
About us
The Emirates Society is a friendship group dedicated to strengthening the UK-UAE relationship. The Society hosts events for policy makers who are interested in the UAE, the UAE’s ties with the United Kingdom and related regional issues. We put videos of some of these events on this website for the benefit of the wider public.

Rt. Hon. David Jones MP, Honorary Chairman of the Emirates Society
David Jones has been the MP for the Clwyd West constituency in Wales since 2005. In September 2012, he was appointed Secretary of State for Wales thereby becoming a member of the Cabinet and the Privy Council, and assuming overall responsibility for the Wales Office. He served as Secretary of State for nearly two years, leaving office in July 2014. In July 2016, David was appointed as a Minister of State in the Department for Exiting the European Union in Theresa May's Government.
As well as being Honorary Chairman of our Society, David is also chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the UAE.
Laura Roberts, Executive Director
During a distinguished career in public affairs and international communications, Laura has worked in the United States, the United Kingdom, Lebanon, France, Spain and Belgium.
Laura graduated from the School of International Service at American University in Washington DC. She also holds a degree in arts management from State University of New York, and completed an executive programme in bilateral trade at Harvard Business School. She has held many board positions, including The Hamilton Society in London, the alumni board of American University in Washington DC, the British Chamber of Commerce in Spain, and Women in Business in Spain.
