Dubai, United Arab Emirates –

The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council welcomed close to 250 senior business executives and government officials for an exclusive dinner on the sidelines of Dubai Airshow 2013 held at the Jumeirah Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) on Monday.  The event, emceed by U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council President Danny Sebright, featured introductory remarks by Chief Executive Officer and President of Lockheed Martin Corporation Marillyn A. Hewson and a keynote speech delivered by Waleed Al Mokarrab Al Muhairi, Chief Operating Officer of Mubadala Development Company.  Emirati Ambassador to the U.S., His Excellency Yousef Al Otaiba, and American Ambassador to the U.A.E., the Honorable Michael H. Corbin, joined several notable C-suite executives and high-ranking officials as distinguished guests at the dinner.

Following scene-setting remarks from Sebright, Lockheed Martin’s Hewson took the podium to introduce the keynote speaker and provide her perspectives on the U.S.-U.A.E. commercial aerospace and defense relationship within the context of the Dubai Airshow week.

“The partnership between the U.A.E. and the U.S. is strong and is beneficial to both of our nations,” said Ms. Hewson.  “Tonight’s event and the Dubai Airshow are important opportunities to highlight the great work of our partners in the U.A.E. and strengthen our partnerships.”

In her comments, Hewson touched upon American industry’s efforts to work with Mubadala, and other key Emirati corporate and military partners, to develop long-lasting and robust relationships supporting global operations.  In doing so, she applauded Al Muhairi for his work in serving as a global corporate ambassador for the U.A.E.’s rapidly developing economy, particularly in the aerospace sector, a necessary undertaking when creating and supporting successful international business.

In his remarks, Al Muhairi underscored the strategic importance of U.S. military and commercial aerospace partnership and highlighted opportunities for increased collaboration.  While addressing broader industry trends, he outlined progress the U.A.E. has made in developing operational capabilities and capacity building programs in line with international standards that simultaneously support the U.A.E.’s federally mandated economic diversification verticals.  The Dubai Airshow had significant implications for Mubadala and its international partners, with billions of dollars in new aerospace, communications technology and defense services projects emerging from this week’s event.

“It is important to view opportunities such as this week’s Dubai Airshow and tonight’s dinner as effective platforms for highlighting the multi-dimensional nature of the U.S.-U.A.E. relationship and elevation of the U.A.E. as an emerging hub for new business, trade, and investment opportunities in the global defense, security, and commercial aerospace industries,” said Al Muhairi.   He also emphasized the importance of partnership by saying that “the U.A.E. is committed to pushing and promoting its key partnerships with U.S. and other international partners to maximize maximum mutual benefit for all concerned – partnerships are about win-win and making the opportunities bigger for all parties.”

After the keynote speech, the floor was opened for a question and answer session moderated by Sebright.  During the session, members of the audience were given the opportunity to approach Al Muhairi with questions about Mubadala, and the U.A.E.’s broader commercial aerospace and defense landscape, and the global significance of conferences like the Dubai Airshow to the industry.

In the wake of record breaking announcements of new commercial and military aircraft purchases made at the Dubai Air Show, the dinner event concluded with a brief message from Sebright wishing companies a successful week of exhibiting and thanking the speakers for their time and insight.

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About the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council:

The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council is a progressive business advocacy organization solely committed to the advancement of the trade and commercial relationship between the United States and the United Arab Emirates. The Business Council actively works to ensure that the U.S. and U.A.E. remain attractive destinations for foreign direct investment by conducting effective policy advocacy, undertaking various trade promotion initiatives, providing ongoing updates on the business climate in both countries, and helping develop strategic relationships between U.S. and U.A.E. business and government officials.

For more information, visit: www.usuaebusiness.org.