Iran - Boosting the stalled privatisation process

Iran - Boosting the stalled privatisation process: 

Iran 's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, issued a decree on 30 June boosting the stalled privatisation process in the country.  The decree states that the proposed changes are designed to "accelerate economic growth and development" and then goes on to determine the industries and companies to be privatised by offering up to 80% of the shares of companies to the private sector through the Tehran Stock Exchange.

The decree is very clear in its instruction that government agencies will have to move towards becoming regulatory and supervisory bodies and for the private and cooperative sectors to take over operational, industrial and trading tasks.  It furthermore instructs the government to prepare the grounds for the Iranian economy to interact with the global economy through "a gradual and targeted process". 

First reactions to this initiative have been very positive.  In fact, if implemented properly, this move can be the basis of a major transformation of the Iranian economy which has historically suffered from government dominance and inefficiency.  According to government accounts, after the implementation of this privatisation scheme, the share of the government will decline from currently 65% to some 30%. 

The presentation by Mr Bijan Khajehpour will discuss the prospects of actual implementation of this decree focusing on the following issues:

- Dissect the political and legal background of the Decree;
- Assess the prospects for a successful implementation;
- Analyze political, legal and structural impediments to true privatisation
and economic transformation in Iran ;
- Identify opportunities for international companies;
- Discuss the potential role of the Iranian business community in the UK ;

Mr Khajehpour is the chairman and co-founder of the Atieh Group of Companies ( www.atiehgroup.com ), a group of strategic consulting firms based in Tehran , Iran .  He is also a Senior Associate of Menas Associates in the UK ( www.menas.co.uk ).  Furthermore, he is a Member of the Board of Azar Energy ( www.azar-energy.com ) a private sector oil company in Iran , as well as of Atieh Dadeh Pardaz ( www.adpdigital.com ), an IT consulting firm. 

Over the past twelve years, Mr Khajehpour, whose education in the fields of management and economy has been attained in Germany and UK has commented on political and economic developments of Iran , especially through contributions to international conferences and reviews on Iran .  Among his publications are contributions to the following books published in the US : "Caspian Region - New Frontiers", " Iran at Crossroads", and "Security in the Persian Gulf : Origins, Obstacles, and the Search for Consensus".  Mr Khajehpour is also an editorial board member of the Farsi Review, "Goftogu" and also a member of the International Institute of Strategic Studies.  He is currently completing his Doctorate of Business Administration at the International School of Management in Paris.