In collaboration with the Saudi Arabia General Investment Authority (SAGIA) and the UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), British Airways has awarded the 50 winners of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the Kingdom with business class tickets.
The British Airways Business Opportunity Grant (BOG) was first initiated during the economic crisis in 2009 in other parts of the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. The grant aimed to help small and medium-sized enterprises badly hit by the downturn to restart their business and rediscover the value of traveling for business and meeting customers, said Paolo De Renzis, area commercial manager of the Middle East for British Airways.
“In Saudi Arabia, the grant was launched because the SME segment is a growing one, and it is important for the Kingdom’s economy. It accounts for 93 percent of the total number of enterprises and close to 25 percent of employment,” said De Renzis.
The Business Opportunity Grant focuses on tangible, human connections as a crucial driver of SME business growth, explained De Renzis.
The SAGIA head of competitiveness initiatives, Kim Al-Sahhaf, said that SAGIA had always supported SMEs through its “Saudi Fast Growth 100” initiative, which measures the growth of SMEs. The BOG is an opportunity for SMEs to explore new international horizons and to partner with other companies, Al-Sahhaf said.
“SAGIA and UKTI collaborated in the judging panel along with other business leaders to help choosing the winners of the 370 entries. The entries were from various sectors, ranging from IT and engineering to film production and communication,” said De Renzis.
He pointed out that the prize consists of 50 world business class tickets to any destination on the British Airways network, provided they submit a small business case explaining why the ticket would help them develop and grow and connect to other businesses abroad.
BOG grants aim to encourage local businesses
