ABCK-AmCham Kuwait held its Annual Thanksgiving Dinner on November 23rd at the Hilton Kuwait Resort’s Al Dorra Ballroom. This Annual Thanksgiving event was sponsored by Kuwait and Gulf Link Transport Company (KGL), The Bridge Company, Gulf Insurance Group (GIG), and EQUATE Petrochemicals Company (EQUATE), as well as the event’s Exclusive Airline Partner, KLM & Air France.
The dinner began with opening remarks from AmCham Kuwait’s Vice-Chair Dr. Arezou Harraf, who expressed gratitude to AmCham Kuwait Members for their consistent support over the years and spoke about the meaning of Thanksgiving and its significance during these times. Dr. Harraf also welcomed the guest of honor, Mr. James Holtsnider, U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission to Kuwait, and thanked the U.S. Embassy for their participation in this event. Consequently, Dr. Harraf thanked the U.S. Military men and women who were able to attend the event for their service and sacrifice, as she asked for a round of applause to honor them.
Following Dr. Harraf’s opening remarks, the U.S. Embassy’s Deputy Chief of Mission Holtsnider thanked ABCK-AmCham Kuwait for hosting the event and emphasized the friendly relationship between the United States and Kuwait. Mr. Holtsnider also took a moment to thank the U.S. military service men and women in attendance, as he spoke about what the holiday meant to him and shared the spirit of gratitude with guests.
Once the Awards Ceremony was finalized, AmCham Kuwait’s Vice-Chair and the U.S. Embassy’s Deputy Chief of Mission followed a long-time tradition and cut the Thanksgiving Turkey together, as dinner and entertainment followed.
To finalize the evening, the AmCham Kuwait team held a raffle. The raffle gifts included dinner invitations from the Hilton Kuwait Resort at their famous Teatro restaurant, fruit baskets from Del Monte Arabia, gift bags from Unilever, and the highlight of the evening- 1 airplane ticket to the U.S. and 1 airplane ticket to Europe from KLM.
Next, Mr. Yousef Dashti (Board Member), the Platinum Sponsor’s (KGL) representative, thanked everyone for attending the event and highlighted KGL’s work with the U.S. military as well as his appreciation for the service men and women for their efforts, and he thanked them for spending Thanksgiving with AmCham Kuwait.
Mrs. Paola de la Roche (AmCham Kuwait’s Acting Executive Director) honored the event’s sponsors as the evening proceeded, and awards were given by AmCham Kuwait’s Vice-Chair, Dr. Harraf. The first award was given to the event’s Exclusive Airline Partner, KLM & Air France, represented by Mr. Rajat Kumar (Country Manager) and his colleagues. The sole Silver Sponsor Award was presented to EQUATE Petrochemicals Company. The first Gold Sponsor award was presented to Gulf Insurance Group (GIG), represented by Mr. Khaled Khoursheed (Marine & Aviation Officer), and the second Gold Sponsor award was presented to The Bridge Company, represented by Mr. Fouad Rouh (CEO), and Mrs. Dana Majthob (COO). Finally, the sole Platinum Award was presented to AmCham Kuwait’s one of three Champions and Chairman’s Club Member – KGL, represented by Mr. Yousef Dashti (Board Member) and Mr. Sam Khatib (Chief Business Development Officer).
