The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council hosted a roundtable luncheon and discussion in Washington, D.C. yesterday with Rachel Duran, incoming Commercial Attaché, U.S. Embassy to the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi.  Ms. Duran engaged Business Council member companies in a robust dialogue on the goals and objectives of her new mandate to assist U.S. companies in the U.A.E.  She was joined in today’s discussion by Mr. Gary Rand, the Embassy’s Outgoing Commercial Attaché and incoming Principal Commercial Officer to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, who provided unique insights into the region’s current economic and business climate.

“I am excited to take up my duties in Abu Dhabi to help American companies find and expand opportunities in the U.A.E., and to work with the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council to further U.S.-U.A.E. commercial relations,” said Rachel Duran.

Rachel Duran, incoming Commercial Attaché in Abu Dhabi and Gary Rand, incoming Principal Commercial Officer to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia discuss opportunities and challenges for U.S. companies operating in the U.A.E. and GCC

Among the issues of interest to participating companies were the enduring Gulf crisis, new U.A.E. and GCC Value Added Tax and Excise Taxes, synchronization of standards across the U.A.E. and GCC, and Expo 2020 Dubai.

“Despite regional tensions, the U.S.-U.A.E. trade and commercial relationship continues to flourish,” said Danny Sebright, President of the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council. “Moreover, the U.S. trade balance with the U.A.E. has continued to buck the global trend of chronic U.S. deficits, and Rachel’s role is critical in making sure that opportunities are explored to help grow the relationship between our two nations even further.”

Please see Ms. Duran’s complete bio below.

To learn more about America’s trade surplus with the U.A.E., please click here.

Rachel Duran
Commercial Attaché
Embassy of the United States, Abu Dhabi

Rachel Duran is a Commercial Attaché for the Department of Commerce and will begin her tour in Abu Dhabi in August 2017.  Previously, Rachel specialized in assisting U.S. companies in the defense, aerospace, and aviation sectors to expand their sales into the Indian market.

Previously, she worked in Puerto Rico assisting local firms to expand their exports abroad.  She also worked in the Department of Commerce’s Standards Liaison office to develop and implement trade policy related to technical barriers to trade, to assist companies with standards trade issues, and to educate organizations and individuals on standards and their implications on trade.

Prior to working with the government, she worked to help private companies, governments, and non-profit organizations with business development, economic development, and international expansion.  She has worked with numerous donors including ADB, USAID, SIDA, Danida, DFID, MCC, and the World Bank.  She speaks Spanish fluently. Rachel Duran graduated with an MBA from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, an MA in International Commerce and Policy from George Mason University, and a BA in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia.