Eoin Gavin, President, Shannon Chamber (2nd left front) welcoming the delegation from the Royal Commission for Riyadh City to Shannon. The delegation was led by Mr. Ali Hamidaddin, Vice President, Special Zones, RCRC. Also included in the photo are the delegation party (front row), and a representative grouping from Shannon Chamber companies and Shannon International Development Consultancy. Photograph by Eamon Ward
The impact of the Shannon Free Zone on Ireland’s economic development and the calibre of companies that continue to operate from Shannon prompted a delegation from the Royal Commission for Riyadh City to include Shannon as part of a week-long familiarisation visit to Ireland. The Shannon element of the itinerary was hosted by Shannon Chamber.
The Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC) leads, supervises and orchestrates the comprehensive development of the city of Riyadh, serving as a unified command for all metropolitan development efforts.
The visit to Shannon was led and co-ordinated by Shannon International Development Consultancy to introduce RCRC to the factors that have successfully enabled a wide cross-section of sectors to successfully trade from Shannon and to introduce the delegation to the high-calibre products emanating from Shannon and the wider Mid-West region.
The concept of free zones as a mechanism for stimulating economic growth was of particular interest to the group, which was led by Mr. Ali Hamidaddin, Vice President, Special Zones, RCRC.
During their visit to Shannon, the delegation toured the Shannon Free Zone and visited the facilities of Future Mobility Campus Ireland to see first-hand the ground-breaking research and development being undertaken to develop, trial and deploy innovative mobility technologies of the future. They also visited IAC, the global leader in aircraft paining, interiors and graphics and met with Chamber member companies, Rochester Sensors (formerly Tekelek), Emerald Aero Group, Aero Inspection, and Enterprise Ireland during a comprehensive briefing at the Chamber’s Shannon Airport House premises. All companies presented an overview of their operations and discussed opportunities to collaborate with RCRC and other organisations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Welcoming the delegation to Shannon, Chamber president Eoin Gavin said: “The ease of doing business in Shannon and the relationship that exists between companies have been the cornerstone of its success. We welcome visits of this explorative nature to Shannon as they present opportunities for future collaborative opportunities for our members. Many of the companies presenting today have already identified niches for expansion or have indeed already a presence in Riyadh and are keen to take this to a new level. This visit will enable personalised introductions and follow-on meetings, which is a very positive outcome.”
Thanking Shannon Chamber for hosting the visit, Mr Ali Hamidaddin, Vice President, Special Zones, RCRC said that the Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia is keen to support new investment, not just to the city of Riyadh, which has a population of 7million people, but throughout the Kingdom and, through Chambers of Commerce, such as the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce, can support SMEs through funding or making connections. He was particularly impressed with the solutions-driven environment he had witnessed in Shannon and was delighted to have participated in the study trip.
