North American Western Asia Holdings (Nawah), set up by former Silicon Valley executive and US government official Paul Brinkley and American businessman Thomas Pritzker, will also offer advisory services to build enduring businesses in the region. Nawah said its initial investment focus will be in Iraq.
?Iraq is at a crossroads,? said Brinkley, Nawah?s chief executive officer. ?It is now at the point where private enterprise should take the lead and play a transformative role in the country?s future. I believe in Iraq?s future. And I believe that the opportunities there are significant in a wide range of industries,? he added.
Brinkley said the firm will commit capital to build businesses and offer advisory services to help blue chip corporation?s access markets in the region.
?We have assembled the human and financial capital that will give us a unique ability to build long-term, profitable enterprises in a country that is in the formative stage of its growth,? said Pritzker, the company?s chairman.
?Iraq, like other countries in the region, has significant underlying demand for infrastructure, goods and services.?
Pritzker is the lead investor in the new firm. Nawah declined to disclose how much it will have available to put into deals.
?I have a lot of confidence in this group,? Pritzker said. ?It?s seen as a can-do team in terms of commercial development. Throughout the region, they have a great and well- deserved reputation for being reliable.?
As with their government work, Nawah is planning to set up shop in a region many companies actively avoid. Brinkley and Pritzker both said their success ultimately will depend on political stability in the region, and in the individual countries.
