Events of the Secretary General and Chairman 2005/2006
Dr Mohammad Smadi (Secretary General and Chief Executive)
8-03-06 to 15-03-06
Visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain, Qatar and Sultanate of Oman by Sir Roger and Dr Mohammed Smadi, CEO along with Patrick Forbes. With the same objectives as the November trip to the Gulf, this visit included a programme that scheduled meetings with two Foreign Minister, local Chambers of Commerce, representatives of the private sector, and British Embassy staff
10-04-06 to 12-04-06
Dr Mohammad Smadi represented the Arab British Chamber of Commerce in Doha, Qatar during the 6th Forum of Doha. The participants came from all over the world. The event was a great success.
22 & 23 – 05-06
The Board Meeting took place in the ABCC new premises. The two days meetings were excellent. The directors were impressed with the new building and a great number of Their Excellencies the Arab Ambassadors attended the meeting on 22 May.
31-05-06
Dr Mohammad Smadi attended a dinner organized by Jordan River Foundation in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah in the Whitehall Palace. The event was a great occasion to discuss many important subjects.
16-06-06
Dr Mohammad Smadi attended the National Day of Jordan at the Mandarin Hotel, London.
04-07-06
Dr Mohammad Smadi will participate in the third meeting for the Arab Business and WTO in Beirut, Lebanon.
20-07-06
Dr Mohammad Smadi will participate in the Joint Arab-European Chambers of Commerce meeting that will be held in Lisbon, Portugal on the 20th July 2006. The delegates will discuss major points related to the Arab countries along with an important paper presented by Dr Smadi on how to create better links between the Joint Chambers.
Sir Roger Tomkys (Chairman)
21-04-05
Chairman’s Quarterly Consultative Committee Meeting at the Oxford & Cambridge Club. Hon Dominic Asquith, Head of the Iraq Unit at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, gave a general overview of conditions in Iraq.
28-07-05
Chairman’s Quarterly Consultative Committee Meeting at the Oxford & Cambridge Club. Dr Mohammed Smadi, arriving as the A-BCC’s new Secretary General and CEO, talked about his intentions for the Chamber over the coming years.
19-09-05: ABCC Board Meeting, London
15-11-05 to 01-12-05
Visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait led by Sir Roger and accompanied by Dr Mohammed Smadi, CEO and Patrick Forbes. This was the first in a series of trips aimed at meeting key partners in the region, and discussing the developments that have taken place at the Chamber, and in UK-Arab trade relations at large.
24-01-06
Strategic Forum’s Securing the Future Saudi Arabia Seminar at the Sheraton Hotel, Edinburgh. Sir Roger headed the Chamber contingent participating at this event.
07-03-06
Chairman’s Quarterly Consultative Committee Meeting at the Oxford & Cambridge Club. Baroness Liz Symons, Chairperson of the Joint Saudi-British Business Council, shared her views on developments in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC.
08-03-06 to 15-03-06
Visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain, Qatar and Sultanate of Oman led by Sir Roger and accompanied by Dr Mohammed Smadi, CEO and Patrick Forbes. With the same objectives as the November trip to the Gulf, this visit included a programme that scheduled meetings with two Foreign Minister, local Chambers of Commerce, representatives of the private sector, and British Embassy staff.
03-05-06 to 06-05-06
Sir Roger participated in the annual meeting of Joint Arab-Foreign Chambers of Commerce, held in Riyadh and Jeddah. Sir Roger was co-chairperson, with HE Dr Amr Moussa the Secretary General of the League of Arab States, for the plenary session. Matters of shared interest for the Chambers, coming from countries as distant as Brazil and Australia, were debated and a joint action plan was adopted. Dr Mohammed Smadi and Sir Roger Tomkys represented the Arab British Chamber of Commerce on this trip.
20-07-06
Middle East Assocation Seminar on Bahrain
Sir Roger chaired one of the afternoon sessions at an MEA organised seminar on Bahrain. As former Ambassador to Bahrain, Sir Roger was glad to report on the positive strides being made by the Bahraini economy, and by the work of the Bahrain Economic Development Board in particular. With business activity at record level in the Gulf region, it is hoped that Bahrain will build on its standing as a key provider of services to Arab and Foreign investors alike.
