Invest Northern Ireland is to increase its presence in the Middle East with a new regional manager based in Doha, Qatar. The announcement comes as Invest NI chief executive Alastair Hamilton (pictured left) visited the country to meet the UK Ambassador to Qatar, Ajay Sharma (right), and the Department for International Trade team.

“This new post in Qatar will strengthen the support we already offer in the IMEA region through our offices in Dubai and Jeddah. The new regional manager will have a specific focus on Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Iran, where we see real potential for companies in Northern Ireland to grow their exports, particularly in sectors such as engineering and manufacturing.”
In the year up to December 2016, companies in Northern Ireland directly exported goods to the value of almost £29m to Qatar. Machinery and transport equipment accounted for the majority of this, at almost £16m.
For further information www.investni.com