AJMS Group a regional powerhouse with global ambitions

As one of the UAE’s most recognised brands, how would you define your growth story and that of your brand?

Our journey began as a start-up in 2018 with GRC as our niche. In 2018 GRC and AML practices were highly in demand. We banked upon the strategy of high quality and personalised attention to detail. Within a year we secured multiple clients in sectors like banks, insurance, exchange houses, precious metals, etc. The year 2019 saw us first expanding operations outside the UAE, when we opened our Bahrain practice, which was followed by expansion into Oman. We became AML partners with the likes of UAE DED, Bahrain BIBF, Oman CBFS, etc.

In 2020, when the world of business was shrinking, we actually expanded into the realms of Management Consulting, ESG, Taxation, RegTech, InsurTech and FinTech service lines. We launched our India practice followed by our expansion in KSA. 2023 introduced our training initiative under the name Hayford Integrated Training Institute and we also carved a partnership with Zamara, leading Actuarial firm in Africa, to offer Actuarial and Data Analytics services under the name of Zamara MENA. We also launched our Corporate Services arm called Fanar Advisors, and partnered with 1Life Healthcare from Singapore to offer healthcare and wellness services for corporates and insurance companies.

Today, we stand strong across the entire Asia and Middle East, with expansion plans in Europe and the USA. The journey was not easy. However, the able leadership of partners and the team supported us in completing our journey. It’s no wonder then that we are making waves of success across our global footprint.

How do you believe your brand has contributed to the rise of the UAE as a global economic power and how do you see it continuing to contribute to this remarkable growth story in the coming years?

The UAE has always been a land of opportunities and is seen as the best place on the globe in terms of security, social parity and talent equity. We were able to resonate in the world because of this environment. We have been a leading voice in the region in the insurance industry, especially actuarial consulting, technology in wellness and healthcare and imparting corporate training. Quite a few leaders like us in other sectors have emerged, whose integrated contribution has given the edge to the UAE as an economy which is leading the future.

What have been the main challenges you faced while building your brand and what have been your chief takeaways from these conflicts?

The biggest challenges we faced were similar to the organisations that outgrow themselves. Our aggressive growth didn’t give us time initially to structure ourselves in a more decentralised manner. However, we resolved this challenge by expanding our partnership base. As new partners joined, our HR team found the driver for reorganising our corporate structure in a more decentralised manner. Today, AJMS Group operates through 20 subsidiaries, each headed by a CEO or Managing Partner and that has resulted in the global firm entering into the next phase of their growth, which is aimed at emerging markets beyond the Middle East.

What is the legacy you hope to leave behind for the future set of UAE corporate leaders, as well as for your management and staff?

We hope to leave a legacy of taking risks with any idea that will change the way our lives work. Be it the way we make payments or make our businesses more compliant with the law of the land, or educate the business community, our passion has always been to support the community. We strongly believe that there’s much to be done on our way towards this sustainable business. We look forward to leaving this passion as our legacy.