Christophe Michels, MD of IBBC, visited Iraq and the UAE from 9th to 24th of October to meet with members and friends of IBBC, and to conduct a number of official meetings in support of IBBC Members and the wider organisation.

In Baghdad and Babylon Christophe met with the Minister of Housing, Construction, Municipalities and Public works, the Minister of Electricity, the Secretary General of the Council of Ministers, the Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Advisory Commission, the Chairman of the National Investment Commission, the Governor of Babylon, the Governor of Anbar, a Deputy Minister for Higher Education, an Advisor to the Speaker of Parliament, the Chairman of the Investment Commission of Basra, a Member of Basra Provincial Council, the Chairman of Karbala Chamber of Commerce, a Board Member of Baghdad Chamber of Commerce,  and last but not least the British Ambassador and the Director of DIT Iraq.

In Erbil, meetings were held with the Minister of Trade, the Chairman of Erbil Investment Commission and the Chairman of the Kurdish Federation of Chambers of Commerce.

A number of these meetings were attended by Mr. Haider Al Shamaa, IBBC Member Representative in Iraq, Mr. Sardar Bebany, Member of the IBBC Executive Committee and Mr. Muhanad Al Khatab, IBBC Baghdad Office Manager.

IBBC is grateful to Al Burhan Group, Sardar Trading Agencies, Siemens, International Islamic Bank and Erbil Chamber of Commerce for facilitating different aspects of this visit.

During the visit a host of IBBC Members were met including Zaid Elyasery, Vice President Iraq for BP and Ali Al Janabi, VP and Country Chairman of Shell Iraq, both of whom will be speaking in IBBC’s Autumn Conference in Dubai on 19th November.

In Baghdad IBBC held a memorial dinner on the 14th of October in honour of its late Deputy Chairman, Engineer Rasmi Al Jabri, who’s grave Christophe visited days earlier in Najaf.