Features

British Chamber of Commerce Bahrain - A Historic Move

by BTM

Sun, 12 May 2024

British Chamber of Commerce Bahrain A Historic Move

After years of providing essential services and networking opportunities for the Kingdom’s local business community, the Bahrain British Business Forum (BBBF) has transitioned into the British Chamber of Commerce Bahrain (BCOCB). Kristian Harrison spoke with the BCOCB’s Chairman, Khalid Rashid Al Zayani, and Vice Chair, Paula Boast MBE, about this ground-breaking move and what it means for the future. 

Can you give us an overview of the BCOCB and its founding? 
When we started it in 1995, the BBBF was more of a social club with just 16 members than a business entity. Over time, I saw the potential to elevate it into a proper chamber, drawing from my experience with establishing the American Chamber of Commerce in Bahrain (AmCham) and the Bahrain US Business Council. His Majesty’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa gave me a directive to establish the Bahrain British Business Council and this further fuelled this ambition to achieve our ultimate goal to become a full-fledged Chamber, aligning with international standards. 

Can you walk us through the process of achieving official Chamber status? 
Negotiations with the UK Chamber were smooth, leading to our establishment under the Ministry of Commerce. While there were administrative changes, the transition was seamless. We’ve adapted our headquarters to suit our evolving needs and expanded our membership offerings with a focus on delivering enhanced services to our members. 

What’s the BCOCB’s relationship with the UK, especially now as a Chamber of Commerce? 
With Saudi Arabia as a neighbouring market powerhouse, our strategic location positions us as a gateway for UK businesses eyeing the Gulf region. This proximity, coupled with our strong ties to both Bahrain and the UK, enables us to facilitate bilateral exchanges and serve as a launchpad for exploring new opportunities. 

What’s the secret to your success?
Being a businessman doesn’t restrict you to creating ventures or wealth only for yourself. You have responsibility towards your community and the people of Bahrain. So, if there are any opportunities for us as a group to create something of value to the community and the people of Bahrain, we do not hesitate in doing so. I can name many of the committees, clubs, and associations that were created by devoting time to them, like Bahrain Health and Safety Society, and Bahrain Historical and Archaeological Society, among others. The beauty of this is that you create something worthwhile and then you hand it to the next generation or to the next leadership. 

I put very strict governance within our group. When a person reaches the age of 65, he or she has to step down from the board and hand it to the next generation. We’ve had very successful successions within our group already because of this policy. 

Your family has been involved in business with the UK since the 1940s. How is the relationship more than 80 years on? 
Very successful. It was started by my father, Rashid, at a time when our family had always been traditionally in the pearling business. It was very hard for my father to convince my grandfather to go into other businesses because it was not customary. One of the earliest ventures that he did was to create a relationship with a brand called Austin Cars and the emerging Land Rover, and marketed them around the Gulf. From the auto industry, we expanded into so many other products such as goods, machinery, real estate, and we even recently refitted the whole grid of the UK from Scotland to Wales with Midal cables. 

Is there anything else to add? 
I would like to see many Bahrainis and foreigners reaching out to us. They will be very surprised at how much they can learn from existing information that will enhance their businesses and create new businesses for themselves. 

Can you explain the rationale behind the decision for the BBBF to transition to the BCOCB?
During the pandemic, we set up region-wide online events between ourselves and other business groups in the region to be able to ensure we had member activity. We also set up a number of higher-level management and committee meetings. The feeling generally was that there is a definitive shift in the future direction of the business groups and that we needed to adapt particularly with a view to creating more regional and global business opportunities for our members. So, we starting speaking to the Global Network Team at The British Chambers of Commerce led by the fantastic Anne-Marie Martin and her team. Abu Dhabi were the first to make a transition in the region and Bahrain decided to follow suit. 

How does this transition align with the evolving needs of the business community in Bahrain and the broader region?
There are probably two separate models. Businesses are very much looking outward post-pandemic. They don’t just want to come and set up in Bahrain anymore and be done with it. They want to use Bahrain as a hub or a platform to other regional opportunities and also as a link to global markets, particularly Africa and Asia. Then we have the businesses on the ground that are content to stay local, however they still want to do more business with other regional and global entities. Being a Chamber allows us to better facilitate that combination of local – regional – global business reach. 

What benefits or opportunities does becoming a chamber of commerce offer to existing and new members, and businesses operating in Bahrain? 
Well first off, the Chamber is still run by local business volunteers, the very people who have lived and worked in Bahrain for many years both Bahraini and British. We understand what frustrations and hurdles the businesses here face because we have faced them. We know what hindrances exist for incoming business because our own businesses have dealt with them. Every business is unique but we are confident that we have the breadth of experience required to help support them in their business journey. 

Secondly, we have amongst our own membership all of the capability and expertise required by incoming and existing business. We pride ourselves on our business networking, it’s our cornerstone, and we mobilise that network to help new businesses get established within our database and in doing so we generate new business for existing members. 

What initiatives or programmes does the chamber intend to introduce or expand upon in its new capacity? 
As a direct response to recent feedback from our members as well as a review of existing database information, we have developed a programme of more frequent business and sector-specific meetings for business support and networking. 

Our new programme is called ‘Meet Me @ The Hub, ’a fantastic business centre set up and managed by our strategic partner ServCorp Bahrain, located at the Bahrain Financial Harbour with the team run by the dynamic Danni Hunneyball. 

Anything more to add? 
The pandemic has shown us that the world is a very small market place and that it can be worked in a different, more efficient way. It is not just filled with global corporations but now also entrepreneurs, business incubators, angel investors, start-ups, SMEs, increasing numbers of young professionals, and of course the industry disrupters. All of this works alongside big changes that we are seeing in the professional and business services sectors. 

It’s a very exciting time. But businesses are different now, doing business is different now, and so we must be different. The timing of the British Chamber of Commerce could not be better.

#FEATURES #BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BAHRAIN #BTM MAY 2024 #UK IN BAHRAIN 2024