Saturday, December 11, 2010

TOP RICHEMONT OFFICIALS CALL ON HH SHEIKH AHMED BIN SAEED AL MAKTOUM

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Airport Freezone recently received four top

officials of the Swiss luxury goods group Richemont, who have their regional office at the Freezone.



The four officials included Richard Lepeu, Richemont Deputy CEO, Hans-Peter Bichelmeter, Richemont Group

Operations Director, Matthias A. Schuler, CEO Richemont Group Europe and Dr. Christoph F. Thomet, Chief

Operating Officer Richemont Dubai, were accompanied by Dr. Mohammed Al Zarooni, Director General of the Dubai

Airport Freezone during the courtesy meeting.



Welcoming the delegates, Sheikh Ahmed said, “Being one of the most important partners of Dubai Airport Freezone, I

would like to assure Richemont of our full support to ensure that you continue to do business in a conducive and pro-

business environment.”

HH Sheikh Ahmed said that the presence of prestigious international brands of the Richemont group in the Freezone

sends a positive signal to the business community, particularly on the advantages of opening up a regional office in

Dubai.



“Our future plans include the construction of new buildings, enhancement of facilities and improvement of our services

to cater to the demands of companies at the Freezone for their current operation needs and for possible future

expansion within the Freezone,” he added.



Dr. Thomet, said: “We find the facilities, services and support provided to the tenants at the Dubai Airport Freezone of

a very high standard.

“We have a long standing relationship and close collaboration with the Freezone spanning a decade, having been a

tenant from the very inception”.



He added: “Dubai Airport Freezone offers several benefits to multinational corporations such as Richemont including

tax free incentives and one-stop-shop accessibility to logistical and administrative support that is essential to carrying

out our business in a smooth and systematic way,” he added.



Dr. Thomet further stressed on the long-term potential of doing business in and through Dubai, and underlined the

fact that Richemont uses Dubai as its regional business hub to do business throughout the neighboring GCC region,

Levant, Indian subcontinent and Turkey.



During the visit, the officials apprised Sheikh Ahmed on developments at the company and its plans for the region.

Sheikh Ahmed also briefed the Swiss officials on the resurgent Dubai economy and numerous opportunities offered by

the Gulf and Middle East countries.



Richemont owns several of the world's leading companies in the field of luxury goods, with particular strengths in

jewellery, luxury watches and writing instruments.



The Group's luxury interests encompass several of the most prestigious names in the luxury industry including A.

Lange & Sohne, Baume & Mercier, Cartier, Chloe, Dunhill, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Montblanc, Panerai, Piaget, Roger



Dubuis, Vacheron Constantin and Van Cleef & Arpels.



Dubai Airport Freezone has introduced key services this year by way of offering a variety of facilities to investors. In

this regard, among its key achievements were the inauguration of Noor Islamic Bank and launching of Medical Fitness

Centre in collaboration with Dubai Health Authority, which has significantly contributed to improving and expediting the

medical fitness procedures.



Dubai Airport Freezone has also acquired an ISO certification for its high quality customer service centre with a strong

reputation for promptly responding to the complaints of customers. An awards ceremony was also held for investors

who demonstrated responsibility and took initiatives in environmental and safety issues.



The Freezone’s new office complex project is well underway. The complex will feature new facilities including a

business centre and a food outlet, which will offer a more convenient service to its tenants.



Established in 1996 as a part of the Dubai Government’s strategic plan to be an investment driven economy,

Dubai Airport Freezone is one of the fastest growing premium free zones in the region. The free zone is currently

home to over 1450 companies from various industry sectors, including aviation, freight and logistics, IT and

telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, engineering, food & beverage, jewelry and cosmetics.

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