By Rafiq Vayani
DUBAI: His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has issued a Decree confirming the appointment of three new members to the Board of Directors at Dubai International Chamber, one of the three chambers operating under Dubai Chambers.
Omar Channawi, Yasser Abdul Malak, and Khalil Yassine will join the chamber’s Board of Directors, where they will leverage their extensive experience to attract foreign direct investment, support the international expansion of member companies, and promote Dubai as a leading global hub for business and trade.
Mr. Channawi currently serves as the P&G CEO of Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa and General Global Export Markets. Mr. Malak is the Chairman & CEO Middle East and North Africa of Nestlé Middle East FZE. Mr. Yassine is the Head of Unilever Arabia.
Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Chairman of Dubai International Chamber, commented: “We are honoured to welcome three prominent business leaders to join the Board of Directors at Dubai International Chamber. I am confident that their capabilities and expertise will bring great added value to the chamber and support our strategic priorities as we prepare to write the next chapter in Dubai’s remarkable economic success story. We look forward to collaborating closely with them and all our board members to bring the wise leadership’s vision for the emirate’s vibrant future to life.”
Dubai International Chamber’s three-year strategy (2022-2024) is aimed at strengthening the emirate’s position as a leading capital for global trade and preferred strategic hub for multinational companies. The chamber’s strategy is closely aligned with the five-year foreign trade plan approved by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, which seeks to boost Dubai’s non-oil foreign trade to AED 2 trillion by 2026.
Other key objectives outlined in the chamber’s strategy include supporting the expansion of 100 companies from the emirate into priority overseas markets and working to enhance 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.
The chamber also leads the Dubai Global initiative, which was launched in 2022 by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council, with the goal of establishing a powerful global network of 50 commercial representative offices for Dubai across five continents by 2030. The initiative aims to attract foreign MNCs, SMEs, investors, and international talent to Dubai by showcasing the emirate’s competitive advantages, sharing investment intelligence, and strengthening engagement with overseas stakeholders.
