The news comes ahead of elections for the chamber’s 45 committees on March 6.

“The committee will represent the increasing number of foreign investors in the Kingdom and help them find solutions to their problems,” Mazen Batterji told Arab News on Wednesday.

He said the chairman, deputy chairman and members of the committee will all be foreigners who are also members of the JCCI.

“This is the first time in the history of the chamber that a committee for foreigners has been established,” Batterji added.

Batterji said elections for committee members had been postponed by a week, adding that the results would be announced by the end of the month.

He said so far over 550 people have applied to contest the elections.

According to the rules of the chamber, each committee will consist of 18 members. Twelve are elected through direct balloting and six appointed by the board of directors.

The tenure of each committee lasts four years but the chairman and his deputy are elected every two years.

“The foreign investors’ committee will represent its members, look after their interests and help resolve any problems they may face,” Batterji said.

He said the chamber’s board of directors would have the right to appoint more members in case the number of members decided by the elections falls short of 12.

“The committees have an important role in supporting the efforts and activities of the chamber. They had been a real asset for the chamber in the past,” he said.

According to Batterji, the committees will deal with problems and difficulties businesspeople and traders experience with government departments, as well as provide services to all business sectors, hold seminars, exhibitions and workshops and promote business and industry in Jeddah.

Candidates for committee seats should be existing members of the chamber. Every candidate should be the owner, director-general, CEO or board member of a trade or industrial establishment.

The establishment itself should be a member of the chamber while the candidate should not be less than 25 years old.