Bilateral Chamber Highlights Successful 2014 Calendar of Series & Programs
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Dear partners, members and friends,
We hope this message finds you reflecting back on a successful year. As 2014 draws to a close, we're pleased to highlight a few of our programs that provided the direct access to decision, policy and business news makers that our members have come to expect.
At our annual Insight to MENA: Welcome Reception, we were honored to announce an expansion of our Board of Advisors to include globally recognized and highly respected leaders including: Lee M. Tillman, The Honorable Adam Ereli, Cathy Easter, Jeff Miller, Edward A. "Sandy" Lowe, and David T. Seaton. We humbly welcome these accomplished executives and sincerely appreciate their input, participation and support.
I can assure you that our plans for 2015 will continue to deliver on our mission of making personal introductions, forming sustainable economic partnerships and generating international deals. Until then, please accept my personal best wishes for a safe and happy holiday season. |
Aida Araissi
Founder and CEO |
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Expansion of Board of Directors Strengthens Bilateral Chamber of Commerce |
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Lee M. Tillman |
The Honorable Adam Ereli |
Cathy Easter |
President & Chief Executive Officer
Marathon Oil Corporation
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United States Ambassador to Bahrain (former)
Vice Chairman
Mercury Public Affairs
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President and CEO
Houston Methodist Global Health Care Services
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Promoting Economic Collaboration Through Outbound Trade Missions |
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Bilateral Trade Mission Delegates Attend the
Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition & Conference (ADIPEC) 2014 |
UAE - November 2014 |
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November 2014 marked the latest in our Insight to MENA Trade Mission Series programming. Led by Chairman David L. Phillips and Advisory Board Member Ambassador Adam Ereli, this energy-focused business development mission began with VIP access to the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC) and ADNOC’s 2014 VIP Welcome Reception at Emirate's Palace, hosted by Bilateral Advisory Board Member His Excellency Abdulla Nasser Al Suwaidi, Director General and CEO of ADNOC. |
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Bilateral Chairman David L. Phillips Leads Meetings for Bilateral Chamber Delegates with
His Excellency Dr. Abdul Hussein Ali Mirza, Minister for Electricity and Water Affairs |
Kingdom of Bahrain - November 2014 |
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The Bilateral Chamber delegation, comprised of U.S. businesses from Texas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and New York, spent 6 days meeting with the region’s leading national oil companies including ADNOC, ADMA-OPCO, ZADCO, GASCO, BAPCO, GPIC, Qatar Petroleum and RasGas. In addition to these energy powerhouses, the program also included meetings with CEOs and senior leaders from ExxonMobil, Occidental Petroleum, and Maersk Oil and, of particular note, private sessions were also held with His Excellency Dr. Mohammed Bin Saleh Al-Sada, Minister of Energy & Industry, State of Qatar, and His Excellency Dr. Abdul Hussain Ali Mirza, Minister for Electricity and Water Affairs, Kingdom of Bahrain. |
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Working to Further Economic Ties With Emerging MENA Industries and Markets |
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The Honorable Deborah K. Jones
at the Libya Dialogue |
The Libya Dialogue |
U.S. Ambassador to Libya |
February 2014 |
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Even in the face of current struggles, emerging markets across MENA continue to afford ample avenues for investment and economic exchange. In 2014, we leveraged our unparalleled cadre of public and private sector relationships to deliver an expansive list of programs that fostered the knowledge exchange and interactive dialogue necessary for our stakeholders to enhance and expand their business interests in MENA countries including Libya, Iraq, Egypt, and Morocco.
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In February 2014, at the request of His Excellency Dr. Abdulbari Al Arousi, then Libya's Minister of Oil, and the Libyan Petroleum Law Review Committee, along with key support from The Honorable Deborah K. Jones, United States Ambassador to Libya, the Bilateral Chamber planned and executed a private three-day roundtable meeting focused on the development of Libya’s new petroleum law. Under the theme "Shared Destiny; Shared Responsibilities," The Libya Dialogue was a private, invitation-only forum that took place in Istanbul, Turkey. In addition to the Minister, the Petroleum Law Review Committee and Ambassador Jones, the landmark event hosted more than 90 chief and senior executives from the world's leading international oil companies (IOC's), oilfield service companies (OSC's), and law firms. This candid and interactive series of meetings served to lay the foundation for subsequent public-private forums and provided a framework of coordination between industry partners and Libya’s Petroleum Law Review Committee as Libya strives to craft a new hydrocarbons law that will be sustainable, transparent, and compliant with international standards. |
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Bilateral Chamber Founder & CEO Aida Araissi with Houston Mayor Pro-Tem Ed Gonzalez
and the Bilateral Chamber Delegation |
First Official U.S. Trade Delegation to Basra, Iraq
March 2014 |
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In March, Bilateral Chamber CEO Aida Araissi and Houston's Mayor Pro-Tem Ed Gonzalez led the first official U.S. Trade Delegation to Basra, Iraq. As a follow up to this historic visit, in October, the Bilateral Chamber, in coordination with the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Commerce's Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP), led an executive business delegation to Istanbul, Turkey for a series of business and consultative sessions with key Basrawi Governorate officials. |
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In addition, we held a very successful briefing on Egypt’s emerging oil and gas exploration featuring Dr. Sherif Mohamed Ahmed Sousa, First Undersecretary for Gas Affairs at the Egyptian Petroleum Ministry. |
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Additional opportunities focused on emerging markets included other very effective programs including an Executive Briefing with the U.S. Department of State Special Coordinator for Libya, Jonathan Winer (in Houston) and an open dialogue between more than 80 business and government leaders with a senior Morocco Trade Delegation (in Washington, D.C.) |
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Providing Subject- Matter Expertise and Timely Information |
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His Excellency Lukman Faily
Ambassador of the Republic of Iraq |
The Honorable Susan L. Ziadeh
Then U.S. Ambassador to the State of Qatar |
November 2014 |
May 2014 |
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Our 2014 Ambassador Insight Series provided current economic, political and security briefings from diplomats including The Honorable Susan L. Ziadeh, then U.S. Ambassador to the State of Qatar (May), The Honorable Michael Corbin, then U.S. Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (May), and His Excellency Lukman Faily, Ambassador of the Republic of Iraq to the United States (November). Through our Industry Insight Series, via a series of dialogues, roundtables and conferences, the Bilateral Chamber assembled expert industry leadership from various fields on topics including, but not limited to: healthcare (Global Health Briefing, October), energy (U.S. Deputy Energy Secretary Chris Smith Briefing, May), and water (WEFTEC, September). |
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Connecting Business with Opportunity |
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Ms.
Aida Araissi – Founder & CEO, Bilateral Chamber; Mr.
David L. Phillips, Chairman of the Board, Bilateral Chamber;
T.H.
Michael Corbin – U.S.
Ambassador to the UAE; T.H.
Annise Parker – Mayor, City of
Houston;
T.H.
Susan Ziadeh – U.S. Ambassador to
Qatar; Mr. David Seaton – Chairman & CEO, Fluor;
T.H. Sheila Jackson-Lee – U.S. Congresswoman, Texas
18th District; Mr.
Sultan Al Angari - Consul General of Saudi Arabia, Houston
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Offshore Technology Conference
May 2014 |
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Connecting Business with Opportunity at our 17th Annual MENA Welcome Reception at OTC. Highly regarded as the must-attend event during OTC Week in Houston, the evening was host to the largest single gathering of U.S. and MENA C-level energy executives assembled together on U.S. soil, under one roof. Leadership teams from sponsoring organizations such as ADNOC, ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, PwC, Oxy, and Marathon (among others), along with VIP guests, including numerous NOC and IOC Chairmen, Ministers of Energy, Ambassadors and other dignitaries, were welcomed by Houston Mayor The Honorable Annise Parker and enjoyed the awards ceremony wherein David Seaton, Chairman & CEO, Fluor Corporation accepted the Bilateral Chamber Visionary Leadership Award and The Honorable Susan Ziadeh was presented with the Goodwill Ambassador Award for her accomplished foreign service career, most recently serving as the U.S Ambassador to Qatar. |
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Launching New Initiatives |
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The Honorable Adam Ereli |
The Honorable Marcelle Wahba |
Sir Dominic Asquith |
Former U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain |
Former U.S. Ambassador to the UAE |
Former U.K. Ambassador to Libya |
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2014 also marked the launch of two new areas of programming designed to expand and enhance value for our stakeholders. Our Direct Insight
Call/Webinar
Series delivered first- hand insight directly from our international leadership network on contemporary topics surrounding U.S./MENA trade and commercial relations. Inaugurated with a webinar featuring Sir Dominic Asquith, former U.K. Ambassador to Libya, the series also included sessions led by Bilateral Chamber Advisory Board Members The Honorable Marcelle Wahba, former U.S. Ambassador to the UAE, and The Honorable Adam Ereli, former U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain. |
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21st Africa Oil Week Conference |
November 2014 |
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Additionally, we are very pleased to have successfully initiated our Insight to Africa series in 2014. This initiative, focused on sub-Saharan Africa, was launched based on specific input from our Board and key member companies. With Insight to Africa, our intent is to leverage the success we have earned across MENA in order to provide our stakeholders with fresh insight and access to the wide array of business opportunities and trends across the African continent. Our initial efforts included partnerships on the 21st Africa Oil Week Conference in Cape Town, South Africa (November) and leading a delegation to the inaugural Global African Investment Summit in London, UK (October), which featured participation from four sitting Heads of State as well as sitting Energy Ministers from Ghana, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, and Senegal. |
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Global African Investment Summit |
November 2014 |
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Fostering Dialogue through Educational Exchange and Student Leadership |
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TEACH Fellowship |
Model Arab League |
November 2014 |
February 2014 |
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Through a series of workshops, roundtable discussions and personal exchanges, our Education Insight Series took aim at increasing cultural respect, integrating STEM into early learning lifecycles, and closing the gap between traditional education and the needs of the global workforce. Through initiatives including our TEACH Fellowship program, our Model Arab League and our Education Round Tables featuring a wide variety of expert presenters from academia to private sector corporations and public sector officials, we are nurturing collaborative U.S. - MENA connections focused on developing our next generation of leaders. |
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Advancing Access to MENA-Based Programming and Projects |
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MENA Water Forum |
MENA Rail & Metro Summit |
Oman Projects Forum |
Abu Dhabi, UAE |
Dubai, UAE |
Muscat, Oman |
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In May of 2014, the Bilateral Chamber officially formalized an ongoing partnership with MEED. Known globally as the world’s leading resource for MENA business intelligence, this strategic relationship provides our members with discounted access to the region’s highest quality conferences and insight into the hundreds of specific projects and tenders that are featured during the programs. Our 2014 calendar of supported events included the MENA Water Forum, the MENA Rail and Metro Summit, the Oman Projects Forum, and the Abu Dhabi Energy, Industry & Infrastructure Conference. |
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A complete listing and more details on our entire calendar of 2014 Insight Series programs can be found here.
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