Please share a brief on your company and product portfolio.
AJMS Group (AJMS) is a network of consulting firms specialising in providing niche consulting propositions to its clients in the fields of tax, technology, strategy, ESG, risk, compliance, IFRS, and insolvency. The firm comprises professionals who have experience working as bankers, regulators, auditors and legal advisors. As its Founding Partner and CEO, I am proud to state that the brand currently enjoys a presence in 14 cities across 10 countries, with its headquarters in the UAE.
Over the course of its successful growth trajectory, economic watchdogs and industry leaders have recognised AJMS through award platforms such as Superbrand, World’s Greatest Brands 2022 and Global Youth Icon. The firm is also AML Advisor to Dubai Economy and has raised mass-scale awareness in the Gulf on issues of risk, compliance, tax, ESG, crypto and financial inclusion, and is regarded as a potential governance, risk and compliance or GRC unicorn for the Middle East.
What are the challenges you foresee for your sector in 2023, and how is your brand planning to overcome these obstacles?
The days to come are full of challenging transitions in terms of world resources, technology and social paradigm shifts. We are about to see the world change, whether the transition is from fossil to green, indexed to AI, plastic to mobile, paper to crypto, or real to virtual.
We believe that this change will require rapid adaptation on part of economy movers, governments, think tanks, facilitators and influencers. As a thought-leading group of the intelligentsia, AJMS is taking the necessary steps to organise itself to be able to serve the needs of society. We foresee manageable challenges with regard to real-time sourcing of human and technological resources and rapid adaptability of the regulators to facilitate us in this adaptation of ours. We must keep pace with this fast transition and always stay ahead of the evolution and competition.
How important are innovation and R&D for your company, and how big a part do they play in the company’s overall growth strategy?
R&D is the lifeblood of an organisation such as ours. We are constantly on the lookout to create a baseline of primary information, be it technology or strategy, or other economic advisories, Our R&D function is spread across the global footprint, which gives us leverage for different dynamics and broadens our vision to reap unprecedented solutions to emerging problems.
With Dubai hosting COP28 this year, how is your company hoping to contribute to the nation’s climate sustainability and carbon footprint goals?
We feel excited to be part of the Dubai mindset of a greener future. As a leader in regional ESG, Dubai takes pride in hosting such a prestigious event. Our thoughts are in sync with this spirit, and we are leading the campaign for ESG awareness, raising it with the boards of major financial institutions and regulators in the Gulf. We are developing a compliance tool in collaboration with D&B that the agency hopes to roll out soon. Our ESG practice comprises of a dedicated team in Dubai and India. We are leading the marketplace to demonstrate solidarity with the spirit of Dubai when it comes to hosting events such as COP28.
Satisfied staff equals satisfied customers. Would you believe in this phrase and if yes, how do you plan to carry this narrative forward through your teams?
AJMS Global offers a flexible work environment and an open-door policy. We recognise the day-to-day needs of our employees and facilitate to the maximum possible extent. AJMS Global has a goal-oriented culture instead of clock-in/out. While it may not be a 9-to-5 organisation, we look at employees as part of a larger family, whose life and work are intertwined in a way that one affects the other.
An interesting mechanism is the Buddy System that we have in place, which serves as a grapevine that provides insights into our workforce, helping perceive them as individuals with diverse needs and who we love to understand and support. Everyone has a voice at AJMS, which is heard at the highest levels of leadership and responded to compassionately.
What are your company’s expansion plans over the next 5-year term?
AJMS Global has aggressive plans for expansion during the year 2023-28. By the end of 2028, we plan to have our full member firms and affiliates in the UK, US, China, Germany, Brazil, Australia and South Africa.
As a corporate CEO, what is the mantra you follow while leading your teams through failure and success?
I feel proud that the AJMS network has been able to create an ecosystem that brings together the best intelligentsia in the fields of technology, tax, risk, compliance, and corporate consulting. We strive to empower our clients to achieve their goals across their global footprint.
We do this not as a service provider but as a partner. This is evident from the awards that we have repeatedly received from economic watchdogs and industry leaders. We could not have done it by ourselves. We firmly believe in the statement, “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”
We are thankful to our people, our clients, and supervisory bodies who have facilitated and supported us in achieving this success.
