BBG Magazine

Chairman's Foreword

Peter Michelmore Group Chairman, British Business Group - Abu Dhabi

Welcome to the latest edition of Capital Letter, the first since I took over as Group Chairman earlier this year. I am pleased to note that the Group's profile is currently high and appropriately so, at a time when the UAE has been accorded official status as one of the UK's priority markets.

One of the objectives of the BBG is the promotion of UK business in the UAE and the promotion within the UK of opportunities in the UAE. We take this role very seriously and so we have been delighted already this year to have welcomed to Abu Dhabi and to our events, both HRH Prince Andrew, The Duke of York, and the Lord Mayor of London, while many of our members were involved in various ways with the visit by Their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. Such visits play a crucially important role in the raising of Britain's profile here.

At the same time, we continue to provide a forum for regular meetings between the British Business Community and others in Abu Dhabi. This magazine gives a flavour of our objectives and activities and also reflects, through contributions by leading UAE and Abu Dhabi officials, the Emirati view of the developing UAE-UK relationship. I hope that you find it informative. It has a wide circulation to business leaders and decision makers in Europe and elsewhere in the Middle East. That circulation will grow as Abu Dhabi's plans for further development in energy, tourism and industrial sectors draw overseas investment and expertise from Britain in particular.

We are seeking to increase the number of our full members and associate members substantially during the course of this year and that is another reason to be an active member of the Group and, indeed, to advertise in Capital Letter. You will find application forms in this edition. We look forward to your active help and support in the months to come.

Finally, let me pay tribute to Robert Schwarz's Chairmanship of the Group for the last six years. Robert's contribution to the Group's work and objectives was substantial and we are fortunate that his experience continues to be available to us as a Committee Member.