New British Ambassador to Bahrain addresses Bahrain British Business Forum gathering

In his address, Mr. Lindsay commented, "The UK and Bahrain are close friends, and I have been struck by the warmth of the welcome from Bahrainis and expats alike since my arrival 6 weeks ago. Emerging markets such as the Gulf are at the centre of the UK Government's growth strategy, and Bahraini investments into Britain such as the Mumtalakat stake in the McLaren Formula 1 team are an example of the expanding business relationship between our two countries. I would like to see this relationship become stronger, deeper and wider, and am proud to see so many British companies involved in developing Bahrain's infrastructure. Among the sectors on which we will be focusing is education, with the aim of more British universities and organizations involved in the education sector setting up in the Kingdom. There is no denying that recently British investor confidence in Bahrain has taken a hit, but we welcome the outcomes of the National Dialogue on both political and economic reform. Effective implementation is key. I look forward to working in partnership with Bahraini and British business to help develop an even closer UK/Bahrain business relationship."

Iain Lindsay has been Deputy Head of Mission and Director, Trade and Investment at the British Consulate General in Hong Kong since 2007. He joined the FCO in 1980 and has spent much of his career in Asia Pacific, serving in Tokyo (twice), Hong Kong and Canberra. He was Deputy Head of Mission and Political Counsellor in Bucharest from 2003-7, working on Romania's accession to NATO and the EU. Prior to that he served as a foreign policy adviser to the Romanian Foreign Minister. HM The Queen awarded him an OBE in 2002.

Mr. Al Zayani expressed his appreciation of Mr. Bowden's work, and commented, "Each year that Jamie has been in his post we have worked more closely with the Embassy and Foreign Commonwealth Office, and on behalf of myself and the BBBF committee, I want to thank him, his family and his team on their many achievements during his posting. We have seen a number of very productive and high profile visits to BBBF in support of UK industry - the Duke of York, the Lord Mayor of the City of London, the Bar Council and key Members of Parliament, educational institutions, plus the networking and profile raising activities the BBBF has held which Jamie has kindly supported."