Join our event, ‘Made For Trade Live’ in New York, held in partnership with Greater New York Chamber of Commerce to find out how to easily set up, run, and expand your business in Dubai with DMCC.
A global hub for innovation, growth, and trade – Dubai’s attractive policies, proximity to surrounding markets, centralized time zone, lifestyle and business opportunities make it one of the world’s best destinations to do business. Ideally located in the heart of Dubai, DMCC’s award winning community offers businesses easy access to industry-specific ecosystems, world-class infrastructure, bespoke services and exclusive networking events to support your success.
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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 25,000 member companies from 180 countries, employing over 80,000 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.
President & CEO,
Greater New York Chamber of Commerce
Mark Jaffe was born and raised in Westchester County. He attended college at SUNY Albany, business school at the University of Utah and later graduated from Cardozo Law School in NYC.
After business school, Mark started a fundraising and consulting company for nonprofits throughout the United States. Mark’s understanding of economic development, local governments and entrepreneurship led to close working relationships with the U.S. Small Business Administration, the NYS Empire Development Corporation and the NYC Dept of Business Services. In 1994 Mark was selected to serve on the Mayor’s Small Business Advisory Board for the City of NY where he helped spearhead the rebuilding of downtown Brooklyn. Later that year Mark became the executive director of the Greater Chamber of Commerce and subsequently served as Legal Counsel for the Business & Labor Coalition of NY.
In 2002 Mark was appointed to be the treasurer of the Manhattan Boro Development Corporation (where he was put in charge of monitoring the success of post 9/11 recovery efforts) and was also promoted to be the President and CEO of the Greater NY Chamber. As the CEO of the Chamber, Mark has built a strong coalition of over 30,000 business and civic leaders throughout the Metro NY Area. In 2021, Mark was selected as one of the top economic and development leaders in NY by City and State Magazine.
Mark is actively politically and serves as the treasurer of the NY Chamber PAC. He is an elected district leader in Westchester County and recently qualified to run for the House of Representatives in NY’s 16th Congressional sixteenth district. The Chamber also runs a Foundation where Mark serves as trustee and a Legal Center where Mark serves as lead counsel.
President & CEO,
Airtifae Group
Andrés O. Hayes is the President and CEO of the Airtifae Group an organization that was created to assist local, regional and international entities to " ELEVATE THEIR INTERNATIONAL PRESENCE AND LEVEL OF SERVICE". Most recently, he served as Director for International Trade and Commerce in the Government of the District of Columbia from 2019-2022 and was responsible for attracting foreign direct investment into Washington, DC, strengthening relationships with countries who have expressed interest in investing in DC and want to expand further, increasing exports from small- and medium-sized businesses in the District to other countries, and planning for and carrying out the Mayor’s international trade missions. He is credited with creating and executing the first-ever International Business Strategy for the City and as a result, positioned DC as a hub in the United States for international business and supported dozens of businesses expanding operations to DC. With citizenship in the United States and residency in the UAE, Andres has forged deep relations for Foreign Direct Investment and strategic relations.
Andres Hayes has 25 years of experience in Banking and Hospitality, most of them in the Credit Card Business where he worked for Visa International for 11 years: 7 years in Miami, Florida and 4 years in London, England. As one of the youngest Regional Managers, Mr. Hayes was selected to open the new Operations Center for Central Europe Middle East, and Africa in 1994. After his time with Visa International, he managed two major Card Operations Centers in the Americas and Europe as Senior Vice President. Additionally, he was the Restaurant Manager for B. Smith’s in Washington DC for 4 years and General Manager for The Mansion on O Street for 2 years. Afterward, he opened AH Consulting Firm, a hospitality and tourism firm, as President and CEO.
Hayes is extremely active in the DC community where he served as a board member of the DC Chamber of Commerce, The Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Advisory Board of Carlos Rosario International Charter School Culinary Program, and Raised funds for the Greater Washington Area Covenant House. He is a past President of Skål International Washington DC and current Director of the International Board. Skål is an international organization of Tourism Professionals. He is also a Board Member of Education for Sharing. An international non-profit organization that forms better global citizens through innovative education based on the power of play.
Founder and CEO,
Anne Jafery & Co.
Originally from Michigan, Ms. Jafery has spent the majority of her adult life in the Middle East, which has provided her with a unique understanding of both Western and M.E. business practices and norms. She has created and fostered the growth of multiple companies within various industries since her arrival in the UAE in 1989. Her companies have included a regional IT distribution firm representing major US technology brands such as Microsoft and Symantec, a publishing and creative design agency, events management, tech retail concept stores, a specialized workforce promotion portal, an eCommerce- curated subscription service, a young-designer-featured online jewelry brand, and an Amazon listing agency. At the height of the 07-08’ global financial crisis, Anne started three new companies that thrived notwithstanding the difficult market conditions. Despite the diversity and breadth of corporate ownership, she maintains the nimbleness and culture of a startup focused on creative collaboration and innovation.
In 2007, Ms. Jafery launched a business advisory company assisting businesses, state agencies and NGO’s interested in developing a commercial footprint in the Middle East, naturally extending her personal expertise to a broad base of clients. The company provides a range of services - vetting joint ventures and strategic partnerships, identifying agents and creating distribution networks, due diligence, government relations, market entry strategy development, company setup and licensing, as well as foreign direct investment.
Anne is the Arab Gulf Trade Representative for Virginia, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania, and previously for Maryland, Colorado, North Carolina and the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. She has contracted with the Eastern Trade Council, and other state economic development boards to achieve their export targets, in addition to hosting inward trade missions and delegations. Anne facilitates foreign direct investment in the US and in the Gulf region. In addition, she reverse-engineers regional services to assist companies from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman in securing key partnerships in the U.S. She is a Strategic Partner of the US Department of Commerce International Trade Administration and has been awarded other US government agency contracts.
The Ex Officio President of American Chamber of Commerce Dubai, she was the first and only female president in the history of the organization in 2006 and 2018, and an active member since 2004. Currently the Chairman Emeritus of the Middle East Council of American Chambers of Commerce, an umbrella organization over nine Middle East-based American Chambers. She spends time on Capitol Hill as a policy advocate for overseas American business with Congress, the Administration and other trade related organizations. In this capacity, she speaks frequently about doing business in the Middle East to government organizations, state chambers of commerce, and at universities.
Anne is a former Trustee of the American School of Dubai and was instrumental in the financing and construction of its USD$ 144M campus.
Ms. Jafery lives by the belief that hope is not a strategy. What differentiates an entrepreneur from the many people with good ideas is the courage to act.
Senior Manager, Corporate Sales - Americas & Oceania,
DMCC
Mohammed Ibrahim Mohammed is a Senior Manager of Corporate Sales at DMCC, the world’s leading Free Zone and Government of Dubai Authority on commodities trade and enterprise.
Joining DMCC in 2014, Mohammed is responsible for promoting the benefits of doing business in Dubai and establishing a presence in DMCC. Building strategic relationships is a key focus for Mohammed, and so too is engaging with local and international business communities at key industry events throughout the year.
With over 16 years of business development and corporate sales experience, Mohammed has worked alongside a number of senior figures in both the public and private sectors of the United Arab Emirates. Mohammed earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from the American University in Emirates.
