Oxford Business Group appoints Bebhinn Kelly as Country Director for the Northern Emirates

Ms Kelly, who was previously OBG's Director for Oman, and has worked for them in Qatar, has on the ground knowledge of the progress of the Abu Dhabi and Dubai economies, and brings a wealth of regional experience to her new role, in which she will collaborate with OBG's official research partners in the publication of authoritative, world class business intelligence annuals on all of the Northern Emirates.

"The UAE economy is booming, and nowhere is this more obvious than in Ras al-Khaimah," she said. "Our latest research shows that RAK has benefited from both the overall growth of the UAE, and its own proactive approach to diversification and investment generation. The emirate has seen its GDP grow from just Dh 6.3bn ($1.72bn) in 2001 to Dh9.2bn ($2.51bn) in 2005 with mining, manufacturing and real estate all showing strong growth.

"Other Northern Emirates have also been achieving unprecedented and rapid growth. Sharjah's own growth has also been substantial in recent years, with the number of companies operating in the emirate rising from just 17,000 in 1999 to 40,000 by 2005."

With the imminent launch of the inaugural annuals for RAK and Sharjah, followed by the research results for the other emirates including Fujairah, Umm al Quwain and Ajman expected to be published later this year, OBG's work will chronicle developments in the sectors that are shaping the emirates, as well as highlighting the opportunities for growth and investment through interviews with industry leaders.

"With her in depth knowledge of the emirates, Bebhinn has the requisite experience and skills to bring a dynamic and well rounded approach to her new role as Director," said Elizabeth Boissevain, OBG's Director of Field Operations.

During Ms. Kelly's tenure at OBG, she has secured high profile interviews with personalities such as: Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said of Oman, Lord Hurd, former UK Foreign Secretary, Ambassador Susan Schwab, US Trade Representative, and Maqbool Ali Sultan, Minister of Commerce and Industry for Oman.

Ms Kelly, who has also directed media projects in the UAE, Kuwait and Egypt, graduated with honours from Dublin City University in Ireland, where she specialised in Intercultural business economies.