Qatar Chamber board member Mohamed Mahdi al-Ahbabi (centre) and other QC officials.

French Ambassador Eric Chevallier. Right: France-Qatar Business Council chairman Yves-Thibault de Silguy. PICTURES: Nasser TK

 

By Peter Alagos

Business Reporter

Members of a French business delegation met with Qatari businessmen yesterday to expand trade relations and explore opportunities in construction-related projects in the sports industry.

France-Qatar Business Council chairman Yves-Thibault de Silguy and the accompanying delegation composed of some 32 French companies were welcomed by Qatar Chamber officials led by board member Mohamed Mahdi al-Ahbabi at the QC headquarters.

Arnaud Berthet of French Team 4 Sport (FT4S) delivered a presentation on smart city and sports infrastructures, as well as sports event management.

Berthet said FT4S aims to promote partnerships between Qatar and France by introducing French firms to Qatari developers and local firms and inform decision makers and advisers about “French know-how.”

“We also want to propose a large scope of expertise with high added value in one global portfolio from management of large integrated projects to innovative and proven solutions for specific needs, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to large groups, and financing to design, implementation, management, operation and maintenance,” he said.

Berthet added that FT4S has expertise from four clusters, namely construction and transportation; energy and environment; security and telecommunications; and communication, events and services “to answer Qatar’s needs.”

Al-Ahbabi said the meeting also served as a follow-up of the Qatar-French Business Forum, which was attended by HH the Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani during his official visit to France in June.

This was echoed by French Ambassador Eric Chevallier, who assured that French companies “could match Qatar’s desire for excellence,” specifically preparations related to the country’s hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Speaking to Gulf Times on the sidelines, de Silguy underscored the importance of “frequent contacts” between French and Qatari businesses.

“These meetings create a good business climate and investment relations. It opens the opportunity to present an offer, get to know the country well, specifically its business climate and political situations that are supportive to investments,” de Silguy said.

He said the meeting was the initiative of Medef International (Mouvement des Enterprises de France International), a global organisation represented by 800,000 French companies.

Big-ticket companies such as Dassault Aviation, Alstom, GDF Suez, Groupe SNCF, Bouygues Construction, Thales, and Vinci as well as innovative SMEs were present during the meeting.

Marc Auberger, president of Future French Champions (FCC), elaborated on the €300mn partnership forged between CDC International Capital, the investment subsidiary of Caisse des Dépôts Group, and Qatar Holding on June 23, 2013.

The partnership, Auberger said, was based on a shared approach of investment, corporate governance, and development strategies with the objective of financing the development of French enterprises to promote future French champions.

With the intention to invest a minimum of €15mn per transaction, Auberger said, “FCC would seek companies that demonstrate strong commercial viability and high growth potential, could benefit from potential business opportunities in relation to Qatar and the greater Mena (Middle East and North Africa) region, and the expected return of the investment must be in line with private equity markets.”

 

 

 

Related Story