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British Offset Office 4th Floor, Cromwell House Dean Stanley Street London SW1P 3JH Tel: +44 (0)30 6770 2349 britishoffset@dgsap.mod.uk
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BRITISH
OFFSET Opportunities through Economic Co-operation in Saudi Arabia
Contents The Ambassador’s Foreword.....................................3 Prime Minister Cameron meets King Abdullah ...............................................4 British Embassy celebrates Diamond Jubilee...............5 The British Military Mission to the Saudi Arabian National Guard .........................6 Royal College of Defence Studies ..............................8 Olympic celebrations in Saudi Arabia ....................... 10 The London 2012 Festival ...................................... 12 Going for Green Olympic Park is Britain’s Dream Legacy ................... 14 Kingdom to Kingdom The editors retrospective ....................................... 16 BAE Systems supporting education ......................... 22 The British Offset Office......................................... 24 Delegation of 15 CEO’s visit the Kingdom................. 26 UK Medical Companies visit Saudi Arabia ................. 28 BT Global Services Reception ................................. 30 British Council in Saudi Arabia ................................ 32 British Embassy Contacts ......... 34 Diary Dates ......... 36
British Prime Minister David Cameron visits Saudi Arabia and meets with King Abdullah Kingdom to Kingdom
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Foreword Welcome Having recently completed six months as the British Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, I can confidently say it has been both busy and interesting. I am no stranger to the region, having spent much of the last 32 years working in the Middle East, from Abu Dhabi to Baghdad through Kuwait, Damascus, Jerusalem and most recently Benghazi and Tripoli in Libya. But this is the first time I have lived and worked in Saudi Arabia. During my first few months I have had a chance to visit different places in the Kingdom as I start to know the country and its people, making introductory calls on senior ministers, officials and business people. I have been made to feel very welcome. Of course, the UK and Saudi Arabia are close friends. Our shared goals and ambitions haven’t changed nor has our shared history. We have a wide range of common interests; in defence, in global prosperity and security, in regional stability and in combating terrorism. That makes our continued friendship an important one for both our countries. So far there have been a number of high profile and trade delegation visits to Saudi Arabia from the UK, culminating with the recent visit of the Prime Minister David Cameron this November 2012. When Prime Minister Cameron met with the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, they discussed issues of regional importance and their shared commitment to ensuring security and stability in the region. The PM also had the opportunity to address an investor round table in Jeddah and a discussion with students at Dar Al-Hekma, a women’s college for legal studies and business. This was the second visit by the Prime Minister to Saudi Arabia this year and it underlines the strategic importance we place on our relationship. Besides security or politics, friendship with Saudi Arabia is also about building ever stronger links in understanding, in cultural exchange, in education and of course in trade. Under the King Abdullah Scholarship Programme, more than 16,000 Saudi students are studying in the UK and many more are welcome. In culture, the "Out of Britain" exhibition which visited Jeddah, Al Khobar and Riyadh displaying British art ended in June. I know there will be many more such exchanges. My visit to Dammam, Al Khobar and Dhahran in Eastern Province in October gave me a chance to call on the Governor of the Province, as well as leaders of Aramco and a number of the Kingdom’s most important and longest-established family businesses. I attended a reception for a visiting trade mission of companies from Northern Ireland and took in the Saudi Arabia Oil and Gas Exhibition. I met scores of people working both for British and Saudi companies, from SMEs up to the world- 3 leading national champion Saudi Aramco and was struck by the particular warmth of Saudi-British relations in this part of the Kingdom. Kingdom to Kingdom
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PRIME MINISTER DAVID CAMERON MEETS CUSTODIAN OF THE TWO HOLY MOSQUES KING ABDULLA
I’m pleased to say that many British firms have been working with Saudi partners in the Eastern Province, in several projects helping to develop and diversify the Saudi economy and to provide technical training and high quality jobs. In early December specialist British companies will be visiting for a Saudi-British Energy Week. As I look back on 2012, it has been a year of success and achievements in the UK, including the 60th year of Her Majesty the Queen’s reign – her Diamond Jubilee, and the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. We celebrated both these milestones with our Saudi friends through several events and receptions in Jeddah and Riyadh. Recently, I had the honour of hosting a reception at my residence for HRH Prince Abdullah bin Miteb from the Saudi Equestrian team and Saudi Paralympian Hani Al Nakhli, both of whom won medals for Saudi Arabia at London 2012. At the reception we joined in a celebratory performance of the Ardha, the traditional folk dance of Saudi Arabia. I hope those watching enjoyed it as much as I did! Sadly, this is the last print edition of Kingdom to Kingdom as we go digital, however, we do intend to continue sharing our news through the British Embassy’s website and Facebook page – UKinSaudiArabia.
Sir John Jenkins KCMG LVO British Ambassador 4
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Prime Minister David Cameron greeted by the Governor of Mecca, Khalid al Faisal as he arrives in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. In the first week of November 2012, UK Prime Minister David Cameron paid a three day visit to the Middle East where he visited UAE, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. The Prime Minister arrived in Jeddah on November 6th making this his second visit to Saudi Arabia this year. Following a meeting with the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, where the two leaders discussed issues of regional importance, the Prime Minister was awarded the King Abdulaziz order of Merit. The visit signals the PM’s commitment to cementing a long term partnership with one of Britain’s most important allies in the region. This strategic partnership is focused on shared commitments to ensuring security and stability and achieving prosperity and openness in the region. The British Prime Minister had the opportunity of addressing an
investor round table in Jeddah promoting UK-Saudi trade and business flows where he interacted with several Saudi business leaders. Later, the British Prime Minister was welcomed at Dar Al-Hekma by its President, Dr. Suhair Hassan Al-Qurashi, members of the Board of Trustees, senior management, students and faculty. Dar AlHekma College is a women’s non-profit institution of higher education. The College offers bachelor’s programs in Business, Law and Diplomacy, Design and Architecture, and Education and Allied Sciences. The Prime Minister expressed his great appreciation for the successes and achievements of the institution and its role in educating and empowering Saudi women. As a highlight of his visit, Prime Minister Cameron, held a roundtable discussion with a group of Dar Al-Hekma students.
THE BRITISH EMBASSY IN RIYADH CELEBRATES THE QUEEN’S DIAMOND JUBILEE Marked by the lighting of a Jubilee Beacon at the British Embassy on June 4 2012, by Her Britannic Majesty’s Chargé d’Affaires, Roddy Drummond, Riyadh joined the celebrations for Queen Elizabeth the Second’s Diamond Jubilee marking 60 years of the Queen’s reign. One of thousands of Jubilee Beacons lit around the world to mark the occasion, the Riyadh beacon was followed by the Queen herself lighting the last beacon in the UK at around 2230 GMT. There was then a live telecast of the Royal Diamond Jubilee Concert from London’s Buckingham Palace which featured top names in the music industry. Speaking at the occasion Roddy Drummond said, “This is a moment of great pride for Britons in Saudi Arabia and indeed around the world. The Queen’s reign has provided a focus for national unity and identity and given a sense of stability and continuity to the people of the Uk and the Commonwealth during six decades of enormous social and political change.” UK enjoyed four days of celebrations to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s diamond jubilee, including a 1,000-boat river pageant and a star-studded concert. The Queen initiated the festivities by indulging in her love of horse racing at the Epsom Derby before riding in a ceremonial barge on the Thames at the centre of the giant flotilla of 1000 boats - one of the largest flotillas ever seen on the River Thames - on June 3. One million people were expected to line the
river to see the extravaganza of steam boats and tugs, speed boats and historic vessels.
of this concert was shown at the celebrations at the British Embassy in Riyadh.
A concert, attended by The Queen and other members of the Royal Family, was organised by the BBC in the shadow of Buckingham Palace, featuring some of the biggest name in music including Paul McCartney. The four-day extravaganza culminated in the pomp and splendour of a ceremonial parade. A live telecast
The Queen, aged 86, is the oldest British monarch to celebrate a Diamond Jubilee. Queen Victoria was 77 when she celebrated hers in 1897. In 60 years, the Queen has undertaken 261 official overseas visits, including 96 State Visits, to 116 different countries. She last visited Saudi Arabia in 1979.
5 The Royal Barge, transporting the Royal family approaches Chelsea Bridge in London during The Diamond Jubilee River Pageant Kingdom to Kingdom
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THE BRITISH MILITARY MISSION TO THE SAUDI ARABIAN NATIONAL GUARD The British Military Mission to the Saudi Arabian National Guard (known colloquially and thankfully by its abbreviation to BMM SANG) is approaching its 50th Anniversary in 2013. As it currently stands it is a team of 11 British Officers and Warrant Officers on loan from the British Army and serving as National Guard members. Their principle task is to advise and assist the Guard in all Counter Terrorism and Internal Security matters. They take their orders directly from His Royal Highness, Prince Mit’eb bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, Cabinet Minister and Head of the Saudi Arabian National Guard. There has been a long history of British military advisors to Saudi Arabia. The first was Captain W H I Shakespear who mapped uncharted areas of Northern Arabia and made the first official British contact with Ibn Saud, the future king. He was a British military confidant to Ibn Saud from 1910 until 1915 when he died in the Battle of Jarrab. It was not until 1932 that the regions of the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd were unified as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The British Military Mission is the UK’s longest ongoing defence relationship with a non-NATO or non-Commonwealth country. If one was looking for an official fore-runner to the Mission then perhaps one could see it in the military mission established at the request of King Abdul Aziz in 1946. King Abdul Aziz met with President Roosevelt after the Yalta Conference of 1945 to ask for assistance which was not forthcoming. The King 6
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Above: The First Saudi Officer Cadets to go to the Royal Military College Sandhurst
responded by asking Britain to establish a military mission to create a lightly mechanized force of about 10,000 men along the lines of the Arab Legion that the British had created in Jordan. This initial Mission was formed in Cairo during the summer of 1946 and left for Saudi Arabia in the autumn of the same year. In 1962, Prince Faisal began to make some further military reforms and resumed military relations with the UK and France. In February 1963, he asked Britain to provide military advisers for the "White Army", the forerunner of the current SANG.
announced at a Meeting of the Cabinet on 23 May 1963. The Memorandum of Understanding, which still governs the Terms and Conditions of Service of Mission members today, was signed on 28 October 1964. In those early years the two members of the team had daily contact with HRH Prince Abdullah. The most eloquent tribute to the BMM in those early years was the decision to entrust them to become involved with the planning of the front line of Saudi defences in the South against the threat of an incursion by U.A.R. Forces from the Yemen.
On 18 May 1963 the Prime Minister, Harold MacMillan responded to the proposal of sending advisers to the "White Army" with "I am, on the whole, in favour. Could you inform the Cabinet?" Subsequently the creation of the Mission was
The Mission developed, not to any preconceived plan, but rather to the needs of the National Guard as they progressed over the years. When the Mission was opened, Riyadh was still two days by road from Jeddah. Isolation
was particularly felt when the government moved each year to Jeddah and Taif. There were virtually no facilities in Riyadh for the education of children. There was an American infant school but the teaching was rudimentary and the method different. Major Hay was the first to have school aged children resident in Saudi. Until at least the early 1970s officers with children of school age were advised to leave them in the UK or bring a governess. In the late 1960s and early 1970s the Mission’s policy was to concentrate on its proper role of advice, inspection, supervision and stimulus. There were some self doubts expressed as to its efficacy during this period but the British Ambassador made it clear that to his mind the existence of the Mission was important. He emphasised the value to Her Majesty’s Government of expressing their continuing close relationship with the rulers of Saudi Arabia. There have been various iterations and adjustments to the organisation of the BMM over the years. From time to time it has included artillery, engineers, armoured, infantry, signals (until SANGCOM took over that role in 1978), medics, logisticians and close protection advisers. The influence of the Mission was probably at its peak in about the early to mid seventies. This was due to the fact that there was no other influence or advice available to the Guard – BMM was the only show in town. By the late seventies the American "soft power" was on the increase and the additional resources
available presented an attractive alternative. By the late 1980’s, as a result of increasing internal security issues worldwide the Mission focussed on these duties and embarked on a programme of relevant training for all the infantry battalions, both mechanised and nonmechanised. By 1990, the influence of the Mission was again felt to be strong, particularly in the area of doctrine and training for the new role. Infantry advisers were placed in Jeddah and Dammam in the second half of 1990 and in ‘Ar’Ar in February 1991. During the Battle for Khafji (29 February to 1 January 1991), the BMM advised the SANG Mechanised Brigade involved and members witnessed the fighting and aftermath at first hand. As part of the Counter-Terrorist package offered to the SANG by the UK after the bombings of 1995/6and 2003/4 short-term training teams (STTT) from the UK were offered to conduct
low level IS training for the SANG. The principles followed were to train the trainer; give the Saudis ownership of the training; bring teams of experts from the UK for short periods of intensive training; and send key SANG personnel on development courses in the UK. In parallel with this process advice would be given on the development of appropriate doctrine and the procurement of the correct equipment to support the operational purpose. Over the next three years the Armour, Signals and Logistic/Maintenance Advisors were phased out to match this new focus. By the middle of 1999 the Guard had asked the UK to assist in the development of the new Special Security Brigade. This remains the primary focus today. Whilst the UK has had to reduce the numbers of visiting trainers in recent times due to its own operational commitments the BMM is glad to remain an integral part of training delivery. It has been and remains a highly visible demonstration of the UK commitment to Saudi Arabia.
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ROYAL COLLEGE OF DEFENCE STUDIES VISIT Saudi Arabia was visited by the UK Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) in May this year. The visit was hosted by the Defence Section in the British Embassy but there was cross departmental involvement and cooperation which contributed to making the visit a success. The RCDS Course is a postgraduate-level programme in international strategic studies, focusing on the themes of security, stability and prosperity at the grand strategic level. It seeks to foster an understanding of global trends and a habit of strategic thinking for those who will be the policy and strategy makers of tomorrow - or their senior advisers. In a trusted environment, it attracts the best speakers from the UK and abroad, including not only top academics but also practitioners of strategy and strategic thinking, in the form of Ministers, diplomats, senior officers and officials, and even Heads of State. The course is delivered across an academic year in four terms:
Term 2 – Conflict and Strategy in the Modern World - examines the character of conflict in the 21st century and considers how the instruments of strategy can be used to prevent, manage or resolve conflict, including through the prism of contemporary case studies and a strategic exercise. It includes a study visit to the US Government and international financial institutions in Washington and the United Nations in New York and to EU institutions and NATO HQ in Brussels.
Term 1 – The Future Strategic Context - examines the principal sources of and influences upon global instability and conflict, in terms of the strategic trends in geo-politics, economics and finance, society and culture, science and technology, and man’s interaction with the physical environment. It includes study visits to the City of London and defence industry.
Term 3 – Contemporary International Issues examines the prospects for security, stability and prosperity in key states and regions of the world, and considers the related issues of strategy in both national and international contexts. It includes regional study visits within the United Kingdom and a three week study tour to one of six areas of the world.
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Term 4 – Leadership in the Strategic Environment - seeks to enhance understanding of the nature, function and requisite qualities of leadership at the strategic level, taking in both the public and private sectors. It concludes with a ‘decision game’ in which the skills in strategic analysis and strategy-making that have been developed on the course are put to the test in a crisis scenario set in the real world in the near future. In 2012 the course consisted of 60 Overseas Members from 46 countries, in addition to around 30 British Members. The group which visited Saudi Arabia was 15 strong including two Directing Staff and came from 9 different countries: UK, Brazil, Canada, Norway, Latvia, France, China, Germany and the Netherlands. The aim of the Overseas Study Tour is to examine, at first hand and from a strategic perspective, the current position and future prospects for the preservation
and enhancement of security, stability and prosperity of the regions in general and in particular the countries visited. During their short visit to Saudi they enjoyed 2 days in Riyadh where they conducted embassy briefings, a discussion with the Chief of Staff in the Ministry of Defence, a forum with the Institute of Diplomatic Studies, a visit to the Majlis A’Shura Defence and Security and Committees, a visit to King Abdullah City for Science and Technology, Naif Arabic University for Security Studies and a traditional Saudi evening in the desert hosted by a Royal Saudi Air Force Officer who had attended the Course in 2003 and
also attended by other Saudi members of the RCDS. This was followed by 2 days in the Eastern Province where they visited King Abdul Aziz Airbase, the Marifiq desalination plant and the Royal Commission for Yanbu and Jubail, industrial City. The most successful programme was completed by a cultural visit to Mada’in Salah before departing to Egypt to continue their tour. The group found this an eyeopening visit not least as some of them had come with very firm thoughts on what they might find and found that they were pleasantly surprised. A big thank you and well done to our Saudi hosts.
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CELEBRATING THE LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC GAMES IN SAUDI ARABIA Preparations for London 2012 started more than 4 years ago when London won the bid to host the prestigious Olympic and Paralympic Games in the summer of 2012. Over the last year the British Embassy has held a series of events in Saudi Arabia to celebrate the London 2012 Olympics and honour the Saudi athletes who participated in the Games. In March 2011, students from King Faisal school in Riyadh released 500 balloons in the presence of HH Prince Nawaf bin Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdul Aziz (President of General Presidency of Youth Welfare) and HMA Sir Tom Phillips. The event flagged off the 500 day countdown to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. This was followed by a cross cultural initiative in April 2012 organised by the British Embassy and British Council in Riyadh which used the medium of art to mark the 100 days to go milestone for London 2012. Saudi artists were invited to an art camp sponsored by Atkins, the official engineering design services provider for
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the London 2012 Games. The artists collaborated on a mural celebrating the Olympics through art to create a canvass that embodied a flavour of both cultures and countries – Saudi Arabia and the UK. The mural was unveiled by HM Ambassador – Sir Tom Phillips at a reception hosted at his residence. Earlier in the day, the Ambassador flagged off a 100m run by Saudi and British school children to mark 100 days to London 2012.
In May 2012, Deputy Head of Mission in Riyadh, Roddy Drummond visited the Saudi Paralympic team’s training camp in Riyadh. He was greeted by Dr Nasser Al-Saleh, Secretary General and President of Saudi Special Olympics and spoke with the Saudi Team coach, officials and athletes training
at the camp, wishing them the best for the upcoming Games in London. The Saudi Paralympics team was also at Stoke Mandeville in the UK later in the year to train for the London 2012 Paralympics.
Later in May 2012, a reception was hosted by the Ambassador at his residence for the Saudi Paralympics team headed to London to compete in the Paralympic Games. Visa, worldwide sponsor of the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games, sponsored this event in Riyadh. The reception was attended by four of the Paralympic athletes who qualified to compete at London 2012, among them were 2008 gold medallist Ossemah Masoud Alshinqiti competing in the Triple jump category and Hani Alnakhli competing in discuss throw.
Prince Abdullah bin Miteb from the Saudi Equestrian team and Hani Al Nakhli from the Saudi Paralympics team, both who won medals for Saudi Arabia at London 2012, were present at the reception along with senior members of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic committee.
In July 2012, in the month of Ramadan a suhoor was hosted in Jeddah, by HM Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Sir John Jenkins, for some Saudi friends, contacts and members of the media to watch a live telecast of the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics Games. Following which he also hosted a reception at his residence in Riyadh in October 2012 celebrate the success of London 2012. The reception was attended by some of the athletes from the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic teams who participated in the London 2012 Games. HRH
Speaking at the reception, HM Ambassador Sir John Jenkins said, "Amazing feats were achieved by amazing people – athletes, volunteers and organisers - at London 2012. I, for one, am proud of delivering such a successful Games."
He said "The true legacy of London 2012 Olympics is one of inspiration. It is about the human spirit where success depends on effort and ability, where people are judged not by what they can’t do, but what they can. This was the ideal that ran through both the Olympics and the Paralympics in the UK this year and I know it is shared by all competing nations and the people of Saudi Arabia." Guests to the reception received a traditional Saudi welcome as they arrived at the Ambassador’s residence and were treated to an Ardha performance by a Saudi troupe
specialising in Ardha Najdiyah, the traditional folk dance of Saudi Arabia. The city of London is no stranger to the Olympics and London 2012 is the third time it has hosted the Games. It was the London Olympics in 1948 that led to the birth of the Paralympic Games - with the first disability sport competition held for wounded WWII war veterans, at Stoke Mandeville hospital in the UK in that year. Kingdom to Kingdom
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LONDON 2012 FESTIVAL CELEBRATES A SUMMER OF SUCCESS HANDS OVER THE CULTURAL BATON TO DERRY - LONDONDERRY, GLASGOW AND RIO The London 2012 Games have been about more than sport. This was reflected in the overwhelming response to the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad - the largest cultural celebration in the history of the modern Olympic and Paralympic Movements. Spread over four years, it was designed to give everyone in the UK a chance to be a part of London 2012 and inspire creativity across all forms of culture, especially among young people.
The culmination of the Cultural Olympiad was the London 2012 Festival, a spectacular 12-week nationwide celebration bringing together leading artists from across the world with the very best from the UK, running from Midsummers Day on 21 June until the final day of the Paralympic Games on 9 September 2012. The Festival celebrated the huge range, quality and accessibility of the UK’s world-class culture including dance, music, theatre, the visual arts, fashion, film, comedy and digital innovation, giving the opportunity for people across the UK to celebrate the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Placing culture back as a key pillar of the Olympic and Paralympic Games the London 2012 Festival was enjoyed by more than 19.5 million people. The series of cultural activities under the Festival umbrella included events, exhibitions in museums and galleries and live performances as part of the World Shakespeare Festival.
Above: London 2012 Festival Director Ruth Mackenzie hands over a specially commissioned artwork from artist David Shrigley to Culture Company 2013 Chief Executive Shona McCarthy. The work was displayed at London Guildhall on the final weekend of the London 2012 Festival (8-9 Spetember 2012) and has been handed over to go on display in Derry~Londonderry during the build-up to its becoming UK City of Culture 2013 Credit - Sarah London
The final week of the London 2012 Festival saw the opening of major new commissions. There were also a number of major musical celebrations and free participatory events that reflected many of the core values of the programme. Africa Express went on its musical journey on board a train across the UK, with its collective of musicians from Africa, Europe and USA playing pop-up gigs and shows; in London,
A two-day music extravaganza attracted an audience of half a million people as part of this summer’s London 2012 Festival.
UK and Brazil artists pay homage to Rio at the Mayors Thames Festival on the closing weekend of the London 2012 Festival and hand-over to Rio 2016
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Thames Festival: Homage to Rio celebrated Rio de Janeiro’s music and culture, with a Rio-style carnival float; Mandala lit up the facades of Birmingham Town Hall and Nottingham Council House with a bold fusion of South Asian dance, music and ground-breaking 3D projection; in the UK’s biggest night of classical music, The Last Night of the Proms 2012 brought the end of the eight-week season of concert and events to a close; and an estimated 6,000 performers participated in more than 220 bandstands across the UK as part of Bandstand Marathon – Communities in Tune, in the final participatory event of the London 2012 Festival. The London 2012 Festival ended with projects reflecting the two main themes inspired by the Olympic and Paralympic Games. For Unlimited, London 2012 Festival presented the largest ever series of commissions by disabled and deaf artists, celebrating their work on an unprecedented scale across the UK with 29 commissions and many events timed to coincide with the Paralympic Games. The Festival showcased the world’s leading artists alongside the stars of the sports world and has now handed over the inspiration of the Olympic Truce to artists working towards Rio 2016. Infact a series of collaborations have seen Brazilian artists working alongside artists from the UK as part of the London 2012 Festival.
Above: One of the largest and most spectacular pieces of carnival art ever seen in the UK, created by Shademakers carnival group, featured in a performance by London’s Paraiso School of Samba, London School of Samba and musicians Rhythms of the City. Credit - Sarah London Below: Royal Ballet Prima Ballerina Tamara Rojo and students from the Urban Dance School strike a pose at the Royal Opera House, marking the first commissions announced for the London 2012 Festival.
In the UK, the spotlight on London as a consequence of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, will transfer to Derry~Londonderry as 2013 UK City of Culture; Glasgow 2014. The Festival has established key partnerships with each city to programme new commissions, events and performances that continue into 2013 and beyond. Kingdom to Kingdom
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GOING FOR GREEN – THE LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC PARK IS BRITAIN’S DREAM LEGACY
From reducing carbon emissions to minimising food waste, London 2012 has succeeded in what it set out to be - the greenest games of modern times. The result has been groundbreaking reductions in CO2 emissions and new approaches to venue design, recycling, rainwater harvesting and supply chain management on the Olympic Park. The London 2012 Olympic Park highlights British creativity and excellence in construction, as well as the cutting edge ’green’ technology used for building the Parklands, the Aquatics Centre and the Velodrome. 14
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Praised by the United Nation and the Independent Commission for Sustainable London 2012 for its approach, some interesting facts about this project that contributed to London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games being truly ‘Green’ Games are: Waste management •
98% of material from Olympic Park demolition work was reclaimed for reuse and recycling – exceeding a target of 90%
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2 million tonnes of soil were cleansed of pollutants and more than 80% of soil was reused on site in the UK’s
largest ever clean-up contaminated land •
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Use of temporary structures that can be dismantled and re-used after the Games
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4,000 colour-coded recycling bins and composting bins placed through venues and Olympic Park, to achieve 70%re-use, recycling or composting during the Games
Sustainable design and venue technology •
Unique design of the lightest ever Olympic Stadium created with just 10,000 tonnes of steel
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The Velodrome was built with 100% sustainably sourced timber, and featuring unique meshing that holds roof in place with a third less steel
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88 ‘light pipes’ in the Copper Box let natural light into venue, achieving annual energy savings of up to 40%
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Rainwater harvesting system and filter backwash measure reduced water consumption by 40% Transport and supply chain management
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64% of construction materials were transported to the Olympic Park by rail or water, thereby reducing the project’s carbon footprint
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London 2012 is the first genuine ‘public transport Games’ and used the Active Travel Programme to get tens of thousands of people cycling and walking to venues
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LOCOG provided 14 million sustainably sourced meals during the Games, showcasing the best of British food and featuring Red Tractor Farm Assured, MSC certified fish and certified Fairtrade produce
Improving local ecology: •
Carving out a new ecology of wildlife, plants and woodlands, the 250 acres of parkland is one of the biggest urban parks to be built in Europe for more than a century.
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Designed to mitigate the effects of climate change and increased rainfall in urban areas by acting as a sponge to help manage the water flow to the Thames.
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More than 4,000 trees, 300,000 wetland plants and over 8 km of waterway with more than 650 bird and bat boxes installed across the Olympic Park.
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Ecological aims were incorporated into venue design – eg Main Press Centre has a ‘brown roof’, using seeds and logs reclaimed from the Olympic Park construction site to create new wildlife habitats.
The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) recently launched Learning Legacy: London 2012 (www.london2012.com/ learninglegacy) a showcase for sustainable, safe and successful construction set to raise the bar of UK’s building industry. This was launched as a collaborative approach between the ODA, contractors, professional institutes, government bodies and academia, building on the ethos set by the ODA of setting targets well above the industry benchmarks, meeting the majority of these and, in a number of cases, exceeding expectations. It marks the first time that a construction project in the UK has sought to capture intellectual capital on this scale. Kingdom to Kingdom
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KINGDOM TO KINGDOM The editors retrospective Kingdom to Kingdom has been the British Embassy’s official publication in Saudi Arabia for over 10 years. Having grown from the Enterprise UK magazine, which it replaced, it has attempted to advise, inform and promote business and cultural relations between the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia through diverse times. Above: 2004 - Then Foreign Secretary Jack Straw together with representatives from Almisehal Group, BAE Systems and the Saudi British Bank - all sponsors of the Chevening Programme.
prejudices and to correct the misperceptions from which we all suffer. For my part, I will be working to provide clear channels of communication, in both directions. I need your help. I will be listening carefully as I meet more and more of you over the next few weeks. I hope you in turn will feel able to give me your candid advice: Please tell me, frankly, how it is.”
Above: The First Edition cover from the Summer of 2002
With advances in digital communications, a decision has been taken to move to new media with this as the last ever print edition. In the Winter 2003 edition then Ambassador Sherard CowperColes wrote in his foreword: “Many people in both the Arab world and the West suffer from misconceptions about the other… Good men of influence - among them the readers of this magazine can help to overcome the 16
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The publication included extracts from a lecture by an FCO Parliamentarian regarding British Policy in the Middle East; an article from Barrister Cherie Booth, the wife of the British Prime Minister Tony Blair covering Arab Judicial Reform; articles promoting Corporate & Social Responsibility as well as a host of "New products from Britain" and articles celebrating Saudi British cooperation in everything from Sport to Business. In 2004, the magazine pictured HRH The Prince of Wales’ visit to Saudi Arabia; the Foreign Secretary Jack
Straw presenting Certificates to young Saudis who had been awarded scholarships at UK Universities; a discussion on the implications of Saudi accession to the WTO as well as an update to the security situation in Iraq. In 2005 the publication featured British experience with Public Private Partnerships as well as various pieces promoting the UK’s record in world-leading Consultancy & Design Projects. The same edition featured an article on the impact of climate change on the world’s physical, social and economic landscape as well as several articles promoting Saudi British ties at all levels.
The Summer 2003 cover carried an evening view of Jeddah, one of a series of stunning photographs by British photographer Tom Owen Edmunds.
By the end of 2005, the winter edition carried the news that bmi would be flying into the Kingdom along with a goodwill message from Prime Minister Blair to celebrants of the Eid al Fitr. The magazine also carried a tribute to the late King Fahd from former Ambassador Sir Alan Munro.
The Spring 2006 edition once again carried news of HRH Prince Charles’ third visit to the Kingdom in three years and an extract from a speech he gave calling for greater inspiration to be drawn form different faiths. "Respect for others," he said "and for what is precious to others – in other words good manners, civility, and
The Summer 2006 cover featured Regents Park Mosque, at which many Saudi visitors worship during their summer holidays in London
a willingness to listen – ensures respect towards our own values and ideals.” Later that same year the publication carried a five page feature on the Two Kingdoms Dialogue that was opened by the Saudi Foreign Minister HRH Prince Saud Al Faisal and the then Foreign Secretary Jack Straw. Prince Saud said at the time: "Surprising as it may seem to some members of the press present today, it is still a curious continuing phenomenon that many British nationals do enjoy living in Saudi Arabia. They are of course most welcome and we enjoy having them among us." In response, Jack Straw said: "We would like to think that the United Kingdom is Saudi Arabia’s oldest friend and ally. Today that partnership is stronger still, fostered by two-way ties of business, education and culture…. every year we welcome thousands of Saudis, of all ages, to the United Kingdom. We want them to keep on coming."
Reflecting on areas of "close cooperation in the wider region he continued: "this means finding a just settlement in which a viable Palestinian State lives in peace with an Israel secure within its borders. Here both Saudi Arabia and Britain can and do make a difference. We are both pushing for peace: the Arab peace plan first proposed by his then Royal Highness, now King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, is a cornerstone of diplomatic work.” The Summer 2006 edition introduced a new British Ambassador - William Patey. Reflecting on his second posting to the Kingdom he said: “it is clear that the breadth and depth of Britain’s relationship with Saudi Arabia has increased. The defence relationship is as strong as ever. The British community remains among the largest of any Western country and I know that they have remained steadfast in the face of security and other threats. More and more Saudis are looking to
Above: In one edition every year, the magazine has carried a photo montage of the three Queen’s Birthday Parties held annually across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Kingdom to Kingdom
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KINGDOM TO KINGDOM The editors retrospective... continued
the UK for further education and we are seeing increasing numbers of Saudi students at British universities. Our trading relationship goes from strength to strength with more and more British companies looking to invest in and do business with Saudi Arabia.�
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The Winter 2007 cover and much of the rest of the magazine was given over to the State Visit to Britain by The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.
The highlight of the three editions published in 2007 was undoubtedly the extensive coverage of the State Visit made by The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud to the UK. The Editor of this magazine was privileged to have been invited not only to many of
the public events which befit such an occasion such as this but also to some of the more intimate gatherings including a more private moment when Her Majesty the Queen invited King Abdullah to inspect a 15th Century Koran which had been presented to Queen Victoria in 1898.
Spring 2008: Lord Digby Jones and Baroness Symons visit Abdulrahman Rashed Al Rashed, Chairman of the Asharqia (Eastern) Chamber of Commerce..
Undoubtedly the British do ‘pomp & ceremony‘ very well, but the State Visit was not just about a Royal Visit. During the week a whole series of business and cultural events had been timed to ensure that the Saudi guests were able to interact with their British hosts across the capital. New relationships were made, business partnerships forged and deals were signed. The Spring 2008 edition featured a number of high level visits to Saudi Arabia by Ministers and businessmen who came as a result of arrangements discussed during the State Visit. In the Autumn 2008 edition, HM Ambassador Sir William Patey made mention that The Prime Minster, Gordon Brown had been in Jeddah at the invitation of His Majesty King Abdullah, to participate in the Jeddah Energy Meeting. The Foreign Secretary David Milliband’s visit to the Kingdom was also covered.
Spring 2009: British Foreign Secretary David Miliband visited the Kingdom in April to attend the Two Kingdoms Dialogue
By the time the Spring 2009 edition went to press, the Prime Minister had already been back in Saudi Arabia to visit the King for the second time in less than a year. The Autumn edition continued with Trade Mission reports detailing the companies in the construction, motorsport, ICT & education sectors that had visited the Kingdom as well as a delegation from the Middle East Association and Trade Invest Northern Ireland.
In 2010, the Spring magazine welcomed Roddy Drummond who had arrived to take up his posting as Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy and Adrian Chadwick who took up his posting as Director of the British Council a few months previous. The Autumn edition welcomed Tom Philips who took up the post of Ambassador later that same year. Both publications carried articles covering the extensive visit programme undertaken by British Groups and Individuals including: The Defence Secretary, Bob Ainsworth; The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Vice Marshall, Sir Stephen Dalton; Lord Davies of Abersoch, the Minister for Trade, Investment and Small Business; Sir Stephen Wright, Chief Executive of International Financial Services London and no less than five separate Trade Mission Delegations who attended British Week in the Eastern Province. Kingdom to Kingdom
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KINGDOM TO KINGDOM The editors retrospective... continued
In 2011 the Spring magazine gave space to the International Energy Forum, reporting on the success of the dialogue between the 86 member countries who between them account for about 90% of the world’s gas & oil supply. The IEF are headquartered on the DQ in Riyadh. The IEF Charter which came into effect on 24 March 2011 marked a new era of international energy cooperation. UK Minister of Energy, Charles Hendry MP came to Riyadh to add the UK’s signature to the agreement. Visits occur in both directions of course and the Spring edition carried a double page spread on the Visit to the UK of the Saudi British Friendship Committee of the Shura Council. The 5-day visit programme included a a tour of the Palace of Westminster, attendance at an evidence session of the Business Innovation & Skills Select Committee and a meeting at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office with Alastair Burt MP, the Minister for the Middle East.
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Photographs by Cissy Bartelink Above: 20 years after the humble start of a Ministerial producer-consumer dialogue in Paris, on 22 February 2011, eighty six countries signed the Charter to become IEF Members at an historic Extraordinary IEF Ministerial Meeting in Riyadh, under the patronage of the Custodian of The Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
In the Summer edition along with the usual crop of both inward to and outward from visitors to both Kingdoms the magazine carried photographs from the Royal Wedding. With a global audience of billions, the wedding was probably one of the most watched UK TV broadcasts of all time.
The most recent edition of the publication in the Spring of 2012 covered the visit to Saudi Arabia by David Cameron, the UK Prime Minister. who, once again features between these covers. It also mentioned HRH Prince Salman’s visit to the UK when he met with the Prime Minister at Number 10 Downing Street.
No reveiw of this publication can possibly be complete without a few words about the Advertisers without whom the publication would have never existed. SABB and the British Offset Office have supported every single edition of the publication and along with Arabian Homes, AXA Insurance, BAE Systems and The InterContinental Hotel Group have provided tremendous support for a decade. Other companies including The British Council; Rolls-Royce and International Power from the UK and Al Hokair, SABIC and the Sheraton & Hilton Hotels from KSA have also made occasional appearances. British Airways have taken over where bmi left off and every publication since 2005 has featured an advertisment for a British Airline. We thank them for their support over the years and trust you will continue to give them yours for many years to come. Andrew Mead MMS Ltd
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CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR EDUCATION
E
arlier this year at a press conference Jim McDowell, Managing Director and CEO of BAE Systems Saudi Arabia and Chris Palmer, Deputy Director General at the British Council announced that they would continue to assist leading Saudi academics further their academic research during the traditional summer break. During this time they would be allowed to study in the UK under a scheme know as the BAE Systems Post Doctoral Research Programme. This programme is a partnership and with the close cooperation and supervision by the Ministry of Higher Education. The programme has been running ever since 1991, and as a result 20 Saudi academics have been able to take up this opportunity to further their studies and research in their own areas of expertise. BAE Systems Saudi Arabia’s role in the programme is to provide the funding. The cost of travel, accommodation and related expenses is subsidied and the British Council ensures that fees from UK institutions are either minimised or eliminated altogether. The British Council also creates the linkage with British academicians and universities, and assesses nominations from Saudi academics. The British Council runs the scheme to build ties between the academic communities of the two Kingdoms. It operates in no other country in the world. 22
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Dr Faisal Fairag (third from the left) with fellow researchers at the University of Liverpool.
British higher education establishments are acknowledged as some of the best and have broken through a somewhat crusty atmosphere in the past few decades to establish a pre-eminent reputation for dynamism, innovation and excellence in many areas of learning. The Post Doctoral Research Programme gives Saudi professors access to this world. The British Council stipulates that all successful applicants must already possess their doctorates and be engaged in areas of research considered of great importance to the development of the Kingdom. Such has been the significance of the scheme that over the years nearly all of the research has ended up in being published in international academic periodicals.
BAE Systems involvement stems from its worldwide policy of alignment with educational needs of the countries in which it serves. "We aim to be, and want to be, a responsible corporate citizen wherever we operate," explained Monther Tayeb, Director of Communications. Image Deblurring Dr Faisal Fairag, an Associate Professor at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Dhahran was one of the accademics who went on the 2012 BAE Systems Post Doctoral Research Programme. "This allowed me to conduct further research in the area of Image Deblurring. I went to Liverpool University. Image deblurring is an image technique which makes images sharp and removes the blurry effect.
"In image deblurring, we seek to recover the original sharp image by using a mathematical model of the blurring process. One of the challenges of image deblurring is the requirement of solving huge mathematical equations. "During my visit, we investigated a new, fast, efficient and reliable algorithms for this to recover as much information as possible from the recorded image." Effects of Radiation Dr Entissar AlSuhaibani, (pictured right) an associate professor at King Saud University was able to utilise the Post Doctoral Summer Research Programme to further her studies in the effects of Radiation on Human Chromosomes.
Cancer Research
tumors in each image.
Ibrahim Alsaihati, a lecturer from the Electrical Engineering Department at King Fahd University for Petroleum and Minerals, went to the University of Surrey to conduct research to help doctors treat cancer patients.
"Therefore, my research examined the possibility of drawing the boundaries of tumors automatically, which would save time for oncologists to see more patents. A technique called Active Contour Modeling is used to draw the boundaries. The conclusion from the study was that this technique will give reasonable results if the tumor is very large and a correction factor must be used, however, this model should not be used for smaller tumors."
Ibrahim explained, "PET images are used to see cancer or abnormal cells inside the body. The oncologist uses these images to prescribe the doses to patents. The oncologist spends hours to draw the boundaries of
She received training at the Human Protection Agency on a method recommended by the International Atomic Energy Agency in the event of an accident which potentially exposes humans to high levels of radiation. "The method I studied was Fluorescent In Situ Hybridisation (FISH) which helps to determine the amount of human chromosome abnormalities the exposure caused. During my studies I had theoretical and practical demonstrations in how the FISH technic can be utilized. I also revised Cytogenetics Dose Estimation Software and its statistical applications. "This study is important to Saudi society in case it is exposed to radiation contamination in the future." Kingdom to Kingdom
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Opportunities through Economic Co-operation in Saudi Arabia
T
he Saudi British Economic Offset Programme (SBEOP) has been in operation for more than twenty years and originated from the purchase of military equipment and associated support services by the Saudi Government in the mid 1980’s. It continues to attract inward investment into Saudi Arabia through the creation of joint ventures across a range of industrial sectors. The SBEOP is managed on behalf of the UK Government by the British Offset Office, part of the UK Ministry of Defence To date fifteen projects have implemented with total capital investment exceeding SR9.5bn. These joint venture projects have created more than 2,300 jobs with exports totalling in excess of SR10bn. Many more projects are currently being developed or are under consideration. Projects which have implemented most recently include a SR2.4bn seamless pipe manufacturing facility which employs more than 700 staff of which approximately 60% are Saudi nationals. The facility, a joint venture between the local Saudi firm Taqa and the Swiss company Durferco, is located at the Royal Commission’s Jubail Industrial City which is reputed to be the largest industrial complex of its kind in the world. The Arabian Amines Company, which is a joint venture between the Al-Zamil Group and the US Huntsman Corporation,
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Right: Hot Mill Area at the Seamless Pipe Factory
is also located in Jubail and manufactures a range of ethyleneamines for use in a variety of applications from asphalt additives to fabric softeners. The SBEOP allows inward investment from companies from most countries around the world. British Offset is currently supporting companies from the UK, USA, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Japan and helping them with their joint venture projects from first concepts through to formal proposals and implementation. Over the years British Offset has build up considerable experience of assisting with the development of joint ventures in Saudi Arabia and its links with key decision makers in the Saudi Government can help bring early resolution of problems which may emerge during the formation of a joint venture or indeed once it has implemented. The SBEOP offers many advantages, including help with partner identification, free investment bank advice in the early stages of project development and advice and support in obtaining the necessary Saudi Government approvals. A major benefit offered to the foreign partner of a JV is access to non-recourse finance for up to 50% of their equity share. Many projects facilitated through the Offset programme have taken advantage of this equity loan facility which is designed to reduce financial exposure and enhance business returns.
Above: Top - The plant at DCI Harco in Dammam Bottom - United Sugar Factory in Jeddah
Steve Kelly British Offset Manager
More information on the Saudi British Economic Offset Programme and the role of British Offset can be found on our website at www.britishoffset.com Kingdom to Kingdom
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UK BUSINESS DELEGATION FROM THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND RAIL/AIRPORTS SECTOR VISIT THE KINGDOM A delegation of 15 high-level CEO’s from the UK’s rail, airports and infrastructure sector visited Riyadh from 6-7 November, accompanied by Edward Oakden, Managing Director of Strategic Trade in UKTI and Baroness Symons, UK Co-Chair of Saudi British Business Council. The visit was part of wider Gulf visit by the delegation to the UAE and Qatar organised by UK Trade & Investment in support of its high value opportunity programme. A networking reception was held at the British Embassy in Riyadh for the delegation to meet with senior Saudi business representatives. Guests included HE Abdullah Al Mobti, Chairman of the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce; Sheikh Abdulrahman Al-Jeraisy, Chairman of Jeraisy Group; and Sheikh Khalid El Seif, President of El Seif Group. The delegation took part in a business-to-business roundtable meeting hosted by the Council of Saudi Chambers where the focus
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was on sustainable construction and mass transport partnership opportunities in Saudi Arabia. Baroness Symons and Khalid El Seif presided in their capacity as Co-Chairs of the Saudi British Joint Business Council. Short presentations were made by Ian Gardner (Ove Arup) on sustainable construction and by Chris Chalk (Mott MacDonald) on airport development to highlight the unique set of engineering, design and project management skills UK companies could offer, as well as the UK commitment to longer term investment and partnerships.
Also during their visit the delegation had useful meetings with Saudi Arabian Railways, Arriyadh Development Authority and the Airport Manager of King Khaled Airport to review current projects and development needs. The British companies that were present included Atkins, Buro Happold, Olive Group, Ashurst, Foster & Partners, Parsons Brinkerhoff, NATs, CEM Security Systems, Pandrol UK, CH2M Hill, Ove Arup and Carillion In welcoming the delegation, UK Trade & Investment Director Chris Innes-Hopkins noted the enormous cooperation opportunities as Saudi Arabia seeks to upgrade its airports and build a world-class rail and metro network. The UK had the right design, engineering, planning and management skills to partner with Saudi counterparts to deliver these ambitious projects. Moreover, UK investors in Saudi Arabia are here for the long term, as they seek to transfer skills and technology and create local jobs.
SUCCESSFUL VISIT OF UK MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES TO SAUDI ARABIA
An 11-member Association of British Healthcare Industries-led Medical Technology trade mission visited Riyadh and Jeddah from 30 September to 4 October, 2012. The Trade Mission was jointly organised by UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) and the Association of British Healthcare Industries (ABHI). Headed by Business Director of Bolton Surgical, Steven Spurgin, the delegation visited Sulaiman Al-Habib Hospital and Salehiya Est. in Riyadh, where delegates had a chance to introduce their products, exchange views with the heads of departments and learn more about the private healthcare sector in the Kingdom. Other significant meetings took place in Jeddah at the Saudi German Hospital, Jamjoom Medical Industries and Cigalah Group. Receptions were held at the British Embassy in Riyadh and at the British Consulate in Jeddah where senior representatives of some of the most well-known healthcare companies and Private & Government Hospitals, were invited. Senior executives from the National Guard Health Affairs (NGHA) and the King Faisal Specialist Hospital along with representatives of the leading healthcare companies were 28
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also present at the reception in Riyadh. The companies promoted a wide range of healthcare products and services covering Bariatric care, hoists and slings, walking aids and wheelchairs, sluice room/utility room design and equipment manufacture, equipment for scientific analysis, ancillary products for the medical industry, , laboratory centrifuges, tele-health and telemedicine focused software using mobile communication, nurse call systems and medical bed head trunking systems for hospitals and a device for natural pain relief via Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation.
The British companies represented by the healthcare delegation include Albert Medical Devices, Benmore Medical (UK) Ltd, DDC Dolphin Ltd, Grand Instruments, Mitac Europe Ltd, MSE (UK) Ltd, Safe Patient Systems Ltd, Static Systems Group PLC, Tenscare Ltd, Midland Lead Manufacturers Ltd and Bolton Surgical. In welcoming the delegation, UK Trade & Investment Director Chris Innes-Hopkins referred to the encouraging partnerships developing between Saudi and UK healthcare providers following the Memorandum of Understanding on healthcare cooperation signed by the two countries in London in 2011.
The healthcare mission visits Salehiya Est, a leading healthcare company in Riyadh. The General Manager of Salehiya Est gave the group a presentation on the healthcare scene in Saudi Arabia and their role in the healthcare sector.
BT GLOBAL SERVICES PRESENTATION AT BRITISH EMBASSY BT Global Services held a promotional event at the British Embassy in Riyadh on 7 October to highlight and celebrate their success in the Kingdom since the launch of their investment plan for the MENA region. Mr Wael El Kabbany, Managing Director, Middle East and North Africa, alongside the Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy, Mr Roddy Drummond, hosted the celebration at a 90 strong networking reception in the Ambassador’s Residence Gardens. Earlier this year, BT announced a series of initiatives aimed at doubling its business across Turkey, the Middle East and Africa, enabling both global and locally-based companies to gain access to a richer portfolio of innovative services and leverage the global reach of BT’s network. As part of the investment programme, BT is doubling the number of employees across the region, including highly skilled professional services specialists who will provide local support to customers and deliver consulting, integration and managed services. In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, BT operates through BT Al Saudia, a joint venture between HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Sattam bin Abdulaziz AlSaud and BT Global Services. Established in 1989, BT Al Saudia is the official channel and delivery partner of BT Global Services in Saudi Arabia, providing systems integration, network services 30
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and subscription cloud services to more than 300 customers including Riyadh Development Authority, Immam University, King Fahd University, King Khalid University, Al Jouf University, STC, SABB, Saudi Arabian Airlines, National Commercial Bank, Nestlé, Pepsico, Baker Hughes and Visa. The evening event mirrored an earlier presentation that day at a financial sector seminar highlighting BT’s capabilities for that industry and a presentation of BT Unified Trading – a powerful, cost-effective, software-based cloud-compatible trader voice, multi-media and collaboration solution. BT experts presented on the evolution of trading communications and provided an overview of BT’s capabilities, products and
services in the MENA region, demonstrating how BT can transform businesses through networked IT services. BT also shared its recent success in breaking several connectivity records during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, including record delivery levels of daily video traffic and Internet traffic on its UK retail broadband network. BT designed and delivered a single, integrated communications network (a first for a Summer Olympic Games) spanning 94 locations with a critical Games-time service availability of 99.999%. A successful evening was shared by all, with a number of business meetings planned as a result of networking with new colleagues at the reception.
BRITISH COUNCIL REACH A MILLION SAUDIS IN 2011-12 The work of the British Council, United Kingdom’s primary organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities but it is often better known and better understood by people overseas than in the UK itself. It may be news to the majority of readers that British Council has been in Saudi Arabia since the 1960s working from our offices in Riyadh, Jeddah and Al-Khobar and that last year we reached over 1,000,000 people across the Kingdom for the first time in our history delivering a wide range of programmes in English, arts, and education and society. In English Language Teaching last year we doubled the number of students we teach, reaching 13,750 young Saudis of whom over 80% are Saudi nationals. We also set the standard for the teaching of English and in 2011-12 delivered training for 156 teachers on the CELTA course. This September we saw the
launch of new British Council English courses for Young Learners in Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Khobar with boys and girls from the age of 12 studying English at our centres with the help of qualified and experienced native speaker level teachers. Under our English for the Future Project, we delivered
training to more than 600 teachers who attended the English Language Teaching Professional Network (ELTPN) workshops in KSA. We provide free on-line learning resources to 200,000 teachers and learners a year and we are improving the English of 16,500 Saudi subscribers to our Go4English Facebook page. In Saudi Arabia, the number of exams sat with the British Council has risen with greatest growth in the International English Language Testing System test, better known as IELTS, which is the English language standard for access to English medium university courses across the globe, including over 3,000 institutions and programmes in the USA. The recent addition of on-line registration has helped maintain this high growth as well as improve customer service. With more schools in the kingdom following a
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British curriculum school exams are growing with over 80,000 being delivered last year with an additional 35,000 candidates for the University of Cambridge International Examinations and Edexcel language examinations. Education and training is at the heart of Saudi Arabia’s ambitions to develop its young people to compete both domestically for jobs and on a global stage. We support this ambition through our work women, especially our Springboard Women’s Development Programme which has helped 8,000 women fulfil their potential and achieve their professional and personal goals. A jointly administered programme based on 2 years study in the kingdom and 2 years study in the UK has seen over 400 Saudis studying in the UK over the last 3 years. Our Connecting Classrooms project has linked 55 schools in Saudi Arabia with 45 UK schools
and 5 schools received the International Schools Award for the quality of their international links & work. And in Higher Education we have brought UK academics and agencies to train 2,500 Saudi university staff in quality assurance, strategic planning and management. Through our arts work this year we have helped a new
generation of Saudi male and female artists have their seen internationally. More than 16,000 people visited the ‘Out of Britain’ touring exhibition of contemporary British art with several hundred attending workshops and related talks. The Creative Industries is a still unrecognised sector in the kingdom but in partnership with SAGIA and a private foundation we have delivered SME start-up training to 60 young Saudi entrepreneurs and supported two young fashion and assessory designers to meet with the cutting hedge of British fashion and design when they went to London Fashion and Design Weeks as part of our Young Entrepreneur of the Year award scheme. Of course our efforts do not stop there and this year we are planning to reach ever wider audiences sharing the British experience of arts, education and English and supporting the development cultural links and partnerships.
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British Embassy - Riyadh
Tel: 01 488 0077 Fax: 01 488 2373
Sir John Jenkins KCMG LVO Her Majesty’s Ambassador
Roddy Drummond Deputy Head of Mission
Brig. Alasdair Wild MBE Defence Attaché
Steven Dick Press & Political Officer
Paul Stevens H.H. Consul
Chris Innes-Hopkins Director of Trade and Investment, Saudi Arabia
Peter Broom First Secretary, Head of Trade & Investment Section
Edwin Samuel First Secretary Defence & Security
Syed K Zaman Trade & Investment Officer
Mohammed Farooq Trade & Investment Officer
Saad Al Adhami Trade & Investment Officer
Promila Caughey Marketing Manager Saudi Arabia and MENA
Selina Welham PA to First Secretary Defence & Security
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British Consulate-General - Jeddah Tel: 02 622 5550 Fax: 02 622 6249
Mohammed Shokat HM Consul General
Michael Cockle Deputy Consul-General & Head of Trade & Investment Section
Omar Saeed Trade & Investment Officer
Abdul Muqtadar Trade & Investment Officer
Yamish Yakoob Trade & Investment Assistant
Vaqar Ahmed Alvi Trade & Investment Assistant
British Trade Office - Al Khobar Tel: 03 882 5300
David Harries Head of Trade Office
Bill Kelly Deputy Head of Trade Office
Sharif Mousa Snr. Trade & Investment Officer
Mumtaz Abdulla Trade & Investment Officer
Fahad Anees Trade & Investment Assistant
Fax: 03 882 5384
General Enquiries in respect of this publication may be made to the compiler: Andrew Mead at MMS Ltd.,Chippenham, Wiltshire SN15 3YB e-mail: andrew@sbtd.co.uk Tel: 0044 7940 559 925 Fax: 0044 1249 460 602 KSA Mob: 00966 506 271 151
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In Saudi Arabia, contact Suresh at Jumana House, Tel: 01 292 0451 Fax: 01 472 6962 Kingdom to Kingdom
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UKTI Events Calendar 2012 NOVEMBER 26 – 28
AHP Medical Training Mission
Riyadh
DECEMBER 2–5 9 – 11 8 – 10
Saudi-British Energy Week IFSEC Arabia Security Exhibition Training Gateway Mission
Al Khobar Riyadh Jeddah
Water & Wastewater Mission
Kingdomwide
2013 JANUARY 6 – 14 FEBRUARY 2–6 3–6 9 – 13 18 – 22 23 – 25 22 – 24
UKTI SE SW Market Visit Kingdomwide Buildex 2013: Building & Construction Exhibition Dammam UK Rail Trade Mission Kingdomwide 3rd Annual International Exhibition & Forum For Education (IEFE) Riyadh Lord Mayor of the City of London Jeddah / Riyadh DSO Trade Mission Riyadh
MARCH 10 – 12 25 – 28
Best of Britain Exhibition SETS (Saudi Education Training & Supplies)
Riyadh Jeddah
Please Note: All dates are provisional. Please verify with Embassy staff before making any commitments. or email: commercial.riyadh@fco.gov.uk for more information
British Business Groups in Saudi Arabia RIYADH GROUP FOR BRITISH BUSINESS Chair: Gary Richardson Tel: 0559 640 157 chairman@rgbb.org
Secretary: Andrea Corbett Tel: (01) 488 0088, ext 2263 Fax: (01) 488 2373 E-mail: secretary@rgbb.org Website: www.rgbb.org
BRITISH BUSINESS GROUP, JEDDAH Chairman: Capt Stephen Thomas Secretary: Anita Wright Tel: 0503 270 957 Tel: (02) 662 4000 ext 2366 Fax: (02) 622 0090 steve@fadallah.com E-mail: bbg.office@bbg-jed.org Website: www.bbg-jed.org BRITISH BUSINESS ASSOCIATION, EASTERN PROVINCE Chairman: Geoff Fennah Tel: (03) 357 4912 Fax: (03) 358 9801 geoff.fennah@saudichevron.com
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Secretary: Tara Patterson Tel: (03) 882 5288, ext 1651 Fax: (03) 882 5384 E-mail: secretary@bbaep.org Website: www.bbaep.org
The 2012 edition SAUDI / BRITISH TRADE DIRECTORY is available from The British Embassy, British Consulate or British Trade Office