BBBF Autumn 2009

Registration number SBBB 492

From The Chair who have strong and historic business ties with the United Kingdom.

Dear Members, Welcome to the autumn edition of the BBBF magazine. I hope that you managed to get an opportunity to recharge your batteries over the recent Eid holidays and you are ready for the final quarter of another busy year. No doubt everyone will be watching very carefully, over the next few months, how the “green shoots of global economic recovery” impact the Middle East region directly through sustainable oil & gas prices and general exports/import volumes.

By the time you read this edition, we will have celebrated the admission of our 400th member. This is a great achievement and a true milestone which we should all be immensely proud of. We predicted at the start of 2009 that, despite the economic downturn, the BBBF would be an attractive proposition to many businesses new and old, large and small alike. The Committee will continue, in the final quarter of the year, to build on our solid membership base and seek to attract additional members, particularly from prominent Bahraini family business groups

This critical mass has allowed us to reinvigorate our Special Interest Group (SIG) initiative over the summer. Robin Watson has been appointed, by the Four Special Interest Group Leaders, as inaugural SIG Foundation Committee Chairman and the main liaison point with the ma i n B B B F Committee. The SIGs will be in contact with our members and have a number of planned gatherings and sector focus meetings in the coming months. The SIGs and their respective leaders are as follows: - Construction (led by Steve Sutton) - Finance and Insurance (led by DavidHalstead) - IT & Communications (led by Mick Jackson) - Security (led by Tony Palys) In September, the Chairs of the various British Business Groups (BBG) throughout the GCC met, in Muscat, to share ideas and discuss mutual cooperation. I felt privileged to represent the BBBF and I am pleased to announce a Reciprocal Memorandum of understanding. This will allow BBBF Members to attend any event held by another GCC based BBG, and also at the local member’s admission rate.

In November, we will be hosting three Chelsea Pensioners to mark Remembrance Sunday.

The Pensioners will be visiting a number of schools and clubs and they will also lay a wreath to commemorate fallen comrades. We will once again be teaming up with The British Business Association – Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia to hold a Poppy Ball, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Bahrain, on Thursday 12th November. All proceeds from the evening will go equally to the Royal Chelsea Hospital Building Fund and the Earl Haig Poppy Fund, which both offer support to retired servicemen and women.

A special mention also to our corporate sponsors, Standard Chartered Bank, who continue to be a great source of financial support and generous encouragement to the BBBF and the activities we undertake. I would also like to thank Dena, our energetic Administration Manager, and Natasha for their continued hard work and vast contribution.

We hope that you enjoy this edition and look forward to seeing you, and your guests, at the forthcoming BBBF functions – see Page 3 for details.

With kind regards Khalid Al Zayani Chair

Contents The 2009-2010 Executive Committee....... 2 From Her Majesty’s Ambassador..................... 3 Welcome to new members................... 4 Advertiser Index............... 5 BBBF Member Benefits.............. 6 Why join the BBBF?......... 7 Special Interest Groups.... 8 Financial SIG.................... 9 SIG (Security)................... 9 OSAC Conference..................... 12 Standard Chartered wins Best Bank Award.... 14 Financial News............... 16 Cash is King - an article from Ernst & Young........ 20 Air Industry News........... 22 BAE Systems opens new Bahrain office.......... 24 Bahrain has a new Ironman . ............. 28 Bahrain Construction Update....... 32 Medical News................. 36 North Pole Nas............... 38 Hotel News..................... 40 Bahrain News................. 42 RSA recycling initiative........... 42 Spectrum in Bahrain....... 44 PSG complete new office........ 45 British Club renovations underway.... 46 BMMI Sales Team awarded.......................... 49 Name change to for Heritage Kane........... 50 And Finally...................... 52 Cover Image: A Hawk 129 now in service with the Royal Bahraini Air Force. - see Page 24 Forum

BBBF Tel: +973 1781 3488, Fax: +973 1781 3489, Email: bbbforum@batelco.com.bh Bahrain British Business Forum, P. O. Box 10051, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain

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The 2009-10 BBBF Executive Committee

Chairman Khalid Al Zayani

Deputy Chairman Austin Rudman Mob: 3969-9475

Treasurer Patrick Dornan Mob: 3924-3739

Secretary Bill Frost Mob: 3963-5110

Member Rob Grey Mob: 3966-3452

Member Rebecca Eriksson Mob: 3953-6989

Member Jill Boggiss Mob: 3996-3026

Embassy Representative Rebecca Topping Mob: 3975-0496

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From Her Majesty's Ambassador disastrous. Everyone I spoke to had hopes for an improvement in the coming year.

August this year coincided with Ramadan and it was striking how many people changed the usual timings of their holidays to be in Bahrain. I am glad they did. Attending the round of Ramadan majalis is not only very enjoyable but gives me the opportunity to meet most of the leading figures in Bahrain, especially in the world of business. It also presents a good opportunity to compare notes with them.

The sentiment was almost universal: the past year had been tough but not

As is usual in the summer, there were fewer British visitors than at other times of the year. His Royal Highness The Earl of Wessex spent a day here recently to visit the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary and to meet His Highness The Crown Prince. I hosted a gathering of British Ambassadors from across the region in June, which gave those that had not been here before a chance to learn about Bahrain. We also discussed how we could better network our trade and investment effort across the region.

We are now gearing up for a busy schedule in the coming months. At the time of writing we are planning for visits by Lord Digby Jones, formerly Minister of Trade and now a UK Business Ambassador, in November.

Diary Dates Tuesday 20th October 2009 Speaker: Hilmy Cader (CEO of MTI Consulting) Venue: Golden Tulip Hotel Time: 12 noon for 1 pm Cost: Members BD12, Guests BD15 8th to 13th November 2009 Chelsea Pensioners visit Fish & Chip Supper Date: TBC Venue: British Club, 7pm

Part of his programme will be to open with the Minister of Oil and Gas GetEnergy, an event organised by a British company that brings together companies from the oil and gas sector and the training sector. The Lord Mayor is due here in February. Other Ministerial visits are in planning.

Other events in the coming quarter are visits by missions from Northern Ireland and the West Midlands and a major British presence at the World Islamic Banking Conference in December.

We see this as particularly important given that the UK and Bahrain are both international centres of sharia compliant financial activity. As last year there will be a British pavilion and two British events in the margins of the main conference.

Looking a little further ahead, there will be a strong British presence at the first Bahrain International Airshow in January. Rolls Royce, BAe

British Embassy Bahrain Systems, the Government’s Defence Sales Organisation and SBAC have already signed up.

The decline in UK exports to Bahrain compared to 2008 continued, down 9% up to May. I fear a drop was inevitable in the current economic climate. But just over the horizon we have the first deliveries of Gulf Air’s new Airbus 320s and after that of their A330s with Rolls Royce engines.

The autumn is always an especially exciting time of year in the Gulf as business accelerates after the Summer. This year, with all of us hoping that the world is starting its climb out of the doldrums, it will also be challenging.

Jamie Bowden British Ambassador

Thursday 12th November 2009 Poppy Ball (BBA / BBBF joint event) Guests: Chelsea Pensioners Venue: Crowne Plaza Hotel Time: 7pm Cost: BD30 mem. BD35 Non Mem Contact BBBF office for details and ticket sales Tuesday 17th November 2009 Speaker: Grant Howell (Charles Russell LLP) Venue: TBC Time: 12 noon for 1 pm Cost: Members BD12, Guests BD15 Thursday 10th December 2009 BBBF Golf Day and Xmas Dinner Venue: The Royal Golf Club Contact the BBBF office for details

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Vivian Abdulla Jamal Abdulla Director Business Development Bahrain EDB Tel: 1758-9969 Mob: 3942-4337 vivian.jamal@bahrainedb.com

Fergus Donaghy Associate Mott MacDonald Tel: 1758-6350 Mob: 3965-5021 fergus.donaghy@mottmac.com

Hamid Al Zayani Vice Chairman Al Zayani Investments WLL Tel: 1753-0808 Mob: 3966-6120 hrz@alzayani.com

Jon Earl Senior Vice President Financial Dynamics Tel: 1753-7072 Mob: 3930-0851 jon.earl@fd.com

Nawaf Khalid Al Zayani Deputy Managing Director Al Zayani Investments WLL Tel: 1753-0808 Mob: 3969-4003 nkrz@alzayani.com

Rohit Garg Head of Mid-Market Corporate Banking HSBC Bank Middle East Tel: 1756-9969 Mob: 3998-7130 rohitgarg@hsbc.com

Zayed Al Zayani Managing Director Al Zayani Investments WLL Tel: 1753-0808 Mob: 3976-0000 zrz@alzayani.com

Ajit George Country Manager Crown Worldwide Movers Tel: 1722-7598 Mob: 3990-8488 ageorge@crownrelo.com

Mahmood Ali Associate Vice President Financial Dynamics Tel: 1753-7072 Mob: 3996-8852 mahmood.ali@fd.com

Lijo George Associate Mott MacDonald Tel: 1758-6350 Mob: 3959-8797 lijo.george@mottmac.com

Caroline Clabburn Consultant Financial Dynamics Tel: 1753-7072 Mob: 3994-2702 caroline.clabburn@fd.com

Andy Marshall Managing Director Crown Worldwide Movers Tel: 00971 4 289 5152 Mob: 00971 506 559 181 amarshall@crownrelo.com

Welcome to New Members Dee Mc Guinness Director of Business Development Gulf Hotels Group Tel: 1774-6270 Mob: 3688-8221 dbds@gulfhotelbahrain.com

Christine Warren Partner Warren Macleod Tel: 1779-2689 Mob: 3996-8629 info@warrenmacleod.com

Miles Phillips Director - Advisory Sales Knight Frank Middle East Tel: 00971 4 431 1659 Mob: 00971 508 068 905 miles.phillips@me.knightfrank.com

Wallis Weir Managing Director D G Jones and Partners (ME) Ltd Tel: 1725-6826 Mob: 3931-1248 wweir@dgjonesme.com

Amanda Reeves Country Manager BMI Tel: 1713-3572 Mob: 3997-4384 areeves@bmi.com.bh

Boyd Winton Director BD Financial Service Bahrain EDB Tel: 1798-9932 Mob: 3991-0179 boyd.winton@bahrainedb.com

Gert Rieder CEO Bahrain Batelco Tel: 1788-5656 Mob: 3912-3333 ceb@btc.com.bh

Trevor Stokes Executive Director Bahrain EDB Tel: 1758-9912 Mob: 3997-0156 trevor.stokes@bahrainedb.com

Adam Sunderland Managing Director Truly Middle East Tel: 1751-4446 Mob: 3946-1800 adams@trulymiddleeast.com

Our thanks to all the advertisers in this edition of Forum.

Without their support, this issue would not have been possible. Please give them yours.

2Connect...........................................Inside Front Cover Allied Pickfords..................................................page 33 American Mission Hospital.................................page 36 AXA Insurance.................................. Outside Back Cover BAE Systems......................................................page 25 Best Western Hotel............................................page 40 Bahrain International Circuit........................ page 26+27 bmi..................................................................page 21 BMMI...............................................................page 48 British Club.......................................................page 47 British School of Bahrain....................................page 11 Budget.............................................................page 44 Crown Relocations.............................................page 35 Gulf Agency Co................................................page 13 Gulf Air............................................................page 23 Gulf Hotel........................................................page 41 Kane Group......................................................page 50 Mansouri Mansions...........................................page 45 Speedy Motors..................................................page 19 Standard Chartered Bank...................................page 15 TRA..................................................................page 39 TNT Express........................................ Inside Back Cover Forum

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Benefits for BBBF Members Benefits for all our members may be obtained on production of their Membership card at the concerned outlet. We would like to hear your feedback concerning these discounts. Please do not hesitate to offer your services to our members by contacting the BBBF office.

If any member has any difficulty obtaining a discount, please contact the BBBF office so we can rectify the situation.

Al Faris Auto Centre Special discounts on parts and services.

Contact: Yousif Eid Tel: 1787 7222 Email: yesadadi@batelco.com.bh

Dessange 15% discount to BBBF Members available until 31 Dec 09 Contact: Lucie Kaiser Tel: 1771-3999 Email: lucie@alghalia.com

Azrek Search Associates 20% discount on search and headhunting services.

Contact: Rory Adamson Tel: 1758 3885 Email: rory@azrek.com

Hasan Mansouri 10% discount to members at Mansouri Mansions Hotel and Country Club.

Contact: Karim Mansouri Tel: 1772 8144 Email: karim@karimmansouri.com

AXA Insurance 10% discounts to members on personal lines insurances. (excluding medical) Terms & Conditions Apply.

Contact: Stephen Wagstaff Tel: 1758 8222 Email: stephen.wagstaff@axa-gulf.com Bahrain Kuwait Insurance Company (BKIC) Special schemes have been arranged with Bahrain Kuwait Insurance Company (BKIC) for BBBF members for the following classes of insurance: House & Contents, Domestic Servants & Motor Insurance. Special terms are available on production of your membership card.

BFG Commercial Services Special Discounts available on current stock of Patio / Outdoor furniture & Area Rugs.

Contact: Lynne Biddle Tel: 1774 1484 British Club Entrance Fee waivered when booking Business lunches in the Ascot Restaurant. (pre-booking only) Group booking welcomed.

Contact: Reception Tel: 1771-3999 Conscious Connections 5% discount on Crystal Therapy and Awareness, 10% discount for group bookings and group workshops.

Contact: Julie Lomas Mobile: 3960 6712 Email: info@concious-connections.com DHL 25% discount from the cash tariff for any personal shipments being sent from Bahrain to anywhere in the world available on production of your membership card. Available until 31 Dec 09.

Contact Andy Broughton DHL Service Point locations: Umm al Hassam 1736 4100; Budaiya 1733 9696; Muharraq 1733 9609.

Morgan Price International Healthcare 15% discount on GlobalHealth Individual Insurance Plans on published rates.

Contact: Samy Ebrahim Tel: 1753 3151 or 3940 4160 Email: samyaziz@morgan-price.com National Hotel Services (NHSC) 5% on beers, 15% on wines and spirits with the exception of products already on special offer.

Contact: Ian Bricklebank Tel: 1781-5929 Email: nhsc1234@batelco.com.bh Royal Over-Seas League The Royal Over-Seas League has clubhouses in London and Edinburgh which include hotel-style accommodation. A quarterly journal issued to members free of charge. Reduced rates for BBBF members. Application forms for membership are obtainable from the Membership Secretary at: Royal Over-Seas League, Over-Seas House, Park Place, St James’s Street, London SW1A 1LR Tel: 0044 20 7408 0214 Fax: 0044 20 7499 6738 Email: fvanicek@rosl.org.uk Speedy Motor Services Discount of 15% on all servicing; maintenance; and repairs on all vehicles for all BBBF Members on production of their membership card when booking in their vehicle at our Isa Town Workshop. 20% discount on all self drive hire cars through Europcar.

Contact Stephen Connor. Tel: 17682999 Ext 228 Email: stephen@speedymotors.com The MakeOver Experience 10% discount to BBBF members on all individual and group courses, with occasional extra special offers and prize draws.

Additional discounts to BBBF corporate members for customised training courses.

Contact: Dr. Leila Edwards Tel: 1759 2019 Mob:3966 7623 Email: info@themakeoverexperience.com

This edition of the BBBF Forum magazine was compiled by Andrew Mead at Mead Management Services Ltd. email: andrew@sbtd.co.uk UK Mob: 0044 7940 559 925 KSA Mob: 00966 506 271 151 Bahrain Mobile: 00973 3638 7595 and produced in cooperation with Krishnan Surendran at Jumana House, Riyadh, KSA Tel 009661 402 4785 Fax: 00966 10 405 9861 If you would like to contribute to a future edition please telephone or send an email to info@sbtd.co.uk A full page advert is charged at BD300. A half page advert at BD180, A quarter page advert at BD100 A small panel at BD50 Please note: The BBBF nor its agents do not warrant the services of any of the individual or corporate members of the BBBF. The views and opinions expressed by independent contributors must not be regarded as those of the BBBF or its agents.

Publication of any article or advertisement does not imply any endorsement of the views, products or services described therein.

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Why Join The BBBF? BAHRAIN The Pearl of the Gulf has had a long standing relationship with Britain and is still a major trading partner.

BRITISH Trade with Bahrain is now subject to significant competition in this era of globalisation particularly from countries in Europe and from the USA.

Membership directories are distributed to members of visiting Trade Missions and are available to businessmen visiting Bahrain through the Embassy and business centres in five star hotels.

Simply click on “Sign Up” on our website www.bbbforum. org complete the application form and click submit. Sounds simple, it is, it must be worth it.

BUSINESS between Bahrain and Britain must be promoted in order for Britain to maintain its dominant position. The BBBF has been formed to help in whatever way it can to do this and through its close cooperation with the British Embassy seeks to promote exchange of trade and good relations between Bahrain and Britain.

Cost of membership Individual Membership: BD 50 per annum, with an additional BD20 once-only registration fee.

FORUM Is defined in the Collins English Dictionary as, “an assembly or meeting to discuss topics of public concern”. The BBBF provides through its monthly meetings a platform for networking amongst its members and the exchange and dissemination of useful business leads and opportunities.

In addition, in return for a modest subscription, members receive the benefit of inclusion in an annual directory describing the products and services they have to offer and a listing on the BBBF website again with a description of activities, contact numbers and useful links.

Corporate Sponsorships Three levels of sponsorship are available:

BBBF Membership Application Please complete the membership form and send it to: BBBF Administration Manager, Fax: (00973) 1781 3489, or Email: bbbforum@batelco.com.bh.

For further information call (00973) 1781 3488, Web site: www.bbbforum.org

Corporate Membership: BD150 per annum (up to 5 individuals) plus BD 40 for each applicant up to a maximum of 10, with an additional BD 50 once-only registration fee.

Platinum: BD 2500 each year for three years Gold: BD 2500 for one year Silver: BD 1250 for one year Sponsor packages include a variety of advertisement opportunities in the Membership Directory, the Forum magazine, the BBBF website and at the regular lunch meetings. Full details are available on request.

Corporate Membership please complete separate form for each applicant

Individual Membership

Company Name

Website address of business (if applicable)

Title and full name (Surname first)

Describe how you / your company contribute to substantial business interests in Bahrain (Maximum 150 words)

Position in business Nationality

Date of Birth

CPR Number Address of business (P.O.Box & Town) Business telephone Home telephone E-mail address

Facsimile Mobile

I agree to abide by the BBBF Constitution & Internal regulations.

Applicants Signature

Please note that the granting of individual or corporate membership is subject to BBBF Committee approval.

Date

Special Interest Groups Steve Sutton - SIG Head for Construction.

We will be approaching the British Embassy and the Economic Development Board for assistance or to even join the SIG Foundation Committee as there is a significant amount of synergy between these two organisations and the BBBF. Hopefully this will become the first of many articles about the Special Interest Groups [SIGs] where members can be more involved in their particular industry and promote themselves through this and other media. Currently we have four SIGs namely Security, Finance and Insurance, Construction and IT and Communication. As each group has a member who has been heading each of these groups for some time it has been decided to establish a SIG Foundation Committee which will be chaired by Robin Watson who will report to the BBBF Committee.

The SIG Foundation Committee Members are as follows: Robin Watson SIG Chairman Khalid Al-Zayani BBBF Chairman Austin Rudman BBBF Deputy Chairman David Halstead - SIG Head for Finance and Insurance Tony Palys - SIG Head for Security Mike Jackson- SIG Head for IT & Communications.

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The SIGs can draw on the support of the main committee for administration and press relations so that both existing and future Groups can be fully functional and make both the BBBF Members and the public aware of what the objectives are. The Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the BBBF have already given their support and want to be involved to promote the development of these Groups. At the same time forthcoming events can be more closely related to members who may like to take advantage of meeting visiting delegates, or attending conferences and workshops from a particular industry.

The SIG Foundation Committee will meet quarterly, and if other members wish to form their own SIG they should first contact any of the SIG Foundation Committee Members so that we can give any necessary support that might be needed.

At a recent Foundation Committee Meeting this and a number of other issues were discussed and everyone recognised there is a great deal of work that is needed to achieve what we are setting out to do,

including: • Administrative Support for articles and general administration.

• Accurate membership accounting, segregation, orientation and introductions.

(Meet & Greet) • Are we being proactive enough at Committee level in spreading the word and assisting the SIG’s.

• Embassy links need to be stronger and involved.

• T r a d e D e l e g a t i o n s (The right people for the right Trade Delegation) - With more emphasis on introductions at Embassy gatherings.

• Communications is key and everyone has to be kept well informed of what’s going on and what’s not going on.

• Possible speakers need to be sourced.

• More interaction with AmCham and other Business Networks here in Bahrain such as the Irish, Australian, German and French. A biannual pooled event would be a possible winner and I do believe that the Committee should be leading on this.

• C o n t a c t s w i t h o t h e r Middle East British Business organisations and SIGs need to be further developed, building on the reciporal Memorandum of Understanding we now have with several other Middle East BBGs. With regard to segregation of the Membership into Groups

the chart opposite shows the number of members who potentially fit into certain groups. Obviously there are too many groups to be effective and we will be writing to the membership to establish to which industrial classification each member feels he or she is closely related. For instance, we have a only a few potential members in Oil and Gas however there are a large number of consultants who are probably closely related to that industry and would benefit from being involved with that group. There is also a possibility that a member might take advantage of being in more than one Group.

Correct segregation will also help in establishing relations with other organisations, as mentioned above, including the commercial section of the British Embassy.

There is a huge potential for the SIGs as long as they are administered correctly and everyone is aware of what is going on. We are looking for members who would like to be more involved, therefore the SIG Committee will have a clearly defined approach to develop our strategy. We are still looking for ideas and hope that members will contact us sooner rather than later so we can revive the Special Interest Groups across a wider field and become more effective.

Please refer to the SIG Administrator (Natasha at the BBBF office) for any further information or contact details of the SIG Foundation Committee.

Robin Watson SIG Chairman

Financial Institutions Special Interest Group Whilst it has taken a considerable time to go public there is in place the infrastructure for a new group, which caters for all the members who are connected to the Financial Services Industries of Bahrain.

A formation committee has been assembled under the guidelines of the BBBF and comprises: David Halstead Dr Suzanne White Stephen Jenkins Stephen Wagstaff Robin Watson

All those recorded on the BBBF record of members who work in this field are most welcome to join the ‘FISIG’ and I suggest that you contact me via e.mail: david.halstead@ sicobahrain.com

Terms of reference are in accord with the requirement of the BBBF. These will be supplied to all joining members.

A meeting has been held with the Central Bank of

Bahrain to introduce the concept of the ‘SIG’. They were very pleased to learn about the group and it was emphasized that the concept is to support the various institutions, identify common themes for the good of Bahrain and the businesses. The BBBF main committee were requested to provide a written letter of confirmation to the Central Bank.

A copy of this note is being forwarded to all members, identified as being from the

Financial Sector, by e.mail.

I look forward to receiving your response e.mails!

David R.Halstead

Special Interest Group - Security jailed. His crime and rallying cry; throwing his shoes at a President! He has now been released.

Question – What will be the impact on the GCC and in particular Bahrain to the following snapshot?

Iraq The suicide bombings continue with a vengeance throughout the country especially close to high value targets, as the US & UK forces hand over responsibility of securing the nation back to the Iraqi Security Forces.

Difficult times ahead in getting agreement by all the concerned parties to work together. Strangely enough the only man who may have brought all the differing factions together for a few moments in time is

Afghanistan The elections are marred with fraudulent ballots and intimidation with the possibility of not having an actual democratically elected leader for some months to come. Will the country actually accept the new leader or will we see even darker days? The EU has some major decisions to consider “Do we go or do we stay for the long haul?”

Are the lessons of history coming back to haunt?

Iran Nuclear ambitions coupled with the outcome of the court cases relating to the demonstrations against the elections leave the world wondering who is actually in charge. Do we now see the Revolutionary Guards flexing their muscles and taking on a more powerful position as others with power see their positions weaken. [cont overleaf] Forum

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continued...Special Interest Group - Security

Jakarta Hotels remain a target so are we doing enough to secure our hotels whilst still being welcoming to one and all? A difficult judgment call ensuring that you hit all the right buttons from owners to the clients.

Saudi Arabia The assassination attempt on a member of the royal family Prince Mohammed bin Naif is shrouded in mystery especially as the delivery of the explosive device used has the worlds security services looking at ways to detect and to combat before the next target is in the air at 30,000ft.

Arrests and weapons / explosive finds continue with a recent checkpoint attack leaving two policemen wounded. Reports indicate that crime is up by 14% in

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the Kingdom with 21,395 cases relating to drug and alcohol related crimes with most of the distilleries being run by expatriates living in the Kingdom illegally.

Yemen The Yemeni government is facing numerous long-term challenges that will hinder the country’s ability to grow. The killing of four South Korean tourists by a suspected AQY suicide bomber will likely add to the difficulties confronting this sector.

Security challenges associated with the resurgence of al-Qa’ida in Yemen (AQY) and the ongoing separatist movement in southern Yemen are sending alarm bells ringing in Saudi Arabia, and beyond, with questions being asked about Iran’s possible involvement.

Bahrain Unfinished business in the courts with the alleged terrorist plot defendants who were arrested on 26th April, the day of the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix F1, top of the list; followed closely by defendants accused for allegedly murdering a policeman in a fire bomb attack on his vehicle.

Whatever happened to the survivor of the car bomb blast? A testing time ahead for the Judiciary and all those connected with these cases and of course the public alike.

Corporate Security The pace of change in the Financial World, due to the “crisis”, has been relentless everywhere and those who thought that we would be immune here in the GCC have had a nasty shock as regional economic concerns arose in the areas of: • Oil Dependency • Economic Diversification Underway • Stock Market Declines Despite the general conception, the Middle East has not weathered the current economic downturn unscathed. In fact, it’s become plainly evident over the last several months that the Middle East, like so many other regions, will experience a decline in economic growth over the next year. With this in mind the Security business went into overdrive especially in the area of Corporate Security where Security Managers and Consultants alike were trying to figure out how they could ensure that the companies that they worked for or advised could remain “secure in a global crisis”. This phrase was

picked up on and slightly amended to read “Staying Secure in a Global Crisis” and became the conference slogan and conference theme mentioned in another article.

The impact this had on the region has resulted in an increase in such issues as: • Cyber crime • Financial and Banking Crimes • Tourism Sectors Faltering • Limited Worker Remittances • Expat Job Losses The local response to the global economic downturn has varied throughout the world resulting in the uncertainty and fear that accompanies the loss of one’s livelihood and has manifested itself in various forms such as civil unrest, boss-napping and narco trafficking. Here in the Middle East, we’ve seen an increase in the number of cyber and financial-related security threats, which often target unsuspecting victims through a variety of schemes.

Non-lethal forms of financial malfeasance have increased throughout the region, particularly in the Gulf States of the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. ATM skimming, bounced cheques, loan and credit defaults have risen dramatically over the past year. The Dubai police department recorded over 16,000 financial-related cases in Q1 2009 compared to an estimated 8,000 financial-related cases in Q1 2008. Dubai police have also detained 574 expatriates and local Emirate citizens for various financial crimes, including bounced cheques

and loan and credit card defaults.

BBBF SIG (S) Since our last article back in the Spring 2009 edition our partnership with the Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) remains strong in all areas with links being developed or strengthened with both the UK & US Embassies, American Chamber of Commerce for Bahrain (AmCham) and other similar organisations in and around the Region. We have also seen an increase in the number of members joining our group from the Eastern Province, due to either their firms having interests or investments here or having their families living here.

During the past six months or so we have held several formal meetings; the

Welcome Gatherings; the Middle East Conference and Networking Gathering.

We are very grateful to the following for their support, professionalism, venues and excellent catering: • Gulf Air Club – Council Meeting 25th March – Attendance 53 • Gulf Hotel – Council Meeting – 20th May – Attendance 57 • Ritz-Carlton Hotel – Middle East Conference 7-9 June - Attendance 173 • Gulf Hotel – Welcome Gathering – 23rd June – Attendance 42 • British Club – Network Gathering – 9th Sept – Attendance 67

We also had the pleasure to accept an invite to visit the USS Eisenhower and our thanks go to the Regional Security Officer at the US Embassy Lance Bailey.

Meetings Our meetings continue to cover: • Regional and Local Security Updates • Crime & Safety Reports • Commercial Interests • Support & Sponsorship • Training Guest Speakers spoke on the following topics: • Counter-Terrorism and Extremism Liaison Officer (CTELO) Scheme • Personal Protective Measures • Guards Training School

General Discussions / Food for Thought: • Internet Clamps on Websites • Support to both the BBBF & AmCham • Company & Staff Orientations • Compound Thefts & Compound Security • Travel Warnings & Travel Management • Communications • Traffic Statistics • Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery For further information please do not hesitate to contact Tony Palys on apalys@investcorp.com

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Overseas Security Advisory Council Middle East Regional Conference 7-9 June 2009 “Staying Secure in a Global Crisis” Co-Hosted by The Country Council of the Kingdom of Bahrain & The Country Councils of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia .

Sponsored by ABB, Almarai Dairy Chevron ME, Conoco Phillips, Gardaworld, GPIC, IMTAS - ISD, Janusian,Kalaam Telecommunications, NCIS, Mohammed Al-Ghamdi Bros Co, Olive Group, OSAC Kuwait, SABB, Saudi Chevron Phillips, Top Dog. Supported by: American Chamber of Commerce, The Bahrain British Business Forum & Oxford Analytica.

The conference took place at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel during the period 7-9 June where we were afforded the highest level of support, professionalism and friendly approach throughout the planning, execution and close. The General Manager Bernard Viola and all the Team went that extra “mile” which was appreciated by all those attending as the excellent feedback bears testimony to.

The event brought together 173 delegates, speakers and support staff from all over the world who have interests in the Middle East including Head Quarters Staff from Washington who teamed up with the co-host organising staff from Bahrain and KSA of which the BBBF was well represented.

Administrative support to the conference came from both the US & UK Embassies, Oxford Analytica, AmCham 12 Forum

Conference Dinner, Knowledge Café, Island Tours, Awards and a Farewell BBQ.

and the BBBF which was greatly appreciated by one and all. We were also supported by Arthur D’Souza who acted as our Events Manager and produced the magic of audio / visual, which coupled with the Administration Team, went a long way to ensuring that the event had that professional touch throughout the three days.

The conference delegates were welcomed by the Chairman Nicholas Galbraith; OSAC Deputy Executive Director, Mike Limpantsis; Christopher Henzel, Charge d’Affaires US Embassy and Jamie Bowden, the British Ambassador.

Sponsorship is well documented on the website and in individual communications but the list is mentioned in the conference heading above. Without the likes of GardaWorld and GPIC, who were in fact our top financial sponsors we would never have achieved the success that we did.

Presentations included:

Our keynote speaker was Sir Peter Clarke, former Deputy Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police and former head of UK CounterTerrorism.

His presentation was titled “21st Century Counter Terrorism – Getting Ahead of the Threat” which is available for delegates, as are most of the other presentations, on the OSAC Middle East Council Website http://middleeast.osac.gov The format of the three days included a Cocktail Reception, Presentations,

• Terrorism-Current al-Qa’ida Threats & Managing the Threat, • Security Implications of the Global Economic Situation, • Personal Security, Due Diligence and Crisis Management • Country Specific Issues • Illicit Trade • Kuwait City Joint Combined Security Exercise • Sector Security Issues • Piracy The conference was brought to a close by Mary Hackman the Senior Regional Coordinator OSAC. If anybody would like further information regarding the conference content please do not hesitate to contact the Conference Secretary at osac.meconf.2009@ googlemail.com

Standard Chartered Wins Best Foreign Bank 2009 at the Banker Middle East Industry Awards Held under the patronage of the Central Bank of Bahrain, the 8th Annual Banker Middle East Industry Awards recently took place at the Gulf Hotel, Bahrain.

Standard Chartered Bank was nominated and won ‘Best Foreign Bank in the Region 2009’ award.

Shayne Nelson Regional CEO Standard Chartered Bank MENA said: "This win is another prestigious addition to our rapidly growing tally of awards for the year, highlights our success story and is testament to our strong performance not only at a Group level, but also across the Middle East.

Our MESA 2009 half year results have seen strong growth which is a result of a number of record months in the first half. The award is a collective win for the Bank which reinforces our strategy to continue focusing on our customers

and deepening relationships with our stakeholders."

MESA income increased 29% driven predominantly

by Wholesale Banking, which experienced income growth of 51 per cent to $806 million. The Bank’s MESA Consumer Banking income was $337 million, demonstrating continued revenue momentum in line with the same period for 2008, in spite of the difficult market conditions.

The winners of the Banker Middle East Industry Awards are chosen in an open vote.

Only registered readers of Banker Middle East and subscribers to CPI Financial newsletters are eligible to vote. Thousands of senior executives in financial institutions throughout the MENA region voted over four weeks. Their decisions on the winners were based on institutions'

overall performance based on results, innovation, improvement and growth over the last 12 months.

Jonathan Morris Chief Executive Officer Bahrain who accepted the award on behalf of the Bank, said: "This award is a fantastic achievement and is a further acknowledgement by our peers of Standard Chartered’s outstanding

performance in 2008 and the continuing confidence which they have in us."

Another big winner this year has been Standard Chartered Saadiq, the Bank’s Islamic banking unit which has won more than 20 awards already including Euromoney’s ‘Best International Islamic Bank 2009 Award’.

Standard Chartered Bahrain celebrates 24 Nationalities Standard Chartered Bank recently celebrated our staff at the staff annual party themed “Celebrating 24” in recognition of the 24 nationalities in the Bank. As a global bank, the variety of markets in which we do business makes us inherently diverse. Our success is made possible by our utmost important asset that is our people and the broad range of talents that they bring to the Bank.

The annual staff party held at the Ritz Carlton Hotel was attended by over 600 staff and their partners. The dinner event was filled with fun and exciting activities based on the 24 nationalities.

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Financial News Group Life gave a detailed presentation on Medical SME and Large Corporate and took the opportunity to explain how the platform operates. The subject of Life and the future plans for life were also covered.

The quiz winners were:- in third place Mr. Adam Knights from AF Willis Bahrain, in second place Mr. Isa Al Rashed from Insure Direct and in first place Mr. Ramier Valles, also from Insure Direct.

The presentations were followed by a question and answer session and the results of an AXA quiz which had been given to the guests on their arrival.

The event which took place at the Sheraton Hotel was attended by representatives of 16 companies and was a great success.

Diners Club introduces business expense management solutions

cheque to Diners Club, driving process savings to their bottom line.

New BBBF member Amanda Reeves writes to tell us that Diners Club Services Bahrain is pleased to introduce its latest offering the Diners Club Business Expense Management Solutions Package, aimed at covering business expenditure related spend requirements with a range of tailored solutions for both companies and its employees.

Under traditional procurement methods, approximately 36% of the total cost of order processing is associated with billing and payment. BPS simplifies this process by enabling you to consolidate expenses and make one payment, reducing the costs associated with billing and payment by up to 96%.

Mr. Mubarak drives away the Standard Chartered luxurious Lexus ES350

AXA Bahrain thanks its brokers On the 25th May 2009 AXA Gulf held a product update event for its brokers.

Before giving an overview of the AXA Group and AXA Gulf, Steve Wagstaff, Country Manager, welcomed and thanked the brokers for their business.

covered, amongst other topics, ACS Marine and Large Risks, Marine Cargo/ Net Cargo – appetite for Marine Hull, Mega Yachts, Sail Master Plus and new logistics products. He also showed the members of the team and explained what they do.

Pedro Mairos, Marine Development Underwriter, gave a presentation which

Edouard Lesellier, Regional Corporate Offering Manager – Health &

One part of its unique package of solutions is the Business Purchase Solutions (BPS). BPS is a simple centralised billing programme aimed 16 Forum

at covering all routine expenses of companies.

With BPS, customers pay just one bill per month for a range of different expenses and enjoy up to 45 days free credit. BPS is designed to streamline every step in the purchasing process, while providing the information necessary to manage spend on a global basis. BPS helps simplify the billing and payment processes.

Instead of receiving separate invoices from multiple suppliers requiring accounts payable department to issue numerous cheques each month customers will now only have to write one

Diners Club BPS Program can help companies improve contract compliance levels by driving spend to preferred suppliers through flexible front-end and back-end controls.

Standard Chartered Bank Bahrain recently announced the winner of the first 2009 luxurious Lexus ES350 car, under their Standard Chartered Dream Account 2009 campaign. The lucky winner was Mr. Mubarak Ahmed Abdulla Al Haji. This is the first of the four Lexus ES350 cars being given away since the launch of the new campaign early this year.

Charles Russell LLP appointed as external administrator of Awal Bank B.S.C. The appointment was made by the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) on 10 August 2009 in its statutory capacity as the banking regulator of the Kingdom of Bahrain. The appointment of a law firm as external administrator was seen by the CBB as both appropriate and cost

effective given the number of legal cases the bank is either already involved in, or likely to become involved in.

Clive Hopewell, head of Charles Russell’s Middle East office, and James Hyne, head of Insolvency

& Corporate Recovery, are leading the administration process with significant support from Charles Russell’s other offices in the UK and Geneva. The firm is also being closely assisted

by Baker Tilly Restructuring and Recovery LLP.

Charles Russell is delighted to be able to assist the CBB in this matter. We recognise the wide interest in the administration of Awal, and the fact that there are numerous stakeholders in various jurisdictions who have an interest in the process.

Arab Financial Services confirms The Bahrain Association of Banks platinum sponsorship of the 2009 launches The Bahrain Banker The Bahrain Association all service providers to GCC Cards Summit Bahrain Arab Financial Services (AFS) has shown their commitment to the Cards sector and the Kingdom of Bahrain by confirming participation as Platinum and lead sponsor of the 2009 GCC Cards Summit 21-22 October Ritz Carlton Hotel Bahrain.

The Summit is the first regional cards forum to be held in Bahrain and will focus on future strategies to make tomorrow’s card businesses leaner, more efficient and profitable. The Forum has attracted a very strong line up of speakers from around the world with keynote addresses from EDB, Citibank and AFS.

summit and look to some stimulating discussions in this congregation of the opinion leaders of the payment card industry. AFS is committed to the payment card industry in the region for over two decades and we welcome and encourage initiatives like the GCC Cards Summit which can shape up the future of payments in the region”

‘’We are delighted to have AFS on board as a strategic partner for the Summit.

The AFS address on the benefits of outsourcing will be one to watch out for during the Forum’’, states Premal Patel, Executive Director Veritas Investments organisers of the Summit.

The Cards Summit will provide practical solutions to improve overall performance of card product strategies. With the strategic, optional master-classes scheduled for Thursday 22nd October focusing on Sales & Service, Risk Management and Reputation Management the Summit is focused on helping the industry players beat the current economic conditions. ‘’Working alongside AFS we are confident the Summit will deliver what the industry is looking for to create the next generation card business’’, Patel concluded.

Mr. Shankar Sharma, CEO of AFS said “We are happy to be partners in GCC Cards

Details of the cards summit can be found on www.gulfcardsummit.com

of Banks (BAB) has announced the launch of the first banking magazine in the Kingdom of Bahrain – The Bahrain Banker.

The magazine will include articles, interviews and features demonstrating thought leadership for business today. Key contributors will include Bahrain’s senior banking professionals, economists, legal and compliance professionals, senior management from the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB), as well as specialists on important financial topics such as Islamic banking.

The inaugural edition of The Bahrain Banker will be published at the end of November and distributed at the World Islamic Banking Conference in December. Thereafter, it will be published quarterly, with editions in the spring, summer, autumn and winter. ‘’We are very proud to launch such a high quality, focused magazine in Bahrain and believe it has a winning formula to engage the banking sectors, members of The Association and

the sector. It is the right time to launch The Bahrain Banker as we all plan 2010 strategies and rebuild the industry to make it stronger, leaner and more efficient.

No other publication like it exists in Bahrain today,’’ said Mayank Malik, Chairman of the BAB and CEO Citibank Bahrain. ‘’This will not be a trade magazine. It will be thoughtprovoking, with articles and features contributed by professionals in Bahrain’s banking sector.

We will, therefore, offer a better quality read than is currently available. We plan to demonstrate the sector’s professionalism and maturity, given that the Kingdom of Bahrain has the longest and most advanced history in banking in the region,’’ said Robert Ainey, CEO of the BAB. The main aim of the magazine is to promote Bahrain’s banking sector worldwide in a cost-effective way through alliances with the Economic Development Board as well as other international banking associations.

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Financial News Why MTI Middle East Matters to Banks home, their very wellbeing is dependent on the remittances; hence the services the migrants receive are crucial.

The impact of the Launch of MTI Middle East in May in Bahrain on the Gulf press and the response from money exchange houses, mobile telcos and prepaid card companies – and in particular the newest players in the remittance market, banks, tell its own story.

It demonstrated the strong interest of a high level global trade association dedicated to the support, promotion and development of the remittances and payments sector.

The reason is powerful.

Globally remittances and payments are worth an estimated $1trillion a year, taking into account the recorded and informal sector.

In the Gulf remittances sent home by the migrant workforce of all levels is currently running at around US $30b a year: made up of US$14.9b from Saudi Arabia, US$10b from the UAE; and substantial sums from Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Oman. The financial crisis has had an effect, but broadly the remittance market has shown resilience. In any case, as the market picks up, so will the remittance levels.

For the families back 18 Forum

Apart from the established routes of money transfers, there is also the vast cash and informal sector, making up at least 54% of transactions, and most likely much more. Most migrants do not have bank accounts.

A serious challenge to the service providers is the reality that the informal cash transfers are equal in volume to the recorded sector. In short, a market to be accessed – and as yet, untapped.

Challengers to the informal sector are now coming from banks. In just five years when retail banks took no interest in the remittance market, today a new outlook has emerged.

Banks are waking up to the fact that remittance senders are good business.

There is no risk. It is cash in hand. With appropriate management, banks can do well in providing user friendly and accessible services which are cost effective.

In terms of volume, the business is worthwhile as banks are now discovering.

More than that, they are discovering that by being creative in their serviced delivery they are drawing customers away from the informal sector.

Leading examples must be the ICICI Bank who provide bank accounts and a free remittance service (relying on profiting from the

By Lady Olga Maitland CEO

exchange rate and a high volume of transactions).

Hard on their heals is the Bank of Baroda who have gone one step further. In a bid to attract new custom away from the informal sector, they open their doors 12 hours a day – and include Friday as well.

In just a matter of months this year, the Bank of Baroda in Dubai have seen a significant upsurge in custom from migrant workers. As their General Manager Ashok Gupta has said,’This has been very good for us.’

CitiGroup took another approach. They bought Quickpay, the money service business in India and integrated it into their mainstream organisation albeit as a separate product.

In Africa, banks all over the continent are now actively engaged in the remittance market.

So why not Bahrain banks?

It is surely only a matter of time before they open their doors and actively seek the remittance sender.

One reason why there has been such a demand for the services of Money Transfer International is to provide a sounding board and support for this market. We became aware of the need to create a truly global trade association – taking steps which had never been done before. In reality this was a response from the industry itself.

As a trade association, it is important we demonstrate

that we are run by the trade and for the trade – with no partisan interests. In short totally product neutral. And above all a member run global trade association.

Our Mission is to dedicate ourselves to promote best practise, and serving both the deliverer of the service and the remittance recipient.

It is certainly time to speak up for the remittance and payments sector as an honourable institution promoting value and total professionalism.

The way we have done this is to establish a high level and credible MTI Board of Directors with legal responsibilities to ensure quality of performance. The key is to have powerful and transparent governance, thus building the all important trust and confidence in the profession.

Hence, MTI has as Lead Adviser Marcus Treacher, head of e-commerce, Global Cash Management HSBC supported by Ken Howes, director, Edgar Dunn.

The Board of Directors are: Vanessa Murden, Executive Vice President, Global Payments, Travelex Pieter Heyn, Director, Global Financial Services Manager, Emerging Markets, SUNmicrosystems.

Neil Burton, Director, Product Service Strategy, Earthport

In broad terms the MTI Board will grow and diversify as Corporate Members join, accepting the legal responsibilities but also enjoying the role in guiding policy and development of MTI world wide.

Alternatively members may choose a position on the Global Advisory Board, which will assist and advise the Main Board and have close and regular relations with them.

Regional Corporate Members will give leadership to the Regional Directorate of MTI. They will also be advisers to the Main Board of Directors.

Finally there will be Honorary Patrons (Presidents/Vice Presidents) to support the regions. They will be

high level achievers and principal leaders in the remittance and payments sector, whose guidance and insights will assist in the development of the industry.

From all this develops the global structure of MTI, as promised at the Inauguration Conference.

MTI West Africa is now well established under the leadership of the Director, Christian Udechekwu.

MTI Middle East is headed by its Director, Premal Patel, based in Bahrain.

Other regional directorates are in the process of being developed; namely in the Maghreb, Asia (Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore), South Africa, China, India and Eastern and Central

Europe. Further down the road for 2010 will be Mexico and then Latin America.

Our Agenda is of the highest level. It is to promote best practise, monitor trends, develop an accreditation scheme, embrace the informal sector, promote fi n a n c i a l i n c l u s i o n , develop good anti-money laundering practise (and by this work closely with the regulatory authorities), and above all, lobby the interests of all players.

To serve the industry, we have created on on-line newswire giving up-to-date information on the sector worldwide, a quarterly News Bulletin providing solid background data and interviews with leading practitioners, publishing research papers and setting

up seminars to study them eg. MTI is publishing a paper on Mobile Payments on June 30 th supported by a half day conference.

Such research is vital for the strength of the profession. There will be an Annual Global Summit with this year’s taking place in London on 10th and 11th November.

CONCLUSION Money Transfer International works because of the credibility of the people who have made it possible.

A strong and professional Board and Advisers have been key to ensure that the remittance and payments sector has the respect and support that it deserves.

In the end MTI has been given the trust to serve.

We will do our utmost to honour that.

“Cash is King” Tips on improving working capital from Ernst & Young At Ernst & Young, we hear this all the time. If - like many other organisations in Bahrain and across the GCC - you are experiencing liquidity issues, you will know that this is true.

However, finding cash is not always straightforward.

Sometimes looking outside the organisation for financing is not possible. Recent experience has shown that it might not even be necessary.

By focusing on working capital, short-term cash flow forecasting and rapid cost reduction, you should be able to create action plans that liberate cash, analyse situations where things can be addressed quickly and ‘handbrake’ cost savings in overlooked areas of operations.

Understanding your cash position is important at any time but in today’s markets there are a number of critical areas for companies to address. Start by taking a very close look at your working capital and see if cash can be liberated from your books. Take a look at how you pay for goods, how you get paid and how you work out what you will need to fulfil your orders.

Companies – particularly in this region – tend to have a relatively high staff turnover and so do not have a particularly clear collective memory of the last time the economy was quite so challenging. As a result, you may well have procedures in place that were designed for different times. Are you 20 Forum

being paid promptly? If not, find out why. Perhaps you don’t follow up well. Or are you dealing with the wrong people? Sometimes the issue is one of processes rather than people. Do you have an issue in your process? If yes, where?

If you always pay on time and have a good credit history, can you ask for more generous terms from your suppliers? There will be many ways that you can be smarter about your working capital.

and that will help keep your business afloat. Focusing on cash management can be very useful in decision making. Assess transactions based on their impact on your cash flow. Concentrate on the here and now. Use this discipline to gain control of your costs and ensure that this is something that becomes second nature.

Perhaps most importantly, measure your effectiveness regularly – and act quickly if the effectiveness of your disciplines starts to slip.

Cash management disciplines are vital to the health of your business, not just to improve cash flow but to understand the fundamentals of your business. There are many reasons for adopting better practices. The organisation – and the people in it - will quickly learn to concentrate on the things that matter

By developing a real understanding of your short term cash flow, you will be able to spot areas that can be addressed easily. If you need to put the brakes on your costs, have a very hard look at your operations.

Identify areas where you can use the organisational “handbrake” to reduce costs immediately. There

are a lot of costs that are discretionary. Having a hard look at your general and administrative costs may be very valuable.

If you address these areas you will help to focus your people on what matters and on the areas that ensure your longer term success.

You will release working capital into your business without the need to look outside for financing. You will once again have a firmer control over the destiny of your business. Use the stress pendulum below to calculate your current position – and then think carefully about your next steps.

For further information please contact Tom Gilbert Tel: 1751-4750

Air Industry News Citibank N.A & Gulf Air Announce Joint Promotion Citibank N.A. and Gulf Air unveiled a first-of-its kind promotion in July in which Gulf Air Frequent flyer programme (FFP) members will be rewarded with FREE miles for investing in Citibank products. This unique offer enables Gulf Air Frequent flyer members to access Citibank’s range of world class investment options and also get rewarded with free miles that are linked to the amount invested with Citibank. These miles can then be redeemed for upgrades or free tickets to any of the locations that Gulf Air flies.

Speaking at the occasion, Citibank Bahrain CCO Mayank Malik said, “We re-invent ourselves by constantly aspiring to achieve new benchmarks in terms of our performance, products and deliverables”.

He further stated, “We are in a position to leverage on our global strengths, strong business positioning, unrivalled scale and efficiency, powerful branding

and the broadest product offering for the benefit of our customers in Bahrain.

Our partnership with Gulf Air further re-affirms this objective. We have timed this promotion with the summer travel season to maximize the value to our clients.”

Gulf Air Director Customer Services, Mrs. Ruth Birkin added, “Gulf Air is pleased to join hands with Citbank in this promotion, which is a winning combination.

With this joint promotion, our FFP members will have access to a host of Citbank’s investment products while earning more miles when they invest.” “ O u r F r e q u e n t fl y e r programme, which was launched more than a decade ago, is an award winning customer-oriented incentive programme offering generous loyalty r e w a r d s a n d b e n e fi t s to our customers. With enhanced features of our FFP, members can access their account online at their

convenience, check their statement, redeem miles and add family members at any time of the day or night,” concluded Mrs. Birkin.

banking arm of Citi, has had a presence for the past 18 years, and is expanding its major operations within the country.

Also present at the occasion were Mr. Navneet Kampani, Consumer Business Senior and Mr. Zuzar Mandarwala, VP & Product Head, Citibank Bahrain.

Citibank Bahrain is a top provider of Wealth Management solutions and has a comprehensive suite of products & services that include innovative Structured Notes, Mutual Funds, Islamic investment options, Hedge Funds, Multi-Manager funds, Unit Linked Insurance plans and CitiBest Current Account that pays market leading interest rates.

Citi has been in the Middle East for nearly 50 years and currently offers consumerbanking services in Bahrain, UAE and Egypt. In the Kingdom of Bahrain alone, Citibank, the consumer

New Etihad first class suite enters service there is also a large changing room with a full length mirror, wash basin and leather fold-down seat allowing customers to freshen up at any time during the flight.

Etihad Airways has introduced its new first class suite into service. The new product on board the airline’s latest Airbus A340-600 is now operating between Abu Dhabi and London 22 Forum

Heathrow. The state-ofthe-art private suite provides first class customers with an extra-large leather seat, which extends to a fully-flat bed, 80.5 inches in length.

Within the first class cabin

“The new suite is state-ofthe-art in every way and the innovative enhancements, such as a personal illuminated wardrobe with mirror and refreshment cabinet, demonstrate our continued commitment to provide a world-class experience for our premium passengers,” stated James

Hogan, Etihad Airways’ chief executive.

A second A340-600 with the new suite will join the fleet shortly. Etihad Airways will take delivery during the next two years of a further five Airbus A330-300 aircraft configured with the new first class suites. The first of these new aircraft is due to arrive in December 2009.

The airline will also retrofit nine Airbus A340 aircraft by December 2010.

Air Industry News BAE Systems opens new office in Bahrain

BAE Systems is the premier global defence, security and aerospace company delivering a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, security, information technology solutions and customer support services. With approximately 105,000 employees worldwide, BAE Systems’ sales exceeded US $34.4 billion (£18.5 billion) in 2008.

BAE Systems has celebrated six years in Bahrain with the opening of a new office in Bahrain Financial Harbour.

Mark Burgess, Director Middle East, heads up the office with colleagues from the Military Air Solutions business, supporting the Air Training Wing at Isa Air Base. The team was also pleased to welcome Mr Ali Ridha Hassan, who joined in September as the new office manager.

BAE Systems is pleased to have supported and worked in partnership with the Bahraini Defence Force 24 Forum

and Royal Bahrain Air Force for six years. The award of a contract to supply a comprehensive Military Flying Training capability to the Royal Bahrain Air Force became effective in early 2003, with the first aircraft making its maiden flight six months ahead of schedule in 2006.

The Bahrain International Airshow in January 2010 is an exciting new show for the region and, as the first company to sign up to the airshow, BAE Systems is delighted to be supporting the Kingdom with this prestigious event.

“The airshow will be on a par with the F1 Bahrain Grand Prix in showcasing everything Bahrain has to offer,” commented Mark Burgess. “BAE Systems w i l l h a v e a s i g n i fi c a n t presence, both in terms of equipment and people. We are bringing a VIP delegation from the global business and visitors will be able to see our capabilities, for example the Hawk advanced jet trainer and our unmanned

autonomous systems during the show.

“There are exciting opportunities for BAE Systems throughout the Gulf, not least in Bahrain, where we are seeing interest in our world leading land and air products, such as mine resistant vehicles, advanced lightweight artillery and our unmanned autonomous systems.”

Protecting national security in the face of an everwider range of threats from terrorism and serious and organised crime, to civil governance issues like immigration and banking fraud - has become a key concern of governments.

In 2008, the company acquired Detica, one of the UK’s leading security companies operating across government agencies, telecommunications, financial services, logistics and transport infrastructure.

With Detica, BAE Systems is positioning itself to be the premier security supplier throughout the Gulf, with

a strong focus on Bahrain.

Detica is able to exploit the global breadth and depth of BAE Systems to offer end to end solutions across key mission areas such as border security, law enforcement and cyber security information assurance.

A senior delegation from Detica is visiting Bahrain in October.

BAE Systems has been in the region for over 30 years and, in addition to Bahrain, has offices in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, working closely with the armed forces and national security agencies of those countries. In June, the Roll Out Ceremony for the first two of 72 Typhoon aircraft constructed for the Royal Saudi Air Force was held at BAE Systems’ Warton site and they were subsequently delivered to Saudi Arabia. And in July the first of three corvettes, RNOV Al Shamikh, was launched in Portsmouth, UK for the Royal Navy of Oman.

Bahrain has a new Ironman Congratulations to BBBF Member Rory Adamson who has recently competed in one of the toughest competitions on the planet...and won - Here is his story: March 2009. The waiting list for the Ironman UK race was still open. A quiet day in the office meant that for some reason I found myself enrolling on the waiting list. I never really thought any more of it until in mid April, an email popped up saying a place had come up and I had 48 hours to confirm. Reality check: An Ironman competition is a 3.8km swim; I did not know how to swim crawl and was a pretty lousy breast stroke swimmer; a 180km bike ride, I had ridden a bike five times over the last 26 years and the longest I had cycled was 20km; and a full marathon, the easy bit as I had run the Bahrain marathon in February.

The next 24 hours were spent considering whether this was a ridiculous idea or not.

Eventually I decided that if you set your mind on something you could achieve it and that the Ironman race was more mental than physical.

Of course one had to be physically able to complete it but on the day I thought it was going to be as much a mental challenge as anything else.

I will briefly roll back to August 2007. I wanted to run the Bahrain Marathon in February 2008. I could run about 10 km very slowly and I weighed 112kg. I got myself a personal trainer and started running to a programme. The inevitable injuries came but thankfully also healed before my first major race which was the half marathon in January 2008. 21km seemed a ridiculous distance, the same as running to the airport from my house but I did it and was over the moon. I ended up also running the 2008 and 2009 marathons, both with problems but both completed 28 Forum

in under four hours. Anyway back to 2009.

So I started swimming lessons. I realized that I could actually swim a length of a 23 metre pool in crawl very badly but this would leave me gasping for air for the next two minutes. I persevered and after a month could do about ten lengths but was still completely exhausted on finishing. I had only reached 5% of my goal and I only had 12 weeks to go. I hated swimming by this time. 8am starts in the pool felt really tough and my progress seemed incredibly slow.

But without really realizing it I was suddenly up to 60 lengths and then I knew that somehow I would be able to do the distance. By race day I had swum 3.5km or more three times. The last time I did it was in full wet suit in a very warm pool. Being able to swim for a long time I had realized is not the full story. You actually have to swim where you are meant to swim. How can you see where you are going if you have your head under water?

Well I still don’t know. The pool attendant stopped me on my wet suit swim and said I was using the whole pool and please could I go in a straight line. I tried to explain to him that I was trying to and he suggested I aim for the light at the end of the pool. But my eyes are facing the bottom of the pool. How was I going to swim 3.8km in a lake if I could not see where I was going?

At the same time as learning to swim I started to cycle.

But where could you cycle?

I managed to persuade the Bahrain International F1 circuit to allow me to cycle round their track. I managed nine laps and it

was great going down the home straight at 45km per hour but I realized I could not possibly continue cycling in the daytime heat. The Bahrain daytime temperature was already pushing the high 30s and in the desert and humidity, felt much worse.

Awali Wheelers are a group of cyclists who cycle ridiculously early on Friday mornings. I felt pretty confident of cycling because of course as children we all cycled a lot and I had now done some three hour sessions on a gym bike.

35km into my first ride with the Wheelers and I am dropped off the back of the group and they all disappeared. I eventually make it back to base after about 60 km and can hardly walk. I realized there is no embarrassment in wearing the most padded pair of cycling shorts available and putting a soft cover on the piece of metal they call a seat.

Getting some real time on the bike meant starting at five in the morning. I managed one 140km ride and a few others of 120km. Short of the target 180km, but it would be a lot cooler in Bolton so I felt comfortable that I would be able to make the distance.

As for the small matter of the marathon I knew that if I made the cut offs on the swim and bike I would be able to run/walk the marathon. So I kept my running ticking over but didn’t do too much.

I will fast forward to the end of July and the race itself. I travelled with my wife and two children aged two and four from Bahrain via Dubai to Manchester. We had booked an apartment in the centre of Manchester. We arrived on the Thursday night. Friday was mostly spent driving around Manchester trying to

find the road to Bolton. When we arrived at the race venue we had to park the car in a muddy field and then walk back some fair distance with the two children in tow to register. My wrist was given an ID tag and I started to get a bit frightened. I then went to buy some very expensive compression socks, arm warmers and CO2 canisters for inflating tyres quickly.

Fortunately the man at the shop gave me a quick lesson on how to use them.

Yes that’s right: I had never changed the inner tube of a tyre.

Saturday was spent picking my bike up and getting a last minute lesson on how to reattach the chain if it falls off. I know it sounds basic but I am not good at mechanical things and at this stage had only ridden a road bike 15 times and the only puncture I had received was when I crashed, flew off my bike and needed a full bike service.

The bike then needed to be taken back to the race venue and checked in. This done, I wandered around the venue looking at the hills, the huge lake and truly wondered what I was doing. The race venue field was now deep mud. It felt cold and I felt very alone with an enormous task to do.

That evening, I ate well at about seven o’clock. I went to bed at nine thinking there was no way I would fall asleep but suddenly it was 2:45am and time to get up. I crept around the flat making coffee and peanut butter on toast. It felt like a condemned man’s final meal. This huge thing was going to happen to me and I could not stop it. The seconds and minutes were just going to tick away until it happened. I woke my nephew

who had offered to drive me to the venue and we crept out of the flat. Into the street and we are faced with a huge post nightclub street party. It all seemed very incongruous.

Lots of post party revelers getting into taxis and me creeping off to my fate.

I knew the way to Bolton now so no mistakes. The roads had been closed near to the venue so it meant a 20 minute walk uphill carrying my kit for the swim and last minute bits for the bike. I chuckled to myself as I passed five people on the walk up thinking that this would be my best stage of the race. I found my bike, fitted in my supplies and pumped up the tyres. I can just about do this normally and managed to do it this time with no great hassle apart from tripping over and knocking the next bike over. I was surrounded by incredibly fit people who all seemed to know exactly what they were doing and what was going to happen. I felt completely out of place. But the seconds and minutes were still ticking so I tramped off for a very important toilet stop which was completed successfully.

Then it was into my wet suit, hat and goggles. Someone zipped me up and I walked slowly and inexorably down to the start.

We were kept in what felt like a holding pen for the condemned for what seemed like ages. My bare feet were already very cold and I could not even see the water yet.

Eventually the gate opened and we walked down a steep path to the lake entrance. And there it was: this huge body of dark, freezing water. Some people went straight in but I hung back as the masses of competitors pushed forward as they came down the hill.

I started warming my wet suit with a supply of body temperature liquid; fortunately

lifted my goggles and gave my head a few seconds of air and did a few strokes of breast stroke. Much better, but I realized I was going very slowly and I needed to swim crawl to finish in time. I kept going, stopping when the pain was unbearable. One of the stops was after one full loop. I was back at the start line and I lifted my head up to hear “and the ninth out if the water is…”.

I couldn’t believe it. Some people were already free of this torment and I was only half way. I wanted to cry. I wanted to stop. I wanted to be free of this piercing pain in my head.

I recalled that a few weeks before, I heard someone say that sometimes we only fail because we give up. I wasn’t going to give up. I knew that if I kept on going I would be able to get out and I knew the swim would not last more than two hours or so at the maximum and anyone can endure that.

So I kept on swimming. 200300 meters, stop, head out, five strokes breast stroke and then crawl again.

I had enough for both legs. A man on a loud speaker kept telling us to get in but we hung back. I didn’t want it to start and as long as I was on dry land, it couldn’t.

Eventually, I was almost driven into the water. The cold was, well, very cold. But now that I was in I needed to move around to get warm. I swam for what seemed like ages to a group who were about 50 metres behind the start line. I asked whether they were trying to start at the back. They were and I tread water with them waiting for the start. Then everyone started shouting a strange schoolboy rugby tune and I just started laughing. There we were all 1,450 of us in freezing water singing rugby songs at six in the morning. Then a hooter went and we were off.

I was doing fine, nice controlled strokes, heart rate in check. I overtook someone!

I was going to be fine and I kept telling myself that the swim was the easy bit of the day. We were to swim two full loops around a line of buoys. Suddenly I had a current against me caused by a mass of swimmers who had turned the corner and were now swimming back towards the start. I seemed to be going nowhere however and it seemed an eternity before I could make my turn at the last buoy. Just keep going I said to myself and before you know it, it will be finished.

My head started to feel frozen. My right eye and ear which never came out of the water, as I breathe on the left side only, were exploding with pain. I knew I had to stop. I

Finally I was around the last buoy and heading for the shore. This bit of the swim at the start had taken only a few minutes and now seemed to take an eternity. But finally someone held out their hands to help me stand. I couldn’t.

He lifted me to my feet and I staggered out of the water. I was almost deliriously happy.

I could breathe and my head, eye and ear stopped hurting at once. I went as fast as I could up the steep hill back to the tent and changed into my cycling gear. I was so cold that I simply could not put my socks on. A very kind woman was helping me and I could see she thought I was taking ages. But eventually I was set and I ran out to get my bike.

When I had left this morning there were 1,400 or so bikes.

Now there were less than 30.

I was the 29th slowest in the water.

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Bahrain has a new Ironman - continued Onto the bike and I felt so happy whizzing down the first hill. There was then an enormous hill to climb. I thought I had sorted this out by biking up to the Banyan Tree in Bahrain, err that’s a gentle incline. Anyway out of the saddle and I get up the hill pretty well. There were hundreds of people lining both sides of the hill shouting on encouragement and you feel quite special and almost as if you are an athlete. There was a drink stop just before the top of the hill but I somehow didn’t see it until I had passed it. Then it was on to some downhill bits which meant brakes on all the way down for me. I was frightened of the unknown on the bike and having only ridden the bike for a few months was wary of what might be around the next corner or over the brow of a hill. Still I reached 58 kph at one stage.

After about 15km I heard this strange noise behind me coming up fast. It was the eventual winner lapping me. It had started already.

There seemed lots of hills but I seemed to be doing fine.

My chain came off twice but thanks to my lesson the day before I was able to reattach it.

Then my reflector on my back wheel got stuck in the spokes.

I had been ignoring this noise for some time hoping it would go away when it got really loud. I could not work out

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what it was but thankfully a passing rider pointed it out.

Loose enough to get stuck in the spokes but not loose enough for me to unscrew it easily.

Lap one finished and lap two started with massive shouts and cheers from the spectators on the hill and over a bridge across the lake. This was fun I thought.

But then it started to get hard.

It took an age to get to 80km and then I was counting off trying to get to 90 and half way, a hundred etc. The second lap just seemed to be all hills. My legs were losing all power and I seemed to be making very slow progress.

Towards the end I was being lapped constantly by a stream of people who were finishing their third and final lap. At one intersection a young spectator heckled us saying we only had the small matter of a 42km marathon to come. I was too exhausted to tell him that I also had the small matter of another 60 km on the bike as well! The first lap had taken around 2 hours and 20 minutes. The second one was about 2 hours and 40 minutes and then the last lap.

I was into new territory on a bike. I had been sitting on it now for five hours after a two hour swim. It hurt. The seat had become a poker.

My lower back was having near spasms and my legs

were twingeing. Fortunately I had my normal watch on and worked out that I had three hours and more to get back.

Up the hill for the last time.

Most of the spectators had gone by now and it started getting lonely again. Because I was right at the back I rarely saw another cyclist despite there being some 1,400 out on the course. For some reason my chain was set at the small ring in the front for the whole of the third lap. I kept on looking at it and wondering why and then forgetting to do anything about it.

The route looked completely different. I hardly recognized anything. At one police controlled junction I asked the policeman which way to go and he started laughing as he pointed me in the right direction saying this was my third time along there that day. I don’t know what happened but I seemed incapable of really thinking of anything other than pedal, pedal, pedal, don’t fall off, don’t get a puncture. This was my worst fear. I hated going on anything but the smoothest surface as I knew that I would not have time to mend a puncture.

I have an hour to do the last 15km. That’s easy I think.

I look at my speedometer; it reads 15kph. That’s ok I think. I can speed up but I had forgotten the hills at the

end and I am down to barely walking speed. No one else seems to be around but suddenly I am over the hill and on the road down to the transition and I can see lots of people running. I arrive at the bike-run transition and this guy with a microphone wants to interview me. Is he crazy?

I am in a race. I hand my bike over to some very kind person and then squelch through to the change tent to get ready for a marathon. I had been going now for ten hours and fifteen minutes and never want to see water or a bike ever again. I am completely drained physically and mentally. But I will only fail if I give up.

So it is in to the changing room where I manage to spend 10 minutes changing my shorts and shoes. The time just flew by. It was increased slightly by the guy getting changed next to me who said, “Sorry but can you tell me where to put lubricant before the marathon? I can’t think for myself.” Between the two of us we worked out which areas of the body might rub and so which to lubricate – we were so mentally drained it did take us a couple of minutes.

It sounds simple but it was with great satisfaction that I left the tent knowing I had remembered everything.

So I start out on the run. This is nonsense I think. Run? I have been going for 10 and a half hours, I can barely walk let alone run. Then suddenly I am out of the transition area and running down the road.

Everyone is going really slowly and I start passing people. What’s going on I wonder. I check my Garmin and realize I am running too fast for my plan. I really try to slow down but struggle.

Running suddenly became so easy after the horrors of the swim and bike. Now it was just down to me and my

legs. I knew now that I would finish. I was over the moon.

I had almost seven hours to complete the marathon and I was running at sub four hour pace. I kept forcing myself to slow down and suddenly realized that I was a bit warm.

I was still wearing by cycling arm warmers. Very useful on top of the moors early in the morning going downhill but less useful running a marathon. I had a small waist bag attached to my gel belt and luckily they just about fitted in. That sorted, I was off again.

There were people lining the routes handing out oranges and water and the hostelries along route were doing a raring trade. It was a lovely English summer evening and I was finally enjoying myself.

I had no times to beat so I just ran. It was very up and down and there was a park with hills so steep that I had to walk up and down as my knees could not take the pounding on the way down. The course took you from the swim/bike transition to 2km from the finish and then almost all the way back and then back again.

After 20km I realized I was close to doing a sub 4 hour marathon. I started walking up a hill from a canal path with a guy called Richard. Of all the people to spend an hour with I found the only other Arabic speaker. We decided to walk for a while which turned into almost an hour as we discussed learning Arabic and the Middle East. Every now and then we started running. The feed stations along the route were great as you could stop with no guilt feeling and just eat. Pretzels, bananas, coke, Gatorade and water. I literally stuffed myself.

It was great. With 12km to go the guy who was driving Richard back to London said he had to leave asap and he

gave Richard one hour to finish. We started to run but I could not keep up with him, but I kept running and other than the hills coming off the canal path and in the park I didn’t stop.

I did the last 10km in under an hour. I was flying and passing loads of people. I felt great.

Nothing hurt, I was going to finish and then the realization hit that I could potentially still make it in under 15 hours. I ran my heart out. There was someone in the park still calling out my name. That made so much difference. I was out of the park through the streets and into the shopping centre and then turned the corner and saw my God-daughter, Catherine Martin. She started to run with me, and for a while she pulled ahead but I was about to finish and I was then unbeatable. I sprinted the last 400 yards getting up to 18kph and suddenly I was on the red carpet with people cheering, and then it was, “Rory Adamson from Bahrain.

You are an Ironman”.

There was only one person in the race I was in. Me. I won my race. 14 hours, 56 minutes and 44 seconds and I came first. I had hated most of it but winning makes everything seem ok.

My friends and family duly carted me off back to Manchester where I got one of the best hugs a wife can give; love, relief and respect.

She had to go back with the children and so missed the finish as I was too slow to finish at a sensible time.

There are lots of thank yous and these are very important to me. I can’t order you in importance but firstly, thank you TNT and Ahmed for transporting my bike from Bahrain to Manchester and back. Thank you to the guy at

Harry’s Cycles in Manchester who realized my front wheel was not securely fastened just before I left the shop.

Thank you to the guy from Tri Central in Manchester who treated me as if I was going to finish despite my absurd amateur questions.

Thank you to Richard whose company I enjoyed on the run and his friend who made us run the last 10km. Thank you to the Bahrain Road Runners (Khalifa and Adnan in particular) and the Awali Wheelers (Craig, Neil, Steve and Tim in particular but really all of you). Thank you to Ruth Tucker who completed an ironman a few months before me in a much faster time and gave me some great advice.

Thank you to everyone from www.tritalk.co.uk. You people are the best. Thank you to Kittenkat from Runnersworld whose first race report gave me such motivation. Thank you to David Mantle, because anything you can do I can do, only slower. Thank you to the Gulf Daily News in Bahrain for making me out as some sort of celebrity – I am not, I am just like everyone else. Thank you to the Martin family for being there on the day and for Catherine to run those last hundred yards with me. Thank you to Robbie my nephew for getting up at 4 in the morning to drive me to Bolton and then spending the day supporting especially after a night out in Manchester. Thank you to Kirstie, my sister, for driving up from Bristol on the Saturday to support me on the Sunday knowing she would have to drive through the night on Sunday to get back to Bristol in time for work the

next day. Thank you to Walid, my trainer, who has seen me change from an overweight slouch to an ironman. I would never have got there without you Walid. Thank you to Ahmed who taught me, a piece of soft concrete, how to swim. Thank you to all the people who have donated so generously to the charities for whom I am raising money.

Thank you to my business partners, Ian and James - I am back on the case now honest! Thank you to this guy from tritalk called Wiganer.

His real name is Martin and he is a star. Thanks to all the friends and relatives in the UK, Middle East and Malaysia who took such an interest in what I was doing.

I would like to add here how sorry I was for all those who did not finish for whatever reason. I was so close to joining you through the swim and the bike that I really feel for you.

Thank you Marina. I asked your permission to do this and you said yes. You had no idea what you had said yes to but you never complained and were always there when I needed solace and encouragement and recognition. Please rest assured I am not actually mad.

My first and last Ironman. I won in a time of 14 hours 56 minutes and 44 seconds. The other participants were not in my race. My race was me vs me and I won. Sometimes we only fail if we give up. We can all do what we want to do if we don’t give up.

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Bahrain Construction Update Reclamation on Durrat Marina complete Land reclamation of the Durrat Marina islands, part of the luxury Durrat al Bahrain residential resort, has been completed ahead of schedule. Over five million cubic metres of material has been reclaimed in just 24 months to create the three new islands now ready for development.

Designed by Atkins, the 400berth marina will become a vibrant hub for the South East area of the Kingdom.

Intended as a truly mixed-use development, Durrat Marina will act as a catalyst for retail and commercial development and accommodate young families and professionals.

One of the key commercial advantages of Durrat Marina is that the majority of residences will benefit from sea views and easy connections to public landscaped spaces, beaches, boardwalks and a cosmopolitan lifestyle.

With the successfully handing over of phase I of the Durrat al Bahrain Islands to tenants well under way, Atkins were retained to continue their role as engineering and site supervision for the three islands which have a total area over 480,000m².

With water forming the central theme, work on the marine reclamation and shore protection of the three curved islands necessitated complex engineering as the design looked to maximise sea frontages by incorporating canals and beaches. The elliptical shorelines are protected by over 600,000 tonnes of locally quarried limestone rock revetments and 150,000 tonnes of concrete quay wall edge protection.

the predesign of foundations to accommodate predicted settlement within subgrade materials below the quay wall foundations. This method enabled the contractor to progress with construction on site whilst closely monitoring settlement of the completed sections of walls to ensure that settlement was within the expected limits. This method also meant that volumes of what would normally be considered unsuitable material could

be left in place thus significantly reducing the overall construction cost of the islands.

Reclamation work on the Golf Course linked to the marina continues with completion planned for the end of the year.

Durrat Marina won the CNBC Property Arabia Waterfront Award in 2008, in recognition for its cultural and economic contribution to Bahrain.

Significant to the speed of installing the edge protection following reclamation was

Bahrain World Trade Centre shortlisted for NOVA award Bahrain World Trade Center (BWTC) Bahrain’s iconic landmark and the world’s first commercial development to integrate large-scale wind turbines in its design has been shortlisted in the selection process for the NOVA Award 2009.

The NOVA Award is an annual award instituted by the Construction Innovation Forum (CIF) and recognises significant technological advances made in the construction industry that improve quality and reduce cost.

Designed by Atkins, the world’s eleventh largest 32 Forum

design firm, the iconic building is the first in the world to suspend electricitygenerating wind turbines between two commercial tower structures, surpassing existing construction boundaries. The three 29metre diameter turbines produce between 11 to 15 percent of the total electrical consumption of the building. The office towers also incorporate a number of other energy efficient measures.

Rob Ruse, Resident Director for Atkins in Bahrain, said: “We are delighted that the Bahrain World Trade Center is being recognised by the

Construction Innovation Forum as one of the eight international projects to be shortlisted. This award recognises significant innovations that change the delivery of projects and is a true testament to the viability of the BWTC’s design.”

BWTC has already received international acclaim for its groundbreaking design and multiple awards; the most recent being the ‘Best Tall Building’ in the Middle East and Africa region for 2008, awarded by the Council for Tall Buildings and Urban Habitats in Chicago, US. The CIF will announce the

NOVA award winners at a gala banquet on Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at the Buena Vista Palace resort in Orlando, Florida, USA.

Bahrain Construction Update Mott MacDonald appointed lead designers for MASDAR infrastructure Mott MacDonald has been formally appointed by Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company as lead designers for all infrastructure on what is set to be the world’s first carbon neutral zero waste city, MASDAR. MASDAR will place Abu Dhabi at the forefront of sustainability as it is being built as the international centre for innovation, offering a facility to develop and share best practice, learning and thought leadership in energy conservation and environmental protection.

A particular feature of the design is a Personal Rapid Transport system (PRT) which will run on renewable energy and play a fundamental role as cars will be banned from the city.

Mott MacDonald’s professionals are already on site helping to design the city’s whole infrastructure. The company’s ability to deliver

diverse expertise, such as specialists in environmental assessments, waste and water management, as well as all aspects of power, communications systems, district cooling, structures, geothermal and building energy modelling, in an integrated way is key to its selection to help deliver the project. Mott MacDonald’s team of experts is working closely with Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company to develop renewable energy strategies and to design the main plants and utility distribution networks that will serve the 5.5 million square metres of development.

Ian Clarke, Mott MacDonald’s Middle East managing director said, “Our appointment on MASDAR is of huge importance to our staff in Abu Dhabi and the whole of the Mott MacDonald group as we firmly believe in promoting best practice in sustainability and combining

local knowledge with world class innovation. We are thrilled that Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company has chosen us to assist on MASDAR, our appointment enables us to consolidate our profile as world leaders in the field of sustainability and furthermore help place Abu Dhabi at the centre of sustainable development.

We’re drawing on the expertise of our talented staff to provide a powerful multidisciplinary team that can not be matched and will deliver the best world class service.”

A truly multi-disciplinary group, Mott MacDonald offers a comprehensive range of sustainability services across all sectors from buildings, water, environment, energy, education, health and transport to industry. With teams working specifically on sustainability-related projects across six

continents, and with many key staff considered to be world authorities in their fields, Mott MacDonald is committed to promoting best practice in sustainability. For more information go to www. sustainability.mottmac.com Mott MacDonald is a global management, engineering and development consultancy with more than14,000 staff, £1 billion turnover and work in 140 countries for the public and private sectors. The employee-owned company is ranked 5th in the 2009 Sunday Times 20 Best Big Companies to Work For survey. Mott MacDonald’s core business sectors cover buildings, transport, energy, water, environment, health, education, industry, oil and gas, communications and international development.

This includes examples of award winning projects demonstrating innovative sustainable solutions.

New resort announced Work will soon begin on a major BD70 million mixeduse development project near Budaiya. The Suq Al Arabia Resort will feature a public beach, health club, shops and residential properties.

Councillors are expected to sign a MoU with the project’s investor within a month, as soon as the final designs are prepared, said Northern Municipal Council member and area councillor Mubarak Al Dossari in September.

The project will begin work as soon as the contractors are ready and will take around two years to complete. It will cover 22,400sqm, opposite 34 Forum

the Northern Town, and will be run according to Islamic values - meaning there will be no outlets selling alcohol.

"A get-together ghabga was held for council members, the owner and renowned Budaiya businessmen, including MP Hassan Al Dossari," he said. "It was a chance for everyone to talk about investment opportunities or participate in the project in matters related to construction.This project is turning into reality and I am very happy because it will benefit the owner and residents alike.’

The project will consist of

five ‘step-shaped’ buildings in traditional Bahraini architecture, four of which will be eight to nine storeys high. The main one will include a commercial area on the ground floor, a health club on the first floor, offices on the second floor and nine residential floors above them.

The project is being spearheaded by an unnamed Pakistani investor, who has reportedly agreed to a number of clauses that will benefit the local community.

In addition, the investor has pledged to give BD15,000 every year to the Budaiya Charity Fund

Medical Notes The Benefits of exercise as you get older

by Rob Grey, Director Communications & Development, American Mission Hospital I imagine the average age of BBBF members is 40 plus so we can all relate to my comments. Do you feel that you have slowed down as you get older? Do you feel stiff if you take up exercise after a break of a few years? Do you get out of breath when you walk up the stairs? ...or when you take a dip in the pool?

Do you put those feelings down to age and banish exercise as something you did when you were young?

Now hang on, there’s Tom Watson coming 2nd in the British Open at the age of 59 and Lance Armstrong climbing the podium in Paris at the end of Le Tour at the age of 37. A 40 year old would think Tom

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is old and a 25 year old would think Lance is old so what relevance do their performances have for us.

It is true that both are exceptional athletes. They have maintained fitness levels that mean they can continue in their chosen sports although past the average age for excellent performances. But there are many other examples of athletes recording performances when they should be past it. Ryan Giggs and David Beckham are two names from football.

So what’s their secret ?

First of all people of all ages and physical condition will benefit from exercise and physical activity. Don’t be

afraid to exercise and think that it’s too strenuous. In fact it’s safe to exercise at any age and older adults harm their health more by not exercising.

If you’re inactive you lose ground in four areas:

•

Strength

To combat this you need strength exercises that build your muscles and increase your metabolic rate that helps to control weight and blood sugar levels.

• Balance Balance exercises build leg muscles and this helps to prevent falls.

• Flexibility Stretching exercises give you more freedom of movement which will allow you to be more active.

• Endurance Endurance exercises are any activity that increase your heart rate and breathing for an extended period of time – walking (with or without a dog), jogging, swimming, cycling, climbing stairs, cleaning the car but when you start do it gradually.

Walk before you run. Make sure you drink plenty of water, 8 – 10 glasses a day and stop if you feel dizzy.

What are the effects?

The Framingham Heart Study, conducted over 40 years, showed that for m en and women aged 50 or more, moderate physical activity increased total life expectancy by 1.3 to 1.5 years and slightly less without suffering any cardiovascular disease.

High levels of physical exercise added 3.5 – 3.7 years to total life expectancy and 3.3 years free of

cardiovascular disease.

The authors concluded that ‘Our study suggests that following an active lifestyle is an effective way to achieve healthy aging’

Going Green - Paperless and Filmless

Plus there are the hidden benefits of exercise.

• E x e r c i s e i m p r o v e s sleep • It keeps your brain sharp • Releases chemicals that make you feel good about yourself • Gives you more energy But before you grab your shoes, go check with your usual physician that it is safe for you to undertake a particular exercise. Plus he or she will check your blood pressure, height and weight ((to calculate Body Mass Index), pulse rate, cholesterol and blood sugar.

If you get the go ahead then these readings give you a base for improvement in the coming months.

The other part of the lifestyle equation is for the future but it includes a good diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables, and I won’t mention smoking and alcohol.

Sporting Footnotes By the way for the football fans Ryan Giggs puts his longevity as a footballer down to yoga that he started 6 years ago. For more information check www.timesonline.co.uk/ November 30 2008 life & Style Gary Player will be 74 on November 1st and he hates missing his gym sessions and still broke 80 in this years Masters. He can still do a 1,000 sit-ups in a session.

Paperless, and filmless.

Less trees, less chemicals.

Through innovations in technology, the International Hospital of Bahrain (IHB) achieves two major steps forward in it’s Environmental Strategy.

Filmless: The hospital’s new hi-tech PACS system (Picture Archiving & Communication System), not only offers clinical and patient benefits, but also substantial environmental benefits. The PACS system is a fully computerised and digital imaging system i.e. no films, no film storage room, no darkroom, no chemical processing hence no harmful chemical waste.

Patient benefits include less exposure to radiation.

With the PACS system if an x-ray image is over or under exposed, it is a simple case for the technician to digitally adjust the image. There is no longer any need to ask the patient to repeat the xray procedure. The patient is given a copy of their x-ray (radiology images) on CD. Clinical benefits include the ability to deliver timely and efficient access to images, directly to the physician’s desk. This is especially important in emergency

situations. Via the PACS system, images can also be digitally forwarded to other hospitals.

The International Hospital of Bahrain is the first private hospital in Bahrain to install a fully computerised PACS system.

Paperless: the hospital’s MIS system, iCare, allows the facility to work in a fully integrated, paperless environment. Office printers have been removed, saving huge quantities of paper being used every day. All visit records and insurance claims forms are maintained electronically.

The iCare system, designed, developed and continuously updated inhouse over nine years, also improves patient safety – immediate and secured access to electronic medical records, electronic order entry system for physicians to order charges and prescriptions, Laboratory and Radiology information systems, no lost records, no handwritten (sometimes illegible) prescription orders, easy access to record clinical audit.

Extensive audit trails to ensure up-to-date electronic medical records and detailed statistics.

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North Pole Nabs Recently I was very lucky to talk to a diverse and distinguished group of senior business personalities in Bahrain. My presentation to the BBBF was informal and covered surprising lessons I had learned during my expedition. It seemed to me that most people had read or heard about my attempts to become the first Arab to walk to the magnetic North Pole. Most people had seen my daily diary in the Gulf Daily News as I trekked 650 kms, dragging 50 kgs, in temperatures that went down to minus 81 Celsius, so I wanted to talk about something new and interesting in the short time I had.

Stuff I survived in one of the harshest environments on earth with only 50 kgs of equipment, yet when I moved from the UK to Bahrain, my cargo was over 500 kgs worth of personal effects! Our lives are so cluttered by “stuff”. When I got back I went through all my clothes and books and other junk and gave at least 100 kgs away, most of which I had not looked at or used in 12 months. We really live in a society driven by materialism and consumerism, and most of it is really unnecessary.

Gratitude We take most things in our civilised world for granted.

Every once in a while we give thanks for our health, wealth, family…Sometimes we even give thanks for electricity, running water, etc. But when was the last time we were grateful for a pillow? A chair? Or even a floor that wouldn’t crack and send you plunging into the Arctic sea? Being isolated from everything our society has to offer, suddenly made me realise that there are so many other ways in which we are blessed and take for granted. After all, who would even think to be grateful for having a stable floor?

The Secret to Enjoying Life… ...is surprising, in that it is by remembering death that you can truly get the most out of life. This lesson was something I relearned in the North Pole, and I gave several examples of how this was driven home…including a moment where I was separated from the group in a blizzard and then fell through the ice. Even now, I sometimes worry about the choices I make, and then consider if I died tomorrow, would I be happy if…A good example is my Winter Olympic bid. If I get there, I will be the first GCC national ever to make it, but the truth is, the odds are against me, and the easiest path would be to get a normal job. Giving up at this stage would be so easy, but I would always be

Nabil Al Busaidi can be contacted on nabse@hotmail.co.uk

unhappy with that decision.

Dying/giving up is a lot easier than living, REALLY living, but that is the only way to be truly happy.

Lands’ End to John O’Groats At the time of the lunch, I was planning to assist my friend, CDR Ryan USN who was attempting to push a wheelchair from Lands End to John O’Groats. As it transpired, not only did he manage to finish, but he also more than halved the world record by doing in 8 days and 10 hours. Rick was injured on active service and was raising money for British and American charities including Help for Heroes and the Royal British Legion.

Winter Olympics What can top getting to the North Pole? Well lots of things, but I have chosen the Winter Olympics and specifically cross country

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skiing. In my younger years I competed 3 times in the British Championships and although I know I will not be a favourite for the gold medal, but being an oddity in a competitive field of nearly all European competitors, in a sporting event with 2 billion viewers, I hope to be able to help provide a positive, articulate and moderate example of Arabs and Islam to the western media, and help promote peace, tolerance and perhaps tourism to Bahrain and Oman! Think “Cool Runnings”, but with a positive agenda!

Hotel News New Chef - New Menu at Waves

Massimo Marino is the new chef de cuisine at Waves restaurant, located at Crowne Plaza Bahrain. He was born in Italy and has a diploma from the Instituto Alberghiero in Catania.

After graduating Massimo took his first position

as Commis chef at Vito Vultaggio Ristorante in Sicily where he worked for 2 years learning the ropes. He then moved onto become demi chef de partie in a well known restaurant in Rome. After that Massimo moved upwards in his career holding several roles as chef de partie, restaurant chef, and then eventually head chef at Buffalo Bills in Malta. He loved Malta so much he decided to take a position as sous chef at the Intercontinental St Julians in Malta in 2007 to 2009.

Massimo says “I am really excited to come to the Middle East for the first time to gain some new experience and find out about different cultures and food."

Gulf Hotel appoints new director Clive Webster, General Manager of the Gulf Hotel Bahrain, has announced the appointment of Dee Mc Guinness as their new director of business development & strategy.

General manager Clive Webster said. “After an invigorating renovation and lots of redevelopments in process, Dee has joined the Gulf Hotel at the beginning of a pivotal phase in our hotels history. Her extensive experience in the luxury hospitality industry will be valuable to us in maintaining our place as Bahrain’s premier hotel.

Dee brings 19 years of experience in the hospitality and luxury Tourism sector to the Gulf Hotel. Prior to joining the group, Dee was the director of sales and marketing at the Hotel Ritz Madrid and was responsible for the repositioning of the property after the acquisition

by Orient Express Hotels (OEHTC). She also held the

position of Group Marketing & Communications Manager at Gedas Iberica based in Barcelona and respected companies, including The Hotel Nikko de Paris, a subsidiary of Japan Airlines, JCD Conseil Paris, BSI France and Travel By Appointment in the UK .

Dee obtained a degree in Combined Arts at the University of Ulster and Berkeley in California and has also studied Marketing and Communication at the EHL in Switzerland.

Kingdom Hotel Investments half-year earnings down 61% Kingdom Hotel Investments, a company run by Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal declared a 61% fall in its first half earnings as it struggled to fill rooms in cities such as Cairo and Paris said a report in the Khaleej Times in August.

The company has stakes in Four Seasons, Movenpick and other high-end hotels throughout the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

The hotel investment company reported an $8million net profit this year, down from $20.6million 40 Forum

a year earlier, said the report, mainly because of tough results at its Four Seasons hotels and lower real estate sales. Revenues slipped from $115.5million to $103.3million during the same period.

"Our determination to drive profitablity across our wholly owned hotel operations has paid off and they remain cash generative" CEO Sarmad Zok said. "Trading however, is still tough across the wider portfolio but we don't expect the rate of deterioration to get any worse."

Bahrain News RSA begins recycling initiative in partnership with Recycling for Charity RSA (formerly known as Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance) has entered into a formal tie-up with Recycling for Charity, a company specialising in recycling and waste management. As part of their ongoing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) commitment, RSA will utilise the services of Recycling for Charity to help them recycle all the paper, plastic and cans consumed in its offices, thus reducing its ecological footprint.

RSA is one of the world’s leading insurance groups, and has been involved in the past in implementing internal initiatives such as Fit2Grow which involved switching off laptops and computers and turning off the printer and lights after use, double-sided

printing of the paper. This partnership with Recycling for Charity will help RSA to take simple steps to reuse, reduce and recycle paper, plastic and cans, which will not only improve RSA team’s collective awareness on environment but also improve the overall efficiency of the business.

Everyone should incorporate environmental thinking into their professional lives by doing simple things like saving paper by only printing what you really need, printing double-sided so less paper is wasted, reusing scrap paper for notes and editing documents on the computer rather than printing hard copies.

Ms. Vidya Veerapandian,

Marketing & Communications Manager, RSA KSA & Bahrain said, “As a first step towards building awareness for Recycling, we looked within the organisation.

We encourage our staff to be conscious of the society, customers and the environment by way of launching initiatives which individually and collectively address these areas. We look to introduce very soon initiatives which encourage and involve our partners to be environmentally conscious as well.”

On a weekly basis, Recycling for Charity will collect recyclable waste from the offices of RSA Bahrain and will transport it to their recycling factory in Sitra. For every tonne

collected Recycling for Charity will donate to local charity organisations.

Mr. Boris Uhlig, Chief Executive Officer, Recycling for Charity, said, “Recycling is an important step forward for companies who aspire to become environmentally-friendly as a move towards creating a sustainable society and healing the damage caused by the overuse of perishable resources.”

Paper is one of the easiest materials to recycle which also has many environmental benefits. Recycling a tonne of paper can save around 7 trees, approximately 30,000 to 60,000 litres of water, 40% of energy and 95% of air pollution.

Alosra to service residents at Durrat Al Bahrain Bahrain Maritime and Mercantile International BSC (BMMI), the parent company of Alosra Supermarket, has opened an Alosra convenience store at Durrat Al Bahrain, the Kingdom’s largest planned luxury mixed-use residential, commercial and resort development located on the southern coast of Bahrain.

Similar in operation to the current Alosra store at Amwaj, residents at Durrat Al Bahrain will be treated to the luxury of the chain’s signature ‘fresh and friendly’ service within the confines of the prominent seaside resort city. Leading up to the handover of villas to homeowners, the 120 square metres Alosra outlet will temporarily cater to the on-site workers and engineers who will benefit 42 Forum

greatly from the presence of a convenience store just a stones throw away from the project.

Commenting on the new outlet, Mike Eastwood, COO of Retail and Distribution at BMMI said, “We are pleased to expand our client base to include the residents of such a prestigious project as Durrat Al Bahrain. The opening of the new Alosra store has no doubt been a valuable addition to the development, offering homeowners a one-stopshop for all their grocery requirements.”

On offer to customers are a wide range of fresh produce, meat, fish and poultry, delicatessen, baked treats and household goods.

The store also stocks a line up of ready-to-eat salads, sandwiches and

sushi from BMMI’s newlylaunched Great brand of deli products.

“Alosra is well-equipped to meet the challenges of catering to the unique requirements of the Durrat Al Bahrain community, which will number 60,000 permanent residents upon completion. With almost 60% of our products being flown in from overseas, we ensure that whatever

part of the globe you come from, you are never too far from home,” added Jaffar Al Asfoor, Marketing Manager of Alosra.

In keeping with the BMMI strategy to expand Alosra’s footprint across the island, plans are underway to open the largest Alosra outlet to date in the Capital Governorate by Q4 of 2010.

Bahrain News David King appointed FD’s Chairman for the Gulf Region

Condor announces solution for poor GSM Indoor Coverage Poor indoor GSM signal distribution is one of the major inconveniences today for cell phone users in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Financial Dynamics In te rn a ti o n a l (FD ) h a s recently announced that David King (above left) has joined as Chairman, Gulf Region.

FD Gulf is one of the longest established strategic communications consultancies in the Middle East and this appointment is the latest of a number of recent moves by FD to invest in the growth of its business in this region. It also follows on from the recent news of FD securing a number of high profile client assignments across the GCC. FD Gulf currently operates out of offices in Bahrain and the UAE, with a further office currently in the process of being established in Qatar.

David King is one of the most high profile and universally respected members of the Gulf’s financial services community. He has worked in the region since 2003 and led the Dubai Financial Services Authority prior to joining global banking giant HSBC where he was Managing Director, Business Development for Global Banking in the MENA region.

Commenting on the appointment of David King as Chairman for FD Gulf, John Hobday, FD’s regional MD, said, “David King brings vast experience, unrivalled contacts and considerable expertise to FD and I am thrilled that he has agreed to join us as our regional Chairman.”

Either losing signal strength and having your call cut off when moving from outdoors to indoors, or merely not having enough signal strength to use your cell phone indoors. Whether or not you use Batelco, Zain (or STC soon) customers in Bahrain experience these issues and will continue to do so unless something is done.

Condor Technology have worked with various vendors to find the simplest and most flexible solutions available in the market place, and after receiving TRA approval for the equipment import, are deploying their first systems here in Bahrain.

These systems range in scalability to service for small family homes to large scale commercial building deployments. Most notably, Condor Technology is

deploying a solution in Bahrain Bay, for the Arcapita HQ building. This building’s design, with metal structure, tinted tri-layer windows and metal blinds makes the inside of the building a complete GSM dead zone.

To combat this, Condor Technology are deploying a system that not only allows GSM signal distribution inside the building, but uses one shared system that can allow up to 5 GSM operators to utilise the same infrastructure.

In buildings with limited space for such additions, this is a boon to both service providers and building owners. Additionally, this can allow the building owners to bear some of the burden of deployment, while opening up new revenue streams for FM companies or the building owner themselves.

This infrastructure can be rented to operators, not unlike how building owners now rent roof space to the same operators.

Students benefit from summer training at BDO Jawad Habib various universities and institutes were inducted and introduced to the different specialised services that BDO Jawad Habib offers during the intensive training course. Based on the candidate’s academic and educational track, trainees were allocated into appropriate departments, with a dedicated mentor for each.

BDO Jawad Habib concluded its annual summer training, which began July 1 2009 and lasted 2 months. The programme provides young

Bahraini students with the opportunity to gain valuable work experience as part of their degree or diploma.

Ten graduate students from

Students were given the opportunity to experience a professional working environment and gain an

insight into the real market and its demands. The trainees also participated in different in-house training workshops, in areas such as auditing and consulting.

Jawad Habib, Senior Partner, BDO Jawad Habib said, “At BDO Jawad Habib we strongly believe in developing local talent, and our summer training programme aims to prepare students for their professional careers by providing practical training in a real-life environment.”

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Bahrain News Spectrum open in Bahrain Spectrum Group is an international infrastructure implementation and management group under British ownership and control. Following recent conclusion of the required formalities, Spectrum, through the incorporation of MENA Spectrum, now has a permanent presence in Bahrain with offices located in Bahrain Financial Harbour.

Our philosophy is to form a working relationship with clients to accomplish their interests cost effectively and ensure that projects meet quality, financial and time targets. Spectrum will also provide operation and maintenance services following plant handover to

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ensure the lowest life cycle cost of the facility.

Spectrum has been particularly busy during the economic downturn negotiating with clients for the delivery of desalination, waste water plants and other infrastructure services for various clients.

Spectrum has bucked the trend by offering to develop new projects or to finish partially completed projects that have faced contractual problems as a result of the economic crisis.

For more information please contact our resident director Mr. Greg Garner on 36750026 or visit www.spectrum-projects.net

BDO Jawad Habib appoints new Director of Audit & BAS BDO Jawad Habib recently announced it has appointed Mr. Mahesan Neelalogithan as Director of its Audit & Business Advisory Services division.

Prior to joining BDO Jawad Habib, Mahesan worked in Big 4 accounting firms in Africa for 12 years, and in the Middle East for 11 years.

Mahesan is a qualified Chartered Accountant (Sri Lanka) and a Chartered Management Accountant (UK). He brings with him 23 years of post qualification experience in external as well as internal auditing.

“We are delighted to appoint Mahesan to this important

role,” said Jawad Habib, Senior Partner, BDO Jawad Habib. “Mahesan will play a leading role in ensuring that the Firm continues to maintain the highest levels of client service, quality and technical expertise,” he added.

Bahrain News Scott Wilson Sponsors 2009 Bipex Exhibition On the 18 July 2009, Scott Wilson (SW) consulting engineers confirmed Platinum Sponsorship of the sixth Bahrain International Property Exhibition (BIPEX 2009) which will be held from the 14th to 16th of October at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre. Under the patronage of HE Shaikh Khalid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, Minister of the Prime Minister’s Court, Kingdom of Bahrain, BIPEX 2009, in its

sixth year, is regarded as a premium event in the region.

BIPEX 2008 gathered 98 participants originating from the UK, Portugal, India, The Philippines, UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan and Bahrain presenting urban development and infrastructure projects to the value of US$ 50 billion. Last year’s attendance broke previous records attracting 13,500 visitors.

Unrivalled Dining at Links The Royal Golf Club is delighted to announce that Links, the Club’s eagerly awaited brasserie-style restaurant will be open to the public from the first day of Eid Al-Fitr.

For the first time in Bahrain diners in Links will be able to enjoy “Steak Stone”, an interactive cooking concept which allows guests to cook their own food, whether it’s 12oz sirloin steaks, lamb chops or “surf n turf” specials, at their own table just the way they like it, sealing in the delicious flavours of the food on a piping hot slab of granite.

Links will be open seven days per week from 8.00am on weekends and from 10.00am on week days right through until midnight.

There will be an exciting range of breakfast options, sandwiches, soups and appetizers, entrées and

deserts on offer as well as a carefully thought out children’s menu and an extensive range of beverages.

From family favourites like bangers ‘n’ mash to more unusual dishes such as lamb, plum and almond tajine, Links has something to suit all tastes, and with diners able to enjoy spectacular views across the golf course from their table, the restaurant is sure to be a huge hit with golfers and food aficionados alike.

To book your table in Links, call +973 17 750777

PSG Complete New Office for Knight Frank In April 2009 Knight Frank Middle East gave the contract to PSG (Project Solution Group) to design and project manage the fit out of their new prestigious offices in Harbour Mall, Bahrain Financial Harbour.

The CEO for Knight Frank Middle East Mr. Don Bradley was anxious that the new design reflected both the corporate style which Knight Frank has created around the world and the bright spaciousness which a modern dynamic company working in the Middle East requires. PSG were able to merge the Knight Frank corporate image with the high-tech open plan style which is best suited to

support their clients here in Bahrain and the rest of the Middle East.

PSG were chosen by Knight Frank to achieve this combination because of their experience across Asia as a whole working with giants such as Google, Juniper Networks, Brocade and in the Middle East with the delivery of new commercial offices fitted out for Islamic Bank of Asia and Servcorp, both situated in Tower West of Bahrain Financial Harbour. In the first half of June 2009 the staff moved in effortlessly without wasting any more than a few hours of the first day of the move to transfer files, equipment

and documents. All the time Knight Frank Middle East was to the rest of the world still operating continuously without any down time. This ensured that clients were supported and all opportunities in these

challenging times were able to be followed up. PSG have now established their main Middle East office in Bahrain and are looking to expand in all the major markets of the Middle East in the coming 12 months.

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Bahrain News The British Club has been busy over the summer with two complete renovations.

A new Executive Chef, David French, has arrived from the UK to be greeted by a brand new renovated kitchen; menus will be updated to reflect more traditional British fayre whilst still catering for other non British members.

The poolside Sports Bar, pictured below, has been completely renovated, and is now a very modern and up-to-date outlet.

Lots of new things are happening within the Club to further enhance the choices available to members.

Renovation of the swimming pool is next on the agenda,

which will start at the end of November and should take four weeks to complete.

Then it will be landscaping, plans are being drawn up so that members can comment before work commences.

OSAC Conference raises charity cash The American Women’s Association (AWA) and the Royal Society of Saint George (RSSG) were the sponsored charities for this year’s OSAC conference.

During the course of various events and with the inclusion of some greatly appreciated sponsorship, the sum of BD1000/- was raised which was split equally between 46 Forum

the two charities.

When accepting the cheque, Mona Omar, AWA President commented that the funds would be put towards the 'Cherry Tree Trot' event in February. Steve Keeble, Chairman of RSSG advised that the cash would be put to the ongoing 'Bahrain Children in Need' project.

Al Hoty Analytical Services gain ISO17025 accreditation

Following its ISO 9001:2000 Certification in the year 2008, Al Hoty Analytical Services (AAS) has achieved ISO 17025 Accreditation in May 2009 upholding its commitment to enhance total customer satisfaction and to maintain a reputation for integrity, honesty and quality consciousness among its clients.

Formed in 1982, Al Hoty Analytical Services has continued to emerge as a market leader in the Kingdom of Bahrain in the fields of Independent Materials Testing, Geotechnical Investigations, Calibration and NDT Services.

Operating in its 27th year, Al Hoty Analytical Services has sustained its growth and has maintained its formidable reputation in the industry amidst emerging market competition and global financial crisis.

With competent and skilled personnel under the management of the present General Manager, Mr. Masood Khatib, Al Hoty Analytical Services Sole Proprietor, Mr. Mohammed Taqi Murad is confident that the company will continue to surpass its goals in the succeeding years and remain to be a major contributor in the development of the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Romani Consulting expand services BBBF Member Jawad Romani writes in to tell us that Romani Consulting in Bahrain have expanded their current QMS, ISO retaining System and Training Services profile to cover Outsourcing services.

"The new services are designed to exceed client expectations by aligning our process for services more closely with management need to improve performance. The outsourcing involves the transfer of the management of day-to-day to external service providers," said Mr. R. Rasromani the G.M. of Romani Consulting.

The Outsourcing services include: • The BPO including book-keeping, Payroll Management. Bank reconciliation, Accounts Receivable / Payable, Fixed Assets Register • Accounting Outsourcing includes Budgeting and forecasting.

• Helping clients in the setting up of a computerised financial accounting system.

• Management Accounting including Ratios Analysis.

The benefits of outsourcing can accelerate business growth while you focus on your core competencies continued Mr Romani.

For more information email: romani@batelco.com.bh

The Globe Cocktail Lounge Enjoy a relaxing drink before ordering from our extensive Concorde Restaurant menu or try one of our famous cocktails in a comfortable setting. The lounge is located opposite the Coffee Shop.

Belgrave Arms Decorated in a traditional pub style this bar is opened from 12 noon until 11pm.

The John Clarke Lounge Comfortably furnished and decorated in cool pastel shades, it’s the ideal place to meet friends or just relax. Situated adjacent to the Coffee Shop, refreshments and snacks are easily available.

The John Clarke Bar A quiet, smoke free environment with a pleasant atmosphere, situated off the above lounge.

Sports Bar The Sports Bar is adjacent to the poolside area and is open from 12noon on SaturdayThursday and from 11am onwards on Fridays and on public holidays.

Coffee Shop Adjacent to the Lounge, the Coffee Shop is open seven days per week from 10am until 10.30pm.

Ascot Restaurant The Restaurant seats 85 persons and is open for lunch from noon until 3.30pm and for dinner from 6.30pm until last orders at 10pm daily except Fridays when the Restaurant closes at 3pm.

Poolside There is a swimming pool, children’s pool and poolside kitchen. Waiter service is available with a varied menu. Surrounding the pool are sun-loungers, chairs, tables and adjacent there is a lawn where one can relax and sunbathe, eat or drink and at the same time watch the children on the sanded area which has children’s play equipment.

Library Situated above the changing rooms, access may be gained by the adjacent stairs. It has approximately 7,000 volumes in the adult library and 2,500 in the junior library, with regular additions.

Gallery Bar Situated along from the Library, this room is used for private parties, seminars, small functions etc. Members may book this room for private functions.

Windsor Room A large hall used for entertainment and indoor games such as badminton, aerobics and social functions. An excellent stage and dressing rooms add a professional touch to shows and productions. A function bar services the hall and buffett lunch is provided on Fridays from noon until 3pm.

Health Club – “Velocity Fitness Studio” Here we have state of the art facilities – all you need to keep fit. Our highly trained, dedicated fitness instructors will be only too pleased to help and advise you on your personal fitness needs. Our Mission Statement “To meet and exceed members’ expectations through quality service and instruction and to provide a safe and motivating environment”.

Sports & Leisure Activities For raqueteers, we have two flood-lit tennis courts and an active tennis league for those who enjoy the competitive edge. For the very fit and wouldbe very fit, our squash courts have excellent facilities. Other sports activities include Cricket, Darts, Cycling, Football, and Aqua Aerobics. Other activities of interest available are Drama, Line Dancing, Badminton and Tae Kwon Do.

Bahrain News Bahrain Maritime and Mercantile International (BMMI) teamed up with WLM Marketing Management and Training to enlist its sales team in an in-depth sales and marketing programme.

BMMI Sales Team receive prestigious ISMM Award

The programme is accredited through the Institute of Sales & Marketing Management - a professional body in the UK representing the interests of sales professionals and it offers qualifications based on the National Occupational Standards for Sales and Marketing.

Of the BMMI sales team, from BMMI Bahrain and the group’s subsidiary ZAD Marketing in Qatar, that participated in the ISMM training, 11 salespeople from Bahrain were recently presented with certificates on having obtained the L2 Award in Sales & Marketing.

The others will be receiving their awards in the coming weeks.

The certificates were presented to the recipients

by Mike Eastwood, COO, Retail and Distribution, who praised their diligence and dedication in successfully acquiring the Award.

“The programme is a great way for our sales personnel to achieve their developmental goals whilst at the same time gaining an accredited qualification,” he said. “It is also proof of BMMI’s ongoing investment in providing our people with opportunities for training and development to better deliver exceptional service to our customers.”

The main objectives of the ISMM are to promote standards of excellence

and ethics in sales and to raise the status of sales as a profession. From the Award in Sales & Marketing, the team will progress to the Certificate and, eventually, Diploma level to become the only accredited sales personnel in Bahrain.

individual goals. This training programme was implemented with this in mind, coupled with a vision of setting standards of excellence and ethics in sales to raise the status of our workforce. Today, we are realising that vision.”

The key competitive advantage of BMMI lies in its people, whose performance marks a clear differentiation in the international marketplace. This is why the organisation invests heavily in Training and Development as it continues to grow.

“BMMI is the first company in Bahrain to accredit their sales team. This qualification will provide them with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in today’s dynamic business world. Having a qualified sales force will also offer a competitive distinction to both the company’s principals and its customers,” said Bill Levell, a WLM Consultant who led the programme for BMMI.

The BMMI sales personnel who received the Award in Sales & Marketing are:

The company encourages individuals to take ownership of their own learning, by helping them to establish relationships with relevant internationally accredited institutes and associations.

Farheen Mehdi, from the Training and Development division at BMMI added that “BMMI believes in continuous Training and Development for its employees, with a focus on developing the person and not just the skills. Training and Development helps in optimizing the utilization of human resources and not only aids the employee in achieving the organisational goals, but also their own

Richard Wilkinson Larsen Dourado Kutty P. Narayan Sajith Meethal P Mohammed Assiri Nanda Kumar Ameer Hassan Shaji George Hashim Al-Alawi Hashim Ali Ebrahim Hussain Mirza

Headquartered in the Kingdom of Bahrain with international operations spanning three continents, Bahrain Maritime & Mercantile BSC (BMMI) is a major sales and marketing, logistics and supply chain group that has also successfully diversified its business activities by establishing joint ventures and strategic alliances with regional and international partners.

Additionally, BMMI staff continuously benefit from a wide range of training programmes provided locally or conducted inhouse, including: • Language Communication • Management & Leadership • Customer Services • Sales & Merchandising • Safety & Security Awareness • Heavy Vehicle Driving For further information please contact Ms Laura Mejia Tel 1773-9549 or email: lmejia@bmmi.com.bh Forum 49

Bahrain News Heritage Kane changes name to Kane Group Name change to reflect the success and expansion of the company in London and the Middle East Heritage Kane Limited announced in September that the company will operate under the new name of Kane Group Limited with immediate effect. The change has received approval from the company’s shareholders and the board of directors.

Kane Group offers a comprehensive range of innovative risk and insurance management solutions, including captives and other self-insurance structures, to both public and private sector enterprises on a global basis from its locations

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in London, Bahrain and Dubai.

reputation for the delivery of exceptional service.”

Stephen May, Executive Officer, Group said:

In November 2008, Kane Group added to its London operation, licensed by the Financial Services Authority, by establishing Heritage Insurance Management (Bahrain) W.L.L. (HIMB) in Manama, Bahrain, and in April 2009, Heritage Insurance Management (Dubai) Limited (HIMD) in the Dubai International Financial Centre. Subject to legal and regulatory approval the companies will change their respective names from HIMB to Kane W.L.L. and HIMD to Kane Limited.

In the UK, Heritage Mutual Management Limited has changed its name to Kane Global Limited.

Chief Kane

“This is an exciting time in the development of our organisation. We have established firm foundations for growth, particularly in the Middle East and the surrounding regions. Now these foundations are in place, we have signalled our entrance into the next phase of our development by becoming Kane Group. We will enhance the capabilities of our existing operations, while expanding both our network of offices and our range of service offerings to ensure that we build upon our

By mutual agreement the management teams of Kane Group and Heritage Group will divest all interests in each other.

Kane is regulated by the Financial Services Authority in the UK, the Central Bank of Bahrian in Bahrain and the Dubai Financial Services Authority in Dubai.

Kane is also a specialist provider of Takaful insurance solutions, with a dedicated Shari'a Advisory Board.

For more information please contact: Suzanne Hirst Head of Communications Kane Group Limited T +44 (0)207 621 3700

Bahrain News Kane bolsters team with leading industry figures

Toby Foster Group Chief Operating Officer

Edward Garrett Director, Kane Global

Cyril Salibi Chief Operating Officer Middle East

Stephen May CEO Kane Group

Kane names Toby Foster as Group Chief Operating Officer, Edward Garrett as Director, Kane Global and Cyril Salibi as Chief Operating Officer, Middle East and Practice Leader, Risk Consulting

Global who will oversee business development, client relationships, and product and service delivery. Edward has 37 years of experience in the international insurance and reinsurance markets and has spent 32 years working on behalf of clients in the Middle East, Africa and India. He was previously Managing Director of Marsh Limited and Managing Director of Willis Limited and joins Kane following a brief period with Benfield Limited.

Director, Aon Global Risk Consulting Middle East.

have achieved a great deal over the past 18 months and I look forward to being part of the Group’s future successes.”

Kane Group, a leading provider of specialist risk and insurance management services, has today announced a series of key appointments across the Group.

Toby Foster has joined the Group as Chief Operating Officer with responsibility for overseeing all day-today activities. Toby has 31 years’ experience in the international insurance and reinsurance market with several senior roles in the broking sector, most recently as Head of Distribution at Marsh Limited and a member of the company’s Europe, Middle East & Africa Executive Committee.

In addition, the Group has appointed Edward Garrett as a Director of Kane

Kane has also named Cyril Salibi as Chief Operating Officer for its Middle East operations and Practice Leader, Risk Consulting.

Cyril will work with clients to design and implement risk management frameworks, techniques and practices.

He has 20 years of management consulting experience including 16 years in risk consulting and has been at the forefront of the evolution of Enterprise Risk Management. He joined Kane from Aon, where he was Managing

Commenting on the appointments, Stephen May, Chief Executive Officer of Kane Group said: “Our aim is to build upon a platform of exceptional industry talent. Today’s appointment of three of the most respected and experienced figures in the risk and insurance management industry shows our clear commitment to this. We have invested heavily in expertise across the Group which has enabled us to excel in service delivery.

I look forward to working closely with Toby, Edward and Cyril as we build new client relationships, enhance existing ones and expand our operations.”

Speaking on his appointment, Toby Foster said: “I am delighted to have joined Kane at this exciting stage of the Group’s development.

Stephen and the team

Edward Garrett added: “I am pleased to have the opportunity to work with such an enthusiastic and experienced team that puts the needs of its clients first.

I look forward to building on existing relationships and forging new strategic partnerships for the Group.”

Cyril Salibi said: “A simple but robust approach to risk management has become an essential ingredient for success in today’s competitive business environment. We have a great opportunity to build on Kane’s growing reputation in risk management and to work closely with our clients in the Middle East, helping them meet the challenges of a continually changing risk environment.”

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Bahrain News TNT on top of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes for third consecutive year TNT NV was named in September as global ‘Supersector leader’ for ‘Industrial Goods and Services’ (including ‘Industrial transportation’) of the 2009 Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes (DJSI). Moreover, TNT earned the highest score of all companies included in the DJSI for the third consecutive year. These are the conclusions of a report published in Zurich

by SAM, a sustainability investment specialist, which assessed the sustainability performance of over 1,000 listed companies.

TNT was awarded an overall score of 95 out of a possible 100, an improvement over last year’s score of 92. In addition, TNT earned the highest score in two of the indexes dimensions – economic and social – and

showed a score improvement in the environmental dimension.

In addition, TNT achieved the highest scores in the supersector ‘Industrial Goods and Services’ in 12 out of the 16 criteria that make up the index. Areas that achieved a 100% score for the first time are Environmental reporting, Climate strategy, Occupational health and safety, and Social reporting. TNT maintained its score of 100% in Risk and Crisis Management, Code of Conduct and Compliance, Customer Relationship Management, Fuel Efficiency, Human Capital Development and Talent Attraction and Development.

Peter Bakker, CEO of TNT, commented: "We are extremely proud to maintain

our top position in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index.

This distinction is all the more outstanding given the difficult economic conditions.

It recognizes the constancy of the sustainability efforts of TNT's teams around the world, whom I wish to thank enormously. Our customers will know that we are taking our corporate responsibility very seriously."

The DJSI World sector classification is based on the ICB industry, supersector, sector, and subsector classification. All the companies in the DJSI World investable stocks universe are assigned – based on the company’s primary revenue source – to one of the 58 DJSI sectors. TNT belongs to the sector ‘Industrial transportation’, which is part of the supersector ‘Industrial Goods and Services.’

Jinendra Sancheti bags Personality of the year industry peers and members of the Middle East logistics community.

The Middle East Logistics Awards aim to create value by encouraging, recognising and rewarding achievers, performers and contributors within the logistics profession in 24 distinguished award categories.

Jinendra Sancheti, Regional Managing Director, Middle East & Africa - TNT has been recognised as the “Personality of the year – land transport” for his stellar performance at the recent MELA (Middle East Logistics Awards) held on 30th June 2009.

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The award celebrates the achievements of a leader and his innovations and contributions to the professionalism and development of the Middle East logistics industry.

Winners of the MELA awards were determined through votes of clients,

Speaking on the occasion, Jinendra highlighted the growing importance of road express in the Middle East. He also added, “At TNT we have focused on strengthening our road network and in the past 4-5 years achieved commendable growth in this sector.”

And Finally How to cheer yourself up... for free Having read that the British Ambassador had met with Dr. Ali Hassan Follad in August and been presented with a copy of Dr. Hassan's new book, “Mosaic” - A journey through the multi-faceted world of Bahrain’s arts and crafts, I went surfing on the internet to see what else I could find about the book.

Sadly I couldn't find it listed on the sites I usually buy from and some how ended up on a website I'd not seen before at www.audible.co.uk Much to my amazement there are literally thousands of audible books available with a host of titles I'd never even imagined., including over 400 'Comedy' titles.

With a few simple mouse clicks the site allows you to sample a few minutes from any title including the incredible Billy Connelly - Live... Try it, but get ready to split your sides.