This is our final IMEA podcast episode, but don't worry, you can still get market insights and updates going forward on NTE's Covid19 website. You'll be able to find video updates on there going forward from across a range of international markets, and as from next Friday this will include updates from India, the Middle East and Africa.

If you want to skip ahead to your segment of interest, see below:

• Kevin McKenna talks about some of the growing opportunity areas in the UAE like agritech and food security. He also takes a step back and reflects on the biggest changes in the market over the last four weeks. 00m51s
• Trade Commissioner Ahmad Zakkout talks to Hazim Al Madani, a Saudi lawyer, about the introduction of 15% VAT in Saudi Arabia and the impact of Covid19 on Saudi's Vision 2030 government reforms 06m54s
• Trade Commissioner Ralph Hays interviews Vivek Singhal Associate Director at Flipkart, one of India's leading e-commerce platforms, who shares insights on the current dynamics shaping the e-commerce landscape and consumer behaviour there 11m23s

Note: Haylon Smith, our Trade Commissioner for Africa is moving to take up a new role in Los Angeles so he couldn't make it for this episode. You can still find a wealth of information on African markets on our Covid19 website (link above).

This week we bring you an important update on Expo 2020 Dubai with Clayton Kimpton, New Zealand's Commissioner General for Expo 2020. We also speak to industry experts in construction and pharma from the region, and to our NZTE Beachhead Advisor in Iran about the situation on the ground there. 

If you want to skip ahead to your segment of interest, see below:

• Tony Martin, NZTE's Regional Director for IMEA, speaks with New Zealand's Commissioner-General for Expo 2020, Clayton Kimpton, about the event's postponement until 2021 0m25s
• Anirudh Sharma, our Business Development Manager in Dubai, discusses the short and medium-term impacts of Covid-19 on the construction industry in UAE and Saudi with Phil Dalglish, Director at the engineering firm Buro Happold 02m21s
• Trade Commissioner Ralph Hays interviews Arshad Kokardekar, Regional Sales Manager at DFE Pharma in India, who shares insights on the current dynamics shaping the pharmaceutical industry there 10m13s
• Trade Commissioner Haylon Smith talks to Khosrow Salour, NZTE's Beachhead Advisor in Iran, about the evolving Covid-19 situation there, as well as the resulting impact on businesses and trade 16m40s

Ramadan Kareem to all of our listeners. It's the first week since the easing of the lock down in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, India still remains in near-total lock down. As the situation continues to evolve at a different pace in the different IMEA markets, we talk to a range of colleagues, NZTE beachheads about the impacts on food service, HORECA and the dairy sector.

If you want to skip ahead to your segment of interest, see below:

• Sile Sweeney, NZTE's Business Development Manager in Dubai interviews Naim Maddad, Founder and CEO of Gates Hospitality about the HORECA sector's past, preent and future in the UAE  01m14s
• Trade Commissioner Ahmad Zakkout brings you an update from Saudi Arabia, sharing insights into Ramadan in the Kingdom and the beginnings of a mass testing campaign to tackle the virus there 07m20s
• Trade Commissioner Ralph Hays talks to Ishmeet Singh, CEO of Fonterra Future Dairy about the dairy market, dairy prices and the new retail and HORECA dynamics emerging in India  09m52s

This week we bring you a deep dive into digital transformation in the Gulf, talk to Vikram Doshi NZTE Beachhead and Partner at PwC India about India's tax, economic and legal response to Covid19 and travel over to South Africa, for a chat with Dionne Kerr from Siyakha consulting and a broad update on that market's opportunities and challenges in light of Covid19.

If you want to skip ahead to your segment of interest, see below:

• Tara Baban, NZTE's Market Analyst in Dubai interviews Leigh Flounders CEO at California based FinTech Binjipay (previously Senior Vice President Digital transformation at Emirates NBD bank in Dubai) and NZTE Beachhead about how companies can start to digitally transform in light of Covid19 0m26s
• Trade Commissioner Ralph Hays takes you through the latest India developments and talks to Vikram Doshi, partner at PwC and NZTE Beachhead in India about the tax, economic and legal impact of Covid19 in that market 04m47s
• Trade Commissioner Haylon Smith interviews Dionne Kerr from Siyakha Consulting in South Africa - a market entry and advisory consultancy - on the impact of Covid-19 on industry and consumers there 12m51s

As countries across the region enter into a third or fourth week of partial or total lockdown, we branch out and bring you updates from some of other important export markets in the IMEA region. Get up to speed on the latest news from the Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait, the Levant countries, Sri Lanka and Nigeria. In Nigeria,  Thessa Bagu from Naijalink (a market entry and advisory consultancy) joined us for a deeper dive into Covid 19's impact on the business landscape there.

If you want to skip ahead to your market of interest, see below:

• Kevin McKenna, Consul General for the UAE, Qatar and Levant talks about the impact on the wider Gulf and Levant countries 1m21s
• Ahmad Zakkout Trade Commissioner in Saudi Arabia brings you news from Bahrain and Kuwait 04m33s
• Ralph Hays takes you through the latest India developments and offers some insights on Sri Lanka 06m32s
• Trade Commissioner Haylon Smith interviews Thessa Bagu from Naijalink - a market entry and advisory consultancy - on Covid-19 impacts in Nigergia 10m27s

This week on NZTE's Covid-19 podcast from NZTE IMEA we invite a range of guest speakers, including NZTE beachheads and experts from across India, Middle East and Africa to discuss the impact on their businesses and their sectors.

If you want to skip ahead to your market of interest, see below:

• Sile Sweeney, Business Development Manager NZTE for the UAE, Qatar and Levant talks about the impact on the UAE's food and beverage sector with Annie Santo, NZTE Events Manager from Dubai, United Arab Emirates  00m57s
• Gregory Black NZTE Beachhead Advisors in Saudi Arabia and co-founder for BBG Developments (a food and beverage consultancy group) talks to Trade Commissioner Ahmad Zakkout from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia  05m30s
• Steve M Felder, Managing Director for Maersk South Asia talks to Trade Commissioner Ralph Hays from Mumbai, India 09m36s
• Trade Commissioner Haylon Smith zeroes in on Covid-19 impacts in Egypt  16m43s

This week's Covid-19 update from NZTE IMEA features Clayton Kimpton, Commissioner General for Expo 2020 with an update about the event's postponement. We then go to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, India and Africa to hear from New Zealand Trade and Enterprise's Trade Commissioners on how Covid-19 is affecting markets in the region. Our host is Tony Martin, Regional Director IMEA. We hope you find it useful and informative - send us your feedback!

If you want to skip ahead to your market of interest:

• Expo 2020 update with Clayton Kimpton at 01m15s
• UAE update with Consul General Kevin McKenna 02m16s
• Saudi Arabia update with Trade Commissioner Ahmad Zakkout 05m05s
• India update with Trade Commissioner Ralph Hays 07m24s
• Africa update with Trade Commissioner Haylon Smith 10m39s

A round-up with New Zealand Trade and Enterprise's trade comissioners on how Covid-19 is affecting markets across India Middle East and Africa hosted by Tony Martin, Regional Director IMEA. We hope you find it useful and informative.

• UAE update with Consul General Kevin McKenna 01m15s
• Saudi Arabia update with Trade Commissioner Ahmad Zakkout 04m29s
• India update with Trade Commissioner Ralph Hays 08m30s
• Africa update with Trade Commissioner Haylon Smith 11m20s