The American Chamber of Commerce Saudi Arabia

Launches its New Chapter in the Eastern Province

October 5th, 2021

Al Khobar

The American Chamber of Commerce Saudi Arabia (AmChamKSA) launched its Eastern Province Chapter on Tuesday, October 5, 2021. AmChamKSA welcomed representatives from its board of directors, the U.S. Commercial Section of the U.S. Mission to Saudi Arabia, and executives from prominent American companies in the Eastern Province for the historic occasion. The foundation of the Eastern Province Chapter serves as one more step towards unifying the voice of the American business community across the Kingdom, creating opportunities for advocacy to support furthering American investment in Saudi Arabia.

The charter signing event included a reception with opening remarks made by AmChamKSA Chairman, Tarik Solomon, AmChamKSA Eastern Province Chapter President Darrell McGraw of PwC, and AmChamKSA Eastern Province Chapter Vice-President Jesse Lapierre of Aramco. David Edginton, Consul General of the U.S. Consulate General Dhahran, and James Golsen, Senior Commercial Officer at the U.S. Embassy Riyadh made keynote remarks, congratulating the American Chamber of Commerce on its expansion to the Eastern Province and celebrating the unified voice of American commercial interests throughout Saudi Arabia.

The official charter signing came on the heels of a presentation to the U.S. Mission to Saudi Arabia's Commercial Section, including several members of the U.S. Consulate in Dhahran, and culminated in a networking opportunity for representatives from prominent American companies in the Eastern Province to network with AmChamKSA board members and the U.S. government representatives.

President of AmChamKSA Eastern Province, Darrell McGraw, championed this opportunity to unify the American business community and join the American Chamber of Commerce Saudi Arabia, headquartered in Riyadh. McGraw noted, "American businesses have been committed to the growth of Saudi Arabia for many years, and as AmChamKSA Eastern Province, we hope to continue to find opportunities to strengthen the bilateral relationship during this exciting time of opportunity in Saudi."

Jesse Lapierre, Vice-President of AmChamKSA Eastern Province, looks forward to these new opportunities reminding us that "the launch of the Eastern Province Chapter of AmChamKSA is a tangible representation of just how far the relationship between the Kingdom and the American business community has come over the years. By bringing together top American companies from across the country under the banner of AmChamKSA, we are reaffirming our commitment to having one voice under one organization."

In December 2020, the American Business Group of Riyadh transformed into the American Chamber of Commerce in Saudi Arabia, serving as a catalyst to unite the efforts of the American business communities throughout the Kingdom. The American Chamber of Commerce operates in over 100 countries around the world and promotes American business interests abroad, seeking to advance trade and partnership with American businesses and fostering goodwill between American businesses and their host country. With the recent dissolution of the American Business Association of the Eastern Province (ABA-EP), the time was right to unify the American business community of the Eastern Province with the other American businesses throughout the Kingdom under one national organization, AmChamKSA.

“The rapid expansion of AmChamKSA less than a year after its launch demonstrates the incredible support and enthusiasm from our key stakeholders in the business community during this tremendous, transformative endeavor. The EP Chapter signals our sincere commitment to being a platform for American businesses across all of Saudi Arabia. AmChamKSA may have grown, but our community has never been closer,” reflected AmChamKSA Board Member Amanda Tafunai.

Tarik Solomon, Chairman of AmChamKSA, extended his congratulations to the chapter's board and members, noting that "the launch of the EP Chapter will play an important role in building a conducive environment for private sector growth” as he welcomed American companies that are committed to building a sustainable and dynamic commercial ecosystem to join. “The launch of the Eastern Province Chapter is a step towards creating real progress for companies, individuals, and investors in this new era for American business in the Kingdom, now strengthened by our unity and diversity.”

Businesses and individuals within the Eastern Province that are interested in joining the American Chamber of Commerce and supporting American business interests within the Kingdom can visit amchamksa.com/membership or contact membership@amchamksa.com for more details.