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Washington, DC - On June 3rd, 2022, the Board of Directors of US-Qatar Business Council (USQBC) voted to confirm the appointment of Former Congressman Scott Taylor as President of USQBC. Scott Taylor will use his extensive experience in international business development, government relations, and government diplomacy to support USQBC’s mission to expand and enhance the bilateral business relationship between Qatar and the United States.
“It is an absolute honor to take the helm as the President of the US-Qatar Business Council,” said Scott Taylor, President of USQBC. “For fifty years our two nations have forged a friendship and an enduring partnership. As the go-to business organization between the two countries, the Council is ready to take both bilateral trade and our growing relationship to the next level. The best of our partnership is yet to come, and I look forward to helping to steer its success.”
Scott Taylor is a former Congressman and US Navy SEAL. As a Congressman representing Virginia’s 2nd district, Scott Taylor served on the Appropriations Committee. He was a sponsor of the Ashanti Alert Act, a nationwide network for missing persons, and the VA SEA Act for accountability at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Prior to his time in Congress, Scott Taylor served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates.
“Scott Taylor is uniquely positioned to understand the importance of the longstanding business relationship between the United States and Qatar,” said Andrew Lundquist, Senior Vice President, Government Affairs of ConocoPhillips and Co-Chair of the Board of Directors of USQBC. “USQBC has been pivotal in forging business relationships & investment between the US and Qatar, and I look forward to seeing how that relationship will continue to grow under Scott’s leadership.”
“We are very pleased to welcome Scott Taylor as USQBC President,” said Lolwa Salat, the Qatar Co-Chair of the USQBC Board of Directors, the Manager of Public Relations and Communication at QatarEnergy. “We are confident that with his impressive and extensive experience, we can continue to move forward and to build on the many achievements that, since 1996, have contributed to greater bilateral Qatar-US relations.”
“It’s my pleasure to welcome Scott Taylor to the US-Qatar Business Council as the President of the Board of Directors,” said Mohammed Barakat, Managing Director and Treasurer of the Board of Directors of USQBC. “Scott brings with him incredible global experience which will not only benefit both USQBC members but also the wider US-Qatar business community. USQBC continues to play a crucial role in forging even greater business ties between the two countries and I look forward to Scott’s strategic vision and leadership contributing to that legacy going forward.”
“I am proud to welcome Scott Taylor as the new President of the US-Qatar Business Council,” said Sheikha Mayes bint Hamad Al-Thani, Managing Director of USQBC Doha Office. “For more than 25 years, USQBC has helped shape the commercial relationship between the State of Qatar and the United States across the two countries’ 50-year history, and I look forward to Scott further expanding upon this incredible partnership.”
The year 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and the State of Qatar. This milestone signifies the longevity and strength of the strategic alliance between the two countries with Qatar recently being designated a “Major Non-NATO Ally” of the United States by President Joe Biden. The United States and Qatar have established a solid base for distinguished regional and international political relations, in addition to deep commercial, security, and cultural partnerships.
The bilateral business ties between the United States and Qatar continue to solidify with the total economic relationship between them exceeding $200 billion as of 2019. The US is Qatar’s largest foreign direct investor with a total of $110.6 billion in FDI and is the largest single source of exports to Qatar at $6.5 billion in goods in 2019. Today, more than 850+ US companies now operate in Qatar.