Indian Ambassador Hamid Ali Rao addresses the annual day of the Indian Engineers' Forum in Jeddah on Thursday. — SG photo
By Syeda Amtul Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH — The Jeddah chapter of the Indian Engineers' Forum (IEF) organized its annual day event on the topic of “Value Engineering” on Thursday night. Indian Ambassador to the Kingdom Hamid Ali Rao graced the occasion as the chief guest while Consul General Faiz Ahmed Kidwai and Business Development Director at Construction Products Holding Company (CPC) Faysal Alaquil were the guests of honor. Many eminent dignitaries including Consul Pranav Ganesh, Ahmed Elkday and Managing Director of Enegya Steel, the platinum sponsor of the event, participants from reputed engineering organizations and companies attended the function. A technical presentation was delivered by Abdulaziz Al-Yousefi, President of Al-Yousefi Value Engineering (YVE) on the topic of Value Engineering. AlAman Ahmed presented an introduction to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). Later, a quiz competition conducted by Abdul Rahim saw an enthusiastic response from the audience. Ambassador Rao said bilateral relations between the two countries reached new heights since the visit of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, to India in 2006 and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Saudi Arabia in 2010. He also said conditions are now ripe for Indian businessmen, technocrats and professionals to take these relations to the next level by networking and promoting business ties between the two countries.
“People are either a part of the problem or the solution... Engineers are always among the group of problem solvers,” he said while advising the IEF to further relations between Saudi and Indian engineers in the Kingdom and take advantage of the enormous potential in both countries. Consul General Kidwai also addressed the gathering and advised the IEF to work hard in their host country and help build the nation. “The Saudi Indian Business Network (SIBN) has been formed to promote networking among Indian and Saudi businessmen,” said Kidwai as he invited Indian engineers to work with SIBN and apply their knowledge of the industries and markets of the Kingdom. Meanwhile, CPC's Alaquil stated that Indian expatriates make up over one-third of the workforce at CPC and announced the company's plan to set up a new business venture in India. The Jeddah chapter of the Indian Engineers Forum has grown to a strong body of 300+ members who are currently serving in different organizations and industries in the Western province. The IEF strives to build engineering professionals to function and lead in a fast-changing and highly competitive technology environment. It is well known for organizing professional seminars and symposiums, development series, technical tours and social and cultural events.
