Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid al Qasimi and Lord Digby Jones of Birmingham to speak at British Business Group's November forum

Speaking about the forthcoming engagement H.E. Sheikha Lubna said:

"As an honorary member of the BBG, I am delighted to be talking to the Group, especially at a time when trade and investment between UAE and UK has never been more important. Non-oil trade between our two countries has witnessed consistent growth and in 2007 amounted to more than Dhs18bn and I recently had the pleasure of holding talks with Lord Peter Mandelson, British Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform on ways to further fortify this relationship."

The November BBG Forum will be a lunch event on the 27th November at 'the room', situated on the lawns of the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, and is open to members of the British Business Group (BBG) and their guests.

Lord Digby Jones, formerly Director General of the UK's Confederation of British Industry (CBI), was, until very recently, the UK Government's Minister of State for Trade. Since his resignation from his ministerial position in October 2008 Lord Jones has been appointed by Gordon Brown, the UK Prime Minister, to represent the UK as a Business Ambassador.

Lord Jones commented, "So far this year UK exports of goods to the MENA region were worth more than £9.1bn, up 23% compared with the same period last year. And it's not just one way trade with £6.3bn worth of goods imported to the UK from the MENA markets, an 18% increase on last year's figures.

"These latest figures show massive increases in two-way trade, in fact bilateral trade between the UK and the MENA markets was worth over £29bn in 2007. The MENA markets are all fast growing economies with infrastructure plans to match and I want to ensure British business continues to be the global partner of choice across the MENA region," Lord Jones added.

The Forum demonstrates the strong links between the UAE and UK and is a key and vital information tool to hear first hand from Her Excellency, who holds the distinction of being the first woman to hold a ministerial post in the UAE, and from Lord Digby Jones who has a wealth of experience with trade and trade relations.

Mark Beer, Chairman and CEO of the British Business Group, Dubai and the Northern Emirates, said, "We are honoured to have H.E. Sheikha Lubna and Lord Digby Jones of Birmingham addressing our November Forum and, not only sharing the platform for the first time but sharing with us the wealth of their considerable experience. The BBG's forums, especially those with such key leaders, promote dialogue at the highest level and reinforce the commitment of both countries to future success and trade relations."

The BBG, which recently celebrated its 20th Anniversary has more than 1,200 members and continues to attract world-class speakers to address the business community in Dubai and the Northern Emirates.