1- Chairman of London-headquartered Informa plc Richard Hooper, Chief Executive Peter Rigby, and General Manger of the Institute for International Research (IIR), Middle East, Jessica Sutherland held preliminary talks with the GRC to discuss possible areas of cooperation.
Informa is the leading international provider of specialist information and services for the academic and scientific, professional and commercial business communities, and has over 150 offices in more than 40 countries. It is the largest publicly-owned organizer of conferences and courses in the world with an output of over 10,000 events annually. Informa publishes over 2,000 subscription-based information services, including academic journals, real-time news and structured databases of commercial intelligence. Its book publication list has more than 40,000 academic and business titles in print.
The IIR is the world's leading knowledge and skills transfer company with a global network of 45 companies and 116 operating units. Every year, the IIR works with business executives providing them with knowledge and skills through training, conferences, seminars, e-Learning, blended solutions, publications, exhibitions, consulting and mentoring.
2- A group of students from the social sciences department of the UAE University, Al Ain, visited the GRC. The students were briefed about the activities and programs at the center, and were given a round-up of the economic and security scenarios in the region.
The Netherlands Ambassador to the UAE, David P.M. de Waal
Dr. James Onley, Director of Gulf Studies and Lecturer in Middle Eastern History at the University of Exeter, discussed the possibility of signing a memorandum of understanding to facilitate academic cooperation.
A group of marketing students from the UAE University, Al Ain, visited the GRC. Dr. Samaa Taher M. Attia, Assistant Professor at the Department of Business Administration, headed the all-women's delegation. The students were briefed about the activities and programs at the center. Apart from a lecture about the prospects for the GCC financial markets, the students were also told about the nuances of the consultancy business in the academic world.
Former Pakistani President Farooq Leghari (1993-97) made a courtesy visit to the center during which he discussed regional issues and GCC-Pakistan ties.
1- A.C. Patankar, Principal Adviser, Confederation of Indian Industry (Mumbai).
2- The Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor at the United States Department of State, Erica J. Barks-Ruggles, discussed regional security issues, especially those pertaining to Iran and Iraq.
