Germany’s Ambassador to Qatar Hans-Udo Muzel, (second left) with Sheikh Nawaf bin Nasser bin Khaled Al Thani, Chairman of Nasser Bin Khaled (NBK) Holding, (third left), and the newly elected German Business Council Qatar board members during a meeting in
The German Business Council Qatar (GBCQ) has elected a new set of board members during its annual general assembly which was held at the Marsa Malaz Kempinski Hotel on Tuesday.
During the event, council members re-elected Henning Zimmermann, Managing Director of Schenker Logistics as Chairman of the Board. Adrian Wood, Chief Executive Officer of Siemens Qatar was elected Deputy Chairman.
Other elected board members include Elias Chedid, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer of SEIB Insurance & Reinsurance, Peter Neuschaefer, Operations Director of Dorsch Qatar, and Hans Guenther Jaeger, Executive Director of DB Engineering & Consulting. The newly elected board will serve its term until June 30, 2020.
Germany’s Ambassador to Qatar Hans-Udo Muzel and Sheikh Nawaf bin Nasser bin Khaled Al Thani, Chairman of Nasser Bin Khaled (NBK) Holding, who are both GBCQ’s Honorary Board Members, attended the event as guests of honour.
During his speech, the German Ambassador reiterated the growing relations between Qatar and Germany. “The strategic character of German-Qatar business and investment relation is a success story, built on mutual trust, reliability, and excellent quality of goods and services for more than 40 years now. German companies, including in particular many SMEs, are a preferred partner for Qatar in implementing the country’s National Vision 2030 and in the preparations for the Fifa World Cup hosted by Qatar in 2022. The German Business Council is a crucial catalyst in further strengthening Qatari-German business relations. I am looking forward to continue working with GBCQ and our Qatari partners to this end,” he added.
Sheikh Nawaf, who is also Co-Chair of the Qatari-German Joint Task Force committee for the promotion of trade and investment between Qatar and Germany, congratulated the newly elected board members and highlighted the importance of seeking new ways to further bolster the economic and trade relations between the two countries.
Qatar Chamber data show that bilateral trade between Qatar and Germany reached $2.1bn last year, while Qatari investments in Germany amounted to €25bn. Qatar has also previously announced it will invest €10bn more to support the German economy over the next five years.
During the meeting, the council also reviewed its recent achievements and set the directives for the current business year. The meeting concludes an outstanding year in Qatar-Germany business relations witnessing a visit by the Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and a large business delegation to Germany on the occasion of the Business and Investment Forum held in Berlin, the establishment of the Joint Task Force on Trade and Investment, and the 6th session of the Joint Economic Commission co-chaired by the Minister of Commerce and Industry H E Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari and his German counterpart.
The GBCQ was founded in December 2002 by private representatives of the German business community in Doha. Premium partner of the council is Qatar International Automobiles.
GBCQ is managed by the German Industry and Commerce Office Qatar (AHK). AHK Qatar is the official institution authorised by the German Federal Government and the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce to represent the interests of German companies and associations in Qatar.
