CBC Abu Dhabi organized a reception in honor of its Platinum, Gold and events sponsors. It was hosted by HE Masud Husain, Ambassador of Canada to the UAE and his wife Mrs. Leila Husain, at the Official Residence in Anantara, Eastern Mangroves.

The list of guests who attended the reception included: H.E. Rashed  Al-Baloushi (ADX), Deline Pereira (Air Canada), Shamis Al-Dhaheri (Ali & Sons), Firas Mallah (Bank of Montreal), Peter Lawton (CAE), Omar Al Hashmi (Canada-UAE Business Council), Mike Cessford (CCC), Mahmoud Awad (Concorde Corodex), Desmond Hatton (Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi), Mohamed Wakeb (Fairmont Bab Al Bahr), Andre Sayegh (First Gulf Bank), Maher Ezzeddine(Ideanco), H.E. Juma Al-Kait (Ministry of Economy), Aiham Al Khatib (PAL), Ziad Awad (SNC-Lavalin Interational), Jack Matar (Toledo Engineering and Mechanical Works) . The list of guests who were not be able to attend include delegates from: Apparel Group, Awazen Medical Centre, Bombardier Specialized Aircraft, Etihad Airways, General Dynamics Mission Systems.

In a short speech, Mr. Gregory Zoughbi, CBC Board Member and Head of Memberships and Sponsorships thanked the CBC sponsors for their support and stated that the reception was organized to thank and honor them for their contribution to CBC whether in cash or in kind. Gregory also introduced HE Ambassador Husain and invited him to make a speech.

HE welcomed the guests, emphasized the importance of CBC role in the UAE Business community as a catalyst; he also updated the invitees on the latest Canadian government news, namely the re-shuffling of Cabinet and  naming of Chrystia Freeland as foreign minister to replace Mr. Stephane Dion. Ms. Freeland was replaced by Francois-Philippe Champagne . Furthermore, The Ambassador mentioned the appointment of Somali-born Ahmed Hussen as immigration minister, replacing John McCallum. HE elaborated on how Mr. Hussen immigrated  to Canada when he was 16 years old as a refugee from Somalia and is now serving as a Minister in the Canadian government. He said:”This is Canada, this is who we are”!

Mr. Zoughbi then introduced Mr. Jack Matar, CBC Board Chairman and Platinum sponsor to make his remarks. Mr. Matar welcomed the thanked HE Masud Husain and his wife Leila for their hospitality in hosting the event and addressed the guests, highlighting the importance of sponsorships in the survival of CBC; he also encouraged the sponsors to spread the word to their acquaintances, friends and contacts to join CBC and support the efforts the Council approach in bringing together Canadian and local business communities. Mr. Zoughbi then stated that Mr. Matar will be handing certificates of appreciation to every sponsoring organization . Mr. Matar handed the certificates and paused for pictures with each company representative. More group pictures were taken. The reception resumed in a warm ambiance until 8:30pm.

The Embassy of Canada to the United Arab Emirates, and the Canadian Business Council of Abu Dhabi (CBC), organized the annual ADIPEC networking event on Tuesday, 8 November 2016, at Fairmont Bab Al Bahr. The event included more than 200 business executives from the Canadian and UAE business community, including CBC members and delegations from Canadian companies that participated at ADIPEC.

H. E. Masud Husain, Ambassador of Canada to the UAE, made the welcoming remarks and boasted the efforts of H. E. Dr. Sultan Al Jaber and his commitment to make for new partnerships. His goal is to enhance opportunities for business relationships based on capacity, experience and expertise in the Oil and Gas sector, therefore creating opportunities. The Ambassador also discussed the optimism in the UAE that goes beyond the price of oil, which translates into more initiatives and activity on all economic fronts.

Mr. Jack Matar, CBC Chairman discussed the role of CBC in strengthening the business relationships between Canada and the UAE. He recognized the importance of ADIPEC in offering opportunities for visiting Canadian companies to close business deals. He concluded by thanking CBC annual sponsors, SNC-Lavalin as the networking event’s sponsor, and the Ambassador. He introduced Dr. Ziad Awad, SNC-Lavalin’s Senior Vice President (SVP) and Head of Region, Middle East, India and Africa.

Dr. Awad introduced ADIPEC and presence, being the region’s largest Canadian company with 12,000 employees working across several disciplines including mining, metallurgical infrastructure and power. SNC-Lavalin is active in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, India and Iraq. He discussed SNC-Lavalin’s continued relationship with Saudi Aramco by providing general engineering services for their oil and gas facilities. Dr. Awad highlighted that SNC-Lavalin can offer any support and can help customers reach their goals by working together to efficiently achieve the desired results. They are working continuously toward strengthening relationships to generate positive interaction in the field.

In partnership with the Embassy of Canada to the UAE, CBC organized the Annual EduCanada University Fair with the presence of fifteen (15) Canadian universities and colleges on 30 November 2016 at Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi. The event was also sponsored and supported by The Councils of Ministers of Education of Canada (CMEC) and Futures Abroad.

H.E. Masud Husain, Ambassador of Canada to the UAE, opened the event with a ribbon cutting ceremony. He went on to make the welcome remarks and highlighted the commitment of Canada and the UAE to work together on enhancing the opportunities for more Emirati students to enroll in Canadian Universities. He went on to praise the quality of the education system in Canada. The Ambassador is a graduate of McGill University and his wife is a graduate of the Universite de Montreal, both of which are examples of world class Canadian Universities.

Representatives from participating Universities and Colleges had information booths and met with students and parents to provide them with more information about education opportunities in Canada.

The participating Universities were: MacEwan University, University of Ottawa, University of Manitoba, York University, University of Windsor, University of Waterloo, Thompson Rivers University, College of New Caledonia, Wilfred Laurier University, University of Alberta, Huron University College, Columbia College, Sheridan College, Seneca College, and Humber College

CBC held its annual Thanksgiving Brunch that Canadian and non-Canadians enjoyed with their families and friends. This year, almost two hundred (200) participants gathered in the Ballroom of Beach Rotana Hotel to mark this special occasion and reflect on the many blessings they ought to be thankful for. The Thanksgiving Brunch program was filled with activities and entertainment for adults and kids!

The event started with welcome remarks from the Ambassador of Canada to the UAE H. E. Masud Husain, CBC Chairman Mr. Jack Matar, and Mr. Gregory Zoughbi, CBC Board Member and Head of Membership and Sponsorship. They spoke about the importance of Thanksgiving and extended their own thanks including to CBC Sponsors and Members.

Mr. Matar took the opportunity to acknowledge the presence of Canada’s Ambassador to the UAE and invited him to speak. The Ambassador expressed his joy for being in the UAE and briefly spoke about his role in promoting business and strengthening ties between Canada and the UAE. The Canadian National Anthem was then sung by Ms. Tiyana Badwan, a student at The Abu Dhabi Grammar School (AGS) Canada. This was followed by an Irish dance performed by the AGS students all in black and in perfect synchronization. Later on during the event, AGS volunteers also danced the traditional Arabic Dabke to the joy of those present.

The event’s Master of Ceremony (MC) was CBC Board Member Ms. Christine Belanger. She kicked off the entertainment program by announcing and giving out door prizes, vouchers for hotels, restaurants, spa and boat cruises, courtesy of the sponsors. Then everybody was invited to the Buffet where succulent food was served. The traditional carving of turkey with cranberry sauce and potatoes, pasta dishes, salads and a rich dessert buffet were enjoyed by all. As the guests were chatting and relaxing to the music of Canadian singers, and a slide show of beautiful Canadian scenery, other raffles were held! Prizes were even hidden under seats as guests turned their chairs upside-down with laughter looking for Canadian flag stickers that signaled awards! A silent auction was simultaneously taking place for a Golf game offered by Yas links, which was won by the Ambassador! A pair of Etihad Airways tickets were also won by Mr. Gary Reid, who thanked CBC and indicated that he will be using them for his honeymoon.

Meanwhile, the kids were meanwhile having their share of fun in a separate room, with entertainers painting faces, braiding hair, organizing games, and introducing their favorite mascots. They were then taught how to play drums and towards the end of the event, the whole Africa Tam Tam band walked toward the Ballroom with the kids holding their mini drums; they sat on the dance floor in a circle and started playing with the band. The kids were handed gift bags as they were leaving with their parents. Appreciation for the event was very generously expressed to the event organizers with a promise to the next CBC event!

The event was sponsored by Abu Dhabi Grammar School (Canada), which also donated precious gifts and performances. Other gifts were donated by Beach Rotana Hotel, Belevari Marine, Etihad Airways, Europcar, Hilton Corniche, Masaya Gifts, Pascal Tepper, Mrs. Simone Jucker, Spinneys, Tilal Liwa Hotel and Yas Links.

In addition to the tremendous support from AGS volunteers, a group of volunteers from New York University (NYU) supported the event from start to finish.

The Back to Business annual event was held this year at the Canadian Embassy, where members and non-members gathered for an opportunity to network and to meet the new Ambassador of Canada to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), H.E. Masud Husain. CBC Chairman, Mr. Jack Matar, welcomed the new Board members Mrs. Carol Milne, Mr. Brij Bali and Mr. Essam Azar and he announced the resignation of Mrs. Tanya Habib, the Board’s legal secretary, due to other commitments. He also recognized the presence of current CBC Platinum Sponsors: Bank of Montreal represented by Mr. Firas Mallah and Ideanco represented by Mr. Maher Ezzeddine. Mr. Matar also recognized the presence of CBC’s newest Gold Sponsors: Awazen Medical Center represented by Mr. Shamis Bin Ali Al Dhaheri, and Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi Hotel represented by Ms. Salwa Hussein and Mr. Hisham Obaidat. Mr. Matar then introduced H.E. Ambassador Masud Husain.

Ambassador Husain talked about his role in Abu Dhabi as a catalyst of UAE-Canada relationships, which continues to grow, and he highlighted in this context Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s recent visit to Canada and his meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The Ambassador also mentioned that these initiatives are made on several levels: economic, cultural and educational. He also highlighted the emphasis on encouraging enrollment of Emirati students in Canadian Universities. He then acknowledged the presence of Mr. Omar Alhashimi, Co-Chairman of Canada-UAE Business Council (CUBC), and invited him to speak.

Mr. Alhashimi highlighted the importance of CUBC as a platform for cooperation between the two countries. He also highlighted the recent successful meetings that took place to strengthen the business ties between Canada and the UAE.

Mr. Gregory Zoughbi, CBC Board Member and Head of Membership and Sponsorship committee, then recognized CBC’s Platinum and Gold sponsors and thanked them for their support. Mr. Zoughbi went on to explain the benefits that CBC brings to sponsors and members, and invited non-members present at the event to have a conversation with CBC staff about the benefits that would be available to them. Mr. Zoughbi then called on Mr. Essam Azar, CBC Board Member and Head of the Events Committee, to announce the agenda of future CBC events. Mr. Azar thanked the Business to Business event sponsors: Cell Information Technology, Pascal Tepper Catering, Hyatt Capital Gate Hotel and Holiday Inn hotel as he raffled the prizes they generously donated amidst the excitement and winning anticipation. Mr. Roger Smibert from HISS Emirates won a laptop offered by Cell Information Technology.

Photos were taken with Ambassador Husain and networking continued in a relaxed and cheerful ambiance.