From June 11-22, 2012 CLDP conducted, on the campus of Koc University in Istanbul, Turkey, an intensive workshop for Iraqi SOEs, focused on strategic marketing, business strategy and project management.

CLDP designed the program with Koc University's Graduate School of Business. The workshop participants were the management teams (General Counsel; Deputy DG; Director in charge of International Relations) of the SOEs that have been part of the CLDP program from its inception and that have elicited the most interest from potential foreign and US partners. The workshop's modules are being led by business professors from Turkey and the US with extensive experience in quality control, strategy, marketing and project management with multi-national firms. As the Iraqi market becomes increasingly competitive, Iraqi SOEs will need to develop creative strategies to succeed and grow. 

This workshop is part of a multi-phase program that CLDP has been implementing since May 2011 to help Iraqi state owned companies form strategic partnerships with international corporations and attract investment in order to improve their products, modernize equipment and create employment opportunities for Iraqi citizens. As a result of the CLDP program, several Iraqi companies have finalized partnership deals with international firms including US companies. As importantly, a new culture has developed within Iraq’s state-owned industrial sector, encouraging outreach and partnerships with foreign firms.