USQBC Holds Annual Board of Directors Meeting in Washington, DC

[caption id="attachment_1608" align="aligncenter" width="474"]> Ambassador Mohammed Jaham Al-Kuwari Addresses the Guests[/caption] September 14, 2015— His Excellency Ambassador Mohammed Jaham Al-Kuwari, Qatar’s Ambassador to the United States hosted a private dinner in conjunction with the convening of the US-Qatar Business Council Board of Directors in Washington, DC. Attendees of the dinner included the Council’s Board of Directors, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Anne Patterson, Washington DC Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Brian Kenner, as well as representatives from the State Department, the US Trade Representative, the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, Qatar Foundation International and more. Ambassador Al-Kuwari highlighted the strong relationship, both politically and economically, between the United States and Qatar and the critical role of the Council in enhancing these relations. The Council’s Board of Directors, made up of senior executives representing major American and Qatari companies involved in bilateral trade between the US and Qatar, convened on Tuesday, September 15, 2015 for its annual meeting. The meeting was held at Lockheed Martin’s Global Innovations Center in Arlington, VA. Among the first orders of business was the reelection of the Council’s President, Ambassador Patrick N. Theros. The board then elected Kathy Pepper, Vice President of the Middle East and Russia for Exxon Mobil, and Mohammed Al-Rashid, Public Relations and Communications Manager for Qatar Petroleum as the new co-chairmen of the Board of Directors. Following the confirmation of the Council’s leadership, the Board discussed opportunities for increased US-Qatari economic relations and the Council’s role in facilitating these relations. The Board of Directors outlined new goals for the Council’s strategic growth in the US and Qatar for the coming months.