Dubai International Chamber appoints three new board members

Omar Channawi, Yasser Abdul Malak and Khalil Yassine to help achieve the chamber’s strategic priorities

Dubai Chamber headquarters. Dubai International Chamber's three-year strategy is aimed at strengthening the emirate’s position as a major capital for global trade. Photo: Dubai Chambers

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, has issued a decree confirming the appointment of three new members to the board of directors at Dubai International Chamber.

Omar Channawi, Yasser Abdul Malak and Khalil Yassine will join the chamber’s board, where they will help to further attract foreign direct investment, support the international expansion of member companies and promote Dubai as a leading global business hub, the chamber said in a statement on Sunday.

Mr Channawi is currently Procter & Gamble's chief executive of the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa and general global export markets. Mr Malak is the chairman and chief executive for the Middle East and North Africa of Nestle Middle East, while Mr Yassine is the head of Unilever Arabia.

"I am confident that their capabilities and expertise will bring great added value to the chamber and support our strategic priorities," said Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, chairman of Dubai International Chamber.

Dubai International Chamber's three-year strategy for 2022-2024 is aimed at strengthening the emirate’s position as a major capital for global trade and a preferred strategic hub for multinational companies. The chamber’s strategy is closely aligned with the five-year foreign trade plan, which seeks to boost Dubai’s non-oil foreign trade to Dh2 trillion ($544 billion) by 2026.

Other key objectives of the chamber’s strategy include supporting the expansion of 100 companies from the emirate into priority overseas markets and working to further improve the business environment in Dubai, with a focus on attracting multinational companies to the emirate and encouraging them to list on the Dubai Financial Market.

As part of the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33), the emirate plans to become one of the top three cities by economic strength by 2033 and within the top four global financial centres.

The DFM and the Dubai Chamber of Commerce in March launched a programme to help regional private businesses grow and list on the local bourse, building on the momentum of the emirate’s booming capital market.

The chamber also leads the Dubai Global initiative with the goal of establishing a worldwide network of 50 commercial representative offices for Dubai across five continents by 2030.

The drive aims to attract foreign multinationals, small and medium enterprises, investors and international talent to Dubai by highlighting the emirate’s competitive advantages, sharing investment information and strengthening relations with overseas stakeholders.