Qatar’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry joins as strategic partner as The Business Year confirms a senior UK and Gulf speaker lineup for October 20.
London—The Business Year’s UK-GCC Strategic Dialogue will be held at Guildhall in London on October 20, 2026. Now only weeks away, the event is the first business forum of its scale to bring UK and Gulf leaders together since the conclusion of the UK-GCC Free Trade Agreement in May.
The agreement has opened a new phase of cooperation between the UK and the Gulf, at a moment when both regions are widening their international partnerships. The Dialogue is where that new phase turns into action. With the terms now settled, government representatives, sovereign investors, and corporate leaders from both sides will move the relationship from principle to practice, translating tariff schedules and market access into trade corridors, capital flows, and partnerships.
The Business Year has confirmed the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of the State of Qatar as its latest Institutional Partner for the Dialogue. The Ministry joins the initiative’s other strategic partners, including UK Export Finance; the City of London Corporation; the Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority, TheCityUK; and TechUK, with the Dialogue held under the high patronage of the GCC Secretariat.
The speaker lineup spans government, sovereign investment, finance, and technology across the UK and the Gulf. Participants include HE Jassem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Secretary General of the GCC Council; Dame Susan Langley, Lady Mayor of London; Martin Gilbert, Chairman of Revolut; Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Bin Faisal Al-Thani, Chief Executive Officer, Qatar Free Zones Authority (QFZ); HE Deemah AlYahya, Secretary General of the Digital Cooperation Organization; Nasser Al Kindi, CEO of Invest Oman; Haitham Al Salmi, CEO of Muscat Stock Exchange, Ali Khalil, CEO of Markaz; and Nicola Watkinson of TheCityUK, alongside senior figures from across Gulf economic authorities, free zones, financial institutions, and the technology sector.
The conclusion of the UK-GCC Free Trade Agreement has opened a new chapter in one of the world’s most consequential economic relationships,” said Carlos MartÃnez, CEO of The Business Year. “This Dialogue brings the people who will shape what comes next into one room: the governments that negotiated the agreement, the sovereign investors who will act on it, and the companies that will build the trade it creates.”
He added: “What makes October 20 significant is timing. This is the first forum of its scale to convene since the agreement was reached, and it gives UK and Gulf leaders a rare chance to act while the momentum is real.”
The UK-GCC Strategic Dialogue will bring together government representatives, sovereign investors, and corporate leaders from the UK and across the Gulf for a day of discussions around bilateral investment ties and high-level networking.
The initiative is also supported by a broad group of leading organizations from across the Gulf and the UK. The Kuwait Banking Association joins as Platinum Sponsor; Invest Oman, Zain Group, Markaz, and Qatar Insurance Company as Gold Sponsors; Muscat Stock Exchange and Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park (SPARK) as Silver Sponsors; EDAA Qatar and KNET as Bronze Sponsors; Oman’s Public Authority for Special Economic Zones (OPAZ) as Strategic Partner; and Al-Yaqout & Al-Fouzan Legal Group (YFLG) joins as Legal Partner.
Learn more about the event: https://thebusinessyear.com/event/uk-gcc-strategic-dialogue/
Event enquiries: events@thebusinessyear.com
