BBBForum Spring 2012
Mar 21, 2016
Triannual magazine from the Bahrain British Business Forum
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From The Chair Registration number ISSN 1985-9929
ContentsThe 2011-2012 Executive Committee ......2
Advertiser Index ..............2
From Her Majesty’s Ambassador ....................3
Welcome toNew Members .................4
Diary Dates......................5
Nebosh launch ................5
Member Benefi ts .............6
Why join the BBBF? ........7
Prince Edwardvisits Bahrain ...................8
SIG Update....................10
SIG Security ..................12
MBE for Tony Palys.......12
Financial News .............14
Charity effortsin Nepal .........................22
HMA in CharitySkydive..........................23
News from the E.P ........26
Think Local ....................28
African Reach................28
Education Sector ...........30
Hotel & Leisure News....33
Next Generation Firewall ..........................36
Bahrain News ................38
BBBF Member Fareed Bader Honoured.......................42
And Finally.....................48
Cover Image: F1 is back in Bahrain this year
BBBF Tel: +973 1781 3488, Fax: +973 1781 3489, Email: [email protected] Bahrain British Business Forum, P. O. Box 10051, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain
Khalid Al-ZayaniChairman
Dear Members,
Welcome to the Spring edition of the BBBF magazine. 2012 has got off to a positive start with many businesses seeing an upturn in activity, which sends a strong message that Bahrain is very much "open for business." The high oil prices and fi nancial support from neighbouring GCC countries has seen a number of infrastructure projects pushing ahead and many more planned throughout the Kingdom.
Pleasingly, the financial sector (the largest component of the country’s GDP at 25%) has seen a strong December 2011 reporting season, with
many banks returning to profi t or increasing profi ts by double digit margins, in what has been a challenging 2011. The Lord Mayor of the City of London’s visit, in late February, was a great success and is testament to the special, long standing and mutually beneficial relationship that Bahrain and the City of London continues to enjoy.
Additionally, the reaffirmation that Bahrain will host a Formula 1 Grand prix race (20-22 April), and various other big ticket conferences are a welcome shot in the arm for the resilient and dynamic hospitality sector. These factors will continue to drive opportunities for the private sectors.
2012 will mark a milestone year in the United Kingdom with the London Olympics and the Queen’s 60th
Jubilee celebrations. The British Ambassador recently hosted an Olympics launch event in the Embassy Gardens. His Royal Highness Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa,was the guest of honour. London
this summer is certainly the place to be and we wish all those involved with the Olympics and athletes taking part a very successful and enjoyable event.
A special thank you to Gulf Air and HSBC, our 2012 corporate sponsors, and Standard Chartered Bank, who recently became sponsors of the BBBF Special Interest Groups. Our sponsors continue to be a great source of financial support and generous encouragement. Their support allows us the fi nancial security to increase the number of initiatives and enhances the quality and number of events that we organise.
We hope that you enjoy this edition and look forward to seeing you, and your guests, at the forthcoming BBBF central functions and those organised by our ever expanding number of Special Interest Groups (SIG) – see Page 8 for details.
With kind regards
Khalid Al-ZayaniChairman
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Our thanks to all the advertisers in this edition of Forum. Without their support, this issue would not have been
possible. Please give them yours.
2 Connect ........................................................ page 43Al Jazira Supermarket ..................................... page 41Al Zayani Motors ............................................. page 15Allied Pickfords................................................ page 21 Almoayed Wilelmsen Ltd................................. page 44 AXA Insurance ............................. Outside Back CoverBader Trading.................................................. page 42Bahrain International Circuit ................... Centre PagesBest Western Hotel ......................................... page 32BFC ................................................................. page 18 BMMI ............................................................... page 29 British School of Bahrain ................................. page 30British Midland Airways ................................... page 27 Crown Relocations .......................................... page 40Euromotors...................................................... page 47Gulf Agency Co ............................................... page 37 Gulf Air ............................................................ page 43Gulf Hotel ........................................................ page 35Gulf Markets International ............................... page 11HSBC ..............................................Inside Front Cover Insure Direct .................................................... page 11Jaguar Bahrain ................................................ page 39Lost Paradise Water Park ................................. page 9Mansouri Mansions ......................................... page 33NHSC .............................................................. page 23Phil Weymouth Photography............................. page 6Protection Insurance Services ........................ page 16TNT ................................................. Inside Back Cover
The 2011-12 BBBF Ex ec u tive Committee
MemberJulia Atherton-DandyMob: 3966-0598
ChairmanKhalid Al Zayani
Hon-Secretary Jill BoggissMob: 3604-4100
MemberRob GreyMob: 3966-3452
Deputy ChairmanAustin RudmanMob: 3969-9475
Embassy Rep re sent a tiveBill ScarthMob: 3942-7616
TreasurerJonathan TrafankowskiMob: 3914-8599
MemberNasser Al ArayedhTel: 1727-2575
Executive ManagerDena WalesTel: 3969-6191
This edition of the BBBF Forum magazine was compiled by Andrew Mead at Mead Management Ser vic es Ltd.
email: [email protected] UK Mob: 0044 7940 559 925 KSA Mob: 00966 506 271 151 Bahrain Mobile: 00973 3638 7595
and produced in cooperation with Krishnan Surendran at Jumana House, Riyadh, KSA Tel 009661 292 0451 Fax: 00966 1 472 6962
If you would like to contribute to a future edition please telephone or send an email to [email protected]
A full page advert is charged at BD300. A half page advert at BD180, A quarter page advert at BD100
A small panel at BD50
Please note: The BBBF nor its agents do not warrant the services of any of the individual or corporate members of the BBBF.
The views and opinions expressed by independent contributors must not be regarded as those of the BBBF or its agents.
Publication of any article or advertisement does not imply any endorsement of the views, products or services described therein.
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From Her Majesty's Ambassador
a stand at the Green Tech Expo on 13 – 15 March, to highlight UK expertise in environment and water, waste management and green lifestyle products. The “London 2012: Going for Green” fi lm will be on display at our stand, highlighting the sustainability of the construction of the Olympic Park. Shortly before Easter, on 4 April, I look forward to welcoming BBBF members to the annual BBBF Curry Evening in the Embassy Garden on 4 April. I hope that by then we’ll have seen signs of further progress and that we can be more optimistic about the road ahead.
Iain Lindsay OBEBritish Ambassador
I write this in early March I write this in early March when I sense there is a bit of cautious optimism in the air. February went far better than one might have imagined it would, just a couple of months ago. It’s still early days, but it seems to me that Bahrain is in a better position now than at anytime since the events of last spring. As Bahrain’s ‘partner of choice’, the UK is doing all that it can to help its long-standing close ally to move forward. And that includes on the business side. In that regard, it was good to see that bilateral trade in goods increased by 2% in 2011 despite the unrest and its economic impact.
His Highness Sheikh Nasser, President of Bahrain Olympic Committee, and I co-hosted a reception at the Embassy on 28 February to mark 150 days to go until the start of the London
2012 Olympic Games and to kick-off some events which we hope will bring a little bit of the Olympic spirit to Bahrain. But it’s not all about sport. UK Trade and Investment is hosting a British Business Embassy at Lancaster House, on the Mall, throughout the Games, with sector days for international visitors. I am hoping that some key contacts from Bahrain in the Education, Food and Retail sectors will be able to attend.
The British Business Club (www.ukti.gov.uk/britishbusinessclub/home) is a key component of UKTI’s economic legacy programme for the Games and has been developed as a way to funnel the global interest and excitement around London 2012 into business. The Club allows UK companies to showcase themselves to global visitors by profi ling their expertise and experience. While it will be particularly benefi cial during the six weeks of competition, it will enable virtual and then physical
business networking at major sports events, well into the next decade. It will help position UK companies as the partner of choice for major infrastructure projects and the delivery of the next Summer and Winter Games, football World Cups and other major events across the globe.
The evening following the Olympics event, I hosted a couple of events for the Lord Mayor of the City of London, David Wootton, who paid us a brief visit at the end of his Gulf tour. The visit helped to reinforce the existing close ties in the fi nancial and professional services sector and ensured that Bahrain remains fi rmly on the City of London’s map. Helpfully, we have been asked to bid for a more substantive visit by the Lord Mayor next year, which we will most certainly do. And then last week it was excellent to see 24 UK companies exhibiting at GEO 2012.
Upcoming events include UKTI and BBBF co-hosting
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Andrea AntalMembership ManagerCapital Club BahrainTel: 1710 0100Fax: 1710 [email protected]
Philippe BaudinChief Executive Offi cerLightspeed CommunicationsTel: 1756 0897Fax: 1758 [email protected]
Christopher BloodworthPrincipal EngineerURSTel: 1755 6634Fax: 1755 [email protected]
Peter BustinManaging DirectorFaçade Design Services SPCTel: 1767 8929Fax: 1767 [email protected]
Susan CookSales ExecutiveCastawayTel: 1771 7397Fax: 1771 [email protected]
Angela CrokerSenior AssociateNorton Rose (Midd;e East) LLPTel: 1650 0200Fax: 1650 [email protected]
Paul CurwenProject ManagerURSTel: 1755 6634Fax: 1755 [email protected]
Louise DoyleSales ManagerGulf Hotels GroupTel: 1774 6285Fax: 1771 [email protected]
Alan GallagherSales DirectorLucite InternationalTel: 1758 3298Fax: 1758 [email protected]
Patrick De GrootGeneral ManagerMatrook Group Chic & Unique HotelsTel: 1753 4435Fax: 1753 [email protected]
Manaf HamzaOwnerManaf Hamza Engineering & SurveyingTel: 1717 8612Fax: 1717 [email protected]
Bishwajit Ranjan KumarAssociate DirectorURSTel: 1755 6634Fax: 1755 [email protected],
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Diary Dates
Wednesday 4th April 2012Curry Night (members only)Venue: British EmbassyTime: 7pmNote: Invitation only event
Tuesday 17th April 2012Business Lunch meetingSpeaker: Ministry of WorksVenue: Diplomat Radisson Blu HotelTime: 12 noon for 1 pmCost: Members BD12 , Guests BD15
Tuesday 15th May 2012Business Lunch meetingSpeaker: Ministry of Energy (TBC)
Tuesday 19th June 2012Business Lunch meetingSpeaker: TBC
Events in the pipeline Please visit our BBBF website www.bbbforum.org and check the calendar for updated details on the above and other events/ meetings being held.
Lamia KuwaitiBusiness Development ManagerAXA Insurance (Gulf) BSCTel: 1758-8222Fax: [email protected]
Welcome to New Members
Mike MerrittChief Administration Offi cerInvestcorp Bank BSCTel: 1752-5178Fax: [email protected]
Noaman NajeebHead of Strategic ProjectsAMEX (Middle East) B.S.C Tel: 1755-7763Fax: [email protected]
Arghya SahaAssociate DirectorURSTel: 1755 6634Fax: 1755 [email protected]
Bill ScarthHead of UKTI, BahrainBritish EmbassyTel: 1757-4113Fax: [email protected]
The BBBF Directory
The printed edition of the 2012 BBBF Directory is now available from the BBBF Offi ce.
Copies of the pages in the printed edition are available to view as pdf fi les by following the Directory link from the home page of the BBBF website at www.bbforum.org
Members contact details may also be found online by using a Text Search facility or from a search of member photographs.
The images used are often those submitted at the time of joining and any member wishing to update their picture should send a new picture with a minimum dimension of 30mm wide x 35 mm tall at 72 dpi.
Images for print use should be a minimum of 300 dpi.
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Benefi ts for BBBF Members
Expat Angels10% discount on all packages and services. Contact: [email protected] Tel: 3832-0439
Hasan Mansouri 10% discount to members at Mansouri Mansions Hotel and Country Club. Contact: Karim Mansouri Tel: 1772 8144Email: [email protected]
Marriott Executive Apartment and Residence Inn Bahrain15% discounts when dining in Skyw@lk Café upon production of the BBBF membership card. 10% discounts on the best available rates for BBBF Member companies. For meetings and events, we offer a special day delegate rates of 13 BD per person inclusive of 3 coffee breaks and lunch.Contact Marwan Haddad Tel: 3624 2210email:[email protected]
National Hotel Services (NHSC) 5% on beers, 15% on wines and spirits with the exception of products already on special offer.Contact: Ian Bricklebank Tel: 1781-5929Email: [email protected]
Protection Insurance Service offers BBBF members special rates on their personal insurance (motor, home, travel and any other insurance cover). Members will just call to select the cover type, share the credit card number and we will deliver the policy documents to his / her offi ce. Please call 3904-3446 or 3645-4282
Royal Over-Seas LeagueThe Royal Over-Seas League has club hous es in London and Edinburgh which include hotel-style accommodation.Reduced rates for BBBF members. Application forms for membership are obtainable from the Membership Secretary at: Royal Over-Seas League, Over-Seas House, Park Place, St James’s Street, London SW1A 1LR Email: [email protected]: 0044 20 7408 0214 Fax: 0044 20 7499 6738
Servcorp Business PackageTwo months at half price on any Servcorp Business Packageontact: Heather Barrclough, Sales manager Tel: 1750 2710email: [email protected]
TNTFree Worldshop account to BBBF Membersemail: [email protected] for more information
AXA Insurance10% discounts to members on personal lines insurances. (excluding medical) Terms & Conditions Apply.Contact: Stephen Wagstaff Tel: 1758 8222Email: [email protected]
Bahrain Kuwait Insurance Company (BKIC) Special schemes have been arranged with Bahrain Kuwait Insurance Company (BKIC) for BBBF members for the following classes of insurance: House & Contents, Domestic Servants & Motor Insurance. Special terms are available on production of your membership card.
BizladiesBBBF members can join Bizladies for a 25 % reduction in the fees (BD 75 for 9 events instead of BD 100). In addition a 10% discount may be obtained against organisational and executive coaching, proof reading, training, assistance with academic writing and psychometric profi ling. Contact:- Dr. Clare Beckett-McInroy (Managing Director), Mobile:- +973 38442727, Email:- clare@beckett-mcinroy [email protected]
British AirwaysBA is offering members of the BBBF a 10% discount on fares from Bahrain to UK, Europe, North America and South America in Club World, World Traveller Plus and World Traveller. The discount rate is based on the British Airways’ published fare, and applicable to round or one-way trip tickets originating from Bahrain. This discount is not valid on taxes fees and surcharges.To book please contact Ali Sharif on [email protected]
British ClubEntrance Fee waived when booking Business lunches in the Ascot Restaurant. (pre-booking only) Group booking welcomed.Contact: Reception Tel: 1771-3999
Craig Consultants10% discount for members on 1-on-1 Executive Coaching, Contact: Kevin Craig Tel: 36199980Email: [email protected]
DHL25% discount from the cash tariff for any personal shipments being sent from Bahrain to anywhere in the world available on production of your membership card. Contact Andy BroughtonDHL Customer Service Tel: 1736 4100www.dhl.com.bh
Benefi ts for all our members may be obtained on production of their Membership card at the concerned outlet. We would like to hear your feed back concerning these discounts. Please do not hesitate to offer your services to our members by contacting the BBBF offi ce. If any member has any diffi culty obtaining a discount, please contact the BBBF offi ce so we can rectify the situation.
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BAHRAINThe Pearl of the Gulf has had a long standing re la tion ship with Britain and is still a major trading partner.
BRITISHTrade with Bahrain is now subject to signifi cant competition in this era of globalisation particularly from countries in Europe and from the USA.
BUSINESSbetween Bahrain and Britain must be promoted in order for Brit ain to maintain its dominant position. The BBBF has been formed to help in whatever way it can to do this and through its close cooperation with the British Embassy seeks to pro mote exchange of trade and good relations between Bahrain and Britain.
FORUMIs defi ned in the Collins English Dictionary as, “an assembly or meeting to discuss topics of public concern”. The BBBF provides through its monthly meetings a platform for net work ing amongst its members and the ex change and dis sem i na tion of useful business leads and op por tu ni ties. In addition, in return for a modest subscription, members receive the benefi t of inclusion in an annual di rec to ry describing the products and ser vic es they have to offer and a listing on the BBBF website again with a description of activities, contact numbers and useful links.
Membership directories are distributed to members of visiting Trade Missions and are available through the Embassy and business centres in fi ve star hotels.
Simply click on “Sign Up” on our website www.bbbforum.org complete the ap pli ca tion form and click submit. Sounds simple, it is, it must be worth it.
Cost of membershipIndividual Membership: BD 75 per annum, with an additional BD 40 once-only reg is tra tion fee.
Corporate Membership: BD 300 per annum (up to 5 individuals) plus BD 40 for each applicant up to a maximum of 10, with an additional BD 100 once-only reg is tra tion fee.
Corporate SponsorshipsThree levels of sponsorship are available:
Platinum: BD 3500 each year for three yearsGold: BD 3500 for one yearSilver: BD 1750 for one year
Sponsor packages include a variety of advertisement opportunities in the Membership Directory, the Forum magazine, the BBBF website and at the regular lunch meetings. Full details are available on request.
Why Join The BBBF?
Company Name
Title and full name (Surname first)
Position in business
Nationality Date of Birth
CPR Number
Address of business (P.O.Box & Town)
Business telephone Facsimile
Home telephone Mobile
E-mail address
Website address of business (if applicable)
Describe how you / your company contribute to substantial business interests in Bahrain (Maximum 150 words)
I agree to abide by the BBBF Constitution & Internal regulations.
Applicants Signature Date
Please complete the membership form and send it to: BBBF Executive Office, Fax: (00973) 1781 3489, or Email: [email protected]. For further information call (00973) 1781 3488, Web site: www.bbbforum.org
Corporate Membership please complete separate form for each applicant
Individual Membership
BBBF Membership Application
Please note that the granting of individual or corporate membership is subject to BBBF Committee approval.
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The offi cial launch of the fi rst introductory level NEBOSH examination to be set in Arabic was held at the British Embassy in Bahrain on 23 November.
Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain, Mr Iain Lindsay OBE, hosted the evening reception, entertaining several Middle Eastern dignitaries and NEBOSH representatives.
“Some of the Companies in Bahrain are world leaders in health, safety and environmental management, winning international recognition for their high standards, said NEBOSH Chief Executive, Teresa Budworth.
“We wanted to launch our first Arabic
Reception to mark launch of NEBOSH exam in Arabic language qualification here partly to acknowledge our gratitude to these organisations for adopting NEBOSH qualifi cations. We are pleased to have played a supporting role in raising competencies in health and safety.
“We hope that our new Arabic qualifi cations will further support businesses both in Bahrain and in the rest of the Middle East and North Africa in promoting health, safety and environmental improvements.”
Teresa, who was in Bahrain for the offi cial launch, went on to explain that the global demand for NEBOSH qualifi cations had inevitably fuelled a need for examinations to be made available in languages other than English.
“NEBOSH exams are taken in more than 91 countries throughout the world and 41% of the exams taken outside of the UK are held in Middle Eastern countries. Our entry level Health and Safety at Work qualifi cation has been in great demand here since it was launched in May 2010. We are working toward making our other qualifications available in Arabic too.”
The NEBOSH Health and Safety at Work examination can also be taken in Russian and will soon be available in Chinese Mandarin.
NEBOSH, was formed in 1979 and is an independent examining board and awarding body with charitable status.
After returning from a visit to Afghanistan, their Royal Highnesses the Earl and Countess of Wessex were received by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa at Al-Safriya Palace where Prince Edward conveyed to HM the King greetings from Queen Elizabeth II and
The Earl and Countess of Wessex visit Bahrainwishes of further progress and prosperity for the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Following the meeting Prince Edward and Sophie toured RFA DILIGENCE and the submarine HMS TRIUMPH, meeting the
crews, and later headed to the British Embassy for an evening reception hosted by the British Ambassador to Bahrain, HMA Iain Lindsay OBE where the couple met members of the business community in Bahrain.
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SIG - UpdateDear Members
I thought that the best way to update you on SIG happenings was to cover c o n n e c t e d events – so that you can follow the whole story. I am bound to have missed some elements so please forgive me.
So dear readers please cast your mind back to the Autumn when we put out a members’ survey to fi nd out what you were thinking and feeling about the BBBF in general and for SIGs in particular. We wanted to use this information as a starting point for the now annual Business Bazaar (2nd year). This was framed as a ‘Back to Business’ initiative and created an opportunity for you to get together with more purpose than the previous year.
We found that many of you were fi nding the conditions tough – although some in construction were expressing a view that "we were back to business months ago – and why would we want to network with people we already know" fair point – so it is fair to say that experiences of the market conditions were different and seem to be determined by sector. Some people want to network more – many want to have better access to the EDB, Ministries, BCCI – people who can help to make things happen from a business point of view. Some wanted to have more opportunity to simply get together and talk – but the point seems to be to put our collective heads together.
Each SIG head was asked to pose questions to fi nd out what you wanted to focus on in the coming year – and with the results from the survey to shape the ‘round-table’ discussions at the Embassy event. You wanted to hear from Tamkeen so we invited them to come – ditto the BCCI, UKTI (and we were kindly hosted at the Embassy so UKTI were effectively at home) so we had a good line up. The plan was to have round-tables in the Embassy garden – facilitated by each SIG head and to have the guests and companies
who wanted to promote services to form some kind of outdoor ‘market’. We had a date booked, had to move it to November, got ourselves organised – were helped out by sponsors HSBC, AXA Insurance, Gulf Brands International, InterContinental Regency (Bahrain) & GP Zachariades.
Business Bazaar
Well that was the plan and then it rained and rained and rained – and we had to put Plan B into action and impose further on the Embassy – we moved into the residence and some covered space on the reception – and I have to say it seemed to work if you had space upstairs – there was a lot of energy and a lot of ideas. Not so much down in reception – and Tony Palys and Andrew Mead spent a lot of time trying not to get soaked.
We had around 150 people who braved the elements and certainly Construction, IT and Legal had good round table discussions – you will get an update on the ideas at the AGM. But out of that meeting came the idea for a Legal/Organisational Effectiveness meeting about labour law – a seminar was held last month where around 60 people attended – we did this together with Bahrain HR Forum and were lucky to have Ms Sarah Jane Turcan, Partner, Charles Russell UK and Amel Al Aseeri, Senior Associate from Zeenat Al Mansoori & Associates.
A big idea – you want collective access to people at the heart of government
At the committee meeting to discuss the survey Nasser Al Arayedh suggested that we use the SIG structure as a way of opening up the BBBF to the ministries and key stakeholders and that members should direct their major issues (and their nitty gritty issues) through a structured process - so that you can all get the benefi t of a more formal, and yet still informal, way of addressing things that are getting in your way.
Again more about this at the AGM where we will be asking for your ideas and help in getting this off the ground.
Changes and initiatives
There was also a desire expressed for a more active IT group – and Mike Jackson is now partnering with David Wales to get this underway for the coming year.
Tony Palys partnered with the Overseas Security Advisory Council Bahrain (OSAC) and the Crowne Plaza Hotel to run the annual social networking event to kick off the 2012 programme of meetings, at the beginning of February, where 85 members were able to get a Local & Regional update and informed insight from Diplomatic, Business and Security professionals. The event was sponsored by Occidental and was supported by G4S Security Services.
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Gordon Bennie has taken over from Douglas Hansen-Luke to get an active fi nancial services group organised and organisational effectiveness needs to focus on marketing – in particular strategy, digital and workplace skills.
Paula Boast and Rick Hopper over in Construction have held a meeting focused on Professional Indemnity Insurance where Michael Earp, from Aon Risk Solutions, spoke.
Clive Hopewell and I put together the labour law seminar – and we think that legal and construction will partner on a couple of seminars coming up.
Encouraging a younger membership
One idea that was highlighted at the construction group and from organisational effectiveness was the idea of opening up opportunities for young people to gain an insight into the world of work and to start making connections that will help them to get jobs in the future – so we are considering having a group focused on young people and Reem Al Mahroos at
Charles Russell is exploring the best way to do this. We are also considering how to do this within the membership structure and are thinking about having a nominal membership fee for individuals under 30 and for there to be two free junior memberships for each corporate package – more at the AGM.
Get involved – offer speakers – give us your ideas – offer tangible help
I have also heard that people want to understand how they can speak at the meetings – and that perhaps there is some kind of closed shop about speakers – this is not the case and if you want to speak or have an expert who you want to give members access to please contact us – because we all do this voluntarily we are likely to go with what you want as members as well as what comes to us as topic.
We will announce a sponsor at the AGM – this will make the whole thing more productive and easier to manage.
We always need help with venues – I want to support all of our member hotels
and so Lesley Moorey and I will ask those involved for ideas.
If you have a passionate interest and want to run an interest group please let me know – I hear that there is a need for a hospitality and tourism group so if there is someone with the passion to do this please let me know.
There was also some demand for a ladies group so we have partnered with BIZladies and there is now a British ladies group facilitated by Laura Dossary and Lisa Bateman and so we think that this is now covered.
There is still a lot to do so if you want to help please do – we will update you and ask for your views at the AGM.
As a member you can attend all meetings as a part of your membership – you can bring guests for a cover charge – you can initiate a group, speak to one of the groups. So please let me know what you want and I will do my best to help you to make it happen.
Jill BoggissChairman, SIGs
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Special Interest Group - Security
2011 was a particularly busy and challenging year for us all here in Bahrain but that did not stop our SIG developing our relationships with OSAC, ASIS & the IISS. This was done with a view to improving the conduit that is in place for a shared cooperation and the passage of timely and accurate information whist at the same time improving and enhancing our particular skills to the betterment of our collective communities.
The development of these relationships included the attendance and the organisation of seven Formal
Gatherings of which our thanks must go out to the unfl inching support from the Hotels and Clubs such as the Intercontinental Regency, Crowne Plaza, Diplomat Radisson Blu, Ritz-Carlton, British Club & Dilmun Club. We were also fortunate to have a number of guest speakers throughout the year such as Ambassador Jamie Bowden, Deputy Ambassador Stephanie Williams, the Executive Director OSAC Peter Ford from the State Department in Washington DC and rounding up the year both Vice Admiral Fox & US Ambassador Krajeski who joined us for our last Gathering for 2011 which took place at the Naval Support Activity Bahrain. Our thanks to SAC Frank Hernandez and all the folks at NCIS for hosting the Gathering and for making us all so welcome.
Members were involved with a number of Bahrain Security Awareness Orientations, for fi rms and individuals alike, throughout 2011. This was especially true where we became a focal point and conduit for accurate and timely information to our respective communities and visitors earlier in the year. This also included Business Continuity Planning and Personal Security Awareness requests with many lessons learnt by one and all from clients to family members.
Planning for 2012 is well underway
Anthony (Tony) Palys MBEChair -Security SIG
with our Hotel Security Working Group working hard on preparing training programmmes, in readiness for the challenges of 2012. The planning for briefi ngs and seminars, with the experts in various fi elds, is also well underway with details being fi rmed up and will be forwarded to the BBBF offi ce shortly. I can confi rm that the next formal gathering, scheduled for the 18th April 2012, will have a Cyber Warfare theme and help us as to understand the unseen enemy by exploring scenarios, that if true, could bring down governments and maybe even countries by bringing down their infrastructure.
Finally the partnership with OSAC & ASIS continues to go from strength to strength offering member’s access to expertise in all types and manners of Security & Risk from Corporate to Manned Guarding, whilst opening the door to Membership and Educational opportunities that may not have been available in the past here in Bahrain.
Tony Palys is the VP Security & Facilities at Investcorp Bank B.S.C and has been based in Bahrain for the past twelve years. He also heads up the Bahrain British Business Forum Special Interest Group (Security) (BBBF SIG (S) and is also Secretary to the Bahrain Chapter of the Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC).
After the ceremony with his sister, his wife and his mother
Congratulations TonyTony Palys has been awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his services to the British community in Bahrain. The offi cial ceremony, known as an Investiture, took place on October 12th in the Ballroom at Buckingham Palace, where Tony received his decoration from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
At the start of the ceremony The Queen enters the room attended by two Gurkha orderly offi cers, a tradition begun by Queen Victoria in 1876. Also on duty are members of The Queen’s Body Guard of the Yeomen of the Guard. Music is provided by either a military band or an orchestra from the Purcell School of Music. After the National Anthem has been played either the Lord Chamberlain or the Lord Steward announces the name of each recipient and the achievement for which he or she is being honoured. The Queen then places the decoration on the person concerned and congratulates them on the award.
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The Manama OSAC Country Council gathered on February 1 in partnership with the Bahrain British Business Forum Special Interest Group (Security) and the Crowne Plaza Hotel Bahrain, for a Social Networking Event to kick-off their 2012 series of meetings. This bi-annual event is hosted at a time convenient for members of the Dhahran Council (Eastern Province) in Saudi Arabia to also attend. Assistant Regional Security Officer Manama, Drew Davis and RSO Dhahran, Frank Pasqualino were present for presentations and discussions, as well
as the OSAC Team Lead for Regional Analysis Brent Heminger and the OSAC Regional Analyst for NEA Sam Shepson.
Council Chairman Nicholas Galbraith, Regional Security Advisor Chevron and Secretary Tony Palys VP Security & Facilities Investcorp Bank B.S.C. initiated the meeting with brief remarks focusing on the past year followed by Local & Regional updates from Committee members representing both the US & UK Embassies, NCIS, Security and Business professionals. All speakers emphasized the important
role the Country Council has played throughout the past year and it’s positive focus on the year ahead.
Those attending included the US Deputy Chief of Mission Stephanie Williams, the UK Deputy Head of Mission Rupert Potter, the new Commanding Officer NSA Bahrain Captain Colin Walsh, International Advisor to the CEO of the Bahrain Economic Development Board Steve Harrison, Diplomats, Business and Security professionals from a wide range of skills.
The event was sponsored by Occidental and was also
supported by G4S Security Services.
The Manama OSAC Country Council also engages with the American Chamber of Commerce Bahrain, ASIS and the local offi ce of the IISS. Additionally, Council leadership provides orientation briefings for organisations visiting Bahrain on a case by case basis.
The Manama Country Council’s next general membership meeting is scheduled for the 18 April which is in line with the F1 Grand Prix scheduled for the period April 20-22.
Communication (or a more effective way of doing this) is where I think that most relationships can be transformed for the better. Whether at home or at work people often misunderstand each other, they can expect their minds to be read, or at times give information to each other in ways that are not helpful – and are then surprised that things start to go awry and that they fi nd it hard to get what they want.
Understanding how people like to communicate and what is important to them in terms of how they take in information effectively takes time and energy – but not
as much time as it takes to unravel miscommunication and misunderstandings.
I have been using a tool called the Type Dynamics Indicator with teams and individuals for over 15 years and am always
Interested to be a more effective communicator?encouraged by how helpful people find the process of considering their own
p r e f e r e n c e s and then how they are able to use this in their work and home relationships.
I recently ran
a test workshop with HR professionals from BBBF companies at the Capital Club and all twelve people at the workshop found the tool useful and talked about how they could apply the fi ndings.
I am running another workshop at the Capital Club for individuals/couples. At this meeting I am asking people to attend with someone who they want to improve their communications with – work or home. People will complete an on-line preference indicator and we will work together to consider the richness and diversity that is the human relationship.
Workshop at the Capital Club Monday March 26 at 7.00pm – 9.30pm
Cost: BD 15 (covers the cost of taking the indicator and receiving a personal report)
Four free places (two pairs) for BBBF members
Speaker: Jill Boggiss, Inside Change wll www.insidechange.org
OSAC Meeting
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Financial NewsBMMI weathers the stormBMMI announced a strong financial and operational performance for the year ended 31 December 2011.
Total sales revenues reached BD 87.3 million in 2011, up from BD 84.7 million the previous year. While the net profit of BD 6.7 million was down slightly from BD 9.2 million in 2010, this was in part due to an increase in costs and expenses associated with strategic investments for the future, refl ected in an overall increase to assets from BD 61.2 million in 2010 to BD 63.1 million in 2011.
Though the overall fi nancial performance was adversely affected by the troubled regional and international markets in early 2011, operational performance
continued to go from strength to strength, with a number of exciting new projects underway. A new Alosra supermarket opened in Amwaj is already delivering considerable returns, and the organisation is looking for further strategic locations in Bahrain, plus expansion into Eastern Saudi Arabia.
The Group’s operations in Africa continue, with a presence now in six countries, including a new supply chain base established in Kenya. A full strategic review of the group with a focus on supply chain was also completed, resulting in on-going infrastructure improvements and an integrated management system being rolled out. Overall, BMMI operations continue to be strengthened
in all areas to ensure the continued success of the company.
Commenting on the year’s performance, BMMI Group Chairman, Mr. Abdulla Buhindi, said: “Though it was a diffi cult year, BMMI weathered the storm well and remains a solid, dependable and consistent investment for shareholders. Our long-term strategy to develop and expand business outside of Bahrain also really proved itself this year. We remain optimistic about our future.”
Chief Executive Offi cer, Mr. Gordon Boyle stressed the importance of the BMMI corporate culture in their continued success: “Despite challenging conditions, I’m proud to say that we
increased our revenues to become stronger than ever in 2011. One of the things I’m most proud of is that all through the year 2011, we continued our search for new business opportunities to fulfi l our strategic expansion plans. I think that level of dedication and commitment came down to our underlying values and who we are as a company. We will continue to strengthen and develop our unique corporate culture in recognition of that.”
BMMI CEO Gordon Boyle
Oxford Business Group (OBG) has partnered with TAIB Bank (TAIB) to document the latest developments in Bahrain’s banking and fi nancial services industry.
The collaboration will utilise TAIB’s strengths as a leading regional bank, which provides Investment Banking, Asset Management and Wealth Management services, to produce the Capital Markets section of The Report: Bahrain 2012 and provide key shares analysis for the publication.
The publication will chart the Kingdom’s efforts to attract foreign investment. It will contain a detailed, sector-by-sector guide for foreign investors, alongside a wide range of interviews with the most prominent political, economic and business leaders. It will be a vital guide to the many facets of the Kingdom, including its macroeconomics, infrastructure, banking and other
sectoral developments. Key areas of interest will be Bahrain’s commitment to develop its fi nancial services sector, particularly the Islamic banking segment as well as the Kingdom’s renewed efforts to consolidate its position as a regional fi nancial hub following last year’s period of unrest.
The Bank’s CEO, Sohail Sultan said, "We are pleased to partner with OBG in supporting this important publication. This partnership will draw upon the expertise of the restructured TAIB, which is one of the oldest Banks in Bahrain, as well as its historical experience and knowledge of the region. The Bahrain 2012 publication will provide business leaders with the latest coverage of the Kingdom’s economic activity and investment opportunities. It will analyse the changing face of Bahrain’s fi nancial services sector as well as highlight the challenges and the opportunities that this will represent.
"I look forward to working closely with Oxford Business Group and to combining our fi nancial services expertise with their emerging economy knowledge and I also look forward to the publication of the report."
Country Director Anna Dabrowska welcomed TAIB Bank on board for The Report: Bahrain 2012, voicing her confi dence that the institution would make a valuable contribution to the publication’s research process. All BBBF members will receive complimentary copies of The Report: Bahrain 2012 as an added benefi t of membership in the forum.
Oxford Business Group partners with TAIB Bank to produce an insight into Bahrain’s Financial Services Industry
Sohail Sultan and Anna Dabrowski
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Financial News
Protection Insurance Services, one of the regions reputed insurance & reinsurance brokers, is very pleased to announce the expansion of their business with a new branch in Doha, Qatar.
Protection Insurance Services has a long history of working with clients and insurance companies in Bahrain and MENA insurance markets.
Their new offi ce in Qatar will further enhance these business relationships, and will bring the Protection team’s expertise even closer to these businesses communities.
"We saw a need and an opportunity to bring our extensive experience to Qatar to provide a local support resource," said General Manager, Samy Hanna. "With our new branch, we’ll be able to provide our clients more of the personal customer service Protection Insurance Services is known for." We have started our fi rst step of supporting the Qatar market by participating in Back 2 Business events as one of the silver sponsors.
The announcement of the new branch comes on the heels of multiple accolades in honour of Protection’s fast growth and quality services. Protection Insurance Services was honoured to recieve prestigious contracts in the last couple of years such Mumtalakat Bahrain and associated companies (Gulf Aviation Academy, Bahrain Airport Company), Bahrain International Circuit, Bank Al Khair and BMMI in Bahrain and Amiri Flight and Qatar First Investment Bank in Qatar.
Protection Insurance Services looks forward to continuing their rapid growth in both Bahrain and Qatar, while maintaining the high quality of personal, professional service they provide their clients to assist them with providing comprehensive insurance & reinsurance solution.
Protection Insurance Services Expands With Qatar Offi ce
Knight Frank has once again been appointed to advise the British Government on its overseas property portfolio, this time for the 20 countries throughout the MENA region with a fi ve year appointment.
This further appointment in the entire MENA region, during a period of signifi cant change displays confi dence in Knight Franks team to understand market changes and provide best in class advice. This includes all the regional Embassies, residences, consulates and other property including some of the most prime located diplomatic offi ces in the region.
In 2008 the Bahrain offi ce of Knight Frank, headed by Don Bradley, was appointed to undertake a major review of all the Foreign Offi ce properties in North and South America as well as the Asia Pacifi c region. This covered over 900 properties including the British Embassies in Washington and Tokyo, all completed by a team operating out of Bahrain.
Don Bradley commented "Once again a major institution has selected Knight Frank as its preferred advisor on an important assignment and we are pleased to demonstrate our true professionalism in this region".
Knight Frank extends contract
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Standard Chartered announces record profi ts for 2011Standard Chartered PLC has announced a ninth consecutive year of record profits and income in 2011. Income was up 10% to US$17.64 billion and operating profi t increased 11% to US$6.78 billion.
The Group now has 24 markets generating income and 14 producing profits of more than $100 million. The diversity of different businesses and geographic markets gives the Bank resilient income momentum and enables it to grow even when some markets have a diffi cult year. In each of the last five years, it has increased capital levels, staff numbers, earnings per share and dividends, as well and income and profi ts. Over the same period total lending has increased by 91%.
The Group has a policy of
maintaining a strong capital and liquidity position, which enables it to stay open for business and take market share through the economic cycle in core areas of business such as trade fi nance. The Group has no direct sovereign exposure to Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal or Spain.
During the year, customer deposits grew by 11%to US$352 billion and lending to customers by 9% to US$269. Cost growth was in line with income growth, at 10%, despite the UK Bank Levy of US$165 million. Staff numbers were up by some 1,600 over the year to nearly 87,000.
Consumer Banking income climbed 12%to US$6.79 billion and profit 26% to US$1.65 billion as the transformation programme continued. Good income
growth was seen in all the High Value Segments of Private Banking, up 21%, SME, up 14%, and Priority Banking up 10%.
The focus on the strong fundamentals continues, with a low average loan-to-value of around 49% on mortgages, and a well-diversified and strongly-secured loan book.
Staff numbers in Consumer Banking were up by over 1,200, mainly in China,
Singapore, Hong Kong and Africa. The Bank opened 35 new branches in 2011, including 19 in China.
Peter Sands, Group Chief Executive, Standard Chartered said: "Our ninth consecutive year of record income and profi ts demonstrates the power of our strategy and the resilience of our businesses. Our capital and funding strength allows us to remain open for business and win more market share.”
Peter Sands, Group Chief Executive
Keypoint Consulting has been licensed as a Fund Administrator under the new regulations issued by the Central Bank of Bahrain to regulate fund administrators. Keypoint was incorporated in 2006 in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and remains at the forefront for conducting all aspects of professional business services.
Keypoint was earlier registered with the Central Bank of Bahrain as an authorised administrator and is the fi rst organisation to receive the Fund Administrator License under Rulebook Volume 5 of the Central Bank of Bahrain relating to fund administrators.
Mr. Ahmed Abdul Aziz Al Bassam, Director of Licensing and Policy Directorate at the Central Bank of Bahrain said: "The Central Bank of Bahrain w e l c o m e s Keypoint’s prompt decision to restructure the company in order to comply with the CBB’s recently released requirement in Rule Book Volume 5 that fund administration services be carried out by a company in existence, only for that purpose".
Mr. Wajdi Y Al-Jallad - Managing Director of Keypoint, said: "We are
proud to have obtained the Central Bank of Bahrain approval for our License as a Fund Administrator, and would like to extend our gratitude to His Excellency the
Governor of the Central Bank of Bahrain, and the Central Bank for its proactive approach in creating specialised licensing categories for ancillary service providers".
"No doubt this is a great achievement for our organisation. We remain committed and dedicated to the economic vision for the Kingdom of Bahrain
and take great pride in participating in the growth of Bahrain’s goals towards creating a friendly and efficient business environment".
"We still believe that the Kingdom of Bahrain is the most developed and well established fi nancial centre in the Middle East, and as such relies heavily upon professional services to support growth of its strong fi nancial sector".
"We look forward to continue supporting the growth of business sectors in several disciplines of their businesses and uphold our reputation as a leading professional services provider".
Fund Administrator License in the Kingdom of Bahrain
Wajdi Y Al-Jallad
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Financial News
Bahrain Financing Company (BFC), the Kingdom’s oldest and most reputed money transfer and foreign exchange group has teamed up with MoneyGram International, a leading global money transfer company to open a dedicated MoneyGram location in the Manama Souq, expanding their network of branches and products for the convenience of their customers.
The "Red Shop" is a one stop shop that caters to customers’ needs and is the fi rst BFC branch to house a fully-functioning MoneyGram location, allowing customers to benefi t from MoneyGram’s convenient cash transfers and expansive global network of agent locations. It is located in the Manama Souq and provides customers with the full suite of BFC Foreign Exchange (FX) services and options for exchanging into over 35 major currencies.
The agreement between BFC and MoneyGram is a fi rst of its kind in the region for both companies and a key development in the two working together to serve the ever-growing international remittance market in Bahrain.
BFC has been a part of the Manama Souq community for the last six decades, and the new improved branch allows BFC to better serve its loyal customers within that community.
BFC also offers Bahrain’s fi rst dedicated online remittance service, Smart Money. Providing the most competitive exchange rates, the service allows customers to securely transfer money online to anywhere in the world through a few easy steps and is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
In addition BFC has linked up with Ezetop, the largest international and online recharge company, to bring phone top-up services to mobile customers in Bahrain. The distribution agreement will allow immigrants to Bahrain to remit phone top-up instantly back home to their families and friends. Ezetop’s services are already being used by thousands of workers abroad who remit to countries such as India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Philippines regularly and the service is very popular across the Middle East.
As the fi rst foreign exchange company established in Bahrain in 1917, BFC specialises in moving money smartly and effi ciently with the best rates in the market. With an extensive global reach covering over 100 countries, BFC offers customers unparalleled service, a vast array of innovative retail products and unbeatable exchange rates.
BFC Opens First MoneyGram "Red Shop" in Region - Flagship located in Manama Souq
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Citibank Inaugurates Amwaj Islands Branch
Under the patronage of HE Rasheed M. Al Maraj, Governor of the Central Bank of Bahrain, Citibank today inaugurated its Amwaj Islands Branch in the presence of several dignitaries and offi cials.
Located inside the Lagoon Mall of the modern Amwaj Islands suburb, Amwaj Islands Branch is the area’s first full-fledged branch providing customers with a comprehensive suite of banking services close to their homes and in proximity to their workplaces.
The inauguration event was hosted by Alberto Verme, CEO of Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) for Citi; Atiq Ur Rehman, Citi’s CEO for the Middle East; Marc Luet, CEO of Citi’s Consumer Business for the EMEA region; Mazin Manna, CEO of Citi Bahrain; and Navneet Kampani, Consumer Banking Head, Citibank, N.A. Bahrain.
The Amwaj Islands Branch displays the latest smart banking technology, and offers a wide range of personalized financial planning solutions to help customers achieve their financial goals in a
friendly and comfortable atmosphere. The branch also caters to the banking needs of Small & Mid-Market Enterprises through a host of business and financial solutions. These include a complete range of Cash Management, Trade, Treasury and Lending solutions.
"We want to serve clients at Amwaj Islands by offering Citi’s comprehensive banking platform through the most convenient location in the Lagoon Mall," said Navneet Kampani. "This modern branch will offer customers and corporate clients the convenience of performing full banking transactions at their location of choice."
The new branch opening follows a series of product launches in Bahrain in the past few months, including:
• An International Personal Banking (IPB) platform, a solid offering of International Wealth Management services targeting sophisticated investors who wish to tap into international investment opportunities, available through the bank’s offi ces in London and Jersey, as part
of a balanced portfolio.
• Launch of Direct Custody and Clearing (DCC) services to clients investing in Bahrain through the Bahrain Bourse. Services include account management, settlement of securities activity, handling post-trade issues, the collection and payment of dividends and interest, and the processing of corporate action activities in the market.
"Citibank has been a partner in Bahrain’s progress for the past four decades, and intends to enhance its value-added services to clients and investors, as well as expand its foothold in Bahrain’s rising suburbs," said Mazin Manna. "The
opening of Amwaj Islands Branch is in line with our goal to serve clients in the most effi cient manner, and to help transfer best banking practices to the Kingdom."
Citi has been in the Middle East for nearly 50 years and currently offers consumer-banking services in the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt. In the Kingdom of Bahrain, Citibank, the consumer banking arm of Citi, has had a presence for the past 21 years and is expanding its operations within the country.
The bank is currently a major player in Bahrain’s credit card market and one of the leading providers of Wealth Management and Consumer Credit services.
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It was time again for another Broker Road Show. This event has been held consistently now every two years in Bahrain. The success and constructive feedback received every time from the brokers has made it an even bigger success this year.
It’s a unique event that only AXA holds in Bahrain and gives our brokers the real fl avour of a Regional Provider, where a panel of Speakers get to meet and speak face-to-face with both our International and Local brokers.
Many of our brokers interact with some of our Regional managers through emails and phones, but to meet them face-to-face goes a long way in developing relat ionships and in supporting the message that we here in Bahrain are trying to send.
This year the event was held in the recently renovated Regency Intercontinental Hotel and was very well attended. Out of the 32 brokers that were invited 28 attended and interacted with our regional team.
The Broker’s Road Show was here again!This year the presentations had a special focus on AXA capabilities and Innovations. It started off with a warm welcome from Country Manager Stephen Wagstaff followed by an introduction by Richard Morrison. Mr. Debasis Basu kicked off the first presentation launching our New Motor Fleet Secure product and also spoke about AXA Corporate Solutions and our Strategy on Large Risks. The event was an excellent opportunity to announce Toby Sizeland’s return to AXA Gulf and Toby spoke about Large Risks and our
American Express Middle East (AEME) has announced the appointment of Mazin Khoury as Chief Executive Offi cer. Khoury, who fi rst joined AEME in 1989 and has served as the company’s Chief Operating Offi cer for the past two years, takes over as CEO from William Keliehor.
Since 2010, Khoury has served as Chief Operating Offi cer of AEME with a wide-ranging remit to manage the company’s businesss in the Middle
East and North Africa (MENA) region. In his new role, Khoury will focus on continuing to grow the company’s existing corporate and premium cards business across 188 markets in the MENA region, while maintaining the unparalleled levels of service, payment fl exibility and daily rewards associated with the American Express Middle East brand.
Commenting on his new appointment, Khoury
said: “By providing reliable, convenient and rewarding solutions for our Cardmembers and business partners, American Express Middle
Mazin Khoury appointed CEO of American Express Middle East
East continuues to go from strength-to-strength in the MENA region. I look forward to continue working with an outstanding team as we cement our market leading position and develop new growth opportunities for the company.”
Khoury has had a long and distinguished career in the fi nancial services industry. He has held a number of senior level positions over the past two decades, including CEO of Amex (Saudi Arabia) Limited and Vice-President of AEME. A Bahraini national, Khoury will continue to be based in Manama.
Financial News Strategy to Grow. This was followed by a presentation on a unique approach to Selling Marine Insurance by John O’Biran, a Retail capabilities presentation by Richard Morrison and Claims Service Innovation by Paolo Ogno. Julien Bagoee launched our New SME Product, which was very well received by most of the audience as it was a long awaited product. And last but not least Dr. Shabana presented AXA’s Innovations in Healthcare Operations.
After each presentation a Quiz question was asked and the two winners were pleased to receive their prizes. The winners were Ms Leema Dhaif from Dhaif Insurance and Ms Anitha from Marsh.
All the brokers had the opportunity to network during coffee breaks and lunch, valuable feedback was given and noted by our Regional team.
All left with a big smile and a memorial gift from AXA.
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A group of intrepid expats and Bahraini’s, including some BBBF members, have just returned from the dizzy height of 3,210 metres in the Annapurna mountains in the Nepal Himalaya’s.
They were raising money for the Bahrain Society of Children with Behavioural & Communication Diffi culties. The charity, in case you’re not aware of what they do, help with children affected with Autism at the Alia Centre. The Centre is a school whereby children affected with Autism can be integrated into a normal school environment, in turn helping them to progress to integration into society.
In severe cases, they can help bring the child to adulthood with ability’s otherwise unachievable in any other part of the GCC. With a waiting list of 260 children that need the help of the charity it’s vital that their work continues and fl ourishes.
Forum asked BBBF Member Karl Jordan from the Behzad Group how they got on:
How much have you raised so far now? Are you still collecting sponsorship? If so, up until when?
We have raised 15,130BD so far, yes we’re still
collecting and plan to have one last push at increasing the size of the cheque we hand over by having one chosen photo painted by a local artist and sold along with a few enlarged prints. This will probably fi nish at the end of March
How would you describe the trek?
I would say for the majority it was very hard, as it was an intense climb the first two days. On the second day we had to climb 2112 steps to Ghorepani. Everyone was amazed with the trek, the culture, and would you believe it one participant gave all the local stall holders on the route a signifi cant increase in sales.
What were the highs and lows?
Highs... certainly getting to the summit of Poon Hill and seeing the sunrise over the Annapurna mountains, which was amazing. But another other “high” is the massive response we’ve had from all the people that sponsored us, especially our corporate sponsors; APM Terminals & JASAF Building Technology.
Lows ... the pain’s, aches & fatigue and seeing another hill to climb after reaching the top.
Did you have problems in regard to the weather, terrain, fitness or temperature?
The weather for the majority of the trek was excellent. At Tadapani we woke to a covering of snow, the descent from there for most of the day was through the snow, for some of the group this was the fi rst time they had ever seen snow, so an exciting exprience for them; ...it helped distract attention from the pains!
The terrain was, for most of the time, very clear but tough with 2112 stone steps which were quite hard. I’m sure that not all of us had ever seen so many steps and so steep. That part of the trail dates back some 4,000 years and was used for transporting salt from Tibet to Nepal.
On the second day from Hille to Ghorepani we ascended 1,400 meters in 7 hours of trekking. The fi tness level of everyone differed and some needed support and were helped by either Paul or Raj the trek leader from Responsible Trekking but we all managed to start and we all managed to fi nish the trek.
What’s the charity and why did you chose them?
The charity is The Bahrain Society for Children with Communication & Behavioural Difficulties, they help children with Autism and Autistic traits in Bahrain and have the Alia Centre for early intervention which assists children suffering from Autism and their families.
We chose this charity for a number of reasons, fi rstly we wanted to help a local charity
that wasn’t significantly assisted by the Royal Court, secondly we felt that if we chose an international charity we wouldn’t see where our efforts and money raised would go.
Will you do it again and if so, would you do it any differently?
We have already started to plan another event for next year. We have short listed a few places like Kilimanjaro and Machu Picchu as well as a few others. Next years will be bigger, harder and will be an event even more worth talking about.
Did the team members get on well with each other?
All the members got on very well, as far as I am aware, no one fell out with anyone else.
Did the trip live up to everyones expectations?
Some enjoyed the trek more than others but I think it exceeded everyone’s expectations. The majority have already said they’d like to take part in another event.
Did you complete it in the allocated time?
Yes we did, the fi tter ones fi nished around 2-3 hours before the last on most of the days.
How did you celebrate fi nishing the trek?
I am not telling you! No, we all had a meal and night in Pokhara, then we had R&R in Kathmandu where some went to visit the temples and others did some shopping. When I say some shopping that’s an understatement!
Treking for Charity
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Brit ish Ambassador Iain Lindsay has raised around £4,000 (BD2,329) by jumping out of a plane for charity. The diplomat took part in a tandem skydive at 8,000 feet for Help For Heroes, a charity that supports Bri t ish servicemen and women wounded in Afghanistan or Iraq when they return to the UK.
Ambassador in charity skydive
Mr Lindsay did the jump with the Red Devils, The Parachute Regiment Freefall Team, which was in Bahrain to take part in the Bahrain International Airshow in January.
The Ambassador give a short statement to the GDN newspaper after the skydiving saying: “Well, I landed in one piece! It was a wonderful
and exhilarating experience. A remarkable feeling as I jumped out of the helicopter from 8,000ft.
The world-famous Red Devils, in particular my tandem buddy Nathan, were simply superb: I hope they’ll get lots of support from the crowd at the Airshow over the next few days. They are truly amazing. I’d like to thank all those who have
donated thus far and those who are planning to do so. It really means a lot to me and to Help for Heroes, the British charity for British servicemen and women who have been wounded in Afghanistan or Iraq.
If you wish to donate, just click on to www.justgiving.com/iain-lindsay”.
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News from the Eastern ProvinceThe British Business Association (BBA) - Eastern Province P.O.Box 1868, AlKhobar 31952Tel: 03 882 5288 ext 1651Fax: 03 882 5384Email: [email protected]: www.bbaep.com
I found it hard to believe that Andrew Mead was already chasing me for my Eastern Province notes! We are already heading for the summer with the year passing by very quickly – where does the time go? Bahrain continues to be unsettled although moving in the right direction as dialogue starts to make an impact. Indications are that the FI will probably go ahead which is positive and will hopefully be a welcome sign for an upturn in the economy.
It was sad to see the departure of HMA to Bahrain Jamie Bowden and Sarah as they moved on to pastures new in Muscat, Oman and we wish them both every success in
their new assignment. Congratulations also to Jamie on his CMG awarded by the Queen in the New Year’s Honours List. I would also like to take this opportunity to welcome the new HMA, Iain Lindsay and wife, Bridget and wish them well during their assignment in Bahrain.
Eastern Province continues to fl ourish on the business front as Government investment in infrastructure starts to translate into real projects on the ground. Rail projects, training and other opportunities are attracting a lot of interest from British companies. A number of high level visitors, including Lord Mayor of the City of London, have passed through Eastern Province to sell UK plc, encourage bilateral trade between Saudi and the UK and to take advantage of the numerous opportunities that are surfacing.
In late November, I once again attended the "Britain in the Region" symposium where I represented the BBA on the Saudi Arabia panel providing an insight into doing business in KSA and
also attended the Annual Gulf Commercial Officers Conference (GCOC) in Dubai on the following day. It was good to get together with Commercial Offi cers, British Business leaders and companies from around the Gulf and compare notes. "Britain in the Region" was again an excellent event and was extremely well attended.
It was unfortunate that the annual Poppy Ball was cancelled due to the clash of Armistice Day with the Eid, however, it was still good to see the arrival of the Chelsea Pensioners for their annual visit to Bahrain. The Poppy Ball has become a popular event on the Bahrain calendar and we look forward to seeing a good turnout at this year’s event.
BBA membership now stands at the 200 mark and continuing to grow as we
return back to membership levels that existed prior to the onset of security problems back in 2004. We have also undertaken a project to totally upgrade our website and make it our preferred communication tool to our members and other interested parties. This effort required the addition of a new committee position with an IT / Communications focus – welcome to Andy Clark who has done wonders with the website. Visit the site and let us know if you have any ideas on improvements.
If you have any other ideas or suggestions for the BBA or need to contact us then feel free to call me directly, send an e-mail to our Secretary at [email protected] or at our website www.bbaep.com
Geoff Fennah MBEChairman, EPBBA
Below: Alderman David Wootton, Lord Mayor of the City of London met with Abdulrahman Al Rashed, Chairman of the Asharqia Chamber of Commerce in the Eastern Province and addressed a workshop of UK and KSA SME’s
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During 2011 Global Sourcing & Supply (GSS), the
remote site and facilities management subsidiary of BMMI operating across Africa, invested heavily in expanding its footprint across the region. For the uninitiated, GSS provides a diverse portfolio of services, ranging from construction of accommodation to remote site catering, in support of global mining operations, government bodies and NGOs. With initial operations in Mali, G h a n a , G a b o n , Sudan and D j i b o u t i , during 2011 GSS built new bases of operation in South Sudan, Burkina Faso and Kenya as part of their diversifi cation strategy.
"Opportunities for GSS in Africa are growing, with considerable international and local resources going into new projects across the continent," explains Robert Smith, COO Global Sourcing & Supply. "A significant mineral belt running down East Africa is starting to bring in a large amount of business, while in the West similar exploration for oil is underway. What’s more, both international aid and
peacekeeping troops are also present in many parts of Africa, providing further opportunities for GSS."
The breakup of Sudan into separate North and South countries in July 2011 had an immediate effect on GSS operations which were based in the lower part of North Sudan. After the split, a new GSS entity was established in Juba in South Sudan by December 2011, ready to support UN operations and NGOs that had also
moved from the North to South.
In addition to the changes
in Sudan, a new base of operations was established in Burkina Faso and an important East African hub was set up in Nairobi, Kenya to increase reach and capability across the continent.
"Kenya not only provides a good logistical hub for South Sudan; it will also provide ease of access into the neighbouring countries of Uganda, Tanzania, and Somalia. Similarly, our base in Burkina Faso has allowed us to develop strong capabilities in Guinea," added Robert.
Increased African reach
DELIVERING QUALITY OF LIFEWHERE IT’S NEEDED MOST
Not long after launching its Think Local initiative,
Alosra Supermarket received rave reviews from customers, both in the store as well as via social networking sites such as twitter.
“The response we have received has really been phenomenal,” said Jaffar Al Asfoor, Alosra General Manager. “Shoppers actually approach members of our team and congratulate them on introducing such a novel and timely initiative. Not only has Think Local resulted in an increase in sales, but the boost in employee morale is indescribable. Our employees are proud to be associated with a company that cares about the community, and more importantly the country.”
Those of you who are unfamil iar with Think Local, it is a concept that encourages people to opt for local products whenever they
can and in turn support the economy. It can be considered a platform to showcase what the island has to offer as well as provide shoppers with fresher and healthier food options which have a lower impact on the environment.
Yasmin Hussain, BMMI Corporate Social Responsibility Executive adds, “Think Local is not just a one-off promotion that we will forget about a few months down the line. It is an integral part of our CSR programme that we intend to replicate in all our areas of operation. It is encouraging to see that not long after we launched the campaign in Bahrain, a number of other stores followed suit with similar projects pushing local products. This is indeed the kind of response
that we were hoping for, as ultimately we are all championing the same cause and w o r k i n g towards the prosperity of
our island nation.”
Think Local - a success!
Above Left to Right: Sadeq (local farmer), Gordon Boyle (BMMI CE), Jaffar Al Asfoor (Alosra GM) and Yasmin
Hussain (CSR Executive)
“By buying local you are investing in your community and helping to create jobs. The farms we will be sourcing our products from are owned by locals who are investing in the country’s future.” Yasmin Hussain.
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Education SectorBSB plans to give ipads to all studentsKaren Moffat, Head of the British School of Bahrain, has advised us that the school has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Viva and iMachines to work on a project, jointly, to bring iPads to the BSB.
The plan is to select one year group to participate in a iPad pilot project this year, in Term 3, and then plan to introduce iPads for every student in September. The School is still working out the details and intend to hold several parents’ evenings in Term 3 to share progress. They will also be seeking feedback from parents and working with them to optimise implementation plans.
"The point of this project is
not just to have iPads, per se," says Karen, "but much more signifi cantly, it is to give the students access to the huge learning benefi ts of digital technology.
The 21st century is an increasingly networked and information and media rich world and we need to prepare children for that world."
iPads are an excellent means to access the wonderful learning opportunities that are available digitally. Of course, like any tool, iPads - or whatever digital device
Picture courtesy of Gulf Weekly
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British Boarding School Experts consult with concerned families
Sue Anderson Consultants (SAC), Education Consultants and UK boarding school specialists visited the Kingdom of Bahrain late in January as part of their annual Middle East Tour, during which a 2 week road show covering Kuwait, Omar, Qatar, Bahrain and Dubai is conducted. SAC met with concerned parents who are looking to place their children in UK Boarding Schools for the next academic year 2012/2013.
Mrs. Anderson and Mrs. Sparl ing, Education consultants from the UK offered free, impartial advice to parents about Boarding Schools, Summer and English Language Schools and Academic scholarships in the United Kingdom. They met with parents and children to discuss the options and recommend schools to suit the individual needs of each child.
Boarding Schools offer a supportive and structured environment with excellent pastoral care, a wide range of subjects with the option of A Level or IB in the Sixth Form. Schools are located in stunning settings across the United Kingdom and offer excellent facilities for sport, music, drama,
art and languages in small classes.
Parents have access through the internet to research schools, however, with so much choice it is a daunting prospect and they appreciate the free impartial advice the Education Consultants are able to offer. Most of the families we met with had done their homework in advance and came to discuss the best and most suitable option of their offspring. The main requirements where not only limited to the academic performances, but included extracurricular activities from sports to advanced math classes in a stable and secure environment where their loved ones can nurture and prosper,” concluded Anderson.
Families consider the option of UK boarding for stability of education, the best route to a UK university and excellent learning support for children with Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, ADHD, etc.
Sue Anderson Consultants have met with more than 350 Schools and are able to recommend schools for your consideration to meet the individual needs of each child’s academic ability and interests, for both girls and boys age 7 to 19 years of age.
Left to Right: Sue Anderson, Sara Sparling & Karen El Zein
we will be using in future years - are not a substitute for great teaching and sound, skilful pedagogy. First and foremost, students need outstanding teachers who enable their learning and make them feel valued, cared for and respected. "The fact is that our students are already living in a digital world at home and we need to make their school experience as engaging and meaningful to them as we can .... and that means that we have to use the learning media that are most effective for them."Karen continued.
To help in preparing to implement this change, the school sent three members of staff - Saphira Isa, Fawzia Ahmed and Steve Wise - to the American School of Bombay in February to attend this year’s ASB Un-plugged conference to gather the latest information about 1:1 connectivity schools.
"We are proud to be associated with Viva and The British School of Bahrain, both of whom are leaders in their respective fi elds. We believe that the future of education lies in digital content and digital content delivery network. We hope to partake in this digital revolution and are confi dent this is only the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship with our partners." said Mr. Sofyan Almoayed, Managing Director of iMachines in response to the new partnership.
There are many websites reviewing the potential benefits of utilising ipads in education but one article which caught my eye came from the USA where a school in Auburn, Maine provided iPads to half of the city’s sixteen kindergarten classrooms. The remaining eight classes used traditional resources.
The eight iPad classes were selected at random to provide a better examination of the short term literacy impacts. Auburn kindergartners from both settings completed a series of standardised literacy assessments in early September (pre-iPad) and in late November (post-iPad), which provided an objective measure on
each groups’ emerging literacy skills. The School Committee reports that it was pleased to learn that the study results were quite positive.
In fact, students in the iPad classes outperformed non- iPad students, on average, across every literacy measure they were tested on. Most of the performance gains observed in the iPad classes were modest, however, the 129 iPad students showed substantial improvement on the Hearing and Recording Sounds in Words (HRSIW) assessment, which measures a child’s level of phonemic awareness and ability to represent sounds with letters. ...Ed
What educational benefi ts might the ipad bring?
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A group of students from Al-Zallaq Girls School visited Bapco’s facilities recently as part of Bapco’s programme of school visits which aim at providing students with valuable information on industry and Bapco’s role in fostering the national economy of Bahrain.
Commenting on this occasion, a Bapco spokesman expressed pride in the visits programme saying: "We welcome such educational visits to Bapco to help students get acquainted
Al-Zallaq Girls School visit BAPCO and hails its role in serving the national economy with our role in supporting
community welfare".
The source thanked offi cials of Education Ministry, hailing their close cooperation with Bapco in ensuring the success of the programme.
Upon the conclusion of the visit, officials of Al-Zallaq school thanked Bapco’s management for organising the visit which they described as successful and valuable, saying the visit left good impressions on their students.
Education Sector
Beckett McInroy Consultancy provided the ‘Best Practice Consultancy’ Workshop in February 2012 for Unisono Employees. A positive and well received workshop, attendees gained insight into Consultancy and how to apply their skills to become an excellent Unisono Consultant.
Personal Branding and Image were one of the key topics discussed during this workshop; guidance on Body Language, Credibility, Communication Skills, and what to wear were well received by the Unisono Audience. The presentation also discussed Business Etiquette, how to manage difficult situations, and how to monitor yourself as a Consultant, this further aided Executives with the information needed to understand the role as well as setting goals for both themselves and the Unisono Brand.
Unisono Business Development Manager, Mr. James Morgan, said “Dr Clare is an interesting
kind and knowledgeable professional with an innate ability to make you feel comfortable and relaxed. We all opened up and started to share very interesting insights”.
Following a successful first course in January at the Royal Golf Club, Riffa, Bahrain, ‘Brand New You’ workshop, a highly successful course involving self discovery and learning will be taking place on 10th March at the Kempinksi Hotel Mall of the Emirates in Dubai. This workshop provides a detailed insight and hands-on experience of what inhibits progress and fulfi lment, investigates the BIG PICTURE goals/dreams and enables participants to learn how to put these into action. Principals of Coaching, NLP, as well as tried and tested Personal Branding research is presented at this workshop in a down-to-earth way so that all participants will fi nish the course feeling motivated and be ready for positive change.
This is an ideal time of year to work on kick-starting action to get you to where you want to be. The impact of the course will be sustained through a ‘buddy’ system and possibly monthly meets so that attendees can share their successes and provide tips to other participants.
Beckett McInroy Consultancy through its Managing Director, Dr. Clare Beckett-McInroy, provides The Morrisby Profi le Psychometric Assessment for career and organisational development upon request. The Profile is a scientifi cally developed Psychometric Assessment which produces a 25 page profile of participants abilities, an action plan and feedback.
The assessment obtains information from the applicant’s personality type, interests, preferred work styles and learning styles. The test also takes into consideration if English used by the applicant as a second language, or has learning difficulties. It helps participants make
informed educational and career decisions, realise aspirations, and achieve career success and satisfaction. Morrisby is one of the many psychometric tests used increasingly in business for recruitment and selection, as well as for the development of individuals and organisations.
Clare from Holistic Healing is working with Beckett McInroy Consultancy to provide organisations with advice and practical help for meeting the needs of their employees. This provision is offered in Saar at Learning Plus and can also be provided to individuals and groups at your organisation for recognising and dealing with stress related management.
Beckett McInroy Consultancy will be holding future workshops such as ‘Networking Know How’, ‘Social Media for Business Use’, and ‘Coaching in the workplace - the bottom line’, ‘Psychometrics - the basics’ over the next few months.
Organisational Development the right way with Beckett McInroy Consultancy
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Dr. Clare Beckett-McInroy, MD at Beckett McInroy Consultancy addressed local and expatriate students between the ages of 15 and 20 in October. Students were provided with a presentation showing the overview of the university application process for both local and international destinations, in addition, students were guided on how to apply with an explanation of the application process which was broken down into clear objectives and showed key deadlines. Dr. Clare mentioned that “Students gained a key understanding of what they have to do, when they have to do it, and who are the best persons to assist with the University Application process.”
Trowers and Hamlins Solicitor, Paula Boast,
discussed the Law and Legal Profession with students during the November Careers Evening. Students were provided with a comprehensive presentation which discussed aspects of this Profession including where to start a career in the Law and Legal Profession and what the pre-requisites are. Students were able to interact and ask questions to identify Career Options and further enable their understanding of the Legal Industry. Ms. Boast provided a broad spectrum informative presentation on the Legal Industry and provided very interesting points for the students to consider.
The fi rst Careers Coaching Event of 2012 took place on the 30th January, speakers included Sabaya Magazine’s English Editor,
Excellent Platform provided for School Leavers
Dilraz Kunnumal, Unisono’s PR Manager, Safi ya Khonji, and Unisono’s Business Development Manager, James Morgan. The Sabaya Magazine and Unisono presenters opened a platform for students to address Marketing, Media, Branding, Public Relations, and Advertising, with students becoming involved in the presentation
with a detailed question and answer conclusion.
The second Careers evening, took place on the 27th February and involved key note speakers from the Banking, Finance and Insurance industries. This was an excellent opportunity for students to fi nd out some more information on these roles and industries.
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Hotel & Leisure News
InterContinental Doha The City has opened its doors, targeting MICE and short and long-stay business travel through its 360 rooms and 176 Residence Suites.
The MICE focus evolves around the adjacent Events Centre, which can be divided into three, which is directly linked to the fi rst fl oor of the hotel and contains a large ballroom and eight meeting rooms. A 1,015 square-metre pillarless ballroom can accommodate up to 950 guests, complemented by four meeting rooms and a business centre.
The Club InterContinental lounge on level 45, offering an east-facing view of West
Bay, is a place to conduct meetings or relax while enjoying complimentary amenities, including wifi, business centre and private boardroom.
Six restaurants will be available with Strata on levels 55 and 56 - Doha’s highest restaurant - serving a "chilled seafood" menu; Nai will offer traditional Lebanese cuisine and Prime is for meat-lovers. The Square will be an eclectic all-day dining restaurant with interactive cooking stations; Criollo will offer handmade chocolate treats; the Lobby Lounge will provide light snacks and drinks; and Hive is another lounge.
For long-stay business travellers, the 176 Residence Suites come in a range of one- to four-bedroom apartments.
Leisure facilities include a rooftop pool, a health and fitness club, steam and sauna rooms and male and female whirlpools.
InterContinental Doha opens for business
Marriott International’s (NYSE:MAR) world-class luxury hotel brand, JW Marriott, has announced a new JW Marriott Manama, Bahrain Hotel, in the Kingdom of Bahrain, under management agreement with owner Khaleej Capita B.S.C., to open in 2016. The hotel will have 274 rooms and suites and 102 residences in Bahrain Bay, adjacent to Bahrain Financial Harbour and opposite the diplomatic quarter.
The 50-story hotel tower is part of Bahrain Bay, a $2.5 billion development master planned by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. The project is designed by renowned architect Yousif Daoud Al Sayegh and Associates who designed the Six Senses Hideaway Zighy Bay, Oman (Winner of the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council’s first Estidama Sustainability Award 2008.)
“The JW Marriott Bahrain wil l be a spectacular addition to the Bahrain Bay development,” said Mr. Abdul-Aziz Al-Rabban chairman of Khaleej Capita B.S.C. “Bahrain has an under supply of luxury
5-star hotels and we are confi dent that the project will be a great success”, he added. He also explained that there are many other hotel and resort projects in the pipeline for Bahrain and Qatar. The Managing Director Dr. Fadhel Al-arrayed explained that the development has a prime business location and will also cater to the thriving fi ne dining market in Bahrain, with fi ve luxury restaurants. He also added that the hotel will have a luxury spa and sport and leisure facilities.
The hotel wil l have an executive lounge with ocean view; one casual and five specialty restaurants; four lounges, including a lobby lounge and bar, a pool bar, quiet bar and rooftop lounge/bar; and 17,119 square feet of meeting space. Recreational facilities will include a health and leisure club and spa, indoor and outdoor pool, tennis and squash courts.
“Our currently open hotels in Bahrain, the Marriott Executive Apartments and The Ritz-Carlton, have been tremendously successful, and we believe that this
JW Marriott Manama is ideally located for a luxury hotel in Bahrain’s commercial and financial centre,” said Ed Fuller, president and managing director of International Lodging for Marriott International. “Our JW Marriott brand is reserved for select luxury hotels in key gateway cities around the world, and Bahrain is certainly one of these.”
“Each JW Marriott delivers a warmly authentic, relaxed and elegant environment that is unique to the luxury segment,” said Mitzi Gaskins, vice president,
JW Marriott brand management, Marriott International. “In this case, our elegantly appointed business hotel will have the many amenities of a resort for business and leisure visitors to Bahrain.”
The JW Marriott Manama Bahrain Hotel will be the fi rst JW Marriott property in Bahrain and the fi fth JW Marriott hotel in the Middle East/Africa region. Marriott International will also open a 78-unit Residence Inn by Marriott in 2012 and the 318-room Renaissance Bahrain Amwaj Island Hotel in 2013.
J W Marriott for Bahrain in 2016
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Condor Technology hosted an event at the Gulf Hotel to present the Palo Alto Next Generation Firewall. Invited IT experts from Bahrain Government, Ministries, Banking community, Educational institutions, Service Providers and other industries attended the presentation.
Traditional firewalls have been seen as a challenge to gifted IT users who are capable of getting through them to Internet sites which their network is denying them access to. The Palo Alto Firewall is not penetrable thus making it a very interesting solution for those attempting to control network access within their IT networks. Palo Alto solutions provide greatly improved network and application performance while providing instant sustainable control over applications and content on IT networks by combining application visibility and control with intrusion prevention, which is so important these days.
The firewall is the most strategic network security infrastructure component, it sees all traffic, and as such is the most effective location to enforce security policy. Unfortunately, traditional fi rewalls rely on Port and Protocol to classify traffi c, allowing tech-savvy applications and users to bypass them with ease by hopping ports, using SSL, sneaking across Port 80, or using non-standard ports.
The resulting loss of visibility and control places IT Administrators at a disadvantage and exposes Enterprises to network
downtime, compliance violations, increased operational expenses, and possible data loss.
The historical approach to restoring visibility and control required that additional "fi rewall helpers" be deployed individually, behind the firewall or in a combined manner through sheet-metal integration. Neither of these approaches solves the visibility and control problem due to limited traffi c visibility, cumbersome management, and multiple-latency inducing scanning processes. Restoring visibility and control requires a new, fresh, from-the-ground-up approach. What is needed is a next-generation fi rewall.
Key Next-Generation Firewall Requirements:
• Identify applications, not ports: Identify exactly what the application is, across all ports, irrespective of protocol, SSL encryption, or evasive tactic. The application identity becomes the basis for all security policies.
• Identify users, not just
IP addresses: Leverage information stored in enterprise directories for visibility, policy creation, reporting, and forensic investigation.
• Inspect content in real-time: Protect the network against attacks and malware embedded in application traffi c at low-latency, high throughput speeds.
• Simplify policy management: Restore visibility and control with easy-to-use graphical tools and a policy editor that ties applications, users, and content together in a unified manner.
• Deliver multi-gigabit throughput: Combine high performance hardware and software in a purpose-built platform to enable low latency, multi-gigabit performance with all services enabled.
Palo Alto Networks was founded by security visionary Nir Zuk, with a mission to re-invent the firewall so it could once again become the most strategically important
Next Generation Firewall from Palo Alto announced by Condor Technology
security device in the network. Palo Alto Networks next-generation firewalls enable unprecedented visibility and control of applications and content – by user, not just IP address – at up to 10Gbps.
Based on patent-pending App-ID™ technology, Palo Alto Networks’ next-generation firewalls accurately identify applications – regardless of port, protocol, evasive tactic, or SSL encryption – and scan content to stop threats and prevent data leakage. With Palo Alto Networks, enterprises can, for the fi rst time, embrace and benefit from a new generation of applications while maintaining complete visibility and control.
Condor Technology is a Palo Alto consulting and implementation partner in Bahrain and are installing, commissioning and providing follow-on support for the products. The Palo Alto products add to Condor’s widespread portfolio of the latest ICT solutions being offered to the Bahrain community in line with Bahrain’s Vision 2030 ICT goals.
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Lightspeed social event
Lightspeed Communications hosted a corporate social event for its customers and strategic business partners
in the Diplomat Radisson BLU hotel in February.The event’s main focus was on emphasising the solid
Mohammed Jalal & Sons, the exclusive
importer for Jaguar in Bahrain, recently appointed new General Sales Manager Chris Ward from Jaguar UK, to head up the strategy and commercial development of the business. A former dealer for Jaguar in the UK, Chris has over 30 years experience in the automotive industry, and has witnessed some of the most important milestones of the brand’s history throughout his 19 year tenure with the luxury car manufacturer.
Mohammed Jalal & Sons announces new General Sales Manager at Jaguar Bahrain dealership
Bahrain News
Working within a family Jaguar business, Chris has seen the Jaguar brand transform from the XJ40 and XJS through to the exciting new 2012 line-up comprising the XJ luxury sedan, XF sports sedan and the XK coupe and convertible sports cars. Commenting on his years with Jaguar, Chris said, "My career with Jaguar has seen the brand grow from a niche manufacturer into a strong global player in the luxury car market with class-leading design and technology across its nameplates – this is a very
relationship Lightspeed has with different local & international industries and businesses.
Attending the event were about 100 businessmen and VIPs, Lightspeed CEO Mr. Philippe Baudin, VP for Regulatory and Public Affairs, Sheikh Abdullah Al Khalifa, Business Development Director Mr. Alain Groleau in addition to a number of the company sales and marketing staff.
Mr. Phil ippe Baudin welcomed the invitees thanking them for being a part of the Lightspeed
family and for being one of the main corner stones of the company success.
Mr. Alain Groleau followed with a presentation highlighting the main achievements of 2011 which included subscriber base & revenue growth. In addition he shared the company’s ambitions for 2012 which stand on three main factors; innovative products, operational excellence and cost-effective solutions. The important support and expertise provided by Orange group was also highlighted.
exciting time to be with Jaguar and I look forward to helping the brand grow even further in Bahrain."
Chris has strong links with senior management within Jaguar Land Rover in the UK, having been involved in many joint projects over the years to drive the customer experience forward. Moving to the Middle East brings new challenges for the 47 year old, and he said of the move; "I am looking forward to broadening my knowledge of the region, learning about new cultures and business practises".
Mohammed Jalal & Sons’ Automotive Director, Mr Ahmed Jalal said of the appointment; "We are delighted to welcome Mr Ward to Jaguar Bahrain, and we are confident that his expertise in the industry and with Jaguar in the UK will add to the future vision for the company and the overall brand in Bahrain". Mohammed Jalal & Sons. The company’s commitment to the Jaguar brand is highlighted in their strong performance results and the customer loyalty it has generated in Bahrain.
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Bahrain News
Thinspace and Mantech Computers have announced an
exclusive partnership that promises to accelerate the deployment of Cloud Client computing technology to enterprise customers in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The Partnership also targets the
whole of the GCC region.
Thinspace’s market leading product portfolio and software solutions bring signifi cant cost, security and environmental benefits to businesses. It is an ideal solution to enable secured access anytime from anywhere,
with enterprise level remote management capabilities. Founded in 1979, Mantech Computers is the longest established computing company in Bahrain, and provides hardware, software and security solutions.
Committed to providing users in Bahrain and GCC countries with innovative and state-of-the-art IT solutions, Mantech and Thinspace share similar strategic visions in a post-PC era.
Hassan Bader Kaiksow, Managing Director of Mantech said, “We’ve been dedicated to providing our customers with the best IT services and solutions since 1979. The partnership with Thinspace enables us to further embrace the next generation computing model, and assist in taking Bahrain’s Cloud computing to the next level.”
Thinspace will leverage Mantech’s leadership position in Bahrain to target industries and large enterprise customers, including fi nancial, healthcare, education and government sectors.
Lisa Layzell, CEO of Thinspace said, “We are delighted to partner with the best. Mantech has a long standing reputation and the right infrastructure to effectively deliver the unique benefi ts of our Cloud Client solutions to all major industry sectors in Bahrain, as well as a wide range of partners in the GCC region.”
This strategic partnership was brought together by consultancy firm Curved Theory, with high level support from the Bahrain Economic
Development Board (EDB) and the Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus (DSIC). The initial relationship was developed during a UK roadshow led by the EDB in October 2011, which focused on direct outreach activities across a number of key sectors including IT and technology.
Paul Abley, Managing Director of Curved Theory commented ‘I am very pleased that the agreement has been fi nalised between Thinspace and ManTech. ManTech are ideally placed to maximise the benefits that the Thinspace product suite offers and will be able to represent Thinspace in a new and exciting market. I would like to thank both the Bahrain EDB and Daresbury teams for the assistance with the Bahrain Springboard program and look forward to other commercial agreements being finalised in the near future.
Shaikh Mohammed bin Essa Al Khalifa, Chief Executive of the Bahrain Economic Development Board said, “Bahrain boasts one of the Middle East’s most liberal and advanced information, communications and technology infrastructures and policy approaches, with amongst the highest mobile and internet penetration rates in the region. Given this, it makes clear sense that Thinspace and Mantech Computers are partnering to take a leading role in implementing Cloud Client computing technology in the Kingdom. I am delighted that the EDB was able to play a role in bringing these likeminded businesses together.”
Thinspace and Mantech Partners in the Middle East
Shaikh Mohammed bin Essa Al Khalifa and Dr Essam Fakhro during the UK Roadshow
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Norton Rose Group recently won the International Law Office’s (ILO) 2012 Client Choice Award in the international category. As well as the Group award, Mohammed Paracha won an individual award for his work in banking in Bahrain.
We also won the PFI Award 2011 for the ‘Middle East infrastructure project of the year’ for our work on Muharraq, the US$300 million sewage treatment project in Bahrain.
In October, Adrian Woodcock and Rayhana Kapadia Sheikh from the Bahrain offi ce, in partnership with the Directors Counsel Corporate Governance Consultants and AON Financial Services Group, held two workshops. The
focus of each workshop was to provide an overview of the legal and regulatory framework governing the legal obligations of directors and offi cers in Bahrain, the extent of liability that can arise illustrated by working examples and the practical methods of protection against such liability.
The first workshop took place at the Bahrain office and was attended by officers and directors of various financial and other institutions such as Bahrain National Insurance; Bahrain National Holding; International Investment Bank; Bank Alkhair; United Gulf Investment Corporation; Ahli United Bank; Gulf One Investment Bank; Gulf Hotels Group; BMB Investment Bank;
Addax Bank; Solidarity General and Global Investment House. The second workshop was held at and given exclusively to, the board of BBK, a retail bank in Bahrain.
Continuing with our series of breakfast briefi ngs, we hosted a briefi ng in January looking at what is in store for the project fi nance market in 2012. The briefi ng was led by project finance expert
Simon Currie, who is head of our global energy practice and attendees included clients from The Bahrain Association of Banks, BNP Paribas, Gulf International Bank and Instrata Capital.
Of counsel Adam Vause delivered a presentation to the BBBF on the consequences of the UK Bribery Act for business in the Gulf in January 2012.
News from Norton Rose
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Bahrain News
A combined team from Charles Russell LLP’s London and Bahrain offi ces advised Centamin plc on the transfer of its corporate domicile from Australia to Jersey and the re-admission of the Centamin group to the Offi cial List, the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX).
The re-domicile, which involved putting in place a new Jersey company as the holding company of the group and was
implemented by way of a scheme of arrangement in Austral ia requiring shareholder and court approval, was completed in record time, approximately four months from start to f inish. Completion was achieved when the shares of the new top company, Centamin plc, were admitted to trading on the LSE and the TSX on 30 December 2011.
Centamin plc is a rapidly growing gold producer whose flagship project, the Sukari Gold Mine, is
Charles Russell Bahrain team advises on BD500m re-domicile of Egypt’s largest gold producer
located in the Eastern Desert of Egypt some 25km from the Red Sea coast. Gold production at Sukari commenced in June 2009 making Sukari the fi rst modern gold mine in Egypt. On admission, the Centamin group re-joined the FTSE 250 immediately with a market capitalisation of approximately BD500 million (£900 million).
Partners Clive Hopewell (Partner and Head of Charles Russell’s Bahrain offi ce and Energy & Natural Resources sector) and Adam Carling in London led the Charles Russell team working on the transaction which included Charles Russell Bahrain solicitor, Lucy Methven and Charles Russell London lawyers. Legal teams in Egypt, Austral ia and Canada
were also involved in the transaction.
Client partner for Centamin plc, Clive Hopewell, commented: “We are delighted to have assisted Centamin with this major transaction, which marks the company’s increasingly international profile and shareholder base. This deal show cases Charles Russell’s ability to manage major transactions between the MENA region and London’s capital markets.”
The multi-jurisdictional legal team advising on the transaction, assembled by Charles Russell, also included Blake Dawson (Australia), Blake Cassels & Graydon (Canada), Ogier (Jersey), Sharkawy & Sarhan (Egypt) and Skadden Arps (US).
Gulf Membrane and Coating Industries (GMCI) managing director Fareed Bader has received an award in recognition of his outstanding entrepreneurship during
BBBF Member Fareed Bader Honoured2011 by Bahrain Development Bank (BOB).
BOB chairman Shaikh Mohammed bin Essa Al Khalifa presented the award during a ceremony
organised at the Diplomat Radisson Blu Hotel Residence and Spa.
GMCI commenced commercial production in 1995, with a wide range
of advanced technology products conforming to international quality and safety standards.
Within the initial period of two years, it gained an excellent reputation in quality and service and strengthened its position in local and international markets.
"At GMCI, we maintain quality standards that continually challenge the industry norms, which help us in providing our customers with a superior grade product and an unmatched performance," said Mr Bader.
Products are manufactured to international standards and exported to 25 countries across GCC, Middle East, Africa, Asia and Far East countries.
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Bahrain News
BAPCO organised a training workshop on "Risks and Home Safety" for a number of female part ic ipants across the Kingdom, as part of graduating the f irst two groups of participants totaling 40 females in February 2012. The workshop was held at Bapco Club in collaboration with the Bahrain Health and Safety Society. Present was BAPCO’s Manager Fire, Health and Safety, Mr. Ahmed Khalil. Also present were some employees of BAPCO and officials of the Bahrain Health and Safety Society in addition to the participants. The workshop reviewed the risks related to home safety and means of fostering safety measures at home. The workshop included a number of lectures and demonstrations aimed to raise safety awareness at home. The event is envisaged as part of BAPCO’s Awareness Program within the activities and initiatives of the 12X12 Safety Campaign launched by
BAPCO on October 2010, under the patronage of HE the Energy Minister, Dr. Abdulhussain bin Ali Mirza for activating safety culture and spreading safety awareness in society, in addition to creating a safe environment for the welfare of the Bahraini community.
Commenting on this occasion, Mr. Ahmed Khalil said BAPCO takes pride in organising this workshop on home safety in col laborat ion with the Bahrain Health and Safety Society, hai l ing the Society’s dedicated
In collaboration with Bahrain Health and Safety Society, BAPCO organises Home Safety Training to spread safety culture and foster community welfare
role in foster ing the culture of safety. Mr. Khal i l emphasised the significance of the training workshop in spreading safety awareness, underl ining BAPCO’s mission in achieving this key goal. For his part, BAPCO’s Deputy Chief Executive for Refining and Marketing and Chairman of BAPCO’s EHS Committee, Mr. Ebrahim Talib thanked officials of the Bahrain Health and Safety Society for support and efforts in organising the workshop. He lauded the close cooperat ion between BAPCO and the Society,
hailing the noble mission of the Society in creating a safe environment free from accidents or injuries. Mr. Tal ib thanked the organisers of the workshop for the good organisation and preparation of the event. He said the issue of safety culture is a key issue which receives full attention and follow up from the management. "BAPCO is among the leading industrial organisations in safety f ields, which urges us to exert double efforts constantly towards fostering EHS values for community welfare", Mr. Talib concluded.
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The Bahrain Exhibition and Convention Authority (BECA) was founded in 2006, an organisation established by Law No. 62 for the year 2006 which was promulgated on 4th September 2006. Functioning under the Ministry of Industry & Commerce, Kingdom of Bahrain, the Bahrain Exhibition and Convention Authority is governed by a Board of Directors with His Excellency Dr. Hassan Abdulla Fakhro, the Minister of Industry & Commerce, as Chairman of the Board. BECA is the forerunner organisation with a mandate to market the Kingdom of Bahrain as a unique and preferred, all year-round business destination. BECA, the venue operator for the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Center, cultivates partnerships with key Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and
Exhibitions (MICE) industry stakeholders to promote and showcase Bahrain, encourage investments and attract international and regional market for exhibitions, conventions and congresses. The Business Destination Travel Awards 2011 organized annually by Business Destinations named BECA the Best Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) Destination in the Middle
Bahrain Exhibition and Convention Authority confi rms two major expos for 2012
East for 2011.
Currently, BECA organizes two major exhibitions every year – the Annual Food and Hospitality Expo and Health and Wellness Expo. Both have doubled in size since their inception. They will take place in the International Hall from 17-19 April and this year will feature a chefs competition and other demonstrations, alongside healthy food options, fi tness demos, and massage/
beauty treatments.
So far some major companies have signed up to exhibit including Intercol, BISB, Gulf Hotel, Sheraton, Bahrain Specilaist Hospital and many others.
BECA is also planning two more major expos for 2013 and has also built several initiatives which have greatly contributed towards the development of the MICE market in Bahrain. One of these initiatives is Team Bahrain (next one 28th March), a specialised work group of about 50 representatives from Bahrain’s business and leisure tourism sectors in the Kingdom of Bahrain which was launched in 2009 to contribute towards the development of a highly effi cient infrastructure and to boost continuing cooperation with Bahrain’s hotel and tourism sector in marketing international exhibitions and conferences.
Charles Russell’s Bahrain office has enjoyed an eventful end to 2011 and a dynamic start to 2012. In December, the office congratulated Simon Green on his appointment as an International Partner. Simon joined the fi rm from Norton Rose in September as Head of Real Estate, Middle East. He is very familiar with the region, having been based in Bahrain since 2008 advising a variety of companies, financial institutions, governments and other public sector bodies as well as high profile individuals in Bahrain and across the
Middle East region.
December also saw various members of the Bahrain offi ce putting their physical prowess to the test in the Bahrain Marathon Relay. It was a thoroughly enjoyable
day, and fi nishing faster than all the other international law fi rm teams meant that all the hard training work paid off!
Looking to the future, Charles Russell is delighted to announce that in April
2012, Reem Al Mahroos, Charles Russell’s first Bahraini trainee solicitor, will qualify into the Bahrain office. Reem began her career with Charles Russell as a paralegal in 2009 and is now coming to the end of her two year training contract, which has involved experience in both the Charles Russell London and Bahrain offi ces. Reem is an invaluable member of the Bahrain offi ce and her qualifi cation into the team is a very important occasion which marks Charles Russell’s strong commitment to Bahrain.
Charles Russell Bahrain Team Update
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Bahrain News
Digital marketing agency East Innovations was recently appointed by The Manazel Real Estate Group, one of the Middle East’s leading development companies, to head up the online marketing strategy for the company’s latest commercial development in the UAE, Capital Mall. Consisting of over 60,000sqm of commercial retail space, various entertainment outlets and dining facilities, Capital Mall is part of the 9712 Capital development, a 230,000sqm master development located within Abu Dhabi’s Mohammed Bin Zayed City.
East’s appointment to the USD 292 million project follows a multi agency pitch
and highlights the ability of the Bahrain based agency to compete on a level with other regional and global service providers, reinforcing the company’s position as a leading provider of digital marketing services in the region.
Working in collaboration with the Mall’s branding agency, TBWA/RAAD, the company behind international brands such as McDonald’s, Pepsi and Apple, East Innovations wil l be responsible for the development and implementation of all online marketing activit ies for Capital Mall, including web design, email marketing, online advertising and social media. The project wil l place particular
emphasis on social media, which is set to be a primary focus across all marketing, communications and sale strategies.
As social media engagement figures continue to rise in the Middle East, this project is set to raise the bar of consumer based social engagement in the region.
The Manazel Real Estate Group is one of many companies in the region placing a greater emphasis on the importance of digital marketing, with a recent report indicating that 52% of surveyed companies in the Middle East are increasing their digital marketing budgets by at least 20% in 2012. The proportion of marketing budget spent on digital has also increased since 2011, now at an average of 27%, up from 22% last year, but still lower than the average of 36% in the UK.
As technology has spurred on the integration of smart phone technologies with social networking
East Innovations expands regional reach with new UAE appointmentapplications, social media has become one of the most popular online mediums of interaction for Middle East based internet users.
"It’s clear that local and regional users are looking for greater engagement from their favourite brands, and we’re excited to be providing Abu Dhabi residents with a level of social innovation previously unseen in the Emirate," commented Mark Warman, Managing Director at East Innovations. "It ’s great to see more and more companies like Manazel Real Estate Group embracing digital channels as a means of engaging with their target audiences and seeking to build a genuine community around their brand," he added.
East Innovations has worked closely with a number of local, regional and international brands across the Middle East, Europe and the USA in a digital marketing capacity, including the Royal Golf Club, Behbehani Brothers, DTZ and Adio Footwear.
In a bid to share practical and theoretical corporate governance best practices, DLA Piper and PwC have co-hosted a series of Corporate Governance Seminars across the GCC. Previous seminars have taken place in both Kuwait City and Riyadh, with further cities planned for this year. The half day seminar attracts attendees from private and public companies, ranging from CEOs through to
compliance off icers, and provide a chance to discuss the practical and theoret ical aspects of corporate governance with leading regional experts. DLA Piper is the only international law firm to have off ices in al l s ix of the GCC countr ies. "We’re delighted to be hosting these seminars on Corporate Governance as transparency and accountabi l i ty are key
themes in the GCC," commented Michael Yadgar, Legal Director, DLA Piper. "Changes in the global economy over the last few years has created an environment focused on accountability and creat ion of more transparent corporate, and public, structures. Implementing appropriate Corporate Governance measures by companies in Bahrain is essential to ensure that Bahrain
remains a key hub for f inance and commerce in the region. We look forward to assist ing our cl ients by creating governance procedures bespoke to their specific business models." If you are interested in attending future seminars or would like to learn more on Corporate Governance, please contact DLA Piper.
DLA Piper and PwC Collaboration in Corporate Governance Seminars
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And FinallyLondon Olympics getting closerMore than one reader has commented that there’s never much in the way of Sports coverage in the Forum magazine. Not surprising you might think for a business group production, BUT, it made me take a look at what Bahrain’s hopes might be for the London Olympics.
As far as I could see there’s virtually no coverage on the internet. Apart from a brief mention of Yusuf Saad Kamel who runs the
1500m and Mariam Yusuf Jamal who runs the same distance for the ladies, I could only find brief
mention suggesting that the Bahrain Football team had already qualifi ed for the Olympics earlier this year. Even that wasn’t clear with another article suggesting there would be further play-offs in March.
Contrast the situation in Bahrain with that in the UK. Almost every newspaper and news programme has at least one piece about Britain’s hopes for success almost every day. The Guardian, for example, reports that Britain’s Jessica Ennis is unfazed by being hailed as the poster girl of the Olympic Games in 2012.
On the water, four-time Olympic Gold medalllist Matthew Pinsett already claims that Britain’s rowers are the best in the world after the GB trials. Britain qualifi ed 13 out of 14 boats for London 2012 after a record-breaking performance in the World Rowing Championships last year, however, the battle for seats in those boats is still raging. In Athletics, Paula Radcliffe, Mara Yamauchi and Scott Overall were selected in December as the fi rst members of Great Britain’s athletics team for London 2012. Radcliffe,
still looking for her first Olympic medal, matches the achievement of heptathlete and javelin thrower Tessa Sanderson and race walker Chris Maddocks as the only track-and-fi eld athletes to make the British team at fi ve Games.
Beijing Olympic show jumper Tim Stockdale, who suffered a triple neck fracture last year, believes his dream of competing at London 2012 is still possible. The 47 year old fell from his horse in October but completed his fi rst training jumps at his Northampton base last week and is targeting a
competitive return by the end of March.
Stockdale, who made his first international appearance for Great Britain back in 1988, had to wait 20 years before he made his Olympic debut in Beijing. The team narrowly missed a medal, fi nishing fourth, something Stockdale would like to change this summer.
“When you’ve done one Olympic games it’s the pinnacle of any athletes career,” refl ected Stockdale.
“To do one on your home turf would be very special and it’s the excitement and incentive that any athletes needs to really pull your finger out. It would be fantastic to get to London - that would just be everybody’s dream.”
Among the younger generation (or two) is Britain’s Tom Daley. Although recent medals
have eluded him he did manage two straight A’s in his A level modules in Maths & Spanish.
Tom, by the way, has more fans in China than David Beckham, Lewis Hamilton, Andy Murray, Rory Mcllroy & Wayne Rooney. The 17 year old Olympic hopeful from Plymouth has more followers than any other British Sportsman, according to qq.com, China’s equivalent of Twitter.
On the lighter side, I did spot one article which suggests that the New Zealand Farmers Federation spokeswoman Jeanette Mazwell has called for sheep shearing to become an Olympic sport, hailing top wool-clippers as world-class athletes. The New Zealand’s government’s elite sports funding body, SPARC, already recognises shearing as a sport, providing it with grants to help run competitions. New Zealand has a human population of about 4.4 million which is outnumbered by a national sheep flock of around 40 million, according to Statistics New Zealand. (and she’s serious ! ...Ed)
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