Doing Business in the UAE & GCC

I first visited the region in 2007 when I was leading a project for a UK consultancy which focused on leadership development. I remember my first impressions of the heat, the amount of new building that was happening in Doha but above all, the exciting vision that Qatar had for a future which was no longer dependent on gas revenues but leading in tech and the knowledge economy. When I moved to the country and travelled more widely across the region, I found the vision and appetite for making positive change stimulating and hopeful.

When I moved back to the UK 8 years later, I found I missed that energy and sense of possibilities.

Exploring new markets such as the UAE and GCC offer British Businesses opportunities to tap into this energy. I quoted earlier in the week the following from the UK Govt:

The United Arab Emirates is the UK’s largest trading partner in the Middle East, 13th largest export market globally and 19th largest trading partner. The GCC as a block is now the UK’s third-biggest trading partner outside Europe. In 2022, bilateral trade between the UAE and UK was ￡21.6 billion including ￡14.3 billion in exports. In 2020, an agreement was made by the UAE-UK Business Council to reach a target of ￡25 billion in annual bilateral trade. Key UAE sectors for UK exporters include infrastructure, energy (clean/renewables), defence and security, cyber, education and training, financial and professional services, airports and aerospace, creative industries, media, and technology. Over 5,000 UK-registered firms operate in the UAE.

As GEN UK is one over over 180 countries who are part of the Global Entrepreneurship Network, we have closed partners in each of these countries. Our ties with the GCC and UAE remain strong and over the coming weeks we will be sharing more about the opportunities the region offers.

Please message me if you would like to know more or join our free xporter club online where you can participate in more discussion and access resources https://www.worldlabs.org/group/bg2F8MuAGwPpiyPXR #exporting #UAE #GCC