Gulf-based business leaders in Queen’s honours list
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Three Gulf-based businessmen have been named in the Queen Elizabeth II’s Birthday Honours list, which was announced on Saturday.
Robert Schwarz, Anthony Palys and Emad Turkman were honoured for services to British business in Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and Qatar respectively.
Schwarz, the former head of the British Business Group in Abu Dhabi, received the OBE.
Palys, the head of the Bahrain British Business Forum Special Interest Group, and Turkman, the vice chairman of the Qatar British Business Forum, both received MBEs.
Schwarz has worked for Abu Dhabi conglomerate Al Masaood since 1983, and is currently group business development manager.
He has lived in Abu Dhabi for 27 years and is married with two children. He was previous chairman of the Abu Dhabi British Business Group for six years until early 2007.
Palys, who works as a vice president of facilities and security for Investcorp Bank in Bahrain, also heads up the security group of the Bahrain British Business Forum, which aims to promote Bahrain as the regional centre to conduct business throughout the Middle East.
He is also secretary of the Overseas Security Advisory Council in Bahrain.
Turkman is CEO of construction firm Rumaillah Group Holding, based in Doha and won his award “for services to British business interests and to the British community in Qatar”.
He is vice chairman of the Qatar British Business Forum and previous to that he was a member of the Riyadh British Business Group.
He has been CEO of Rumaillah Group in Qatar since 1995. Emad is also chairman of the Board of Governors for Doha English Speaking School.
Elsewhere in the honours list, entertainer Bruce Forsyth won a knighthood after years of campaigning by fans and a parliamentary Early Day Motion signed by 73 MPs.
The list also sees King’s Speech actor Colin Firth and Roxy Music singer Bryan Ferry become CBEs.
Ashes-winning cricket captain Andrew Strauss is made an OBE and fellow opening batsman Alastair Cook an MBE, while golfer Lee Westwood is appointed an OBE.
