24 April: On Wednesday afternoon, the UAESBC held its 6th Annual General Meeting. We were graced by the presence of our Patron, His Excellency Jamal Abdulla Al Suwaidi, UAE Ambassador to Singapore.
In attendance were members: First Abu Dhabi Bank, GlobalFoundries, Olam Agri International, Arab Bank PLC, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Global Schools Foundation, DBS Bank, Masdar APAC, Rotary Engineering, Emirates NBD, ENOC, Etisalat, Witthal International, Singapore Medtech Accelerator, Biszu, Lulu Money, Parallel Chain Lab, Sofitel Sentosa and more.
We would like to sincerely thank all our valued members, Executive Committee and strategic partners for attending and your commitment to the UAE Singapore Business Council's mission in fostering B2B connectivity between Singapore and the UAE. We are incredibly grateful for your support thus far!
Held at our office, Arcc Spaces at One Marina Boulevard, 44 members and strategic partners joined us in person and virtually via Zoom to discuss the UAESBC's activities in 2023 and plans for the year ahead.
Presenting the 2023 sub-committee reports were UAESBC Vice President, Mr How Chong Peng (Director and Chief of Staff for GlobalFoundries), UAESBC Secretary, Mr Ananth Ramachandran (Country CEO Singapore of First Abu Dhabi Bank), UAESBC Deputy Chair of Workshops & Seminars Sub-Committee, Mr Steve Wiesner (Partner, Singapore MedTech Accelerator), UAESBC Chair of Business Missions Sub-Committee, Mr Fahed Al Nuaimi (Director of ADNOC Global Trading Asia) and Honorary Auditor, Mr Alagappan Perianan (ACME Corporate Services).
2023 was a particularly busy year for the Council, with in-person events picking up post-Covid 19. Last year alone, the UAESBC boosted its membership from 95 in 2022 to 123 active members in 2023 spread out across all three categories: Corporate Sponsor, Ordinary Corporate and Individual membership. The Council also ran two successful business delegations to the UAE, focusing on the sectors of sustainability, renewables and cleantech. We are happy to report that 50% of the delegates have since set up offices in the UAE.
Addressing the audience, President of the UAESBC, Dr Brian Shegar, spoke on the Council's efforts and commitment to supporting Singapore companies' goals to invest in the UAE, crediting H.E. Jamal Al Suwaidi's patronage and the UAE Embassy in Singapore's dedication to the UAESBC's activities and facilitating the success of our members in both nations.
