A corner of a foreign field…

One of the enduring habits of the British abroad is the instinct to form clubs. In the Gulf, the Brits are true to form. Where clubs are allowed, they spring up. Where they aren’t allowed, at least on a formal basis, they spring up anyway. So if you’re a rugger bugger, you’ll always find a British buttock to bruise. If you’re a runner, there are plenty of people happy to dehydrate themselves to the point of death in 40 degrees on the Hash. And if you’re a sailor you’ll find no shortage of people willing to be arrested by the Iranians for straying into their waters.

For those who seek to splice a little professional advantage with their death-defying leisure pursuits, there are the British Business Groups. There’s at least one one in each of the GCC countries. Saudi Arabia has three, in Jeddah, Riyadh and the Eastern Province. The UAE has groups based in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. These groups, which you can join if you’re either a British national resident in the area or have strong professional connections with Britain, are not only excellent sources of networking and commercial information, but they also organize a wide range of social events ranging from informal get-togethers to dinners, balls, sports tournaments. The Riyadh and Bahrain groups, of which I’m a member, organize regular briefings by local business leaders. Because one of the underlying purposes of these groups is to advance British commercial interests, they tend to be strongly supported by the UK Trade and Investment teams from the various British Embassies. Many of the events take place in the embassies and consulates, which for the parched denizens of some GCC countries is on its own a reason for attending.

The Business Groups are generally very welcoming, and make an effort to help new members settle in. Brian Hawley, who chairs the Jeddah group, Owain Raw Rees, his counterpart in Riyadh, and Austin Rudman, the vice-chair of the Bahrain group, all get high marks in this respect based on my personal experience.

The Embassy staff are also approachable and helpful. They frequently work with the local business groups on trade-related initiatives. The Riyadh Embassy, for example, has recently launched Soft Landing, a scheme for new businesses incorporating in the Kingdom. Soft Landing is an advisory service provided by the Trade and Investment team, who have also lined up a set of discounted services from selected businesses such as hotels, serviced office providers, car hire companies to name but a few.

Of course the secret of all successful clubs is that their members contribute as well as benefit, so if you join a British group in the spirit of “giving something back”, you’ll have a great chance of building a rewarding social life and professional life in your adopted city.

Websites for the GCC British Business groups are:

Jeddah: www.bbg-jed.org
Riyadh: www.rgbb.org
Eastern Province www.bbaep.com
Bahrain: www.bbbforum.org
Dubai & Northern Emirates: www.britbiz-uae.com
Abu Dhabi: www.britishbusiness.org
Kuwait: www.bbf.org.kw
Qatar: www.qbbf.com

Information on Soft Landing: Click here.

A final point to note is that most of the British business groups have policy that a member of one group is welcome to attend the events of another group if they happen to be in the area. So if you’re a regular traveler within the region, with a bit of canny planning you have a good chance of finding people to meet and things to do out of office hours on your trip.
Steve Royston

Steve Royston – January 2010