From 12^th to 19^th February 2022 Baroness Nicholson accompanied by IBBC Managing Director Christophe Michels  visited Baghdad, Erbil and Dohuk. For their meetings they were joined on occasion by IBBC’s Member Representative in Iraq, Mr Haider Al Shamaa, and by IBBC Executive Committee Member, Mr Sardar Al Bebany.

In Baghdad IBBC hosted a networking reception and dinner for Members and friends at the Hunting Club, attended by over 60 guests with senior representation from the PMO, Central Bank, Council of Minister’s, Ministry of Transport and the British Embassy.

Meetings in support of IBBC and IBBC Member activities were held with the Minister of Oil, the Minister of Youth & Sports, the Minister of the Environment, the Secretary General of the Council of Ministers, the Chairman of the PM’s Advisory Commission and the Chairman of TBI.

In Erbil London Sky Company sponsored a splendid reception and dinner attended by over 80 guest including the KRG Minister for Agriculture & Water Resources, the Head of the Investment Board, the Governors of Erbil and Sulimania, and the Chairman of the Federation of Kurdistan Chambers of Commerce. Further meetings were held with the KRG Minister of Education and senior Advisors to the Minister of Natural Resources.

In Dohuk and Zakho IBBC was hosted by Khalil Nezir of UB Holding.  The delegation stayed at the Rixos Hotel, visited the second largest water bottling plant in the Middle East and had lunch at Happy Dohuk, a magnificent 7000 acre recreation and tourism facility above the city. All three of these are owned and operated by UB Holding which may well be Iraq’s most successful and innovative private sector business. A highlight of the visit was the tasting of organic Olive Oil produced by UB and sold for export to the UAE.  The visit also included a meeting with Dohuk Governor to discuss the growing potential particularly in agribusiness and tourism in his rapidly growing governorate.

A main theme throughout the week was to reconnect with IBBC Members and to rally both GOI and KRG support for individual member projects and for IBBC’s upcoming 10^th Spring conference at the Mansion House in London to be held on 24^th May.

IBBC thanks Sardar Group, Al Burhan Group, London Sky Company, UB Holding and International Islamic Bank for their support of this very successful week in Iraq.