São Paulo – The Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce is holding the Brazil-Arab Countries Economic Forum next Wednesday, October 5. The event in São Paulo will see local and foreign specialists discuss the world economy, logistics and transportation, innovation in the Arab world, finance, halal products and services, and the Arab market in general, in addition to business success stories involving Brazil and Arab countries. The forum is geared towards executives and registrations are open.
“This forum will be a great opportunity for those who have or plan on having connections with Arab markets. The best way to do business with the Arab countries is by learning about the economy, the markets, the consumption habits, and the transportation logistics. These topics will be covered in the forum’s four panels,” said Arab Brazilian Chamber president Marcelo Nabih Sallum.
The forum will bring leading Arab names to Brazil, including Mohamed Al Tuwaijri, the assistant secretary general for Economic Affairs of the League of Arab States; Mohamed Hany Khodair, the vice minister of Investment of Egypt and president of the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (Gafi); and the designer Tamara Al Gabbani, owner of the UAE-based Tamara Al Gabbani Fashion Brand.
Al Tuwaijiri will deliver the lecture Innovation in the Arab World; Khodair will sit on the World Economy panel; and Al Gabbani, on the Success Stories panel.
“The forum will focus on national and international economics, the effect of the oil price drop on the Arab economy, the Arab drive for economic diversification, and the scenario in Brazil,” said Arab Chamber CEO Michel Alaby.
According to him, air travel and the online certification of origin system created by the Arab Chamber will also be covered, “as well as the halal market and the Arab market as a whole, and how we can find the resources to develop our agro-industrial park,” he explains. Halal goods and services are those made in accordance with Islamic tradition. “The halal market is one of the fastest-growing markets in the world,” Alaby stressed.
To cover those topics, the Arab chamber has invited key industry names of the likes of Zeina Latif, an economist with XP Investimentos, who will speak on Brazil’s economy; Dener Souza, of Emirates SkyCargo, the cargo division of Emirates Airline, and João Momesso, the Trade & Marketing director with Maersk, the multinational conglomerate, will be in the Logistics and Transportation panel.
The panel on Finance, Halal and the Arab Market will feature Mohamed Zoghbi, president of the Federation of Muslim Associations in Brazil (Fambras); Ângela Martins, the Brazilian representative of the National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD); and Ricardo Portolan, the Export manager with bus body maker Marcopolo, which owns an assembly line in Egypt in partnership with a local company.
Besides Tamara Al Gabbani, successful business stories with Arabs will include Julia de Biase, the Brazilian businesswoman who owns Al Zahra, a store specializing in Arab perfumes; and Fernando Galletti de Queiroz, president of the Minerva conglomerate, one of Brazil’s biggest meat companies and a major beef exporter to the Middle East and North Africa. “The Saudi company Salic owns a stake in Minerva. Its experience in the Arab market is worth learning about,” said Alaby.
Quick facts
Brazil-Arab Countries Economic Forum
Date: October 5, 2016
Venue: Hotel Tivoli – Sala Jardins
Address: Alameda Santos, 1,432 – Cerqueira César
Hours: From 8am to 6pm
For the full program and to register (until Tuesday 4) go to www.forumeconomicoccab2016.com.br
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
