Muscat, Oman: Salalah Free Zone (SFZ) and Platinum Circle signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to include SFZ and the Sultanate of Oman as an official member of the Future Global 100 (FG100) Initiative and place Salalah Free Zone as the first GCC Free Zone in the Middle East to act as a strategic Partner of the Future Global 100 Initiative.
As part of SFZ's active role in the international business community, Mr. Ali bin Mohammed Tabouk Salalah Free Zone's Chief Commercial Officer attended the global meeting of the FG100 Initiative recently held in Jakarta. Leading corporations and international organizations from around the world engaged, discussed and shared their expert opinions on critical issues facing the future of their businesses, national markets and the global economy. The FG100 Initiative is a global program by Platinum Circle that shapes the future of the global economy, national markets, business and industries through the collective input of leaders from business, and intergovernmental organisations.
Platinum Circle, a leading global business group involving corporations with annual revenues exceeding USD100 million, governments and intergovernmental organisations from the six continents, invited SFZ to join following Salalah's recent success in attracting international blue-chip companies to the Sultanate. The Omani Free Zone is now part of one of the most influential global business communities, which comprises of more than 1000 firms and government organizations operating in more than 20 industries and 40 markets globally.
Commenting at the occasion, Lionel Lee, Platinum Circle's Chairman said "I am pleased to welcome Oman and Salalah Free Zone to our globally recognized and exclusive group of leaders involved in the Future Global 100 Initiative as our first GCC National Partner. This MoU is an important milestone for both SFZ and Platinum Circle as we can now include the voice of SFZ and its business leaders to our organization and our global initiative on the future. This will provide Oman with direct access to our leaders from other markets and cooperate with SFZ to do more business. Together we can contribute to the global growth and the economic development of the Sultanate of Oman. We are confident that SFZ will add significant value to our global business group."
Ali Tabouk, added: "In today's challenging times, Oman and SFZ offer a perfect environment for investors and entrepreneurs who are seeking to expand their global operations. Platinum Circle and the FG100 Initiative is an outstanding opportunity for us to implement our vision and strategic plan for economic growth and sustainability."
The FG100 Initiative is focused on building a community of companies and markets that can become the future leaders of the global economy and a driving force for continued growth. Platinum Circle gathers diverse organizations and markets from around the world to form the FG100 Community and creates a platform for exchanging innovative ideas and best practices to effectively address the world's complex economic challenges and better manage the future of the global economy, national markets and industry. The MoU will pave the way for implementing the global initiative into Oman consisting of a grouping of FG100 Oman Leaders (made up of local and foreign corporations and government), an Annual FG100 Oman Meeting and a Future of Oman Report.
Oman, strategically located within Middle East's main trade routes, presents significant competitiveness as oil, gas, developed infrastructure and efficient services are widely available. According to the World Economic Forum's recent annual Global Competitiveness report, Oman has achieved a ranking of 12 globally for its government efficiency and a ranking of 30 for its financial market development. Emerging market-based companies like SFZ, which is one of Oman's leading vehicles for attraction of FDI, can play a significant role in providing innovative and alternative solutions in constantly evolving economic environments.
SFZ has one of the Middle East's most developed business environments fostering partnership and collaboration across industries and borders. Along with its highly strategic location, SFZ offers world-class infrastructure and support services providing turnkey facilities for both multinationals and start-ups.
SFZ was established by the Government of the Sultanate of Oman, with a commitment to make its 19 million square meters one of the most progressive and desirable business locations in the Gulf. With an array of business-friendly incentives, proximity to the Middle East's fastest growing seaport and world-class infrastructure, SFZ offers investors the ideal base in the Middle East to reach global markets.
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About Salalah Free Zone:
Salalah Free Zone (SFZ) was established in 2006 to leverage the potential offered by Salalah's strategic position at the meeting point of major east-west trade routes. SFZ is adjacent one of the world's largest container ports, the Port of Salalah, connecting Africa, the Middle East and Asia to markets in Europe and the Americas. SFZ aims to become the global leading hub for quality industrial and logistical activities by creating long-term partnerships with its clients, using state-of-art infrastructure in a unique location combined with attractive incentives, a secure environment and reliable services.
www.sfzco.com
About Platinum Circle ('PC')
Platinum Circle is a leading global business group involving corporations with annual revenues exceeding USD100 million, governments and inter-governmental organizations in Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa, Latin America, America and Europe (www.platcircle.com). Supported and participated solely by business and government decision makers, we are also one of the most influential international business group with more than 1,000 corporations whose combined annual revenues exceed USD3 trillion.
Together with our Partners and Board, Platinum Circle is building the world's most connected business group of more than 5,000 organizations from the six continents. We provide a global platform for the leaders of these organizations to do business together and harness the collective resources of our corporations and governments in contributing back to the markets we serve.
Our Initiatives provide a collaborative platform for our community to address business issues, overcome challenges, engage opportunities, make investments, effect constructive change and build markets at global, regional and national levels. Our Forums specifically address business agendas and draw top-executive attention to critical issues and market opportunities that are transformed into actionable blueprints. Our Projects build on these blueprints and spell out collaborative frameworks for our community to engage the identified issue or opportunity.
Media Contact:
Salem Al-Arayedh
+971 50 2966421
media@sfzco.com
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