Ahmed Bin Sulayem

Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer,
DMCC

Ahmed Bin Sulayem is the Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of DMCC and has driven its growth from a start-up of 28 member companies in 2003 to the world’s leading international business district in 2025 with over 26,000 member companies from 180 countries, employing over 90,000 people.

Tasked with enhancing commodity trade flows through Dubai, DMCC has introduced to the market a number of value-added products and services under Mr Bin Sulayem’s leadership. In 2023, DMCC was named ‘Global Free Zone of the Year’ by The Financial Times fDi Magazine, for a record ninth consecutive year.

Mr Bin Sulayem oversaw the exponential growth of the DMCC Free Zone master development in Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT), a 200-hectare business and residential community in Dubai of over 100,000 people living and working in 87 towers. Mr Bin Sulayem also oversees the development of DMCC’s latest real estate project, the Uptown Dubai district.

Mr Bin Sulayem currently serves as the Chairman the Dubai Diamond Exchange (DDE) and the Dubai Gold & Commodities Exchange (DGCX).

The Kimberley Process officially appointed the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as the first and only Arab country to Chair the Kimberley Process (KP) in November 2015. Shortly after, the UAE Ministry of Economy officially appointed Mr Bin Sulayem as the UAE’s Chair of the KP for 2016. Mr Bin Sulayem was reappointed Chair of the KP for a historic second time in 2024, and has continued his leadership role with the position of Custodian Chair in 2025.

Gary Winslade

Associate Director - Tea,
DMCC

Mohit Agarwal

Director,
The Asian Tea Group
Mohit Agarwal comes to us with over 30 years of experience in the tea industry. 

He owns the single largest fully certified bio-organic tea plantation in the world, Cha de Magoma which is located in Mozambique and is also one of the larger tea producers in Assam owning several tea estates spread across the north and south banks of the Brahmaputra valley.

He is actively involved with buying, blending and packing operations in major tea growing centres of the world and with a presence in Kolkata & Coimbatore (India), Mombasa (Kenya) and Fuzhou (China) which gives him a unique perspective and insight into the global dynamics in the Tea Industry

A tea taster by profession, he is well versed with deep rooted knowledge about tea cultivation and manufacturing.

He spearheads the Asian Tea Group and handles around 30 million kg’s of teas annually across the world.

Sreejith Balakrishnan

Director of Sales
Agro Commodities DMCC

I currently serve as Director of Sales at Agro Commodities DMCC, located at the Dubai Agri Commodities Center. With nearly three decades of experience in the global tea trade, I have held various roles throughout the agri-commodity sector. Since 1997, Dubai has been my home, where I have cultivated expertise spanning the entire commodity value chain, from professional tea tasting and strategic procurement to high-capacity production management and international market development.

At Agro Commodities DMCC, I lead sales operations with a focus on high-growth private label solutions, specialising in transforming premium raw commodities into competitive, market-ready brands tailored for regional and international markets. I work closely with clients across the GCC and CIS regions, providing guidance through the full cycle of brand creation, from brand development and product positioning to packaging strategy and go-to-market execution.

My strategic direction is anchored in first-hand experience managing large-scale packing facilities in Jebel Ali, where I gained operational expertise in both tea bag and loose tea production systems. This operational insight, combined with my professional background in tea tasting, procurement strategy, financial oversight, and long-term client relationship management, enables me to deliver sustainable value for global stakeholders by aligning product integrity with commercial strategy. I am committed to fostering continuous improvement and innovation, ensuring that each brand is equipped to adapt, grow, and lead confidently in an ever-evolving marketplace.

Martin Whitaker

Head of Co Manufacturing,
Bettys and Taylors Group Ltd

I have worked for the Bettys and Taylors group, the home of Yorkshire Tea and Taylors Coffee and Speciality Teas, in various roles, from Factory Manager to Innovation and Project Management, for over 21 years, the last 8 years in my current role as head of Co Manufacturing for Yorkshire Tea and Taylors of Harrogate Teas and Coffee.

I look after all manufacturing or packing of Tea and Coffee outside of our Harrogate main site, the biggest of these Co manufacturing sites is at DMCC in Dubai.

We started packing Yorkshire Tea and Taylors of Harrogate Teas at DMCC in 2012, this was to supply our Tea products into primarily Australia and New Zealand, but also into several other countries in Middle and Far Eastern Markets.
The distance between our UK base and DMCC in Dubai has been challenging at times, but I believe in building strong, open and honest relationships with our partners and these relationships have been key to driving our business forward and increasing our volume massively over the past 8 years.

Bassel Bitar

Senior Manager - Corporate Sales,
DMCC

Bassel Bitar is the Senior Manager, Corporate Sales – Asia and Eastern Europe at DMCC, the world’s leading Free Zone and Government of Dubai Authority on commodities trade and enterprise.

Joining DMCC as a Team Leader in 2015, Bassel is responsible for promoting the benefits of doing business in Dubai and setting up companies in DMCC.

Prior to joining DMCC, Bassel held senior sales positions at both Etisalat Telecom and Emirates NBD in Dubai.

Bassel earned a Bachelor of Business administration degree in Hotel Management and tourism from the National American University in 2002.