The Firm (TF), an international private members club and marketplace for business development and intrapreneurship, yesterday announced its establishment and formal launch at a meeting in Bahrain.

The Firm has been created to provide a unique platform for corporates and investors to enhance business development and encourage and support corporate entrepreneurship, known as 'intrapreneurship', within and between organisations and the innovators working within these companies.

While headquartered in Bahrain, The Firm will serve a regional and international member base, which it expects to consist of leading corporates, investment institutions, private investors and intrapreneurs for whom it will provide access to private networking platforms to help them form new businesses and achieve business growth in different sectors and industries.

This will be facilitated through a range of mediums, including participation in high-impact business development forums with industry leaders, allowing for the private communication of ideas and needs, sharing of information, the presentation and promotion of business opportunities and fund raising.

The Firm will focus on high growth sectors where there is room for significant development and co-operation between regional and global corporates and investors.

These include hydrocarbons, aviation, clean energy, education, financial services, healthcare, information and communication technology, tourism, logistics and supply chain management, media, mining, transportation, power and water.

'We are delighted to announce the launch of The Firm, which we see as the first dedicated private club specifically designed to establish a marketplace for business development among corporates and to support the growth of intrapreneur-based business development,' said founder and chief executive Abduallah Al Subyani.

'The concept of intrapreneurship is an important one in corporate growth and development and it is our aim to support such innovators,' he remarked.

'In essence, intrapreneurs are those individuals within large corporations or small and medium enterprises who have a deep knowledge of business gaps in the market and opportunities but who lack business skills, acumen and network to effectively transform new ideas into viable commercial ventures for their companies or themselves,' he added.

The Firm is founded by a number of leading corporate intrapreneurs and entrepreneurs from the region and globally whose collective experience and networks form the base and will support the development of a strong membership across key industries and a leading marketplace for business development and intrapreneurship.

They include Al Subyani, Mansour Al Kowaileet and Bill Glynn.

The club will soon announce its first series of specialized business development forums and events across different industries to support growth and for those wishing to establish new JVs, partnerships, access to contracts and sale agreements, and funding agreements.

Abdul Rahim Naqi, secretary general of Federation of GCC Chambers said, 'I am delighted to welcome The Firm to the growing community of organisations across the GCC regions that are working to foster private sector growth through support for entrepreneurial individuals and businesses.'

'Entrepreneurs drive economic growth and create opportunities that will ultimately benefit all segments of society. The Firm aims to play an important role in providing the necessary platforms that encourage the development of business and will allow ideas to join with capital and know how,' he added.-TradeArabia News Service