Christophe Michels, Managing Director and Rasmi Al Jabri, Deputy Chairman of the Iraq Britain Business Council (IBBC) travelled extensively through Baghdad, Erbil, Sulaimani and Dubai to meet with IBBC Members, UK and Iraqi Government representatives and attended the IRIS Dialogue on Iraq: An Economy in Transition at the American Univeristy in Sulaimani.

In Baghdad meetings were held with numerous Iraqi and British Government Representatives, including:

Dr Abdulkariem Al Faisal, Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Advisory Commission (PMAC), Professor Sabah Mushtat, the Prime Minister’s Advisor for Reconstruction and Investment, Dr Sami Al Araji, Chairman of the National Investment Commission, Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Iraq, Jon Wilks & John Kelly of the Department for International Trade.  Christophe and Rasmi also met a number of IBBC members and visited the Baghdad Chamber of Commerce.

In Erbil they attended the International Women’s Day festivities and met with a number of IBBC Members including Dr Dara Al Khayat, the President of the Kurdish Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry and a representative of Mosul University, which recently joined the Council.

On Sunday 11 March Christophe and Rasmi attended the Institute of Regional and International Studies (IRIS) inaugural Dialogue: ‘Iraq’s Economy in Transition’, which IBBC was delighted to support as a partner organisation. The event was held at the American University in Sulaimani and included numerous government attendees and notable private sector figures. Rasmi Al Jabri, Deputy Chairman of IBBC participated in the second panel entitled: “What will it take for the Private Sector to Participate? Delivering on Kuwait”. Christophe and Rasmi later attended a dinner with IRIS guests hosted by Dr Barham Salih the former prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraqi Kurdistan and a former deputy prime minister of the Iraqi federal government and founder of the American Univeristy of Iraq, Sulaimani.

During the final stage of the visit, Christophe Michels joined IBBC’s UAE representative Vikas Handa in Dubai, where productive meetings were held with Representatives of several IBBC Member Companies. They also met with Hannah Greenwood and David Moleshead of UK Export Finance. UKEF has recently opened offices in Dubai as part of a growing global outreach, which will see UKEF representatives based in key locations worldwide in a boost to British Business abroad.

As a conclusion to the visit an informal drinks reception was held at the Shades Bar on Tuesday 13 March at the Address Dubai Marina, the location of the 2018 IBBC Autumn Conference.