Marion Chehab

GBCK will continue to foster German-Kuwaiti business relations through events, presentations, site visits, and collaborations while emphasizing the inclusion of Kuwaiti youth.

GBCK continues to play a pivotal role in Kuwait’s business landscape. What were its most impactful milestones and achievements of 2023?

For GBCK, 2023 was another successful year, where we were able to maintain and foster relations between our countries and Kuwait, which is one of our pillars since we were established in 2005. Together with our core members, some of whom have been part of the founding of our non-profit networking platform, and our loyal members and partners, we focused on key topics of global and local interest. Addressing the energy crisis in Europe, we kicked off 2023 with a presentation by Petrochemical Industries Company (PIC). We had related introductions by the Renewable Energy Academy (Renac) Berlin, Swiss Tyre Recycling products, and arranged site visits to Shagaya Renewable Energy Park as well as Umm Al Hayman Wastewater Treatment Plant. Another site visit took us to the new runway and air control tower, as part of our continuous effort to connect and update our members with ongoing projects in Kuwait and the key people involved.

Considering the dynamic business environment in Kuwait, how does GBCK continually adapt its strategies to stay relevant and effective in promoting German-Kuwaiti business relations?

Networking and personal exchanges abroad can be of immense benefit professionally, as well as personally. Whilst our agenda dates are more or less set on paper for the year, our topics, site visits, and partnerships are selected according to relevance. We work in close cooperation with the German, Austrian, and Swiss embassies as well as their respective chambers of commerce and are part of the Swiss-Kuwaiti business platform. Part of our mission is to keep our members informed about new developments and market intelligence by sharing live updates as well as reports. Apart from global events that shape the relevance of information to be shared, we constantly monitor the business landscape as well as local happenings in our host country and are grateful for the kind and professional support we receive from within Kuwait.

Can you discuss the significance of collaborative events and how they enhance cross-business council cooperation?

Collaborations are an important part of our agenda. We have established Business Forum-9 (BF9) Inter-Council communication and partnered up for different events, with BF9-Industry Day being our largest event. Such an event brings together industry experts from all participating countries and also covers general trade information. Our latest event, focused on energy and health, featured an exhibition including companies, chambers of commerce, Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority, and the Supreme Council for Planning and Development, making it a one-stop event for business. Apart from cross-cultural networking, we aim to enable our members to engage in dialogues within a broader platform. It also provides us with the opportunity to address mutual issues in a united manner and with the kind backing of our embassies.

What are GBCK’s key objectives for 2024, and how do these align with Kuwait’s broader economic and industrial goals?

We owe our success to our close relationship and cooperation with the ambassadors of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland in Kuwait, as well as our loyal members. In 2024, we plan to stick to our four core pillars, our monthly business meetings covering trending topics in different formats, our social gatherings, collaborations on the Inter-Council level and with local institutions, and (project) site visits of particular interest. These pillars keep our members connected and informed on current economic issues and changes in the local business environment, as well as sectors like AI and robotics, education, health, and (renewable) energy, just to name a few. Having set our milestone of including Kuwaiti youth by hosting the commendable Lothan Youth Achievement Center (Loyac) in 2023, we plan to foster our relationship with schools and universities around Kuwait in 2024. We believe in the importance of inclusion from a young age and aim to play a role in bridging the gap between academia and industry.