The UAE-UK Business Council is a high-level body co-chaired by H.E. Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh, UAE Minister of State, and Lord Udny-Lister, former Chief Strategic Advisor to the British Prime Minister. It met for the first time in September 2011 and has met twice a year ever since, alternating between the UAE and the UK. Membership of the Business Council is by invitation only and is focused at CEO or Executive Board equivalent level. Current members include ADNOC, Mubadala, BP, Rolls Royce, Barclays and PWC. The role of the Business Council is to: • Identify and recommend actions progressively to remove impediments to greater trade, investment and commercial links between the two countries; • Act as a catalyst for greater interest and linkages between the two countries’ commercial sectors from small and medium sized enterprises to multinationals; • Propose innovative areas of collaboration that would benefit both countries economically and commercially and could deepen the bilateral relationship and strengthen the partnership internationally; • Provide strategic advice to the two Governments as appropriate In order to make itself more effective, the Business Council is organised into a series of working groups. These take forward the ideas and suggestions of the Business Council as well as providing a voice to companies who are present in both the UAE and UK but who do not have a voice on the Business Council itself. The current working groups are: HEALTHCARE & LIFE SCIENCES ENERGY AND SUSTAINABLE GROWTH INNOVATION, FUTURE TECHNOLOGIES & THE 4TH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION, INDUSTRY AND INFRASTRUCTURE EDUCATION, VOCATIONAL TRAINING, SKILLS AND SOCIAL & CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT A Joint Secretariat, in consultation as appropriate with government colleagues, ensures the follow-up and implementation of the Business Council action plan in between the meetings and updates the co-chairs on the developments taking place. For any enquiries please contact us at info@uaeukbc.org
