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UK Trade and Investment’s business specialist, Phil Dowrick, opened a morning of discussions on the first day of the GCC Conference.
Mr Dowrick gave a vivid overview of the state of the Middle East market, with particular emphasis on Qatar and Saudi Arabia, and addressed opportunities across the sector.
He said there was a lot of relevant and interesting information available on the opportunities available to UK companies and that it was right for the UK to target a business led approach.
UKTI itself has a focus on projects worth more than $1 billion and seeks to help British companies get the information they need to win work on major projects in the region.
Alan Thomson, managing director of the Abu Dhabi Sewerage Services Company, gave a client view of how UK firms can prosper.
He set out a very provocative and direct challenge to consultancy companies, demanding that they listen and respond to client needs rather than offer off-the-peg solutions.
This view was echoed by Andrew Seymour, infrastructure director with the Tourism Development and Investment Company.
Mr Seymour welcomed the contribution of UK firms in the Middle East and said that clients like his firm were open to new ideas. He said he wanted to see more holistic thinking in development as he presented his company’s portfolio outlining heritage aspects to major projects.
Looking at economic recovery in the region, Terry Allen, managing director of Allied Investment Partners PJSC, looked at the financial link between the United Arab Emirates, particularly in light of Dubai’s financial troubles.
Mr Allen suggested that firms recognise the close inter-relations of the Emirates, and stressed that experience suggests investment will not stop across the UAE, though it will continue in a more focused manner.
He also said that growth was likely to continue in the region, although UK firms should be aware of growing involvement by China.
Mr Allen then added that while the UAE remained a good place for investment, the next chapter for future major growth would be Africa.
Rod MacDonald of Buro Happold gave a more detailed view of how to work in Saudi Arabia. He noted that, where companies were willing to commit, they could build lasting relationships with client firms.
He spoke about Libya, which is looking to open up to outside investment. However, Mr MacDonald warned that before entering the Libyan market companies had to understand the challenges faced there.
On Saudi Arabia Mr MacDonald was candid about some of the concerns facing engineers. Buro Happold had spent thirty years in Saudi Arabia and had built up a reputation there, but this takes new firms a great many years.
There are a range of cultural issues about which companies have to be well informed, and Rod MacDonald stressed there was no short cut available to a country that values longevity.
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