BOARDING CALL ✈

Welcome aboard, and welcome to the Departure Brief

If you’re reading this in the cab to the airport, in the lounge, or halfway through boarding EK819, you’re exactly where we imagined you’d be.

Departure Brief was built for consultants in the Middle East who want to start their week a little sharper, without digging through the noise of the countless news sources out there. Every Sunday, we’ll bring you a fast, focused update on what actually matters for you, plus a few tools and insights that will make you look good in front of your client and manager, director, partner… whoever’s reviewing your slides. And if you’ve had enough of airplanes, we’ve got you covered with the latest exit opportunities.

Thank you for being one of our very first readers, and here’s to the first of many takeoffs together.

SECTOR SCAN 🔭

Your weekly rundown of the most relevant business news in the region - for the sectors that matter to you

Public Sector & Government

• Saudi is calling consulting firms to conduct a strategic review of “the Line” to assess if current plans are feasible and suggest possible changes - so who’s bidding for this? (Full story)

• Saudi ranked first as the country with the fastest growth in international tourism spend with 102% growth in Q1 2025 v. same period in 2019; compared to a global average of 3% - well done to all of you who worked for STA, MoT and the rest of the tourism crew (Full story)

• PIF launched TASAMA to deliver world-class, end-to-end business services for companies in Saudi Arabia including accounting, HR, procurement, digital tools, and workspace solutions - could be useful if one of us ever becomes a business owner in the Kingdom (Full story)

Energy

• A Saudi consortium led by ACWA Power signed contracts worth $8.3 bn to develop seven solar and wind energy projects across the Kingdom with a combined capacity of 15GW - that’s the largest single-phase capacity ever rewarded for a renewables project (Full story)

• ADNOC Gas signed a three-year, $400 mn LNG supply deal with Germany’s SEFE - a good sign of how the GCC oil & gas sector is stepping in to help Europe diversify away from Russian Gas (Full story)

• Egypt awarded Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy leader Masdar a “Golden License” for a 200 MW wind farm in the Gulf of Suez, expected to kick off operations in May 2027 - once operational, the project should save more than 175 mn cubic meters of natural gas per year (Full story)

Financial Services

• Saudi’s financial ecosystem reached the milestone of SAR1 tn ($267 bn) in locally managed assets with foreign investor holdings growing by 501% since 2017 - have you got some Saudi exposure yet? (Full story)

• Kuwait unveiled major capital market reforms to modernize its financial infrastructure and attract global investors as part of their Market Development Program, a strategic initiative under the country’s Vision 2035 plan - anyone knew that Kuwait had a Vision 2035? (Full story)

• Abu Dhabi’s IHC acquired UAE fintech eFunder which support SMEs to overcome working capital shortfalls - helping face the massive late payment challenges that the region faces, a gap estimated at $250 bn in MENA! (Full story)

Technology, Media, and Telecommunication

• Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority and the Private Sector Partnership Reinforcement Program (Shareek) signed an MoU to drive technological advancement in key industries through market studies, coordination with relevant authorities, and development of AI-aligned business models (Full story)

• ADGM Academy partnered with global investment manager PGIM to launch RealAssetX, an innovation center focusing on sustainable technology, artifical intelligence, and deep tech within the real asset industry - Real Asset = real estate + infrastructure + smar cities, in case you were wondering (Full story)

Transport & Logistics

• Wizz Air will exit Abu Dhabi operations in October citing operational and geopolitical challenges - well… no more $10 flights to a random town in Norway unfortunately (Full story)

• Syria signs a $800 mn agreement with DP World to develop the port of Tartus, with the UAE giant’s CEO pledging to make it “one of the best ports in the world” - hopefully a first of many large post-war recovery investments in the country (Full story)

Other

• Automotive: BYD announced plans to triple its Saudi presence from three showrooms to ten by end of 2026 after Tesla’s entry in the market - a positive step towards Vision 2030’s push to 30% EV adoption; although only 1% of total car sales are electric today (Full story)

• Retail: Saudi-based Q-commerce startup Ninja was valued at $1.5 bn as it raised $250 mn in a funding round led by Riyadh Capital - here’s to a new unicorn in the Kingdom (Full story)

THE EXIT ROW 💼

Your bosses might not like this section, but that’s alright. Every week, we’ll provide you with a list of curated job openings for any of you that are tired of the travel routine and looking to have a life again after 7 PM - includes opportunities for all levels

UAE

• Revolut | Strategy & Operations Manager | UAE (Remote) | Apply here

• Crypto.com | Strategy Associate | Dubai | Apply here

• Noon | Assistant Manager, Growth Strategy, noon food | Dubai | Apply here

• Assembly Global | Strategy Manager | Dubai | Apply here

• Al-Futtaim Automotive | Transformation Manager | Dubai | Apply here

• Jacobs | Associate Director - Business Strategy & Finance | Dubai | Apply here

• Modon | Senior Manager, Strategy & Planning | Abu Dhabi | Apply here

• ADNOC | Manager, Planning & Strategy | Abu Dhabi | Apply here

KSA

• STC | Strategy Development Section Manager | Riyadh | Apply here

• The Arab Energy Fund | Manager Corporate Strategy | Riyadh | Apply here

• Qiddiya | Associate Director - Strategy & Planning | Riyadh | Apply here

• Keeta | Senior Strategy Associate | Riyadh | Apply here

Qatar

• Qatar Airways | Head of Catering Commercial Strategy | Doha | Apply here

CABIN DEEP DIVE 🔎

Every week, we give a focused look on a topic, news, trend that is shaping the region; no fluff, just the insights you need.

RIYADH IS HOSTING THE WORLD’S BIGGEST ESPORTS TOURNAMENT - HERE’S WHY IT MATTERS

Right now, Riyadh is hosting the Esports World Cup, a seven-week gaming extravaganza featuring over 2,000 world-class players, and a record-breaking $70 mn prize pool, the largest in esports history. This isn’t just a tournament; it’s a summer-long festival of gaming culture, streaming, live shows, and global fandom that puts Riyadh on the map once again. It’s also a statement that the Kingdom is positioning itself as the global capital of esports.

This isn’t a one off. Gaming is a strategic pillar of Vision 2030. The National Gaming and Esports Strategy, launched in 2022, sets bold targets: 39,000 new jobs, 250 local gaming companies, 30 globally competitive games and a $13 bn contribution to GDP target by 2030. Through Savvy Games Group, backed by PIF, Saudi has already invested $38 bn into global studios and publishers. According to Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup, it is this political backing, along with the fact that HRH the Crown Prince publicly identifies as a gamer, which gives Riyadh a desicive advantage over traditional esports capitals like Seoul or Los Angeles.

What’s next? Riyadh will host the first ever Olympic Esports Games in 2027, an event organised by the International Olympics Committee (IOC). You should check it out. Unlike regular esports tournament,s the Olympic Esports Games will emphasize sports simulation and hybrid titles - think virtual archery, sailing simulators, etc.; basically your Nintendo Wii on steroids. (Learn More).

All of this shows one thing: Saudi Arabia isn’t just hosting esports, it’s building the global home for it.

LIFE UPGRADE PICK 💎

In this section, we pick one product or service that would make your life easier, or better; and we review it for you.

SKYR, GREEK YOGHURTS BETTER-TASTING COUSIN FROM ICELAND

For us consultants, eating well is a constant struggle. On client site, options are limited and we often end up eating junk. For dinner, open buffets at the Ritz, the JW, or whichever 5-star hotel we’re staying in are hard to resist. Before you know it, it’s freshman 15 again. That’s why finding the right go-to-foods is key to stay on track. I’m not a nutritionist, so I’ll stick to the most simple rule for eating clean without gaining weight: low calories, high protein. If a food has a protein-to-calories ratio above 0.1, that’s usually a win.

Well there is a not-so-known food item that has an insane ratio. It’s called Skyr; a traditional Icelandic dairy product that is similar to yoghurt but technically a cheese. It’s made from skim milk and has thick and creamy consistancy. It’s quite similar to Greek yoghurt, but in my opinion tastier, and with better macros. My favorite brand is Graham’s, which you can usually find at Waitrose or Spinneys. With 12.2g of protein and 65 kcal per 100g, its protein to calories ratios is unrivaled.

And that’s a wrap…

Thank you for being onboard the Departure Brief this week. We want to hear from you so if you have any feedback, just hit the reply button. If you liked the issue, forward it to one or two colleagues so that we can grow this community, we would greately appreciate it 😊

Have a safe flight, an amazing week, and see you next Sunday!