The event was introduced by Omar Ben Naji, Board Member of AmCham Kuwait, as he thanked the candidates for taking such strong interest in being part of the board, and he also commended the current Board of Directors for the efforts that were put forward by them which has enabled the organization to be active and continue its collaborative efforts with different entities since the past year. Ben Naji then ended his speech by introducing the Charge d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy, James Holtsnider.
Holtsnider thanked the chamber and spoke about the success of the Select USA Summit, which saw its largest delegation to date from Kuwait, as several were AmCham Kuwait Members. Holtsnider spoke about the success of the trade delegation and the increase of commercial relations between the US and Kuwait. To finalize the Embassy’s introduction, each of the Embassy section heads introduced themselves and spoke about what they do at the Embassy and how each of them collaborates with AmCham Kuwait and their members through different scopes in order to continue promoting the bilateral relations between the US and Kuwait, when it comes to defense, education, cultural affairs, tourism, commercial, political updates and the economic landscape which attracts investors bilaterally.
As their introduction was finalized, Dr. Arezou Harraf, Vice-Chair of AmCham Kuwait and Chair of the Nominations and Elections Committee provided instructions on how to vote, and then introduced each of the candidates of the Board, as each of them during their speech spoke about how each would be contributing to ABCK-AmCham Kuwait.
The running candidates were Mohammad Al-Ali, Managing Director at BRINKS, Omar Amireh, Chief Executive Officer & Head of Corporate Banking at Citibank, Amit Arora, Partner (Tax) of Ernst & Young, Amjad Omran, General Manager at NOV Kuwait S.P.C., Almas Buqammaz- Founder & Executive Attorney at Almas International Company, Anwar Almutlaq- VP Kuwait & Country Chair at Shell Kuwait, Fahad Al Obaid, Lawyer at ASAM Legal Consultant, Lawrence William Miller, Contracts Director at The Bridge Company, Mohammed E. Al Muail, CEO at Kuwait Resources House (KRH), Robert Boustani, Chief Executive Officer at KGL CR Kuwait and Gulf Link Transportation Company K.P.S.C. (KGL), Simon Khayat, General Manager at TAG Ltd. Catering & Supporting Services, and Pete Swift as an Individual Member.
Once the speeches were finalized, AmCham Kuwait took the time to recognize the event’s sponsors: Platinum sponsors and Champions Eastern United Company and Kuwait & Gulf Link (KGL), Gold sponsor: The Bridge Company, Silver sponsors: Crowne Plaza Al-Thuraya City, and Saudi Arabian Chevron, and Event Travel and Tourism Partner: IFA International Travel and Tourism.
The AmCham Kuwait team held a raffle for participants to finalize the evening. The Raffle prizes include three fruit baskets from Del Monte Fresh, a $1000 gift voucher for the finest services- NANOTECH- from KAF Group, a voucher for 120 minutes Royal spa treatment named ( AMRA rare Diamond Ritual)-Waldorf Astoria Hotel, cheese trays-snacking tables from the U.S. Cheese Guild, as part of the buffet, and the highlight of the evening: Airline tickets to the U.S. and Europe provided by IFA Holidays Kuwait.
To finalize, Members casted their votes into the Ballot Box, and the event was resumed with a buffet dinner, followed by live entertainment from Jamstart.
The election process was conducted in a fair, transparent, and democratic manner to ensure that all members had an equal opportunity to participate and vote. The newly elected board members will work closely with the existing team to implement the strategic vision and operational plans of AMCHAM Kuwait, and to promote trade and investment between the United States and Kuwait.
ABCK-AmCham Kuwait: Is a non-profit organization operating since 1985 and is composed of Fortune 500 corporations, small and medium-sized companies, and prominent business leaders and entrepreneurs, both American and Kuwaiti. ABCK-AmCham Kuwait has functioned as an advocate for American interests in the state of Kuwait. For More Information, please visit our website at www.amchamkuwait.org or follow us on the social media channel @abck1985
