New Opportunities for Businesses in the Middle East and the UAE

.Carmen James is the Financial Services and ICT Sector Lead at the Abu Dhabi Investment Office, and works with innovative companies worldwide looking to grow in the Emirate. An investment professional with a background in strategy and communications, investment advisory and private placement, she leads FDI origination and attraction in areas such as Asset Management, Commodity Trading, Fintech, Mobility, Media and more.

She holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Economics) from the University of Technology Sydney and is a Fellow of the RSA (UK) and a Member of the Worshipful Company of International Bankers (UK).

Mr. Edwin Lammers, Vice President Commercial and Business Development at Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi.

Coming from the Port and Industrial Zone in Sohar, Mr. Lammers joins Abu Dhabi Ports with over 20 years of experience in Logistics, Commercial and Operational Management, Maritime Logistics, Port and Free Zone Development across the GCC and Europe.

In 2016 he served as Corporate Development Manager at Florencis Group, a holding company for a group of logistics companies. In this role he was responsible for business strategy, developing reporting schemes and increasing customer service experience. In early 2016 he was also the Managing Director and Board Member at Progeco Holland, a company specialised in the running of containers and storage facilities throughout Europe, including Rotterdam, Antwerp, Hamburg, Bordeaux and Marseilles.

From 2015-2016 he was Director of Breakbulk at the Port of Rotterdam. In this role he was responsible for the development of the breakbulk segment, improving the handling infrastructure, attracting new cargo flows, re-routing cargo flows from competing ports, facilitating the growth of heavy lift/project cargo handling in Rotterdam.

From 2009-2015 he was the Executive Commercial Manager at Sohar Industrial Port Company, a deep-sea port and adjacent free zone in the Middle East. There he was responsible for the development of a port (both on the land as well on the marine side) and free zone in Sohar, Oman. Prior to this he was General Manager at Waalhaven Terminal BV, a terminal in the port of Rotterdam. In this role he was commercially and operationally responsible for the cost-efficient handling, storage and repair of containers for the customer base of international shipping lines.

A graduate of Grenoble Business School, Franck LADEGAILLERIE began his career in the automobiles international department of Peugeot, in charge of the development of the brand in the eastern Europe and CIS countries, before joining ABB Group in the field of maintenance developing outsourcing maintenance services in the industrial sector ( pulp & paper, automotive, beverage and aeronautics).

Franck, then moved to marketing & communication for Cospirit Group, in charge of developing media consulting services for the retail sector in Europe (Carrefour, Auchan, Leroy Merlin), before being appointed as Sales Director for the sportswear brand Sun Valley in charge of sales development in North America and Japan as well as for the retail brands Intersport, Decathlon and Sport 2000.

In 2005, Franck joined Assystem as Key Account Manager for large automotive and energy accounts such as Renault and Framatome. He then moved to Dubai in 2013 to develop international engineering activities in the Middle East, South East Asia and eastern countries including Russia as well as in Turkey.

Early 2018, Franck was appointed Managing Director of MPH, the manpower supply subsidiary of Assystem which is headquartered in Dubai.

Helene Daniel is an engineer with more than 25 years of experience within the industry at a global level (Australia, Russia, Uruguay and Argentina).
Her aptitude ranges from project management to communication and change management. Helene, who previously led large teams, megaprojects and large budgets for international companies, was appointed FBG executive director in December 2017.

Khalid Ahmed Mohammed AlMarzooqi is a seasoned business development professional with more than ten years of experience.
Since 2018, Mr AlMarzooqi has been the Director of Commercial Activities at Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (KIZAD), where he oversees KIZAD’s real estate division, Polymers Park, the business development section and the international business section. His remit includes creating and developing sales channels, strengthening the presence of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the zone, managing mega industrial projects and enhancing relations with government agencies.

From 2013-2018, Mr AlMarzooqi was a senior sales manager at the Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA), responsible for the Asia Pacific region, where he managed six overseas JAFZA offices. During his time with JAFZA, Mr AlMarzooqi attracted a raft of companies to the free zone, including several Global Fortune 500 companies. While at JAFZA, Mr AlMarzooqi also held the position of acting head of the business development department at DP World, where he managed KPIs, the budget and was the regional manager for Europe and America.

Mr AlMarzooqi holds a Master of International Business from Wollongong University in Dubai and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the American University of Sharjah.

Robin Vermaat has over 18 years’ experience in Freight Forwarding in the Middle East and Europe.

Over the years, he has been responsible for Supply Chain, Sales Management, B2B Sales, Marketing & Strategic Implementation.
Robin has worked in Iraq for 2 years and is in the UAE for 10 years where he built a wide network of business connections allowing him to create strong ties and business relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

He holds a bachelor degree in Commercial Marketing & Communications from the Netherlands