a Director at Expatriate Tax Advisory Service Limited. This is a UK based, family owned, private client tax practice which started in 1995. We act for individuals, working or otherwise, who need UK and/or US tax advice and UK tax returns and/or US tax returns prepared. Employers also refer their employees to us for tax advice, especially when a cross-border move is being considered. Our clients are based in the UK and worldwide, we have a particular interest in the GCC area and Andrew Robson, Director, was himself an expat, based in Bahrain.
Mr Charlie Hicks
Director – Head of Commercial at Interpolitan MoneyCharlie plays a pivotal role in the success of the business, overseeing all aspects of front office including new business, recruitment, strategy and targets.
Under Charlie’s leadership, the team delivers a bespoke product, which goes above and beyond customer satisfaction.
Charlie is very much interested in encouraging continuous development within his team, and he himself holds certificates in UK Regulations and Derivates from the CISI.