Business & Money | Monday 8 June, 2015 3:27 am |

The global publishing, research and consultancy firm Oxford Business Group (OBG) has announced managerial appointments for the team which will oversee the group’s operations in the State of Qatar.

Elise Postigo takes on the role of Country Director, while Gregory Kramer will be the Group’s Editorial Manager for The Report: Qatar 2016.

Postigo moves into her new post from Saudi Arabia, where she most recently contributed to the Group’s operations in the Kingdom. A nine-year veteran of OBG, she has worked in several of the Group’s Gulf markets including Kuwait and Bahrain and additionally played a lead role in expanding the firm’s business development in Africa.

Since joining OBG in 2009, Kramer has divided his time between Jordan and Bahrain, where he was based for two years before relocating to Qatar. Having already taken the editorial lead on the 2014 and 2015 editions of OBG’s reports on the State, Kramer has over two years experience in the State and is well versed in Qatar’s plans for economic development, both immediate and longer term. He has also played a key part in helping the Group develop its operations across the region.

OBG’s Managing Director for the Middle East Jana Treeck said the team was taking the reins in Qatar at a significant juncture in the country’s development.

“Extensive budget surpluses, built up over several years, put Qatar in the fortunate position of being able to forge ahead with its huge infrastructure projects, even in the current climate of low oil prices,” she said. “The ongoing roll-out of these projects, and their contribution to Qatar’s plans for increasing non-oil growth, will feature prominently in the next phase of our operations, which Greg and Elise, with their years of experience covering the Gulf, are well placed to lead.”

Postigo said she was thrilled to be moving to Qatar, where “meeting representatives across the private and public sectors who are involved in driving forward the State’s long-term development plans” would be high on the agenda.

Her comments were supported by Kramer, who said he looked forward to documenting what’s next for the country, in its efforts to achieve the objectives mapped out in Qatar National Vision 2030.

“While infrastructure remains a priority for Qatar, its push to reduce the State’s dependence on hydrocarbons has also led to new activity in other areas, such as preparations for expanding international trade,” he said. “These developments, and the part they are playing in attracting foreign investment to the country, will be to the fore in our research for The Report: Qatar 2016.”

The Report: Qatar 2016 will be the 12th in the series produced by OBG and a vital guide to the many facets of the country, including its macroeconomics, infrastructure, banking and other sectoral developments. The Report Qatar 2015 was released earlier in 2015 and is available in print or online from the OBG website.