Past event summary

DMCC has not only embraced blockchain technology but has also actively made efforts to support and accelerate blockchain start-ups and scaleups and will soon be opening the doors to its Crypto Centre ecosystem in Almas Tower. 

The drive to ensure that Dubai remains at the forefront of global digital transformation is stronger than ever. With government support, easy access to funding and a population that is willing to adapt to change, it has quickly become a global hub.

Attendees joined our webinar to hear from experts and keynote speakers from the German Emirati Joint Council for Industry & Commerce (AHK) and Swiss Business Council on the opportunities available for their businesses.

AHMED BIN SULAYEM
EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN & CEO

DMCC

Ahmed Bin Sulayem is the Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of DMCC and has driven its growth from a start-up of 28 member companies in 2003 to the world’s leading free zone in 2020 with over 18,000 member companies from 180 countries, employing over 60,000 people.

Tasked with enhancing commodity trade flows through Dubai, DMCC has introduced to the market a number of value-added products and services under Mr Bin Sulayem’s leadership. In 2020, DMCC has been named the ‘Global Free Zone of the Year’ by The Financial Times fDi Magazine, for a record sixth consecutive year.

Mr Bin Sulayem oversaw the exponential growth of the DMCC Free Zone master development in Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT), a 200-hectare business and residential community in Dubai of over 100,000 people living and working across 87 towers. Mr Bin Sulayem also oversees the development of DMCC’s latest real estate project; the much-anticipated Uptown Dubai district.

Mr Bin Sulayem currently serves as the Chairman of the Dubai Diamond Exchange (DDE) and the Dubai Gold & Commodities Exchange (DGCX).

The Kimberley Process officially appointed the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as the first and only Arab country to Chair the Kimberley Process in November 2015. Shortly after, the UAE Ministry of Economy officially appointed Mr Bin Sulayem as the UAE’s Chair of the Kimberley Process for 2016.

HE FRANK EGGMANN
CONSUL GENERAL

CONSULATE GENERAL OF SWITZERLAND IN DUBAI

Business & Administration/International relations

1985 Embassy in Manila

1987 Consulate General in Hamburg

1990 Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya

1993 Consulate General in Curitiba

1995 Consulate General in Sao Paulo

1997 Embassy in Moscow

1999 Embassy in Tel Aviv

2002 Embassy in Brasilia

2005 Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Berne, HR Recruitment & marketing

2009 Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Deputy Head of Mission, Politics, Human Rights, Environment, Trade & Culture

2012 Director / Trade Commissioner of the Swiss Business Hub (SBH) in Hong Kong & Macau

2016 Consul General of Switzerland in Chengdu for the provinces of Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou and the Municipality of Chongqing

2019 Consul General of Switzerland in Dubai / Director of Swiss Business Hub (SBH) for the Middle-East.

URS STIRNIMANN
FOUNDER/VICE PRESIDENT

SWISS INTERNATIONAL LEGAL CONSULTANTS/SWISS BUSINESS COUNCIL

Urs Stirnimann is the Founder of Swiss International Legal Consultants, UAE.

Urs worked for more than 25 years in various countries of the Middle East and Latin America with different responsibilities in the financial, diplomatic and legal field.

Since 2004, Urs is working as a lawyer in the UAE. He assists mostly Europeans who would like to benefit from the various advantages Dubai offers. He has established several hundred companies in the UAE. He advises also in the creation of Islamic products and structures and real estate issues and counsels as well in the fintech/blockchain field.

Urs has plenty of honorary positions like Vice President of the Swiss Business Council Dubai and chairman of the Swiss Financial Group, where 20 Swiss banks and insurance companies are represented. In addition, he is the Executive Director of the Emirati Swiss Friendship Forum under the leadership of HH Sheikh Sultan Bin Khalifa Al Nahyan and HE Pascal Couchepin former president of Switzerland. He was elected to represent the Swiss in the UAE at the Parliament for Swiss Living Abroad.

Urs studied economics and law at the University of Zurich. Urs speaks fluent German, English, Spanish and French.

OLIVER OEHMS
CEO

GERMAN EMIRATI JOINT COUNCIL FOR INDUSTRY & COMMERCE (AHK)

Oliver Oehms (born 1973) grew up in Trier, a picturesque ancient town close to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. He majored (M. A.) in Political Science, Public International Law and African Studies from the University of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. Already during his studies Oliver started working for the German African Business Association (Afrika-Verein e. V.) where his last position was Regional Manager Western Africa. From 2003 onwards he headed the Foreign Trade and Trade Fairs Department of one of the regional Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

Early 2009 Oliver moved to Jakarta where he was tasked to develop a new service unit in the national Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN Indonesia) in Jakarta. Together with a team of local professionals he rolled out new market-driven services and supported the Chamber Board in responding to the many challenges a dynamically developing economy encounters. Still in Jakarta, Oliver was hired from 2014 onwards by Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) for promoting a program of regional economic development. January 2016 he was appointed by the Association of German Chambers of Commerce & Industry (DIHK) as the Delegate of German Industry and Commerce for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Yemen. Heading the German Chamber Abroad (AHK) in Riyadh, Oliver managed a team of twenty professionals working in the capital city, in Al Khobar and Jeddah.

Since Mid-August 2019 Oliver has been the CEO of the German Emirati Joint Council for Industry & Commerce (AHK), with offices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi plus satellite operations in four more Gulf countries. Ex officio he is also the Delegate of German Industry and Commerce to Iraq.

JAMES BERNARD

REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVE - EUROPE

DMCC

James started his career working in the London financial markets for several international institutions and trading houses where he developed his passion for commodities, logistics, and global trade. He later incorporated his own group of companies producing, distributing and trading in physical commodities and derivatives.

After joining DMCC in 2006 as Associate Director of Commodities he took over as Director of Business Development in 2009, leading the next stage of growth for DMCC Free Zone which to date has attracted over 18,000 companies to its central Dubai location.

In his next role as DMCC Head of Corp Sales he has helped to successfully take DMCC on to achieve unprecedented growth and to develop into a multi award winning Free Zone.

James was recently appointed as DMCC’s European representative and operates from offices in the Netherlands.

As one of the founding members of the DMCC ‘Blockchain Innovation Group’ and ‘Global Blockchain Council’ he continues to assist in the development of Dubai as a global sector hub and DMCC as a global crypto ecosystem.

RALF GLABISCHNIG
FOUNDER AND BOARD MEMBER

CRYPTO VALLEY VENTURE CAPITAL (CV VC) AND CV LABS

Mr Glabischnig is a founder and board member of Crypto Valley Venture Capital (CV VC) and CV Labs, which is a Blockchain co-working hub in Zug, Vaduz and Dubai.

He is also the initiator of Europe's largest Blockchain Competition and co-founder of the Crypto Valley Association and Swiss Blockchain Federation, he is committed to developing the blockchain ecosystem both in Switzerland and worldwide.

KYRO BROOKS
DIRECTOR OF FINANCE AND OPERATIONS

ASTROLABS

Kyro Brooks is the Director of Finance and Operations at AstroLabs, leading the finance function and the community co-working & company licencing business unit. Prior to working for AstroLabs Kyro, a Chartered Accountant, co-founded a health and well-being focused tech startup, and ran a charitable foundation focused on improving the health and opportunities available for children and young people.

SAMER MERHI
SENIOR MARKETING MANAGER - EVENTS

DMCC

Samer Merhi is the Senior Marketing Manager of Events at DMCC, the world’s leading Free Zone and Government of Dubai Authority on commodities trade and enterprise.

Joining DMCC in 2012, Samer is responsible for delivering the organisation’s event programme in line with corporate marketing strategy and business objectives.

Technically knowledgeable and professionally qualified, Samer forges strategic relationships with partners around the world to deliver an ever-growing DMCC calendar of events both physical and virtual.

In a career spanning 15 years, Samer has managed some of the region’s largest and high-profile live events and conferences, as well as diplomatic meetings and industry gatherings.