Katy Keenan

Katy Keenan is the CEO of the award-winning BCCD, where she led the organisation’s 2024 transition from the long-established British Business Group Dubai and Northern Emirates into a British chamber with a strengthened mandate and elevated credibility to support the UK-UAE business community.

A recognised advocate in UK-UAE bilateral trade corridor activity, Keenan works across government entities, multinationals and SMEs on both sides to help businesses connect, grow and succeed. Under her leadership, BCCD has deepened its position as the go-to ecosystem for business advocacy and market insights for their members and partners including high-value networking for British business in the UAE.

The chamber has achieved 25 per cent year-on-year growth for five consecutive years and doubled its team in the journey. She has also established strong action points on reinvesting in experience optimisation technology to better serve the chamber’s growing community of over 1,000 members.

Keenan herself has become known for bringing an authentic and open approach to the commercial conversations that shape business confidence in the region. She also contributes through advisory roles including the University of Birmingham Business School Advisory Council and the British Embassy UAE Growth Partnership Board.

Keenan is also an active spokesperson in helping skilled but time restricted women back into the workplace with the Return to Work Programme run by the Women’s Pavilion at Expo. Keenan is a committed role model for empathy and vulnerability in leadership. She has spoken to students about soft-power leadership, financial literacy and ambition whilst championing mentorship and community impact across the chamber network. In a business landscape that often rewards impact over depth, she leads with both.