FOOD BUSINESS GULF & ME Jan-march 2018 | Page 20

NEWS 18 opportunity of being able to share its success and share its offerings to a royal audience. Dr. Shayma Fawwaz, Founder and CEO of 'GOSSIP The Brand,' shared that the UAE currently leads Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in terms of global talent competitiveness. She also attributed this leading position to the strong support of the UAE's wise leadership and their efforts to create an environment that embraces entrepreneurship and innovation. 'Pitch@Palace' is an initiative that seeks to provide a platform for entrepreneurs to meet the people who can help them make their business proposals become a reality. The UAE edition of the program was recently held at the Emirates Palace under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, Shaikh Hamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chief of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince's Court and Hussain Jassim Al Nowais, Chairman of the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development. Tomra sorting food targets further growth in EMEA with senior sales appointments TOMRA Sorting Food has appointed two highly experienced senior sales people for EMEA to further implement its controlled growth strategy. The global leader in sensor-based food sorting solutions has promoted Karel Strubbe to regional sales director with responsibility for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. This follows six years based in California where his most recent role was as TOMRA Sorting Food's sales director for the Americas and Oceania. A Belgian native, Karel has 11 years' experience with TOMRA and returns to the company's Leuven headquarters in his home country to bolster its sales force, build customer partnerships and lead a large and growing team of regional sales managers. Commenting on his appointment, Karel says: “EMEA is the most complex and diverse region in the world, spanning 65 countries, many cultures, and 40 languages in Europe alone. There are significant opportunities and challenges here, so I'm really looking forward to leading TOMRA Sorting Food's sales operation across the region. “We take a collaborative approach with customers in the Americas, and in EMEA I will continue with the ethos of understanding customers' needs and providing them with the right technology, innovation and customer care. TOMRA has a strong reputation worldwide in sensor-based food sorting solutions and this puts us in a good position to expand our customer base in EMEA.” The finest Brazilian Steakhouse, Fogo de Chão, brings authentic southern Brazilian dining experience to Dubai's DIFC Internationally-renowned Brazilian steakhouse Fogo de Chão announced that it will open its newest location in Dubai's DIFC at Central Park Towers in February 2018. The opening marks Fogo's second location in the Middle East with joint venture partner the Enany Group of Companies, and its 51st FOOD BUSINESS GULF & MIDDLE EAST JANUARY - MARCH 2018