Oxford Business Group appoints Suzanne Claiden as Bahrain Country Director

Claiden, with a strong background in researching and producing country intelligence reports, has compiled and directed projects in 17 countries across four continents over the past ten years.

She will manage the research team preparing the material for The Report: Bahrain 2009, the next edition of OBG's annual business guide, which is rated the premier source of information for foreign direct investment into the country's vibrant economy.

An Anglo-Spaniard, she was educated in Spain and completed her studies in economics at the Complutense University in Madrid, one of the oldest universities in the world.

Claiden said:

"It is a most exciting time to be taking up this role in Bahrain, which is going through a period of rapid transition as it maps out its future development, with carefully laid plans for the era when its oil and gas reserves have been depleted."

Claiden added, "Bahrain is pioneering the diversification which is the leitmotif of Gulf region development, as it develops its industries, and the banking and financial services sectors of the economy."

"Keeping abreast of the country's rapid developments is the sort of challenge I relish, and for which I have trained over the past decade." she added.

"Finding out about different cultures around the world has been a long held passion of mine, allied to a great desire to alerting major business figures of the burgeoning possibilities in foreign direct investment," Claiden said.

Elizabeth Boissevain, OBG's Director of Field Operations, said:

"Suzanne is a big additional asset to our Bahrain operation, and her well-founded experience will add to the quality and dimension of our work there."

OBG's annual publications are an invaluable guide to the many facets of Bahrain, including its macroeconomics, infrastructure, political landscape, banking and sectoral developments, and present a remarkably in depth profile of the country.

To be published in partnership with primary partner, the Bahrain Economic Development Board, with Securities and Investment Company (SICO) as capital markets partner, Ernst & Young as accountancy partner, and Qays H. Zu´bi as legal affairs partner, The Report Bahrain 2009 will feature a series of exclusive interviews with leading political and economic figures conducted by a team of OBG analysts based in Bahrain for six months.

Available in print form and online, it will be part of the range of OBG's publications, which are renowned as leading sources of information on developing and emerging economies around the world.