Strategic Expansion: GFK strategies thrives in Dubai's innovative ecosystem

■ What inspired your decision to expand GFK Strategies into the UAE, and how has Dubai’s entrepreneurial landscape influenced your business philosophy?

Expanding GFK Strategies into the UAE was not merely a business decision; it was a strategic alignment with a territory that embodies velocity, ambition, and excellence. Dubai’s entrepreneurial ecosystem is driven by vision rather than mere pragmatism.

It rewards bold thinking, values precision, and cultivates an ecosystem where private enterprise and public ambition evolve in harmony. That kind of dynamic is extremely rare.

The UAE doesn’t just offer a market. It offers momentum. It was the natural environment for a consultancy like GFK, which thrives at the intersection of legal rigour, strategic foresight, and cross-sector innovation.

■ GFK Middle East recorded a 28 per cent growth in 2024. What were the strategic decisions or market shifts that fueled this success?

That growth was neither incidental nor opportunistic; it was the result of a deliberate repositioning of GFK as an architect of strategic influence rather than a conventional consultancy.

We anticipated, well before it became mainstream, the growing demand for integrated advisory services capable of bridging legal expertise, business diplomacy, and private office structuring.

The year 2024 marked a pivotal acceleration: we moved beyond the narrow confines of single-vertical advisory and began operating as a multilayered strategic interface for UHNWIs, sovereign stakeholders, and international investors.

Our success stemmed from three core decisions: First, to operate with bespoke precision rather than volume; second, to embed strategic intelligence and reputational foresight into every mandate; and third, to build a trusted platform where execution matched vision.

The Middle Eastern market, particularly the UAE, is not simply looking for service providers. It seeks partners of consequence, capable of navigating regulatory complexity, cultural nuance, and geopolitical subtlety. GFK offered exactly that. And clients responded.

■ You spoke about the agility of UAE governance in a previous interview. How do you incorporate that same sense of foresight and adaptability into your consulting practice?

The UAE has institutionalised what I call “state-level entrepreneurship.” Governance here is anticipatory, responsive, and guided by KPIs more typically found in elite private firms. At GFK, we’ve translated that same logic into our internal culture.

We deploy task forces rather than rigid teams, develop solution protocols that are iterative and client-specific, and consistently challenge legacy processes. Foresight for us is not a buzzword ; it’s a built-in reflex. Adaptability is operationalised through scenario planning, horizon scanning, and real-time intelligence feedback loops embedded into every mandate.

■ As GFK evolves into a multifunctional consultancy, how do you ensure consistency and excellence across such diverse verticals, from legal advisory to lifestyle management?

Excellence is not a vertical, it’s a standard. At GFK, the common denominator across all services is precision, confidentiality, and relevance. Whether we are designing a fiscal relocation plan for a UHNW client, managing sensitive litigation exposure, or orchestrating an expansion roadmap into Asia, the same method applies: forensic preparation, anticipatory thinking, and flawless execution.

Our teams are built around senior experts with hybrid experience ; legal, strategic, and cultural. Internal training, cross-unit calibration, and mission debriefs ensure that our multidisciplinary expansion never dilutes our core ethos of tailored excellence.

■ Having earned recognition in the recent past as Mentor of the Year, how do you balance leadership and mentorship, and what qualities do you look for in the next generation of leaders?

Leadership without mentorship is sterile. I see mentorship not as a transfer of knowledge, but as a transmission of standards. I hold my team to high expectations, but I invest just as much in their growth.

The future of leadership is not dominance, but alignment between values, performance, and long-term vision. I look for individuals who are intellectually restless, ethically grounded, and structurally rigorous. Talent is overrated; resilience, curiosity, and strategic humility are what truly matter.

■ With Dubai pushing ahead on its D33 Economic Agenda, what role do you see for boutique consultancies like GFK in helping clients align with national transformation goals?

The D33 Agenda signals a shift from volume to value, from transactional growth to strategic reconfiguration. Boutique consultancies like GFK are perfectly positioned to translate these macro-objectives into operational strategies for private clients, family offices, and global brands.

Our agility, discretion, and sectoral dexterity make us ideal partners to decode policy shifts, structure compliant expansion, and cultivate alignment with sovereign frameworks. We act as interpreters between national vision and private ambition.

■ Looking ahead, what emerging sectors or regions are you most focused on for GFK’s next phase of global expansion?

We are placing a particular focus on three pillars:

GFK will continue to expand where complexity meets opportunity — and where trust remains the rarest currency.