Muhannad F. Haimour is the Executive Director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Iraq (AmCham Iraq). Muhannad has a strategic and operational responsibility for leadership and operations of AmCham Iraq with a mission to foster commerce, bilateral trade and investment among the United States and Iraq. He is responsible for AmCham Iraq programs, staff, and execution of AmCham Iraq mission to further its members’ business interests in Iraq, the U.S., and internationally, through advocacy, public relations, and direct contacts.
Muhannad is also the Founder and CEO of the Haimour Group with over two decades of experience in the management consulting profession, business development, trade and investment, and entrepreneurship capacity building.
In Iraq, Muhannad has partnered with the public and private sectors on organizing major investment conferences including the London – Invest Iraq Conference in 2009; the U.S.–Iraq Business and Investment Conference in D.C. in 2009; and the Anbar International Investment Conference in Istanbul in 2011, in Erbil in 2013, and in Amman in 2018.
Muhannad was the Special Advisor to the Governor of Anbar Province from 2015 to 2017. He acted as the liaison between Anbar Province and the international community in Iraq to mobilize efforts for the defeat of ISIS and for the implementation of stabilization activities to enable IDPs return home. He advised the Governor on business partnerships, policy development and implementation, governance, and the promotion of Anbar as a favorable investment destination.
Muhannad served as a Senior Consultant for Grant Thornton under a contract with Task Force for Business and Stability Operations, US Department of Defense in 2008 offering services to the Chairman of the Iraqi National Investment Commission.
Muhannad has been a strong supporter for encouraging dialogue and creating economic opportunity between the U.S. and the Arab World. He was instrumental in coordinating the first U.S. Arab Economic Forum in 2003, which brought together over 1,500 leaders under the patronage of former U.S. President George Bush and supported by the U.S. State Department, the Commerce Department, the Arab League and the Gulf Co-operation Council, to tackle issues related to transparency and accountability, human capacity building, trade infrastructure, and public-private partnerships.
As the Executive Director of the American Arab Chamber of Commerce (AACC), the largest Arab American chamber in the United States, Muhannad worked to forge economic and cultural ties between businesses in the U.S. and the Middle East and to promote and empower the business community on a local, national and international level.
Muhannad established and directed the Human Resources Department at the Arab Community Center for Economic & Social Services (ACCESS), North America’s premier Arab American organization.
Muhannad has several media appearances such as CNN International, Sky News, BBC Newshour in addition to several print media such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Newsweek to name a few.
Muhannad holds a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration, with a minor in English Language and Literature from Yarmouk University in Jordan. He is the recipient of numerous public awards.