Nayla Hayek heads Swatch Group delegation at Doha Watch and Jewellery expo

Mrs Hayek said: "This week's [exhibition] is the first time the many brands of Swatch Group have exhibited in the Middle East under the Swatch Group banner...

"By doing so, they will demonstrate the scale of resources, the variety of products, the quality of people, and the level of knowledge and expertise that the Swatch Group brings to its valued customers and business partners in this part of the world."

A well-known figure in the region for her love of horse breeding and racing, Mrs Hayek is heading a 30-strong delegation of top Swatch Group executives from Switzerland representing 12 of the group's 18 premium watch brands.

Joined at a press conference, held on the inaugural day, by brand representatives, Mrs Hayek said that the world's largest manufacturer and distributor of finished watches has one of the biggest stands at the Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition, which runs until February 18 at the Doha International Exhibition Center.

On display at the group's 600 square-metre stand are the latest collections from Breguet, Blancpain, Glashütte-Original, Jacquet Droz, Leon Hatot, Omega, Longines, Rado, Tissot, Pierre Balmain, and cK. The group's namesake Swatch will also be on show.

Mrs Hayek applauded the Qatar government's support of the peninsula's first international watch and jewellery showcase; earlier today, Qatar's prime minister HH Sheikh Abdulla Bin Khalifa Al-Thani inaugurated the exhibition.

"Qatar's rapid development in recent years, and its future ambitions speak volumes about the enthusiasm for change and success in much of the Middle East region," Mrs Hayek said.

"The Swatch Group offers products in every market category and caters to the needs of every customer... [We are] committed to setting new standards for innovation and product choice, and to sharing our advances in fine watches and jewellery with customers in Qatar and the entire Middle East region."

The Swatch Group has more than 20,000 employees worldwide and more than 160 production sites located mainly in Switzerland. The group produced some 117 million watches, movements and stepping motors in 2002 and accounts for a major share of watch production sales worldwide.

Aside from watches, the group is a leader in technological research and development, sports timing, telecommunications, and the automobile sector; the groundbreaking SMART car was a joint venture between Swatch Group and Mercedes of DaimlerChrysler. The Swatch Group is the official timekeeper of the Olympic Games this year in Athens.