DAMMAM, 2 April — Abdul Rahman Al-Rashid of Ta’awun group was unanimously elected chairman of the Eastern Province Chamber of Commerce and Industry yesterday. This was announced following a meeting of the new board, which will take charge on Saturday.
The 17 board members also elected Maan Abdul Wahid Al-Sanea and Khaled Muhammad Al-Bawaridi as vice chairmen, Khaled Hasan Al-Qahtani as representative to the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry, all unanimously for the first time in the history of the organization.
“There were no secret votes required to elect the office bearers to the top posts as the members had reached an agreement before entering the hall for the meeting,” informed sources told Arab News.
Rashid thanked Khaled Al-Zamil, former chairman, as well as members of the last board for their efforts to promote economic and business activities in the region. He also expressed his gratitude to the businessmen who supported Ta’awun’s agenda proposed during the election.
Ta’awun swept the board elections held two weeks ago, winning all the 12 positions — six each for industrial and commercial sectors.
None of the 18 independent candidates found their way to the board.
Rashid said that the first board meeting will discuss a number of important topics, especially the setting up of supplementary panels. The meeting will explore ways to improve the performance of the chamber’s branches in Hafr Al-Baten, Al-Khafji, Jubail and Abqaiq. “We’ll also work out an effective mechanism to follow up the chamber’s activities,” Rashid said, and proposed six annual meetings for the board and 10 meetings for the executive committee.
In his statement, Sanea said the unanimous election of Ta’awun members to top posts will ensure the stability of the chamber.
