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2017-12-05

Raytheon Celebrates 30 proud years in the UAE

Nation Shield had an exclusive chat with Christopher J. Davis, President, Raytheon International, on the momentous occasion of the company’s 30th anniversary in the UAE.

By: Deepa Narwani

At the recently concluded Dubai Airshow, Raytheon featured its advanced capabilities in air and missile defence, border security, and land and naval systems among a wide range of innovative solutions. On the sidelines of the show, Nation Shield caught up with the affable Christopher J. Davis, President, Raytheon International, who was previously Raytheon’s Country Leader and President in the UAE, and lived for more than 15 years in the country.

He said, “It is really nice for me to be back here because I lived in the UAE for almost 15 years. I now live and work in Washington DC. I am really proud of the work the company has done in the UAE to establish a really strong and unique relationship with our customer.”

He highlighted that at the Dubai Airshow, Raytheon aimed to reinforce its relationships and partnerships that the company has built with the UAE in particular as this year Raytheon is celebrating its 30th anniversary in the country.

“We are really proud of our presence in the UAE. Partnerships have been the theme of our time here. Our partnership here started with the Hawk missile system 30 years ago and has continued with what we call the Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD).

“Two of our most enduring relationships are here in the Middle East. Last year we celebrated 50 years in Saudi Arabia and this year is our 30th anniversary in the UAE. The relationships that we have with our partners are extremely valuable and critical for both sides. We provide defence solutions and capabilities that our partners need and we work very closely with them to identify how best Raytheon can assist them by including them in our experience journey.”

Spotlight on cyber capabilities

Raytheon also showcased its cyber capabilities at the airshow and are looking at how the company can partner with local entities to begin cyber activities in the country as well as in the region.

Davis explained, “A lot of people know that the company creates traditional aerospace and defence capabilities such as radars, missiles, etc. However, we also provide unmatched cyber expertise that protects every side of cyber for governments agencies, business and nations. We are currently exploring how best our cyber solutions can add value to our partners and enable them to benefit from our full suite of cyber capabilities. What we see is that with any type of local presence that we put here with a cyber capability, we would want to work with not only local entities but also education institutions. It speaks of the partnership aspect of how we are trying to approach our relationships here.”

Last year, Raytheon had participants from Mubadala, Tawazun, and Khalifa University, and they spent a day discussing how society can better educate young Emirati’s in the realm of cybersecurity. The forum was called ‘Bridging the cybersecurity talent gap’.

“The idea behind hosting the forum was that there is a huge gap between the amount of cybersecurity talent available compared to the demands for cybersecurity experts. So we spent a day discussing that with stakeholders from all over the region. The event was so well received that we are doing the same type of event this year in Abu Dhabi, in conjunction with the celebration of our 30th anniversary.”

Recently, Raytheon, Forcepoint and the U.S. National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) commissioned a global cyber talent survey that also included the UAE, which found that young adults in the country are considerably more likely to choose a career in cybersecurity than their peers elsewhere in the world. The survey also discovered that the UAE has been successful in engaging most youth to try activities that would let them test their interest and aptitude for cybersecurity careers.

In addition, the survey found that young Emiratis hold values that support a strong cybersecurity posture for their nation, saying they think cybersecurity issues are important and offering to serve in national security roles.

Forging strong partnerships

Raytheon has several important partnerships in the UAE, highlighted Davis.

“Our oldest partnership is with Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB). During IDEX earlier this year, we celebrated the anniversary of our 10-year relationship. We have also partnered with Tawazun to create jointly shared intellectual property and we are very proud of that,” he added.

Davis pointed out that Raytheon International has relationships and customers in over 80 countries and has offices in 15 countries across the world.

He said, “My current title is the President of Raytheon International, a global business development organisation that generates almost 32 per cent of Raytheon’s annual sales, which equates to approximately 30 per cent of 25 billion dollars. It is a very significant organisation that has relationships in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Some of the most enduring relationships, of course, come from our Middle East partners.”

Message on the occasion of UAE National Day

Davis concluded by saying, “I would like to say that everyone at Raytheon would like to wish a very happy 46th birthday to the UAE and the spirit of the union. We are proud because in the 46 years of the UAE, we have been here for 30 of those and hope to be here for 30 more!”

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