Iraq Today Issue 3 (Spring 2014)

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REGULARS: IBBC NEWS // WE’VE GOT MAIL // DOING BUSINESS IN IRAQ

JOURNAL OF THE IRAQ BRITAIN BUSINESS COUNCIL ISSUE 3

Spring 2014

A BURNING AMBITION INSIDE Why did 69 Iraqi men blaze a trail to a Cotswold village?

Read all about it on page 22

ALSO INSIDE PROFILE She Cain, she saw, she conquered. Page 35

NEWS

HISTORY

Iraq gets a bank with Standards.

It’s all on Page 16

One man’s dream. The truth behind the Lyre. Page 62

sc.com/answers

TAIN BUSINESS COUNCIL

IN BUSINESS COUNCIL

Spring 2014 JOURNAL OF THE IRAQ BRITAIN BUSINESS COUNCIL

Contents

44

17

22

Regulars

Features

We’ve got mail 5

Stirling work in Iraq Trainee Iraqi firemen taking their first steps on the career ladder

Welcome letter 4

Cover Story 22

Diary 6-14 Catch the action from the recent IBBC events

Innovation

More in the pipeline for Foster Wheeler 44 Robert Cole reports on the IBBC member’s impressive and growing business portfolio in Iraq

Action 30 Zain – A Leader in Corporate Social Responsibility

Culture

The Desert Queen 55

News pages 16-20 Profile 35 10 Things you need to know 62

HWH & Associates’ Managing Director, Sarah Cain talks about her life in the engineering fast lane

Essential information for investors in Iraq

We look at Nicole Kidman’s new role as intrepid Middle-East explorer Gertrude Bell

Postcard from... 60 Erbil’s honey market

Analysis 40

35

Bath Spa has become the first British university to become part of the IBBC. Dr Alastair Niven reports

The truth about the Lyre 62 One man’s plucky mission to replicate an ancient Iraqi instrument

Report 50 The Chief Operating Officer of the AMAR International Charitable Foundation, Richard

30

Crow has been selected to attend the elite CSC Leaders Course

Report 56 Joint led Road safety campaign

by Shell and AMAR gets green light

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44 Spring 2014 | IRAQTODAY | 3

WHAT IS THE IBBC?

Letter from the IBBC Editor

Welcome to the latest edition of Iraq Today!

The Iraq Britain Business Council brings together business, trade and investment, for the benefit of the Republic of Iraq and its members.

Dear readers.

Here at Hope House we’ve been delighted at how many of you have fed back on your view of the last magazine, and we’re especially pleased (and relieved!) that it’s been overwhelmingly positive.

There were many constructive comments too, and I hope that these are reflected in the following pages.

This month there’s something to interest everyone. The latest business news from Iraq; features on the continuing success of our IBBC members; photos from IBBC events over the last few months, and profiles of some of our top companies and senior executives. There’s even time to tell you about an ancient Iraqi instrument that has been brought back to life!

As many of you will be aware, Prime Minister David Cameron has appointed Baroness Nicholson as his Trade Envoy to Iraq. Though this is separate from her work at the IBBC, it is terrific news for the Council too and will help enhance its reputation worldwide. You’ll find the full story a few pages from here.

I think you’ll agree that the mood of Iraq Today suitably reflects the good news coming out of Iraq these days.

Yes, there are still plenty of challenges, but the country is going from strength to strength. With its spectacular economic growth and huge mineral wealth, it is indeed a very good place to do business and we will be here to reflect this and champion her growing world reputation.

Don’t forget to check out our website: www.webuildiraq.org for more stories and video of IBBC events and please feel free to Tweet @IBBC_London with any news you have for us.

If you’d like to reach our sizeable global readership of movers and shakers, then please contact us about advertising in the next edition. Our Chief Operating Officer, Christophe Michels, would be delighted to hear from you at christophe.michels@webuildiraq.org.

Best wishes, and happy reading, Rob

Published by the Iraq Britain Business

Council Today IRAQ Today Journal of the Iraq Britain Business Council

IRAQ BRITAIN BUSINESS COUNCIL

IRAQ(IBBC) Today A company registered in England and Journal of the Iraq Britain Business Council

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne

Wales company number 06929280 Registered as an NGO in Iraq with registration number 2D76104

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oday IRAQToday

IRAQToday

oday IRAQToday EDITORIAL BOARD:

Nicholson of Winterbourne IRAQBaroness Today Mohammed Charchafchi

Iraq Britain Business Council

Journal of the Iraq Britain Business Council

EDITOR: Robert Cole

e Iraq Britain Business Council

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Journal of the Iraq Britain Business Council

DIRECTORS: Journal of the Iraq Britain Business Council

Baroness Nicholson, Robert Cole, Christophe Michels, Dr Alastair Niven, Dominic Gould

oday

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CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: IRAQ Today Richard Crow JOURNAL OF THE IRAQ BRITAIN BUSINESS COUNCIL

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EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE REPRESENTATIVES FROM: Rasmi Al-Jabri, Basra Engineering Group Abdullah Al-Jiburi, Anwar Soura General Contracting Company Jim Bowden, KBR Alistair Kett, PwC Hadi Nezir, UB Holding Karim Osseiran, Petrofac Bob Phillips, Mott MacDonald

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Angus Beaton Today IRAQ Today IRAQMANAGEMENT: Today Christophe Michels,

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Chief Operating Officer Dr Alastair Niven LVO OBE, Associate Director Richard Crow, Senior Adviser Robert Cole, Head of Communications

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DESIGN: Jon-Paul Daly & Jamie Blanco; Entwurf.

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GET IN TOUCH Tel: +44 20 7222 7100 or london@webuildiraq.org www.webuildiraq.org Or follow us on Twitter: @IBBC_London

Our members include: Aegis Al Saraji Group Anwar Soura GCC LTD AOGS Basra Chamber of Commerce Basra Engineering Co. Bath Spa University BIOGH BP Chevron CCC Control Risks Deloitte Dome Group Erbil Chamber of Commerce Ernst & Young Iraq Eversheds LLP ExxonMobil Fluor Foster Wheeler G4S GardaWorld Genel Energy Gulfsands Petroleum HWH & Associates ICR Integrity KBR KCA Deutag Kentz Kier Construction Kingston University Kuwait Energy LGC Ltd Milio International Mott MacDonald Olive Group Penspen Limited Perkins + Will Petrofac PwC Restrata Saipem Shell SKA International Group SNC Lavalin Solar Turbines SSH Standard Chartered Bank Stirling Trade Bank of Iraq UB Holding Unatrac/Iratrac Vitol Group of Companies Weir Group Zain

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Anton House, Christy Way, Basildon, | IRAQTODAY | Spring 4 2014 Essex, SS15 6TR, UK

Journal of the Iraq Britain Business Council

We’ve got mail

– + Send your letters by email to london@webuildiraq.org or by post to 45 Great Peter Street, London SW1P 3LT, UK.

4 The general elections

4Cultural Iraq

The general elections in Iraq have brought to public attention the need for women to be more involved in shaping the future of their country.

An estimated one third of the seven million people who voted in the Afghanistan elections were women. It’s not as equal as it needs to be, but it speaks volumes for women’s progress in the Middle East. We can learn from this.

In Iraq, there exists a constitutional requirement that a quarter of all MPs are women, yet there is a bill before parliament which aims to dramatically reduce women’s rights.

Iraq used to be one of the most progressive countries in the Middle East for gender equality across all respects, but now more than a quarter of women over the age of 12 are illiterate, only 85 girls attend school for every 100 boys, and only 14% of Iraqi women are working or seeking employment.

Key to changing these statistics begins with altering people’s perceptions towards what a woman’s role and right is in Iraq. And that needs to happen across the whole of the country, not just from the top down.

Sanaa, Baghdad.

I read the first issue of Iraq Today with admiration.

However, I do hope you will keep in mind the fact that even the busiest company director or corporate employee likes to find time to relax. You will know that the Financial Times is always greatly praised for its coverage of the arts, evidence that its readers are not obsessed with money at the expense of civilised values. Since Iraq has one of the richest cultural heritages in the world, it would not be hard for you to include articles from time to time about its architecture, ancient and modern, its literature and its music.

There is a wealth of material from which to draw. Your readers would thank you.

Neil Robertson, London.

www.webuildiraq.org

4 Visa situation hampering

4Women in Iraq

business?

While much attention has been given to the fact that a large number of UK companies and institutions are forging partnerships with Iraqi counterparts and doing valuable work within Iraq, the other side of the coin is often ignored.

The Iraqi businesses and organisations wishing to form valuable working relationships with their UK counterparts must jump through many, many hoops to get into the UK. The fact that these businesspeople, wishing to come to the UK to further their company interests and in doing so contribute both to the Iraqi economy as well as our own, have to surrender their passports for up to three months while waiting for their application to be considered, when they can get

I have greatly enjoyed reading the first two editions of Iraq Today, it is a truly interesting publication. A story that particularly stayed with me was the article on women’s football in Iraq, which was featured in the first edition. I looked for something similar in the second edition but found no articles relating to women in Iraq and just one, regarding education and the youth of Iraq.

These demographics seem to me of crucial importance to any publication of this type and there is much to write relating to Arab women in business or the development of Iraq’s silenced youth – I look forward to reading more on these topics in the future.

Julia Ryder, Dubai.

a visa granting them access to Schengen countries in a matter of days, in some cases, will not only prevent the mutual growth of our economies but will harm the good will the Iraqis have towards us.

Abdul Bashir, Erbil.

see our profile on HWH & Associates’ Managing Director, Sarah Cain, on page 33. I hope you will find this interesting.

www.webuildiraq.org

Editor’s Note Dear Mr Robertson, please see our articles on the historical Lyre of Ur, on page 62 ,and the news on the upcoming film, Queen of the Desert (Gertrude Bell Pictured), on page 53

Editor’s Note Dear Ms Ryder, please

Spring Spring2014 2014| |IRAQTODAY IRAQTODAY|| 5

Events

Diary

Each year the IBBC holds 4 conferences: two in Iraq and two in London. The IBBC also takes several trade delegations to Iraq and regularly hosts senior Iraqi officials and politicians in London.

BAGHDAD CONFERENCE TOP LEFT: Delegates and VIPs at the IBBC’s conference at the Hotel Al-Rasheed in Baghdad.

TOP RIGHT: British educators meet their Iraqi counterparts in the grounds of the Al-Rasheed Hotel during the IBBC Baghdad conference.

BOTTOM LEFT: Baroness Nicholson stands beside Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri Al-Maliki and Mark Bryson-Richardson, the Deputy UK Ambassador to Iraq, at the IBBC Baghdad conference.

CHRISTMAS PARTY

Reform characters. IBBC members and guests at the Council’s Christmas Party, held at London’s exclusive Reform Club.

6 | IRAQTODAY | Spring 2014

Journal of the Iraq Britain Business Council

ERBIL NOVEMBER LEFT: Baroness Nicholson stands alongside Dr Alastair Niven and his fellow members of the university group, on the visit to Erbil..

BOTTOM RIGHT: Housing boom. A view of Erbil’s rapidly expanding suburbs .

BOTTOM LEFT: IBBC Mission delegates and officials at the KAR oil refinery close to Erbil in November.

BARZANI WITH IRAQ TODAY

Read all about it! Baroness Nicholson shows a copy of Iraq Today to Masoud Barzani, the President of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

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Spring 2014 | IRAQTODAY | 7

Diary

LONDON CONFERENCE DAY 1 TOP: Hadi Nezir, Chairman of UB Holding. The company generously sponsored the conference.

LEFT: The magnificent Great Hall at One Great St George Street was the venue for lunch on the first day of the IBBC London Conference.

BELOW RIGHT: Coffee morning. London Conference delegates enjoy the charms of the Brunel Room during a break at One St George Street.

BELOW LEFT: A panel discussion at the London Conference. From left is Andrew Farquhar, of GardaWorld; Akeel Al Saffar, Deputy National Security Advisor, Iraq; Tim Williams, Sheaffer; Mike Douglas, SKA International.

8 | IRAQTODAY | Spring 2014

Journal of the Iraq Britain Business Council

New postpaid plan for individuals “Mumeiz Plus�

LONDON CONFERENCE DAY 2 TOP: The UKTI’s Carl Bruce addresses the second day of the IBBC’s London Conference.

RIGHT: Evening reception: Peter O’Sullivan, CEO of Penspen, who sponsored the IBBC London Conference evening reception, addresses guests including, right, Baroness Nicholson and UK Ambassador to Iraq, Simon Collis.

10 | IRAQTODAY | Spring 2014

Journal of the Iraq Britain Business Council

LEFT: Lord Robertson of Port Ellen, the former UK Defence Secretary and NATO Secretary-General, at the IBBC London Conference.

www.webuildiraq.org

Spring 2014 | IRAQTODAY | 11

Diary

TOP LEFT: Penspen CEO, Peter O’Sullivan, is interviewed during the IBBC London Conferrence.

ABOVE: Baroness Nicholson with, from left, Faik Nerweyi, the Iraqi Ambassador to the UK; Dr Rowsch Shaways, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister; Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint, former UK Minister of State for Trade and Investment.

RIGHT: Basra Engineering Group’s Rasmi Al Jabri speaking during a panel discussion at the London Conference.

MARCH COUNCIL MEETING RIGHT: IBBC Council members meet in a riverside committee room at the House of Lords in March.

12 | IRAQTODAY | Spring 2014

Journal of the Iraq Britain Business Council

Advice you can trust

The leading international law firm in Iraq Make the most of the opportunities offered by Iraq.

Eversheds is the country’s only international law firm with permanently staffed offices on the ground in both Baghdad and in Erbil, Kurdistan Region.

We have been working in Iraq since 2003 and can help businesses, both local and international, to succeed. Our advice covers all the legal issues that matter to you and, with colleagues based across the Middle East and around the world, we have the strength to match our quality.

Trust Eversheds for lawyers who understand how Iraq can work for you.

Tawfiq Tabbaa Partner +964 78091 67976 tawfiqtabbaa@eversheds.com

www.eversheds.com ŠEversheds LLP 2013. Eversheds LLP is a limited liability partnership.

Diary

MARCH IN IRAQ FOR IBBC’S BARONESS NICHOLSON AND CHRISTOPHE MICHELS Left to right: 1. Baroness Nicholson meets Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim, leader of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq.

2: Baroness Nicholson, Christophe Michels with Nikolay Mladenov.

3: Deputy Prime Minister Shaways sits alongside MH Bricknell of the World Bank with local Baghdadi band members.

4: Sheikh Humam Hamoudi, Head of the Council of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee with Baroness Nicholson.

5: Iraq’s Minister of Transport, Hadi Al Ameri, who held talks with Baroness Nicholson during the visit 6: Head of the Karbala Chamber of Commerce, Nabeel Al-Anbari; Rasmi Al-Jabri, IBBC Board Member and Representative for the South of Iraq: Karbala Governor Akeel Al Turaihi, and Baroness Nicholson.

14 | IRAQTODAY | Spring 2014

Journal of the Iraq Britain Business Council

THE IBBC’S OIL AND GAS SECTOR TABLE TOP: Members of the IBBC’s Oil and Gas Sector Table met in the Garden Room of London’s Reform Club in March.

Top row L-R: Dr Alastair Niven, IBBC; Mahdi Sajjad, Gulfsands; Andrew Wickenden, KBR; Vikas Handa, Weir Group; Christophe Michels, IBBC. Bottom row L-R: Hans Nijkamp, Shell; Michael Simm (Chair), Penspen; Robin D’Alessandro, Vitol; Alan Evans, Fluor; Baroness Nicholson, IBBC.

THE IBBC’S EDUCATION AND TRAINING SECTOR TABLE MIDDLE: The Athenaeum Club’s magnificent North Library was the venue for a meeting of the Financial and Professional Services Sector Table in February.

BOTTOM: : Members of the IBBC’s Education and Training Sector Table met in the North Library of London’s Athenaeum Club in February.

Top row L-R: Christophe Michels, IBBC; Baroness Nicholson, IBBC; Toby Chinn, Control Risks; Prof. Lesley-Jane Eales-Reynolds, Kingston University; Dr Alastair Niven (Chair), IBBC; Prof. John Davies, Anglia Ruskin University; David Lock, Leadership Foundation.

Bottom row L-R: Jeremy Taylor, IBBC; Liz Anne Mulholland, Restrata; Wendy Jordan BUIC; Cihan Nezir, UB Holding; Andy Young, Stirling; Anne Kennedy-Lynch, BP.

PARIS TRIP LEFT: L-R Bernard Kouchner, Medecins sans Frontieres, Emma Nicholson and William Danvers, Deputy SecretaryGeneral of the OECD More than 30 senior representatives of some of France’s biggest businesses were in Paris to hear the IBBC’s Executive Chairman talk about the organisation’s work and ambitions for the future.

News

Iraq gets a bank with standards Amongst the hustle and bustle of downtown Baghdad, a venerable British institution has taken its hugely significant place alongside the offices, souks and coffee shops of the Iraqi capital.

Significant, because this is an international bank – Standard Chartered - the first to have a fully-fledged on-the-ground wholesale operation in the country.

It’s a huge vote of confidence, not only for business there, but for the country as a whole.

Iraq’s Prime Minister, Nouri Al Maliki, described the bank’s opening as an “indicator of trust” in the nation. It would give both domestic and foreign companies a big boost to invest in his country, he added.

As you might expect from a company that was granted a Royal Charter by Queen Victoria one hundred and sixty years ago, the decision to open shop in what is at the very least a challenging period in Iraq’s history, was not taken lightly.

A huge amount of planning and research over several years was undertaken before SC opened its doors for business. Gavin Wishart, its CEO in Iraq, was the main architect. He was so confident about the future there, that plans were already well underway to open a second branch in Erbil. It opened in March.

Basra will be next, towards the end of 2014.

The bank expects to play a key role in helping Iraq reach its full potential. The main aim is to meet the increasing banking needs of its global network of clients in Iraq, notably in the power, oil, telecoms and infrastructure sectors and to support large government projects.

“We are optimistic about the prospects for the

16 | IRAQTODAY | Spring 2014

Iraqi economy. As an international bank, we believe there is substantial opportunity to play a leading role in the economic development of the country,” added Mr Wishart, who has extensive experience across the bank’s network in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

He added: “In addition to servicing our existing clients, the Iraqi Government is planning large scale infrastructure projects, and these will require international financing solutions. Standard Chartered is ideally positioned to provide the necessary leadership, support, skills and access to international markets, to enable these initiatives to be undertaken and to develop the local financial sector.”

Mr Al Maliki and other members of the Iraqi Government, joined international diplomats and senior company executives at the opening ceremony. Understandably, there was huge interest from the Iraqi media, hungry for good news stories.

The Prime Minister was full of praise for Britain, saying that the UK had supported Iraq from the beginning.

“We were in the same boat in confronting the terrorist organisations and toppling the former dictatorship. We are now also in the same boat to seek more improvement in Iraq and to have more building and reconstruction to aid the new democratic regime here,” continued Mr Al Maliki.

According to the latest economic research by the bank, Iraq’s GDP will grow by 6.7% during 2013, and is forecast to rise to 9% in 2014.

Simon Collis, the British Ambassador to Iraq, is also delighted that a UK company has become the standard bearer for the world banking industry.

“Finance plays a vital role in economic development. The UK is dedicated to promoting a vibrant, open, transparent and diversified financial

TOP: Baroness Nicholson and Gavin Wishart outside Standard Chartered’s new office in Baghdad.

BOTTOM: Standard Chartered’s Iraq CEO Gavin Wishart, Baroness Nicholson and Iraqi Deputy PM Hussain Al-Shahristani.

Journal of the Iraq Britain Business Council

sector in Iraq. For Iraq to realise its full potential and take its rightful place in the global economy it needs to attract massive investments. The financial sector is key to this,” Mr Collis explained.

It’s no real surprise that Standard Chartered has become banking’s pioneer in Iraq. It has been operating in the region for almost 100 years. The vast majority of its income and profits is earned outside the UK, with 90% coming from Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

The company’s Regional CEO, Christos Papadopoulos, explained SC’s philosophy.

“Our entry into Iraq comes in line with our continuous efforts to organically expand our on-theground presence in the Middle East, which is a key strategic region for us. It also reinforces our brand promise “Here for Good” as we expect to play a key role in the development of the Iraqi financial sector and the development of the country,” he told Iraq Today.

The bank will provide transaction banking, project and export finance, structure trade finance, financial markets services, capital markets, and corporate finance solutions.

From all accounts, the Iraqi operations are already doing well. It’s hoped it will set the standard that encourages other UK companies to follow them there and take advantage of the enormous opportunities on offer.

Iraq rolls out the barrels in 2014 The Iraqi Ministry of Oil expects to export 300 million barrels of oil to international markets this year.

Speaking at the 14th Turkish International Oil and Gas Conference in Ankara, the Minister of Oil, Abdul Kareem Leibi, said: “The Iraqi Ministry of Oil is making efforts to upgrade the natural gas system.”

Hopes are to strengthen trade links to Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Turkey.

According to the statistics of SOMO, the latest monthly export figure for the Iraqi Ministry of Oil stood at 78.4 million barrels in February 2014, with an achieved outcome of 8.001 billion dollars.

www.webuildiraq.org

Baroness Nicholson appointed as United Kingdom Trade Envoy to Iraq

The Iraq Britain Business Council’s (IBBC) Executive Chairman, Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne, has been made the UK’s new Trade Envoy to Iraq.

She was personally appointed by the Prime Minister, David Cameron, to act on behalf of the British Government to increase trade and economic co-operation between Britain and Iraq.

The Baroness was absolutely delighted with her new job, which will complement her role for the IBBC and the AMAR International Charitable Foundation.

“It is an honour and a privilege for me to accept this appointment from the Prime Minister.” Said Baroness Nicholson.

She added: “Iraq has a vibrant and booming economy, and is a huge supporter of British Industry and Commerce.

We must ensure that the UK understands this and makes the best of the enormous opportunities Iraq offers us.”

Speaking in Baghdad, the British Ambassador to Iraq, Simon Collis welcomed the appointment.

“I am delighted to hear Baroness Nicholson has been appointed as the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy.”

“The United Kingdom is committed to expanding its trade and economic relations with Iraq. Baroness Nicholson already has a wealth of experience working here through her role as the Executive Chairman of the Iraq Britain Business Council.”

Continued Mr Collis.

“Her appointment as Trade Envoy represents a further strengthening of the commercial relationship between our two countries.”

Spring 2014 | IRAQTODAY | 17

News

Aegis wins major Basra security contract The Basra Governorate has awarded the British security consultancy, Aegis, a contract to investigate, research and support the region in delivering improvements to their security.

The company’s delighted Chief Executive Officer, Graham Binns, says the company will initially work on nine distinct projects, including intelligence, forensic investigation, closed circuit TV, and the provision of explosive detection dogs.

“It is a great honour to have been selected by the Governor of Basra to support him in his efforts to improve security,” explained Mr Binns.

As his fellow IBBC members will know, Graham Binns was a Major-General in the British Army. He commanded the 7th Armoured Brigade (Desert Rats) in Southern Iraq in 2003 and returned there again in 2007 and 2008.

However, in addition to his own experience, he is quick to point out that Aegis has been providing security support to both government and commercial clients in Iraq since 2004 and offer comprehensive advice on every aspect of security from corporate operations, commercial risk and foreign investment to counter-terrorism and close protection.

“This was no easy win for Aegis. The governor is forward-looking and drives an extremely hard bargain. He wanted value for money, but he also wanted the best he could get,” said Mr Binns.

He added: “The security requirements in Basra are complex and unique. It’s obvious to me that the Governor is determined to bring about improvement to the lives of the people in Basra and I hope that we can support him in this endeavour.”

Briefs

NEWS BRIEFS FROM IRAQ...

Stocks on the up

already shown an interest in

relations between Iraq and

neighbouring countries

The opening of a new stock

issuing corporate bonds on

the US.

have. Small neighbouring

exchange in Erbil is paving

the exchange.

the way for business in the

The announcement was

countries like Kuwait even

made by Iskander Witwit,

have five squadrons,” Witwit said.

northern Kurdish region.

Jetting to Iraq

the Deputy Head of Defence

The Erbil Stock Exchange

Four F-16 fighter jets are

and Security Committee

will list mainly Kurdish com-

to be sent to Iraq this year.

in Iraq, with the first group

jets have been ordered, in

panies, but will also serve

The agreement, as part of

of planes to arrive in Iraq in

an effort to strengthen the

as a gateway to the wider

an $830 million contract

June this year.

air force after its military

Iraqi market. Initial plans are

awarded to Lockheed

to focus on equities trade,

Martin Aeronautics last

equipment which is

but energy companies have

year, signals strong trade

more developed than

18 | IRAQTODAY | Spring 2014

“Iraq intends to have

A total of 36 F-16 fighter

was disbanded during the U.S.-led 2003 invasion.

Journal of the Iraq Britain Business Council

BRIEF $588.8 million oilfield deal approved by Iraq South Korea’s Daewoo Engineering and Construction has had an oilfield service contract approved by the Iraqi cabinet.

The $588.8 million deal will see the development of the Zubair oil field, securing engineering, procurement and construction work for a gas separation facility at the oil field in south

Mr Binns emphasised that the new contract would not only benefit Aegis but was also an opportunity for other British companies.

“We are working on nine separate projects for the Governorate, and have been tasked with developing the tender documentation. This is a very good opportunity for British companies, to bid on this work.”

Aegis has developed a wide range of offerings in the security sector for government and commercial clients across the Middle East.

ABOVE: An Aegis staff member talking to a Iraqi father and child.

TOP LEFT: Aegis staff on duty at a check point in Iraq.

BOTTOM LEFT: Aegis staff in Iraq.

Iraq.

Italy’s ENI, the U.S.-based Occidental Petroleum Corp, and South Korea’s KOGAS signed a twenty year deal with Iraq back in 2010 to develop the Zubair oil field, and the production currently stands at 320,000 barrels per day.

Under the terms of the contract with Daewoo Engineering and Construction, output at the Zubair oilfield is set to more than double, to a predicted 850,000 barrels of oil per day by 2017.

DOING DIFFICULT JOBS IN DIFFICULT PLACES Your preferred solutions provider in Iraq for fuel supply & distribution, aviation, logistics, warehousing and life support services” Fuel Supply & Distribution Solutions Certified commercial aviation fuel supplier at all airports in Iraq; Licensed to import, store and distribute gasoil via a state of the art Fuel Storage Facility (20,000MT) at the Port of Khor Al Zubair.

Integrated Logistics, Warehousing and Storage Solutions Fully integrated logistics services covering air, sea and ground freight. Strategically located warehouses and yard facilities across Iraq, including our flagship distribution hubs at Safwan and the Port of Khor Al Zubair Freezone. We have invested in modern storage systems and handling equipment. Together with highly trained staff, SKA provides comprehensive supply chain

management and transportation services for your inbound and outbound cargo.

Secure Camp Accommodation & Life Support Solutions SKA manages its own life support service camps to support our own operations and to accommodate guests to the region.

Designed for comfort, these facilities are ideal accommodation for those who wish to have the comfort of modern amenities with the added reassurance of 24 hours security.

Specialised fixed wing and rotary wing aviation services for passengers and cargo in challenging environments.

www.ska-arabia.com | info@ska-arabia.com

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Spring 2014 | IRAQTODAY | 19

News

Eagles swoop to win multimillion dollar security contract Saraji Group’s Mesopotamian Eagles Security (MES), has been awarded a multi-million dollar contract by the Egyptian Maintenance Company (EMC).

EMC is the long term maintenance provider for the Basra Gas Company (BGC), Shell Gas’s latest project in Iraq.

MES worked alongside EMC to create the security proposal, and accompanying plans for the bid will see some of the 170,000 barrels of oil equivalent raw gas being flared in southern Iraq each day. The contract has initially been awarded for 12 months, and will be reviewed in April 2015.

In its first phase, MES will provide physical and consultancy services. Saraji Group’s Risk Management division, SRM, will also be supporting the project by appointing a security manager, and EMC will recruit their own in-house advisor.

MES say they are one of the few approved Shellcompliant security providers in Iraq. Mr Ali Al Saied, CEO of Saraji Group, an IBBC member company, commented: “This is fantastic win for us and we’re delighted to be involved in such a huge project.

This illustrates BGC’s confidence in MES to deliver

reliable, efficient and quality security services, something we always strive to achieve.”

Jointly run by The South Gas Company (51%), Shell Gas (44%) and Mitsubishi Corporation (5%), the project will gather, treat and process raw gas produced within Basra, and sell the processed natural gas and associated products for use in the domestic and export markets.

The project brings with it opportunities for BGC to export the processed gas as other materials, such as liquefied natural gas (LNG), which would create a new income stream for Iraq’s economy and increase the potential for reliable domestic energy infrastructure.

MES has also recently been re-awarded the security contract for Halliburton, which has been signed for a 24-month period. Daniel Thornton, Country Manager of Halliburton said: “MES consistently provide exceptional client service on every project. They are committed to understanding our needs and delivering on time with staff that are fully proficient, attentive and professional at all times.”

Brief Making tracks Plans for a joint railway to link Iraq, Jordan and Egypt are being discussed.

Jordanian Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour met with Iraq’s Transport Minister, Salman Jassim, and Egypt’s Transport Minister, Ibrahim Demeiri, to talk about the venture. The creation of a joint railway would strengthen ties between the Arab countries and develop their economic interests.

The profit is expected to reach $250 million US dollars.

Briefs

NEWS BRIEFS FROM IRAQ...

Airport Erbil International Airport

Asia and Africa.

her appreciation towards

“Erbil International

the airlines operating in the

has been awarded 2013

Airport continues to

Kurdistan Region and Erbil

best-developing airport for

register exceptional records

and said that EIA is ready to

a second time. The title

as a result of constant

welcome more new airlines

for best developing airport

development. Despite

with less than five million

the big burden on its

passengers per year was

shoulders, EIA succeeded

awarded at the annual

in elevating the standards

Director, said that 2013

increased flights to 17

Airport Fair in Abu Dhabi,

of its services,” said Okata

was a year of challenges,

per day in 2013 and saw

which celebrates the best

Christine Eviani, head judge

achievements and

an average of 3,270 daily

airports in the Middle East,

of the competition, and

success. Faiq expressed

passengers.

20 | IRAQTODAY | Spring 2014

from all over the world, head of Africa Logistics.

Talar Faiq, EIA General

backed by an increase in demand for flights. EIA

Journal of the Iraq Britain Business Council

GardaWorld is the largest privately owned business solutions and security services company in the world. With a global workforce of more than 45,000 staff.

2013 is the tenth anniversary year of the start of GardaWorld’s operations in Iraqi Kurdistan and Baghdad. With established operational hubs in Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, Baghdad and Basra, we are uniquely placed to provide security and risk management services to a broad range of oil & gas, infrastructure and diplomatic clients across Iraq.

As a founding signatory of the security industry’s International Code of Conduct (ICOC), we adhere to the strictest operating standards. We are also fully licensed and compliant with the laws and regulations set by the KRG and the central Government of Iraq.

With teams throughout Iraq and over 750 vetted and trained local national staff supported by our experienced expatriate management in country, we provide dependable, flexible, costeffective services tailored to the needs of our clients.

GardaWorld project site, Iraqi Kurdistan

With safety at our core, we are your trusted security partner.

Andrew Edwards, MD Iraq andy.edwards@garda.com

www.garda.com/gw

Cover Story

“

We were asked to get these men up to international standards of firefighting, and though we had a choice of centres in Russia, Jordan and Malta, we felt the Fire Service College was the only place to bring them.�

22 | IRAQTODAY | Spring 2014

Journal of the Iraq Britain Business Council

Stirling work in Iraq Iraq Today’s Editor ROBERT COLE reports on the trainee Iraqi firemen taking their first steps on the career ladder

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HELMET-CAM: Fireman Ahmed sports the latest protective face shield. www.webuildiraq.org

cold, grey, winter’s day, on a bleak, former airbase in the heart of the English countryside, is about as far away as it gets from the baking Southern deserts of Iraq.

It’s here in the picturesque Cotswold village of Moreton-inMarsh that 69 young Iraqi men find themselves thousands of miles away from their families and friends living in the Al Kut region of Iraq.

Despite the freezing weather, and chilling winds that seem to cut right through their smart new uniforms, this close-knit band of 20 to 30-yearolds are in great spirits, and absolutely delighted to be in Moreton, more precisely delighted to be training at the world-renowned Fire Service College, which lies on the outskirts of town.

They have been handpicked by the British health and safety company, Stirling Group, to be fully trained and employed as firefighters, where they will be contracted to the giant Russian concern, Gazprom’s facilities at the Badra oil field.

During their four months intensive instruction, by both Steirling’s own ex-Fire Service officers, and the college’s Fire Service trainers, the Iraqis have been learning all aspects of the business, and are told that they

will only graduate if they completed a gruelling set of exercises and exams, which include everything from the most obvious – fighting fires – to learning English and the all-important phonetic alphabet. You know the one?

A for Alpha, B for Bravo, C for Charlie and so on.

Not surprisingly, given the dearth of jobs back home, they were hugely determined. They had to go through a tough recruitment process and were the lucky ones from an initial field of 400 hopefuls. Many had never left their home towns, let alone the country, so spending much of the winter in the UK was a huge adventure.

“Only three of them had been on a plane before, so they were completely wowed by the whole experience. They were very keen to get to work and it’s safe to say they are all very highly motivated and looking forward to the opportunities ahead,” explained Stirling’s Managing Director, Angus Neil, on a flying visit to Moreton.

Mr Neil pointed out that this was the first time such a contract has been awarded in Iraq, and he was hoping it would be the first of many for Stirling.

“It’s a growing market in the Middle East region. If you go back a few years, it was all about development then, but once you have infrastructure in place, you can’t let it burn down! Safety is Spring 2014 | IRAQTODAY | 23

Cover story

Iraq Firefighters

“

TEAM WORK: A group of recruits use foam spray to extinguish the fire.

None of these guys had any previous experience at all, so we had to start off with the absolute basics and then, progressively, we got more and more advanced.” obviously a key component of risk management.”

He added: “Gazprom take this incredibly seriously and they want the best. This is why they hired us to find the personnel and train them in Britain.”

“We were asked to get these men up to international standards of firefighting, and though we had a choice of centres in Russia, Jordan and Malta, we felt the Fire Service College was the only place to bring them,” said Mr Neil.

It’s certainly wasn’t going to be an easy ride for the Iraqi recruits.

They worked six days a week, and lived onsite in student-style accommodation away from loved ones and friends. But the tough regime meant they bonded extraordinarily quickly, and soon moulded into teams.

Kevan Whitehead, Stirling’s Director of Fire and Rescue Services, explained what the students were expected to learn.

“None of these guys had any previous experience at all, so we had to start off with the absolute basics and then, progressively, we got more and more advanced. At this college you can virtually replicate any kind of incident, from an oil well fire to a plane crash,” he added.

Mr Whitehead said the project had been extremely rewarding, not only for the fledgling firemen, but the former 24 | IRAQTODAY | Spring 2014

Journal of the Iraq Britain Business Council

Cover story

Iraq Firefighters

British firefighters at Stirling as well.

“The three of us in charge of this operation are all thirty year veterans of the UK fire service. We bring a great deal of experience, and it is wonderful to be able to pass all that on to these new guys.”

Mr Whitehead added that the course they were teaching was based on a standard professional UK schedule. Indeed, many of the trainees showed such good progress that they had the potential to walk straight into a British Fire Service role.

He joked: “However, we’re not going to tell them that, because they might decide to stay, and Gazprom needs them back in Iraq!”

“I am very proud that we will give these guys skills and qualifications.

Obviously we would hope they stay with us, but in reality they will be able to work anywhere in the oil industry, anywhere in the world. They will become incredibly valuable.”

Mr Whitehead said Stirling’s “turnkey” safety solutions for big business were now attracting a lot of interest from companies all over the world.

“Other oil companies are now saying to themselves; ‘our core skills lie in exploration or other oil related capabilities, what do we know about running a fire service?’ So, we can offer to do that for them. They will probably find too that it is less expensive and it is certainly more effective and efficient.”

Mr Whitehead added: “We are all very proud to be involved in this project and look forward to working on many more in the future.”

From day one, the students themselves have been exposed to the full discipline expected in any professional fire service. Each morning, they are expected to be clean shaven, smartly dressed in full uniform, and then to take part in a parade.

“We have ensured they are fully 26 | IRAQTODAY | Spring 2014

“

I am very proud that we will give these guys skills and qualifications. ”

disciplined right from the beginning.

Any fire service is a quasi-military organisation, and when an officer says go and do this, they must do it. In practice it could save their lives or that of their colleagues and the concession staff they protect,” explained Mr Whitehead.

A lively and vocal group of young men, the students thoroughly enjoyed their time in picturesque Moreton.

The weather may be a lot grimmer than back home, and parts of the British diet not exactly to their liking, but they regard themselves as “very lucky” to be have won places on the course.

Dressed head-to-toe in protective clothes and helmet, trainee Amed Sattar Yousef certainly looks like a professional fireman, and he says he can’t wait to start doing the job for real.

“This is a great opportunity for all of us, and it has been a most interesting time. We have learned so much, and

now we all want to do is get going, to work back home in Iraq,” said Yousef, who is 26 and from Baghdad.

His colleague, 25-year-old father-ofone Sameer Al Rikabi agreed that they were raring to go.

“We are really enjoying this course. It has been amazing for us all.

Obviously we all miss our families - I have a five-year-old daughter – but this will be something that will help her and other members of my family to have a better life.”

“We are aware that it can be dangerous work, but we are getting the best training, and we will be ready for anything by the time we go home,” added Samir, who is from Al Kut. It’s not all been work and no play for the students however. The more adventurous have taken the opportunity to discover Britain as well.

“On our days off, I like to go to different places. I went to London on New Year’s Eve, and I have also been to Birmingham, Reading and Oxford.

Journal of the Iraq Britain Business Council

OPPOSITE: Still smiling after a hard day’s training.

LEFT: Baroness Nicholson greets the recruits.

LEFT: Baroness Nicholson stands beside Stirling’s Managing Director, Angus Neil, along with recruits, Stirling senior management and trainers.

ACTION: Fire recruits scrambling to tackle a “chemical blaze” at the Moreton Centre.

www.webuildiraq.org

Spring 2014 | IRAQTODAY | 27

Cover story

Iraq Firefighters

It has been a fantastic experience,” added Amed.

Other trainees stayed closer to Moreton, finding the local pubs and cafes a more relaxing option.

The climax of the course came this spring, when VIPs from the company and from further afield, were invited to the graduation ceremony.

All 69 were involved in an impressive demonstration of their newly-learned skills in front of the visitors, including the IBBC’s Executive Chairman, Baroness Nicholson.

A large model oil refinery was set alight, and the new firemen were required to show how to fight various types of fires. Their realistic display would not have looked out of place in any country in the world.

Later guests and VIP’s joined the Iraqis for a prize-giving and

28 | IRAQTODAY | Spring 2014

graduation ceremony.

Baroness Nicholson said that people all over the world relied on firemen and women to help them in emergency situations.

“Our lives are in your hands. Your work is vitally important around the world in every society. You will not only save many lives but your work will now inspire others to do this job and to learn from you,” added the Baroness.

Stirling’s Angus Neil, praised the students’ dedication, having to spend three months apart from family and friends, and training six days a week.

He also praised Gazprom for their ongoing commitment to Iraq and the Health and Safety of their staff.

“We are very pleased to have worked with Gazprom to develop opportunities like these for many

years to come. This is about long-term legacy. This is the first course of its type, but hopefully there will be many more to come,” said Mr Neil.

Gazprom’s Head of Health, Safety and Environment, Andrey Dryaev, explained how the Badra project had been started from scratch.

“I joined this company four years ago and I have never had such a challenge. First we had to de-mine the whole area. There was no waste management, no medical help. We had to build a clinic and employ qualified medical staff. And of course there was no fire response. All are now in place.”

Three of the top students received special awards and trophies for their work.

Sameer won the Instructors’ Choice prize. He disclosed that he and his wife Zainab had tragically lost their

Journal of the Iraq Britain Business Council

BOTTOM LEFT: Ahmed in action.

INSET: Trainee Firefighters with their certificates.

BOTTOM RIGHT: Gazprom’s Head of Health, Safety and Environment, Andrey Dryaev.

www.webuildiraq.org

infant son during the training, but he volunteered to battle on despite his grief.

He said he wanted to ensure he qualified for the job so that he could give his wife and young daughter Zahah the good life they deserved.

The Most Improved Student was Qasim Hadi. Also 25, Qasim, from Badra, was a lecturer in Arabic, but chose to give up his teaching career to go for an interview with Stirling.

“I loved my old life, but I owed it to my family to go for this job, which pays very well and will enable

me to look after them all,” Qasim explained.

The top prize for Overall Winner was awarded to Mohammed Fadhil Khalaf. A graduate in mass media and PR, Mohammed also chose to change career path.

“There was no work for me back home with my old college qualifications, so like Qasim I decided to go for this. I am so delighted to win the overall winner prize and I can’t wait to tell my family. They will be so proud,” he said.

The families of all the young men can also be justifiably proud of their husbands, sons, and brothers. They will now begin careers that should help them lead a better life, and will encourage a generation of others to follow in their footsteps to help build the new Iraq. n

Spring 2014 | IRAQTODAY | 29

Action

Zain – A Leader in Corporate Social Responsibility

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l-Rasheed Hotel Conference Centre, May 2009. Twenty elegantly-dressed young girls and boys dance excitedly across the stage, beaming broadly and waving colourful ribbons and banners. They sing, shout and jump with delight, watched by a rapt audience.

It is the final, joyous culmination of an all-day celebration of the healthcare and education work carried out by the AMAR International Charitable Foundation across Iraq. Everyone present can see that this charity is doing more than delivering projects; it is bringing hope, energy and fulfilment to communities and individuals throughout the country, or – as its motto states – ‘rebuilding lives’.

On that happy day in 2009, one banner stood out amidst the throng – that of Zain, the mobile telecommunications company which had generously agreed to sponsor the event. And while it was the AMAR Foundation’s work which was being celebrated, the occasion was also an opportune moment for those present to reflect on the remarkable contribution of Zain to supporting that work – a contribution which was transforming and multiplying AMAR’s capacity to assist people in need.

Zain began providing mobile voice and data services to the people of Iraq in December 2003 (under the name MTC Atheer), and grew steadily to become what is today the country’s leading mobile operator, serving more than 16 million customers and covering more than 97% of the population.

Crucially, the company argues that sound business decisions are 30 | IRAQTODAY | Spring 2014

“

“Our partnership with Zain is a remarkable demonstration of a major corporation going far above and beyond its commercial obligations to help a population rebuild their lives and their country.”

AMAR’s Executive Chairman, Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne Journal of the Iraq Britain Business Council

PARCEL: A family carries their food hamper back home.

www.webuildiraq.org

Spring 2014 | IRAQTODAY | 31

only a part of the reason for its huge commercial success, and that the substantial social investments which it has made in its client base are also a major factor. Indeed, for Zain, customer relations has always meant a great deal more than directing technical queries and offering new contract deals.

The tone was struck early when the company provided much needed funding for emergency relief efforts following disastrous floods in 2006.

Today, a quick browse of the Zain Iraq website reveals a continuous and wide-ranging flow of Corporate Social Responsibility, sustainability and philanthropic activities: sponsoring tennis tournaments, distributing stationery to schoolchildren, supporting orphans in partnership with the Red Crescent Society, and investing in empowering people for a better society. The list is long and impressive.

Yet what Zain has been doing to support the work of the AMAR Foundation is in a different league, and AMAR, perhaps more than any other organisation, can testify to Zain’s generosity and vision. Four years on from the 2009 celebration, June 2014 will mark the seventh anniversary of the AMAR-Zain partnership. It is by any standards an exceptional collaboration, and one which through regular, planned injections of financial support and the operational stability which follows from that, is doing more than any other to support and sustain AMAR’s essential work in Iraq.

32 | IRAQTODAY | Spring 2014

A quick glance at some of the statistics reveals the scale of the impact. In 2012 AMAR delivered almost 700,000 health consultations, including approximately 80,000 specialist child care consultations and around 100,000 vaccinations to children and pregnant women.

More than 28,000 families received monthly (or more frequent) visits from AMAR Women Health Volunteers, and 2,700 health education sessions were held in schools during the year. Also during this period, many thousands of children, university students and adults received weekly or daily classes in subjects ranging from literacy and numeracy to IT, English Language, civic participation, human rights and the rule of law – with a further 1,000 widows receiving targeted skills training to enable them to set up businesses or otherwise find the means to provide for themselves and their families.

AMAR staff make it clear that without Zain’s support, none of this work would be happening, as individual project funding from institutional donors is incapable of sustaining even a small part of such a programme beyond those donors’ own tightly-restricted budgets and shortterm timelines; nor can it adequately provide for the essential support structures necessary to managing and evaluating the work. For this reason alone, the support provided by Zain is absolutely central to every health consultation or literacy class which

AMAR delivers on the ground – and to preparing for future interventions.

AMAR’s Executive Chairman, Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne, is in no doubt about the exceptional nature of Zain’s commitment: “Our partnership with Zain is a remarkable demonstration of a major corporation going far above and beyond its commercial obligations to help a population rebuild their lives and their country. Through its support for AMAR’s work, not to mention its many other philanthropic activities, Zain is setting an outstanding Corporate Social Responsibility example, which in my experience is unique in the extent to which it is having a direct and sustainable impact on people’s lives.”

Dominic Gould, now AMAR’s Head of Governance and Development, vividly remembers the first meeting with senior Zain officials in June 2007, at which agreement was reached to support the charity’s work.

Journal of the Iraq Britain Business Council

“It was an immediate meeting of minds. From the first moment it was clear that this was a company which genuinely cared about the welfare of the Iraqi people, just as AMAR did.”

He added: “It was incredibly exciting at that time – as has since been borne out by results – to contemplate the potential achievements of a partnership between, on the one hand, a major company with very substantial financial and technological resources and, on the other, the exceptionally effective and sustainable healthcare and education work of the AMAR Foundation, which was already punching far above its weight in terms of the depth and breadth of its impact on vulnerable families and communities across the country.”

“What was particularly inspiring was that while the Zain representatives with whom we met were clearly personally enthused by the social responsibility agenda, the ethos www.webuildiraq.org

of the entire company was geared wholeheartedly towards this objective alongside its commercial priorities.

This has been key to sustaining such a strong relationship,” continued Mr Gould.

AMAR’s Chief Operating Officer, Richard Crow, adds: “Beyond the headline statistics demonstrating Zain’s impact on the ground through AMAR’s work – such as the huge numbers of child health consultations and women health volunteer family visits which Zain’s support has enabled – the scale and structure of Zain’s commitment to AMAR have also proved absolutely priceless in terms of strategic planning.”

“The consistency and regularity of the funding flow helps AMAR to make individual project management decisions based on the best interests of beneficiaries, local staff and the project itself, whereas previously such decisions were often overly vulnerable to the bureaucratic and political pressures on donor agencies. As an organisation which – as yet – does not have an endowment fund, Zain’s support is critical to enabling AMAR to manage change and ensure stable and coherent transitions,” said Mr Crow.

By its decision to support AMAR in 2007, Zain also effectively opened the gates for other companies to follow suit. While AMAR had enjoyed a handful of contributions in kind from major corporations during the 1990s and early 2000s, Zain’s support represented the first sustained

Corporate Social Responsibility commitment to AMAR’s work. It laid the foundations for what is now the fastest-growing funding source sector among AMAR’s donors, and included major international companies such as Shell and Weir Group.

A spokesman for Zain explained the reasons they are so fully committed to their sponsorship and support of AMAR. “Our vision includes a commitment to positively participate in creating a wonderful world stand out in our core values, building capacity in the region, supporting economic developments and empowering youth through education as well as supporting access to health care are the main pillars of our sustainability and CSR strategy,” he said.

AMAR, for its part, does everything possible to showcase Zain’s support, and Zain was warmly welcomed by AMAR’s Patron, His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, at the Foundation’s 21st Anniversary Celebration at the House of Lords in February 2013. Yet what is so refreshing about Zain is that while publicity for good work is always welcome, the overriding preoccupation for the company is clearly the work itself. This approach speaks volumes about Zain’s professionalism but also underlines the sincerity of its altruism.

It makes Zain a perfect bedfellow for AMAR, which has always ensured that the charity’s work on the ground is at the centre of everything it does. It is indeed a remarkable partnership. n Spring 2014 | IRAQTODAY | 33

LONDON - BASRA - ERBIL - DUBAI Engineering a world of experience.

OFFERING ENGINEERING AND ENVIRONMENTAL EXPERTISE IN IRAQ FOR OVER 10 YEARS

Water and wastewater Social and Environment Urban and rural land-use planning Oil and Gas Power generation and transmission Renewable Energy Transportation Buildings Surveying Project and programme management

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Profile

Cain Is (very) Able HWH & Associates’ Managing Director talks about her life in the engineering fast lane and why working in Iraq is the best decision she ever made.

www.webuildiraq.org

Spring 2014 | IRAQTODAY | 35

Profile

Sarah Cain

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s Sarah Cain dived for cover under the steel plate beneath the mattress on her bed - the only defence against rockets sometimes landing too close for comfort outside - she could have been forgiven for wondering why she’d swapped the peace and tranquillity of her native New Zealand for the dusty and dangerous working conditions of post-war Iraq.

Perhaps surprisingly, this terrifying, almost nightly, occurrence at the Contingency Operating Base (COB) in Basra in the dark days of 2007 didn’t cause Sarah to question her chosen career or the location in which she’d voluntarily found herself.

But then it could be said she’s always been slightly different from the average New Zealand woman. Back in Nelson, the picturesque port city on the country’s South Island, the teenage Sarah was never going to settle for the norm.

Whilst most of her female contemporaries were contemplating New Zealandbased jobs in the arts, education, or medicine, Sarah wanted to be an engineer and travel. Not top of the list of career choices amongst the majority of her friends, but no real surprise to her parents; dad a science teacher, mum a mathematician, or her brother, who’s also an engineer.

“I was good at all the science subjects and nowhere near as good, or interested in, the arts. I actually wanted to be an aid worker, and thought doing engineering would help me find a job in that field. I also wanted to go and visit other parts of the world, so this career seemed like a good idea. The biggest impact on my parents was telling them I was going to work in Iraq’

36 | IRAQTODAY | Spring 2014

Sarah explains.

“It was certainly an unusual choice then, and probably still is now. Sadly we don’t get as many women coming through the engineering sector as we should, or if they do, they don’t stay with it.”

Sarah is now one of the most senior engineers and environmentalists working in the region, and as Managing Director of HWH & Associates, she still spends a lot of her time in Basra, though the situation is, of course, a lot better than when she first travelled there.

“Things were very grim then,” says Sarah, who then quickly adds that when the opportunity first arose to work in Iraq with Mott MacDonald, global engineering consultancy and IBBC founder member, she was so keen to work in Iraq that she almost had to threaten to resign from the UK division if they weren’t going to approve the transfer.

She says that despite coming from a part of the company which had more than its fair share of intrepid young engineers, her UK based managers – whilst having her best interests at heart - were concerned for her safety and comfort and having to live in harsh conditions. However, she was determined to go and the

Iraq country team were equally determined to have her on board, and could see the benefits she would bring to the team and the impact she would have on helping develop young Iraqi engineers and colleagues.

“They thought I was being naïve in my decision making and they tried to highlight all the negative points of the move to Iraq. But I wanted to get overseas and Iraq was the best decision I ever made,” adds Sarah.

So off she went to Basra, swapping a comfortable life in the Mott MacDonald offices in Cambridge, for a world

“

I actually wanted to be an aid worker, and thought doing engineering would help me find a job in that field. I also wanted to go and visit other parts of the world, so this career seemed like a good idea.”

Journal of the Iraq Britain Business Council

surrounded by razor wire and blast walls living in the COB. “I loved it. I was working for the military, for Britain’s Department for International Development (DFID) and all kinds of relief agencies. I loved how quickly things were happening, the pace of life and being part of dynamic and fast evolving community and profession.”

Sarah was playing her own specialised part in the rebuilding of Iraq, using her skills to advise on water treatment, sanitation, and environmental protection projects whilst at the same time introducing the latest engineering, environmental and management techniques.

She lived and worked alongside hundreds of other specialists and soldiers on the sprawling COB for 18 months and apart from rotation leave, only left the base on two occasions to visit project sites.

“It was very difficult not to actually go out and see the projects I was working on more often. We had to rely on the Iraqi staff to do this, and luckily this is where the strength of the operation lay.

They were excellent. They did the site supervision, got the contractors organised, all things that ordinarily I would have been involved in, while

www.webuildiraq.org

at the same time it was great to see how they developed in both their confidence and technical capability” continues Sarah.

She concedes that although she thoroughly enjoyed the work, life was tough, especially for women on the base.

“When people moan to me about accommodation today, I think about when I had to live in a sweltering Portacabin for months on end, and share an ablution block with 50 blokes. They were all very good, though I used to get a bit unnerved sometimes when a soldier would bring his firearm into the showers” laughs Sarah.

“On the occasions when the COB alarm would go off, the drill was to crawl under the steel plate welded to the underneath of my bed for protection. It’s not the most comfortable way to spend a night. I think I became a bit blasé about it in the end.

I’ve turned into a bit of an adrenalin junkie” she adds.

Sarah believes the fast paced daily work routine together with the experiences of those days in the COB has made her stronger and able to face most challenges that life and career has put in her way

since.

After her year and a half in Iraq, Sarah spent just a few days back in London, before she was off again to work for Mott MacDonald. This time based in Dubai but on a specific Iraq focussed project.

“They told me to pack a case for a couple of weeks and about six months after that I remember saying, ‘can I go home and get some more clothes please’” she jokes.

“Shell was about to reenter Iraq and Mott won the contract to carry out asset condition surveys on the gas infrastructure, which proved to be a great job, although I have never worked so hard.

I was advising on all sorts of things, such as health and safety, security assessments, as well as gearing up for the engineering to take place, before returning to Basra and the COB to manage the Mott MacDonald field team” Sarah explains.

“It was tough. It was my first experience working in oil and gas. It’s a tough sector to work in. Quite brutal. Either you deliver or you’re out. I was running the operation and having to manage 40 Iraqi employees, so it was quite stressful. But I had the advantage of having already worked there, which really helped.” Sarah says she realised very early on that the engineering sector was and still is very much a man’s world.

“You get used to it of course, but I don’t like it.. But that’s the way it is. I do get women contacting me to ask for advice. Often it’s as basic as asking what they should wear in Iraq. I just tell them to wear what’s appropriate for the circumstances. If I’m visiting Spring 2014 | IRAQTODAY | 37

Profile

Sarah Cain

an oil field or construction site then it’s personal protective equipment - overalls, boots and a hard hat.”

Never one to take the easy way, Sarah swapped Iraq for Southern Afghanistan – again with Mott MacDonald for a job with DFID, the World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank on the notoriously dangerous

Kajaki Dam project, and living in the Lashkar Gah military base.

It was during a study break from Afghanistan and a sabbatical from Motts, that she was contacted by HWH’s Chief Executive Officer, Peter Hunt.

She had first met Peter in Iraq, he had been working as a consultant for Mott McDonald LEFT: Sarah with work colleagues in Iraq.

38 | IRAQTODAY | Spring 2014

since 2003 and they worked together mainly on water and sanitation projects.

“Peter offered me some work through HWH for Penspen, who of course are also an IBBC member. They were working on a contract for BP, and needed somebody to fill in the gap for the regular guy when he took his two weeks of leave following sixweek working rotations. I thought, this is great, just a couple of weeks of work, that will suit me and fit with my studies, but then when I got to Abu Dhabi en route to Iraq, Penspen said the guy had been let go and could I do the job full time.”

By that time, HWH was winning more and more contracts, and Sarah was offered a full-time job. Studies took a back seat and Sarah was back in Iraq.

Since then, she and Peter have rapidly developed the company and it has gone from strength to strength. She is now a partner and owns 50%.

“Peter is my mentor. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him. He is so commercially smart as well as having great technical knowledge and superb management style.

He is so positive, he’s a real inspiration to everyone,” says Sarah.

As managing director, she spends much of her time running the day to day operation of the company and developing new business, though she does miss her days of hard hats and overalls.

“I still try and do some site visits, but obviously, for me, development of the company is my priority. As well as all our work in Iraq, we now have a contract in Africa and another in Oman, so the Journal of the Iraq Britain Business Council

business is booming. We are now looking at breaking into the Libya market too.”

So what does the future hold for ambitious Sarah?

She wants to take HWH as far as she can of course, but one day she thinks she would like to return to New Zealand.

“I guess I have been away far too long, but there’s still so much I still want to do.

Iraq is a huge and growing market and they love British companies. I firmly believe this is the time to be here but you have to be prepared for the long haul,” says Sarah.

“Personally, it’s been a real privilege for me to be involved in Iraq, and to have met and worked with some incredible people. Iraq has some very talented engineers and environmentalists but a lot more help is needed with the re-development of the country.

I feel very privileged we are able to continue making a contribution and to keep the flag flying high.” n

“

I guess I have been away far too long, but there’s still so much I still want to do.

Iraq is a huge and growing market and they love British companies.

I firmly believe this is the time to be here but you have to be prepared for the long haul.” www.webuildiraq.org

LONDON – BASRA – ERBIL – DUBAI Engineering a world of experience. www.hwhassociates.com

Spring 2014 | IRAQTODAY | 39

Analysis EPIC: The magnificent Newton Park campus.

C

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BATH TAPS INTO IBBC’S MEMBERSHIP Bath Spa has become the first British university to become part of the IBBC. DR ALASTAIR NIVEN, IBBC Associate Director and Chairman or the IBBC Education and Training Sector Table, reports.

40 | IRAQTODAY | Spring 2014

Journal of the Iraq Britain Business Council

Analysis Education

STUNNING: Newton St Loe Castle- part of the Bath Spa University campus.

“

One of IBBC’s hopes is to help facilitate the establishment of a higher education presence in Iraq. ” ALASTAIR NIVEN, IBBC ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR

T

he IBBC is celebrating the creation of a new category of membership which will put education onto the Council’s curriculum.

With 53 members already, the organisation has now embarked on recruiting universities who have a special interest in developing links with Iraq.

The first university to join is Bath Spa, an entrepreneurial institution which has among its specialisms the performing arts and arts management.

We are confident that universities with research interests in oil, gas and energy will be joining too, but it is fascinating that an arts-focused university is the first to be admitted. We have another five universities pressing to join, representing something of the great diversity that characterises British higher education.

The university scene in the United Kingdom is hugely diverse, ranging from our ancient institutions (Cambridge, Edinburgh, Oxford, St. Andrew’s, for example) to the brand new institutions still in prototype, such as the International New School of Medicine in London, whose Co-Founder, Andrew Douglas, joined the IBBC-UKTI mission to Iraq last November.

One of IBBC’s hopes is to help facilitate the establishment of a higher 42 | IRAQTODAY | Spring 2014

education presence in Iraq. There are various ways this could be done, ranging from a purpose-built new institution to an online virtual presence along Open University lines.

Transnational education of this kind is relatively cheap to run, encourages partnerships between institutions, can guarantee high quality, reaches remote places, and is not capital-intensive.

An IBBC working party has been set up with the idea of creating a British university in Iraq. Representatives from several institutions, from the British Universities Iraq Consortium (BUIC), and from the Iraq Embassy in London, will host the next meeting. Attendees can learn about the experience of those who set up the British University in Dubai, about expectations in Iraq itself, and about different forms of accreditation. An insistence on quality assurance should be paramount.

On his recent visit to Britain, the Iraqi Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Mr Ali Mohammed Al-Adeeb, attracted high level audiences to meetings organised by the International Unit of Universities UK (UUK) and by the Iraqi Embassy. It was impressive to see Vice-Chancellors from Iraq mixing with their counterparts from many parts of the UK. Mr Al-Adeeb outlined some of

Iraq’s most pressing needs in higher education, and announced that he had called for the establishment of an English language training centre in every Iraqi university. In a private meeting with me, he endorsed the idea of a British university presence in Iraq and also welcomed the possibility of a mission to his country in the coming months, focused on higher education reciprocation between our two countries.

The Minister emphasised that links between British and Iraqi universities are most valuable when they address Iraq’s special interests, especially in energy development and in health research. The training of nurses for example is high on his list of concerns.

Journal of the Iraq Britain Business Council

However, he recognises that Iraq has an ancient history, with some of the world’s primary archaeological sites. IBBC is initiating a new strategy for cultural conservation, museum management and literary heritage, in the hope that it can help Iraq build up a better capacity to address these areas.

At both the meetings addressed by the Minister in London, great concern was expressed about visa constraints which make the process of coming to Britain to study so difficult.

Reassurances came from appropriate places, but it was evident that this is a very serious issue. The labelling of students as migrant workers, when clearly their intentions are very different, does not help. In July, at its www.webuildiraq.org

retreat in Cumberland Lodge, Windsor, IBBC will discuss some of the problems raised by the visa application process.

Education is internationally recognised as the key to development.

It is reassuring that the IBBC membership unanimously understands this and supports the initiatives that have been taken. We work in partnership with the Iraq Embassy and with likeminded organisations such as BUIC and UUK. Ours is potentially a big agenda, but we are confident that we can facilitate new initiatives and encourage ideas that need fertile ground in which to flourish. Together we can sow seeds, with IBBC as the fertiliser and Iraq the soil in which they can flourish. n

BATH SPA UNI FACTS Bath Spa is ranked 8th of all UK universities for environmental performance.

Almost 7000 students attend Bath Spa University.

The university had over £51,000,000 turnover in 2011.

The university has been rated ‘Outstanding’ by OFSTED for ITT courses.

Spring 2014 | IRAQTODAY | 43

Innovation

ABOVE: The offshore complex at Al Fao.

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Journal of the Iraq Britain Business Council

M re in the

pipeline for Foster Wheeler

ROBERT COLE reports on the IBBC member’s impressive and growing business portfolio in Iraq.

F Images: Courtesy of SOC.

www.webuildiraq.org

or one of the grand old veterans of global business, Foster Wheeler has the energy and ambition of a much more youthful concern.

It continues to blaze a trail through Iraq and across the wider Middle East region that would leave the majority of rivals gasping for air.

Foster Wheeler has been working in Iraq since the 1930s, designing and building the first oil processing units in Kirkuk and developing the Al Daura

and Basra facilities. Now, more than 80 years and a great deal of change and upheaval in the region later, the company continues to play a key role in realising Iraq’s development vision.

One of the most ambitious and complicated contracts in recent years is the Iraq Crude Oil Export Expansion (ICOEE) project.

Foster Wheeler’s work began in 2007 for the South Oil Company (SOC) with initial studies of the existing pipelines export system and facilities

Spring 2014 | IRAQTODAY | 45

Innovation

Foster Wheeler

– which lie offshore in the Gulf, roughly 50km south east of the Al Faw Peninsula.

The involvement with SOC soon grew as Foster Wheeler developed concepts for the planned expansion of Iraq’s crude oil capacity, and culminated in the company being awarded the ICOEE front-end engineering design (FEED) at the end of 2008. This was completed in July 2010, and Foster Wheeler was then awarded the project management consultancy contract for a two-phase expansion.

The scope of the expansion has been enormous, described by HE Minister of Oil, Mr Abdul Karim Al-Luaibi, as “the most important project in Iraq”.

The first phase consisted of installing two 48-inch pipelines, with 7km onshore and 48km offshore sections, 48” offshore pipeline spurs to two single point moorings (SPMs), a sub-sea valve manifold, and facilities at the Fao terminal, such as metering, a beach valve station and associated facilities, and offshore power and communications cables.

There were over 100km of offshore pipeline to be installed, with a steel weight of 70,000 tonnes. The two SPMs increase Iraq’s crude oil export capacity by 1.8 million barrels per day. The Phase 1 engineering, procurement and construction contract was awarded in October 2010 and exports started from these facilities in March 2012, a mere 16 months after the contract award – an excellent achievement by any standard.

On 7 March 2012, the Maersk Hirado, a VLCC supertanker, became the first to take oil on board at an SPM in Iraqi waters. Loaded with two million barrels of Basra Light Crude, the vessel then sailed for North America. Phase 1 took Iraq’s average exports to levels that had not been achieved for nearly 30 years and the export rates have steadily increased as Iraq has developed the upstream infrastructure that supplies the onshore Fao oil export terminal.

46 | IRAQTODAY | Spring 2014

Phase 2 of the ICOEE project began in February 2012, and adds a central metering and manifold platform into the project complex that allows exports to a further two SPMs and controls and meters all exports to the four SPMs. Work on the 8,000-tonne topside structure started in May 2012, with all fabrication, erection, painting, testing and pre-commissioning work undertaken in Indonesia.

The 2,000-tonne jacket, the link bridge to connect the central metering and manifold platform and the existing Al Basra oil terminal, and its supporting tripod were fabricated in Saudi Arabia.

The jacket was installed with its eight jacket legs secured with piles that have been driven 60 metres into the sea bed.

The mammoth task to move the topsides from Indonesia took place in November of last year. It was transported on the back of a heavy transportation semi-submersible vessel and was installed onto the jacket later that month by a float-over operation using the same vessel.

All this mind-boggling (to the layman!) planning, logistics and construction management is not the end of the story for Foster Wheeler, far from it. In addition to project management for the ICOEE Phase 1 and Phase 2 engineering, procurement and construction works Foster Wheeler is administering the offshore operations and maintenance contract and is also assisting SOC with the contracting for the removal of the wreck of the Amuriyah, which lies in the vicinity of the operational SPMs. The Amuriyah is a supertanker that sank in 30m of water in 1990. As with most work in Iraq, there’s understandable due care and attention being given to unexploded ordnance.

Dheyaa Jaafar Hyjam, Director General of the South Oil Company, is delighted with the contract results so far.

“This is a truly wonderful

“

We have established an excellent working relationship with South Oil Company and Iraq’s Ministry of Oil, and this teamwork has been a key success factor in achieving these important milestones” Roberto Penno, Foster Wheeler’s CEO of Global Engineering & Construction Group

ABOVE: Transporting of the rig.

Journal of the Iraq Britain Business Council

achievement by all the parties involved, and forms the first of many steps that will see Iraq’s export capacity rising to restore our rightful place as a worldclass oil producer,” said Mr Hyjam.

He added: “We are proud of the close relationship between ourselves and Foster Wheeler, and the commitment that Foster Wheeler has demonstrated in making this project a success.”

Foster Wheeler’s CEO of Global Engineering & Construction Group, Roberto Penno, said the company was proud to be playing such a key role in Iraq’s development vision.

“We have established an excellent working relationship with South Oil Company and Iraq’s Ministry of Oil, and this teamwork has been a key success factor in achieving these important milestones,” added Mr Penno.

Foster Wheeler is also working on other projects in the country in addition to the ICOEE project.

Iraq has the world’s fourth largest oil reserves and has a vision to rehabilitate and expand its existing refinery infrastructure, and to build up to five new refineries to process its indigenous crudes. Its focus is to reduce reliance www.webuildiraq.org

on the importation of white oil products, such as diesel and gasoline, and become a net exporter of products.

As you would expect, Foster Wheeler is also heavily involved in Iraq’s development of its new refining infrastructure, and prepared the FEED for the 300,000 barrels per day New Nassiriya Refinery.

The refinery, to be located in Thi Qar Province, approximately 200 km from Basra, is the largest of the planned new refineries. It can be described as a truly complex world-scale refinery with its 27 process units, ranging from crude/vacuum distillation for the primary distillation of the crude to hydrocracking, fluid catalytic cracking and residue hydrocracking units for upgrading the atmospheric residue streams. The refinery will consist of two identical trains with common process units.

In addition to developing its refining capacity, Iraq is working on increasing its crude oil production through contracting with several IOCs to boost field production to achieve the export ambitions of the country.

The recent news that another IBBC

giant, Shell, has awarded framework contracts to the Dubai-based JV company of Foster Wheeler and Kentz, for the provision of engineering, procurement and related services for the Majnoon Oil Field Commercial Production Project, rubber stamps Foster Wheeler’s position as one of the leading international companies in the region.

The services, including concept selection, front-end engineering design, detailed design and contract procurement services, will be provided primarily by the JV company, supported by the Foster Wheeler and Kentz organisations.

The contracts with Shell will run for two years, with an option to extend for an additional year and will provide a framework for a number of packages of work to be executed, covering new facilities and rehabilitation or upgrade of existing facilities.

Steve Spicer, General Manager of Foster Wheeler Kentz Energy Services DMCC, said the contract was “a strong vote of confidence.”

Training and development is always high on the agenda. As part of all Foster Wheeler’s contracts with the Iraqi Ministry of Oil (MoO) companies, Foster Wheeler managed a number of training events for MoO staff. At one of the training events, Foster Wheeler was supported by the University of Reading’s International Study and Language Centre, UK. So what of the future? As well as all its current projects in Iraq, Foster Wheeler has been actively working with a number of major international oil companies carrying out field development studies.

What goes on at Foster Wheeler may seem complex, but imagine having to turn those complex ideas into actions.

Foster Wheeler achieves this, and along with our other IBBC members, that’s the reason they are accomplishing so much in Iraq. n Spring 2014 | IRAQTODAY | 47

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Journal of the Iraq Britain Business Council

55

great companies dedicated to rebuilding Iraq

Tel: +44 20 7222 7100 | london@webuildiraq.org | www.webuildiraq.org | Or follow us on Twitter: @IBBC_London

www.webuildiraq.org

Spring 2014 | IRAQTODAY | 49

Report

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Journal of the Iraq Britain Business Council

LEADERS’ COURSE LETS CROW FLY AMAR Chief selected for Commonwealth leadership challenge that has the Royal seal of approval.

T

MAIN: Richard Crow, COO of the AMAR Foundation.

BELOW: The Duke of Edinburgh, the founder and patron.

www.webuildiraq.org

he Chief Operating Officer of the AMAR International Charitable Foundation has been selected to attend the elite CSC Leaders Course.

Richard Crow was offered the opportunity by Weir Group to join the (British) Commonwealth Study Conference programme. Weir are sponsors along with fellow IBBC members, BP and PwC. Weir are also a major corporate partner of the AMAR Foundation and offered Richard a fully-funded bursary place on the course.

CSC Leaders seeks to bring together exceptional senior leaders in their field from countries throughout the Commonwealth to share skills, build partnerships and develop global relations. This year, there were 96 delegates in attendance from 23 Commonwealth countries.

The weeklong conference began at PwC’s offices close to London’s famous Tower Bridge.

Over two days, delegates were given background

information on global issues such as climate change, society and technology and innovation before taking part in master classes on a range of subjects, from sustainable business to social impact, trade and transport.

Richard opted to specialise in health and energy, to learn more about its relevance in the work the AMAR Foundation carries out. The challenge he and the other delegates were given for the week was: ‘how do we get societal as well as economic benefit from technology?’

“I chose health because it’s pertinent to the work I do, and looking at the title of the challenge, I wanted to see what technology there was that could be used in developing countries,” Richard explained.

“For example, ultrasound scanners, which are traditionally bulky items on trolleys, can now be small enough to fit in a pouch the size of a camera bag – portable and perfect for our community health workers,” he added.

The Duke of Edinburgh founder and patron and its President, The Princess Royal, hosted a reception at Buckingham Palace to which delegates, corporate sponsors, High Commissioners and other senior guests were invited.

Following the event, Richard joined the group heading north to Glasgow, where they visited the Community Health Partnership offices, and met with Sir Harry Burns, Chief Medical Officer for Scotland, and Neil Baxter of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland.

Mr Baxter explained how health, education and community care can be significantly influenced by the quality of the built environment. He described the negative impact the destruction of tenement communities had on towns and cities throughout the UK. When people were moved into high-rise tower blocks, it broke up communities, and had a bad impact on the health of those who were moved.

Mr Baxter continued by citing the redesign of a secure unit which

Spring 2014 | IRAQTODAY | 51

Report

Richard Crow

cares for violent and abusive patients suffering from chronic dementia and Alzheimer’s. For the safety of staff and patients, they were sedated to the point of stupefaction to keep them calm and easy to care for. The new ward was designed to be more like a home than a hospital. Patients staying there were calmer, more relaxed and much happier than they had been.

With the introduction of open planned rooms, outdoor features and green spaces, there was a 90% decrease on the dependency for sedative drugs.

Over five years, the hospital made up the money they had spent in the initial redesign because they were saving money on expensive sedative drugs, and did not require the same level of highly-trained staff to deal with potentially difficult patients.

The group was then taken to visit the Royal Forth Hospital, one of the most advanced in Europe, to see a simulated operating theatre and observation room, where the team members were invited to take part in a simulated emergency situation to test their response skills.

52 | IRAQTODAY | Spring 2014

“There were controllers in a room behind a glass wall, which were connected to the patient – a fully anatomical dummy,” Richard explained.

“The controller is in complete command of the outputs, functions and reactions of the dummy. First, we watched a simulation of a woman in labour; the dummy showed all the stages of birth, and the controller could decide which way the baby was born.

That way, medics can assess all the possible complications, teach people how to deal with them, and then fully report on it with no one actually being put at risk.”

“In Basra, AMAR is examining ways of improving the provision of emergency care and a training facility of this quality and simulations like this would be highly useful,” Richard said.

Throughout the conference, emphasis was placed on the power of information-sharing. Delegates learned how beneficial it was to share resources and information, both locally and globally.

As part of this learning experience, the group also found themselves

visiting Edinburgh Zoo at dawn. The early start was designed to observe the behaviour of the primates, and see how different species interact with one another in the same environment.

Edinburgh Zoo was one of the pioneers in allowing different species of primates to mix socially together to analyse their hierarchies, their rivalries and their strategy developments – much like watching a corporate board room!

The zoo also has in place a unique database, a network of information that is shared with over 800 zoos worldwide.

The data has taken over ten years to compile, standardise and be translated into dozens of languages. Astronomy is the only other profession to share such information, and that’s a system we can all learn from, said Richard.

The group also visited the Falkirk Wheel and Helix Project, two collaborative social investment schemes which, together, have changed the way tourism operates in south central Scotland. During visits to the National Stadium and the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, Richard also learned that Journal of the Iraq Britain Business Council

FAR LEFT: This year’s delegates gathered for the CSC Leaders Course.

LEFT: The Princess Royal, the President of the Commonwealth Leadership Development Conferences, shares a joke with fellow trustees.

BELOW: Richard Crow, left, listens as The Princess Royal addresses some of the delegates.

“

In Basra, AMAR is examining ways of improving the provision of emergency care and a training facility of this quality and simulations like this would be highly useful” Richard Crow, AMAR

www.webuildiraq.org

all of Glasgow’s sports centres, libraries and parks are now run by a single charitable company, which has led to massive savings, greater access for the public and greater opportunities for investment in further facilities.

During the week-long conference, the importance of collaboration and partnership was highlighted again and again - very much in keeping with the aims of the Commonwealth. It thrives on the cultural and economic partnerships it creates.

‘Leading beyond authority’ was the tagline for the week, and CSC maintain that one of the aspects of a strong leader is being emotionally and culturally aware. So Richard and his team developed the idea of establishing a CSC Ambassador’s network, to represent the Commonwealth ideals beyond the conference, and share what delegates have learned among their peers.

As Richard explained: “The whole idea is to connect future leaders. If they’re not prepared to take future action then what’s the point?” n

Spring 2014 | IRAQTODAY | 53

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Journal of the Iraq Britain Business Council

Culture RIGHT: Gertrude Bell.

Queen The Desert

PIP DRAGONETTI writes

T

.E. Lawrence is famous around the world thanks to the feature film Lawrence of Arabia. Made in 1963, the film was directed by David Lean and starred Peter O’Toole as Lawrence. It was nominated for an amazing ten Oscars and won seven in total, including Best Picture.

Now it has been announced that another film is to be made featuring Lawrence, but this time the main focus is a lesser-known counterpart, who also played an integral role in the development of the Middle East during this time – a woman called Gertrude Bell.

Nicole Kidman as Gertrude Bell with Director Werner Herzog.

www.webuildiraq.org

The Oscar-nominated director Werner Herzog, famous for documentaries such as Grizzly Man and Encounters at the End of the World, has written and directed a film about the intrepid and pioneering British explorer, Bell.

The film, entitled Queen of the Desert, follows the extraordinary life and adventures of Bell and will show the interactions she had with Lawrence and other key players during this time, including King Faisal I and Winston Churchill.

Bell played a leading role in the creation of modern day Iraq. She was present at the 1921 Cairo Conference, where the territories that made up the collapsed Ottoman Empire had their futures determined and new borders carved out. Her knowledge of the region and awareness of the tribal culture, together with her skills as a cartographer, meant that she played an integral part in this process.

The film, which is due to be released in 2015, is expected to focus particularly on Bell’s relationships, but will not be complete if it does not also focus on her position as a leading lady in a male-dominated world. Gender forms an integral part of how Bell was perceived at the time and how her role has been recorded in history.

Nicole Kidman is playing Gertrude Bell, with Damien Lewis of Homeland-fame playing her love interest Charles Doughty‑Wylie, and also stars Robert Pattison as T. E. Lawrence. n Spring 2014 | IRAQTODAY | 55

Report SAFETY: Headmistress Sara Tuaama shows her pupils how to cross the road safely.

“

People in Iraq don’t have a culture or awareness of road safety. We are now having a lot of problems due to this lack of education and children are particularly at risk.”

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Journal of the Iraq Britain Business Council

S

Road safety project gets the green light www.webuildiraq.org

hell has joined forces with the AMAR International Charitable Foundation to try and dramatically reduce the number of children dying or being injured in road accidents in Iraq.

The shocking statistics tell their own story of just how serious the problem is. The country’s Ministry of Health reported back in 2009 that the injury toll from RTAs was almost four times greater than from acts of terrorism, and the police now say things are far worse.

Poor driving skills and the crumbling road infrastructure are partly to blame, say the police, but many deaths are put down to a lack of awareness by children and their parents of basic road safety knowledge.

Much of the advice will seem simple and obvious to some, but in an Iraq slowly emerging from the fog of war, road safety has not been foremost in people’s minds until now.

Measures will include encouraging parents to always hold their child’s hand on a busy main road, ensuring children walk on the pavement a safe distance from the carriageway, always using zebra crossings where available, and wearing seat belts in cars.

AMAR and Shell have already piloted a scheme in the south of the country that will soon be launched in schools all over the region. The hope is that it will quickly begin to turn the “appalling” situation around.

Staff from the country’s Departments of Health and Education and the Basra traffic police, have all been involved in drawing up a programme which will be taught in primary schools and introduced to families by AMAR’s Women Health Volunteers (WHVs).

A complete programme has been designed which will include resource books for teachers, storybooks for the children, poster and stickers, and a parental scheme for families.

The youngsters will even learn songs, written and composed locally, to help them remember all the steps and play specially devised games. There will also be practical lessons on how to take care of themselves and their Spring 2014 | IRAQTODAY | 57

Report

Road Safety

EDUCATION: Teacher Batool Ali with some of her class.

GUIDANCE: Colonel Riyadh Jasim Abdullah of Basra Traffic Police warns two boys using one bike of the dangers from oncoming cars.

friends when walking outside their homes.

Colonel Riyadh Jasim Abdullah, the Head of Media and Information for Basra Traffic Police, is one of the committee that helped draw up the scheme. He is delighted with it and believes it can save many lives.

“People in Iraq don’t have a culture or awareness of road safety. We are now having a lot of problems due to this lack of education and children are particularly at risk. We have many many accidents involving young people. Just the other day, four children were killed in one road accident,” he 58 | IRAQTODAY | Spring 2014

explained.

“That’s why this work by AMAR and Shell is so vitally important. It will establish a new basis for road safety. We will start with the youngest kids and then move on from there.”

Another member of the committee, Dr Nihad Qasim, the Head of General Health in Basra, said policy makers had never paid enough attention to road safety.

“Because of their lack of care, we needed the non-governmental organisations like AMAR, and the big companies like Shell to help really push this. This may be a pilot, but it is very important. If it is a success, and I am sure it will be, then the Iraqi government should begin to fund this and expand this across the country.”

Shell’s General Manager of the giant Majnoon oil field, Simon Daman Willems, explained why the company was involved.

“We are based in Basra, our home is here, and we genuinely want to help the communities in which we are living.

We want to play our part in helping them rebuild their lives.”

Mr Willems added: “Our Shell employees are also passionate about this. When I post a job across the Shell

network we get many people applying.

They are doing it because they have seen the work we do and they want to be part of this.”

The scheme has been piloted at a number of schools in the Basra region.

In the remote Aliffa School in Ali Noor, 50kms north of the city, the youngest pupils have all been involved.

Teacher Batool Ali spends part of each day using the stories and visual aids to encourage the children to practice their road safety.

“This is a great scheme and the children have already learned such a lot,” said Batool. “The roads are so dangerous here and people drive far too fast. The children and their parents are now beginning to understand through this programme that they can help themselves and their families to avoid terrible injury or even being killed.”

Headmistress Sara Tuaama agreed, adding that the road safety campaign was vital to combat the “appalling” situation on the roads.

“This is really so simple, but it’s something that has not been looked at before, and thanks to AMAR and Shell for helping us,” she said.

It is hoped that the scheme will eventually be extended across Iraq. n Journal of the Iraq Britain Business Council

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Spring 2014 | IRAQTODAY | 59

Postcard from...

Erbil

The sweet smell of success MAZIN AWAD reports from Erbil’s honey market and finds it buzzing with activity

“

I get the natural honey from the Qandil Mountain in autumn of each year, which is the production season for the honeybees. I get the honeycombs from people who specialise in collecting them from the mountaintops and caves”

60 | IRAQTODAY | Spring 2014

J

ust below the towering magnificence of the Erbil Citadel – at 8000 years old, the longest continually inhabited site in the world – stands the old souk with its cool streets and shady alleyways, a haven for those trying to escape the blistering heat of an Iraqi summer.

Inside, among the stores selling hardware and software, jewellery and art, there is a street full of liquid gold.

As you draw closer, the rows of honey shops mix their sweetness with the spirits of history.

For centuries in Iraq, honey has been seen as an elixir, curing everything from headaches to arthritis. It’s still the same today, with many locals believing it’s a viable alternative to modern medicine, especially when a trip to the doctors can leave you well out of pocket.

The honey sellers of the Erbil souk are renowned for the produce they gather from the mountains of northern Iraq. People come from all over the country to get their hands on a kilo of delicious high-quality natural honey.

The market is packed from early morning as the stalls begin to open.

People flood in to see what different types are on offer that day.

Majid Qarany, a shopkeeper who sells natural honey and various types of cheeses, opened his stall when he was just 12 years old, and has been running it for more than 50 years.

“I get the natural honey from the Qandil Mountain in autumn of each year, which is the production season for the honeybees. I get the honeycombs from people who specialise in collecting them from the mountaintops and caves,” he explains.

The price for a kilogram of honey costs between $40 and $100, depending on its density, the production date and

the type of flowers the honeybees that produced it have eaten. Winter is the high-sale point of the year when much of the honey flies off the shelves.

“I feel such joy when I receive a new stock each year, and I will always have the first taste of it. This is my own little tradition.” Majid told me.

Another stallholder, Muhamed Taib, inherited a shop and its business from his late father, who was one of the first locals to start trading there in 1941.

“I am very happy and proud to be doing this,” explains Muhamed, who claims that he can recognise many types of honey just by smelling it!

Indeed, his expert nose has helped him win many bets against his fellow shopkeepers in guessing which type of honey is being offered and how much it’s worth.

“I have the best types of honey throughout the year, which is also the most expensive, because the baby honeybees have produced it,” adds Muhamed.

As we’re talking, a customer approaches the stall and enquires after a certain type of natural honey, explaining: “I am used to coming to this shop to buy honey, and I have developed trust with the trader.

“It’s easy to mix natural honey with the honey produced from the bee farms which is significantly less expensive than the natural honey.

Unfortunately, it’s not easy to tell the difference unless you’re an expert, so buying honey from someone you trust is essential.” she said.

With customers as happy as this, the honey market will endure as one of the busiest, and most beautiful places for visitors in Erbil for many years to come. Let your feet (and perhaps your wallet!) guide the way through this vibrant and buzzing souk. n Journal of the Iraq Britain Business Council

www.webuildiraq.org

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Culture

THE TRUTH ABOUT THE LYRE JANETTE LOUGHLIN reports on one man’s plucky mission to replicate an ancient Iraqi instrument.

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Journal of the Iraq Britain Business Council

G

old mines in South Africa, a special air force mission, and unique goods spirited silently across borders... it’s not every musical instrument that has its own James Bond-style story attached to it. But the Lyre of Ur isn’t your typical assemblyline harp.

Excavated in what was the ancient city of Sumer, Iraq, in 1928, the original Lyre of Ur dates back to 2550BC. Found in a site of a suspected mass suicide, the lyre was displayed in the Baghdad Museum for decades, but was vandalised during Operation Desert Storm in 2003.

When he heard the news, British engineer, Andrew Lowings immediately decided to do something about it. The criminal act spurred his idea into action. He was going to create a replica of the Lyre of Ur, down to the very last authentic detail.

Having worked as a civil engineer for most of his life, Andy was also a keen harp player. In his retirement from tunnel-digging and managing large projects, he wanted to undertake a slightly smaller task. “I was drawn to the lyre, it was lovely. And I thought what if as a hobby, we could make it, and discover something while doing it.”

Andy’s research led him to some of the earliest harps crafted and recorded in history, and opened up to him the world of Mesopotamian artefacts and instruments: “Ancient Mesopotamia connects people; I wanted to show the significance of the period on our lives today. It acted as a bridge to far-away communities.”

When Andy decided to undertake the project, he did so as a gesture of solidarity to the Iraqi people in a time of great civil disruption. He explained: “We were surprised by what had happened to the harp, as it was so well-loved by the Iraqi people, and they were very angry at hearing of its damage.”

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“We wanted to do something, as British people, to show sympathy for the trouble the country faced at that time.” And so, research began.

With help from various universities and institutions, including the British Museum, Andy enlisted a team of experts to assist with the sourcing of materials and building of the harp. The cedar wood which forms the body of the lyre was found in Iraq by Muslim Aid. It was transported to the UK by the RAF, with the fitting code name, ‘Operation Plank’.

A team of apprentice jewellery crafters from the West Dean College helped form the gold bull’s head, the

BELOW: The Lyre of Ur travels around the world, showcased at a range of arts and cultural events.

Spring 2014 | IRAQTODAY | 63

Culture The Lyre

real gold for which was donated by the AngloGold Ashanti company in South Africa.

Workers from Loughborough University helped to prepare decorations for the lyre using authentic Middle Easter bitumen donated by the Baghdad Museum. The strings were made from sheep gut and given to the project by Bow Brad harp string manufacturers.

“I tried to involve as many people as possible,” Andy explained. “There’s a big team of people who support us. When we began, everyone was very aware of the trouble in Iraq and wanted to help.”

The project took four years to complete, and media attention grew as the scale of replication and its impact became apparent. The BBC filmed the moment when Andy and his team received the cedar wood

64 | IRAQTODAY | Spring 2014

from the RAF, and interviews were broadcast on British radio stations and in newspapers.

But the ultimate aim of the project was to take the finished replica of the Lyre of Ur back to Iraq, and play it to the people. “Playing it for the first time there was an important moment for me, it made me realise how it could connect people who love music,” Andy said.

As well as performing in Baghdad, Andy and his musical team have performed to Iraqi communities across the UK, Europe and America. “I think it is an important gesture to reach out to other Iraqi communities.”

Andy continues to tour along with the finished Lyre of Ur, evoking the sights and sounds of ancient Mesopotamia and bringing communities together though education and music. n

ABOVE: Ibrahim alEshaikeral-Jafari, the interim Prime Minister of Iraq 2005-2006, speaking with Mr Andy Lowings, Chairman of the Gold Lyre of Ur Project, along with Jennifer Sturdy, actress and Gold Lyre Group Member.

Journal of the Iraq Britain Business Council

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Business

AND FINALLY..... in each edition of IRAQ TODAY we will outline 12 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW about doing business in Iraq; an honest assessment aimed specifically at potential Western investors.

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7 million Iraqis (23% of the total population) live in poverty, spending less than 77,000 Iraqi Dinars per person per month, or 2.2 US dollars per person per day.

TECHNOLOGY: 78% of Iraqis now use mobile telephones.

Nationally, the unemployment rate in Iraq is 11% with 653,000 people out of work.

HOUSING: With the popluation ever increasing, stronger infrastructure in housing is vital.

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THUMBS UP!

Since 2003, the use of technology among Iraqis has increased significantly. 78% of the population now use mobile telephones, and 12% own a personal computer.

The percentage of women in paid employment in the non-agricultural sector has risen from 12.1% in 2008, to 14.7% in 2011.

Iraq has made steady progress enrolling children in primary education. According to the UN, the percentage of enrolment rose from 76.3% in 2000, to 89.1% in 2011.

The value of exports for Iraq has increased year on year since 2009, and was recorded at US$ 94.31 million for 2012, according to the OPEC Members’ Annual Statistical Bulletin.

The number of active rigs in Iraq has gone up by 33, from 59 in 2011 to 92 recorded in 2012, according to the OPEC Members’ Annual Statistical Bulletin.

According to the UN, Iraq has 143 billion barrels of oil reserves and a potential further 200 billion barrels identified and recoverable, securing Iraq’s future in the oil and gas sector.

| Spring 66 | |IRAQTODAY IRAQTODAY| Spring 2014 2014

Although the oil sector provides 65% of Iraq’s GDP, currently it only employs 1% of the total labour force.

Despite that nationwide, electricity is now being generated widely enough to surpass pre-war levels, power cuts in Iraq are still common, according to the Brookings Institution. On average, households receive 14.6 hours of electricity a day through a combination of the public network, or private generators.

The years of conflict and violence have left chemical pollution and unexplored ordnances affecting the livelihoods and safety of an estimated 1.6 million Iraqis.

By 2030, the population of Iraq is expected to reach 50 million.

Stronger infrastructure in housing and public services is needed in order to meet these demands.

5 6

THUMBS DOWN!

Journal of the Iraq Britain Business Council

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