Former Mayer Brown partner Charles Hallab has been appointed as President & CEO of the U.S.-Saudi Business Council (the “Council”), a bilateral NGO at the forefront of the business, trade, and investment relationship between the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Charles is a senior advisor at Al Akeel & Partners and was previously the Chair of Mayer Brown’s Middle East Practice and International Joint Venture Initiative, among other roles. As the founding member of Barrington Global, Charles also spends time working with Mayer Brown in helping establish its presence in Saudi Arabia and was instrumental in securing our cooperation agreement with Al Akeel & Partners.
The Council was originally formed pursuant to a high-level initiative between the two governments in order to build and strengthen business ties between companies, investors, agencies, and other private and public stakeholders. For more than 30 years, the Council has led this effort and is now poised to expand its important role under the presidency of Charles during this critical lead-in to the realization of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030.
Tom Thraya, Chair of Mayer Brown’s Middle East Practice, commented: “Saudi Arabia is a strategic priority for Mayer Brown’s market-leading Middle East Practice, and the firm is honored to continue its support for the Council, the Kingdom, and the goals of Vision 2030. We know that their common mission and the strength of the US-Saudi business relationship will be well served by Charles’ exceptional leadership.”