Annual Report 2015

• Samia Saleh - Board Member of the DBWC, owner of Courtyard Galleries and shareholder of AMSAF
Investment LLC.
• Sofi A. Saleh - Board Member of the DBWC, and Managing Director, Petals Interiors LLC. She is also a
Director at Amsaf LLC and sits on the Board of Directors of Amsaf Investments. Sofi also sits on the
Board of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
• Fathiya Al Khamiri – Board Member of the DBWC and Founder and Designer of Oh, La La! Abaya
Couture and the Director of the Male Program (SA) in Dubai and Abu Dhabi at Zayed University.
• Farida Kamber Al Awadhi – Board Member of the DBWC and owner and Managing Director of Cinmar
Design. President and one of the founding members of APID (Association of Professional Interior
Designers.)
• Dina Al Herais - VP Commercial - VIP Customer Relations for Emirates .
• Fatma Al Khoori – UAE entrepreneur.
• Chafiah Al Jaziri - an Advocate at Ja'afar Alwan, Al Jaziri & Associates.
• Nadine Halabi - Business Development Manager of DBWC.
The first day’s itinerary focuses on French expertise in medical research. The delegation will be given a
presentation on the program IMAGINE at hôpital NECKER with Professor Marina Cavazzana, a geneticist specialized
in Thalassemia, followed by a private tour of the Généthon d’Evry (private visit of the laboratory of the French
Agency of Muscular Distrophy – AFM- and of the production site of drugs for Gene Therapy). The day will be
concluded with a function focusing on the Hospital of the Future, sponsored by AIA Consulting.
The second day targets woman entrepreneurship and the French Senate. The delegation will be welcome by the
Fondation Cartier and watch a presentation of the Cartier Awards as well as be introduced to the business
incubator "Paris pionnières"; followed by a guided visit of the expo of Bruce Naumann. The afternoon is dedicated
to a private visit of the Senate by French Senator Jean-Jacques Lozach.
On the third day, the delegation will participate in round table discussions on the place of women in the economy
in France and in the UAE at UNESCO preceded by a lunch with DG Irina Bokova and high level guests involved in
women empowerment programs. The trade mission will be concluded by discussions led by the Paris Chamber of
Cce presentation on "Doing Business in France and Commercial Synergies with the UAE" followed by a
presentation on Luxury and Sustainable Development by Citzen Luxury. Finally, the delegation will have the
opportunity to visit L’Oreal’s laboratory and research and innovation team, pioneers in the cosmetics industry.
Julie Barbier Leblan, CEO of Mylist.ae and General Secretary of the French Business Council, one of the organisers
of the of the trade mission, added: “It is a pleasure to work with such inspiring women and accompany them to my
country to showcase what France has to offer to Dubai in terms of medical research, science and
entrepreneurship.”
The UAE is France’s first trade partner in the Middle East. Further to a series of governmental visits, France and the
UAE have committed themselves to expand the trade volume between the two countries by 50% over the coming
five years, as well as doubling the number of tourists. Joint development projects in third party countries will also
be launched, as stated in the tripartite agreement France –U.A.E – Egypt, which has been signed by Mrs. Anne-
Marie Idrac in March 2015.
The bilateral trade between the UAE and France has exceeded 5.5 billion euros in 2013. The French exports
towards the UAE have increased by more than 4% with a trade surplus of 3 billion Euros in favor of France.
Between 2000 and 2014, the French exports have raised by 79%. The Emirate of Dubai itself welcomes 500 of the
1000 French companies registered in the U.A.E and 75% of the 25 000 French residents of the country. In 2013,
nearly 186,000 French citizens visited the Emirate of Dubai.