ABOUT US
WHO WE ARE
The headquarter of the Italy-Bahrain Business Council Association is located in Rome (RM) at the Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain.
It is apolitical, non-partisan and non-profit and will carry out its activities in compliance with the principles established by current national and international regulatory provisions.
Established with the aim of fostering cooperation and the development of Italy-Bahrain relations, it aims to forge closer ties with public institutions, large companies and SMEs, along with multinationals and financial groups, some of which are Founding Members and part of its Steering Committee.
Its goal is to initiate a long-standing ongoing dialogue between Italy and Bahrain in the fields of economy, culture and science while also representing and enhancing the Italian and Bahraini business sectors, which would be provided with institutional and commercial support when dealing with their counterparts.
The Association aims to develop its role as mediator and bridge between Italy and Bahrain, focusing its activities on promoting and supporting the internationalization path of Italian companies towards Bahrain and vice versa, supporting both Bahraini and Italian entities that choose to invest in their counterpart country and promoting mutually beneficial exchanges in the business domain.
Consistently with its mission, the Italy-Bahrain Business Council will promote the establishment of a public-private system to ensure an effective long-term strategy.
The Association uses its highly-valuable reputation ranking and its vast network to dialogue directly with Bahraini and Italian authorities, providing a marketing and networking platform for its Members and supporting the interests of Italian business.
EXECUTIVE BOARD 2021-2024
Mr. Ignazio Moncada
Co-Chairman
Message
Welcome to the official website of the Italy–Bahrain Business Council.
Born on October 19th, 2021 thanks to the joint initiative undertaken by the Ambassadors of the respective countries, Her Excellency Amb. Paola Amadei and His Excellency Amb. Dr. Nasser Al Belooshi under the auspices of their respective governments.
I was elected by the founding members, Italian and Bahraini, as Co-President together with Mr. Khalid Rashid Al Zayani.
The two countries enjoy excellent diplomatic relations and friendship; however, we believe that Italy and Bahrain still have the potential to further develop their industrial, financial and commercial relations.
This is the reason why the Business Council was established .
Italy should look at Bahrain not only as a basin for national products, which are indeed highly appreciated, but as a regional logistics, industrial and commercial hub.
On the other side, Bahrain should look to Italy as a country in which to invest and from which attract technologies by encouraging the establishment of Joint Ventures.
We hope that, through this initiative, we can create a mutually profitable community of dialogue. In this regard, we will work to organize events and targeted bilateral meetings with a view to fostering the achievement of our institutional objectives.
A virtual board, soon available, will give members the opportunity to express their own opinions and ideas. In the meantime, you are most welcome by writing to the addresses listed below.
Kind regards
Ignazio Moncada
Mr. Khalid Rashid Al Zayani
Co-Chairman
Message
Mr.Moncada’s message has covered so well the brief history of establishing our Business Council, so did messages of our honourable Ambassadors of Italy and Bahrain. There is no reason for me to repeat what has been well stated. However, I wish to refer briefly to investments made by Bahraini companies in Italy and what potential opportunities there are to be made. As a founder and Vice Chairman of Investcorp Bank, I am in a position to inform you that Investcorp has owned and invested in Italy in following Italian businesses;
- Dainese
- Corneliani
- Vivaticket
- Riva Yachts/Ferretti
- Gucci
Total transaction value of these investments is close of $ 1 billion. We have added to their values making them prosperous and successful companies. We hope that we, and other Bahraini investors, will do more of same in future too. There are many opportunities for Italian Investors in down streaming Bahraini prime industries of Aluminium, Petrochemicals and Iron. Due to high energy charges in Italy, rather than being forced to close their operations Italian industrial companies should surely consider moving fully or partially their operations to Bahrain, where they could relaunch their industrial might towards their customers throughout the world. As an example, in producing casted aluminium products in Bahrain, their savings in energy would be as high as 40%, if they received their metal in liquid form from Alba, the Bahrain Smelting Plant. Similar situations exist with Petrochemical and Iron industries too. Bahrain is a major centre for Islamic Banking. Islamic Banks in Bahrain could be a major financier of Italian infrastructure projects, as they have successfully contributed to UK and other world economies. This subject alone would justify a conference on its own to educate both Bahraini Islamic Banks and Italian local and central governments on the many simmering opportunities that exists for both.
I wish our council great success and hope that our members will take advantage in profitably joint venturing with each other for many years to come.
Kindest regards
Khalid Rashid Al Zayani
H.E. Andrea Catalano
Ambassador of the Italian Republic to the Kingdom of Bahrain
Message
As I start my tenure as Ambassador of Italy to the Kingdom of Bahrain, I am most pleased to count on the support and cooperation of the Italy Bahrain Business Council to further enhance economic, cultural, scientific and human relations between Italy and Bahrain.
Business relations are not only expression of strong commercial ties but they derive from existing, deep ties between our peoples and our cultures.
It is hence that with much pleasure we register a new increase of our trade values where the Italian export trend to Bahrain is +49% at the end of February 2024 and that of import is +44%.
This is the indisputable result of the joint cooperation of the public and private institutions like the IBBC whose activities I will continue to support during my mandate at the helm of the Embassy of Italy in Bahrain.
Good work to all of us!
Andrea Catalano
Ambassador of the Republic of Italy to Bahrain
H.E. Ausama Alabsi
Ambassador of Kingdom of Bahrain to the Italian Republic
Message
Building on the foundations established by my predecessor and dear friend, H.E. Ambassador Dr. Naser Al Balooshi, I am honored to present the “Italy-Bahrain Business Council”, born in 2021 from the desire to strengthen and deepen bilateral trade relations between the two friendly Countries.
As many will know, the Council was inspired by the success of the official visit of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, who at the beginning of 2020 rekindled and nourished the already excellent relations between Italy and Bahrain through the signing of various institutional and economic agreements.
The results of that visit were clearly seen in the following years with positive impact on bilateral trade increasing 28%, and Bahrain’s exports to Italy seeing an impressive jump of 124%. These results – as positive as they are – are only an indicator of what can be achieved, and as such underline the importance of the Business Council’s role as an apparatus of growth driven by the business leaders themselves.
Proud of what has been achieved so far, it will be a pleasure and privilege for me to work towards ensuring that the results achieved thus far are only the beginning of an even stronger commercial link between Bahrain and Italy.
H.E. Ausama Alabsi
Ambassador of Kingdom of Bahrain to the Republic of Italy
Ms. Lina Caltagirone
Secretary General
Mr. Marco Mancini
Treasurer
MISSION
- Develop initiatives with the aim of pursuing the objectives of the Associates;
- Establish a continuously updated news portal on the economic and financial indicators in Italy and Bahrain, with information on business sectors of interest;
- Putting forward proposals and recommendations for the development of the existing agreements and protocols and the signing of further agreements and protocols;
- Encourage the formation of new joint ventures and enterprises in Bahrain and Italy;
- Maintain a positive image of both Italy and Bahrain in the markets, and foster economic-cultural integration;
- Collaborate with government agencies and public administrations of both countries in order to promote regulations and measures for improving trade between Italy and Bahrain;
- Facilitate the settlement of economic disputes between operators, when arising from commercial transactions between the two countries;
- Organise and promote the organisation of events, round tables, conferences, exhibitions, concerts, luncheons, business missions, as well as other networking opportunities with the ultimate goal of exchanging information and know-how;
- Carry out info-sharing and advisory activities, particularly through the drafting of opinions, market analyses and reports by leading experts;
- Educational, cultural, training and professional exchange between the two countries for the benefit of the students of both public and private universities.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Yasser Abdulrahim ALABBASI
President – Gulf Petrochemical Industries Co. (GPIC)
Ali Salman ALBAQALI
CEO – Aluminium Bahrain (ALBA)
Bader bin Rashid AL KHALIFA
Khalid Rashid Shaikh AL ZAYANI
President & Chairman – Khaled Al Zayani Family LLC
Abdulrahman A.Hussain JAWAHERI
Rishi KAPOOR
CEO – CO-CEO – Bahrain National Bank (NBB)
Lina CALTAGIRONE
International Relations Manager – FATA SPA
Leonardo CERCIELLO
Head of Asia & Africa Region – TELECOM ITALIA SPARKLE SPA
Hugo Patrick DOYLE
Head of International Public Affairs – INTESA SAN PAOLO
Alessandro MOTTA
Head of Public Affairs – SAIPEM SPA
Lapo PISTELLI
Director Public Affairs – ENI SPA
Andrea TOMAO
Defense Affairs & Internationalization – FINCANTIERI SPA