The Swiss Tower, the first “country branded” tower in the UAE, was officially opened yesterday (October 29) in the DMCC Free Zone.

The construction of the 40-floor tower, with a total structural height of 167 metres, was completed in 2010 and the Swiss Business Council Dubai and Northern Emirates moved in early 2012.

The opening ceremony was attended by over 150 dignitaries including Swiss President of the Council of the States Filippo Lombardi; Ahmed Bin Sulayem, executive chairman, DMCC; Swiss Ambassador Andrea Reichlin; Walter Deplazes, Consul General Switzerland; and Urs Stirnimann, chairman of Swiss Tower Interim Owner Association.

“Choosing DMCC and Jumeirah Lakes Towers as the destination for Swiss Tower further highlights the strong trading ties between Geneva and Dubai as ‘sister cities’, and the strength of Dubai as a global hub for commodities trade and enterprise," said Sulayem.

"DMCC is now the UAE’s largest and fastest growing free zone with over 7,400 members with over 150 Swiss member companies. We are certain that the establishment of Swiss Tower creates a world-class environment for Swiss corporations here at the DMCC Free Zone,” he said.

The Swiss Business Council, Switzerland Tourism, Swiss ILC Management Services and many other Swiss companies have their offices in the tower, which is taller than any tower in Switzerland and the tallest of its kind in the world.

With 65 mixed-use commercial and residential towers and over 220 retail outlets in operation, there are currently over 75,000 people working and living within the DMCC Free Zone. - TradeArabia News Service