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 Monday, 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, manager, director, partner… or whoever’s reviewing your slides. And if you’ve had enough of airplanes, we’ve got you covered with the latest exit opportunities.

Highlights this week:

Riyadh Air is finally launching, MAF goes back to Saudi, lots of companies looking to hire ex-consultants, and Saudia named the most “persuasive” brand in KSA

Enjoy your read!

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 Arabia’s giga projects awarded $196bn in contracts this year, up 20% from 2024. Riyadh leads with Diriyah, King Salman Park, and the Sports Boulevard - weird… a month ago we were hearing everywhere that PIF was slowing down on these projects; I guess not (full story)

Energy & Resources

• Qatar Energy acquired a 27% stake in Shell’s North Cleopatra block offshore Egypt - this follows other recent acquisitions in the Mediterranean and Africa (full story)

• ExxonMobil is returning to Iraq with a new deal to develop the giant Majnoon oilfield and expand oil exports - Arabic speakers, there is no typo on the name (full story)

Technology, Media & Telecommunication

• Digital advertising spend growth in the Gulf is expected to outpace the rest of the world with a 12% forecasted YoY growth (vs. 8% globally); despite the growth, UAE and Saudi’s digital ad spend as percentage of GDP is one of the lowest globally (full story)

Financial Services

• Goldman Sachs opened a new office in Kuwait, its third one in the GCC after Dubai and Riyadh - showing they’re getting quite serious about the Gulf market (full story)

• Qatar’s QNB Group secured a license from Saudi’s central bank to launch Ezbank, a new digital-first bank with $666mn in capital - quite a precise and scary number… (full story)

Transport & Logistics

• Companies from Saudi, Turkey and other countries are bidding to redevelop and operate Baghdad International Airport - I guess they read my deep dive on Iraq a couple of weeks ago (full story)

• Riyadh Air will finally launch its first flight on October 26th to London Heathrow, shortly followed by Dubai once they receive their second aircraft - hoping the timing of the Dubai one will be consultant-friendly (full story)

Consumer Products & Retail

• Majid Al Futtaim returns to Saudi Arabia with a deal with Diriyah to open a Vox Cinemas multiplex and seven global retail brands at Diriyah Square - hoping we’ll now be able to order Vox popcorn in Riyadh (full story)

• Dubai’s IFFCO (food giant behind London Dairy and Tiffany biscuits) replaced Alvarez & Marsal with Rothschild & Co to lead its restructuring of $2bn in debt aiming to boost liquidity, explore asset sales, and stabilize funding after the company reportedly paused principal payments - come on A&M… letting a bank take a consultant’s job? (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

FREELANCING

There is a bunch of freelancing opportunities I’ve been made aware of. If you’re interested, please register your profile on Ultra (“join Ultra”) - a top EMEA freelancing platform that connects you with an extensive portfolio of clients in the region for freelance consulting projects. You can also book a call with Valentin Reyx, co-founder, to learn more.

UAE

1. Talabat | Sr. Specialist Strategy (Apply here)

2. Modern Pharmaceuticals | Strategy Analyst (Apply here)

3. Property Finder | Manager, Strategy & Business Operations (Apply here)

4. Property Finder | Commercial Strategy & Operations Associate (Apply here)

5. Noon | Assistant Manager Growth Strategy (Apply here)

6. Emirates Development Bank | Manager, Strategy (Apply here)

7. Dubai Air Navigation Services (DANS) | Strategy & Performance Manager (Apply here)

8. Hankel | Market Strategy Manager (Apply here)

9. Hays | Strategy Director (Value Creation) (Apply here)

10. VentureOne | Manager, Business Consulting (Apply here)

11. Cander | Strategy Manager (Apply here)

12. Al Futtaim Automotive | Transformation Manager (Apply here)

13. Dubai Holding | Senior Manager - Strategy & Execution (B2C) (Apply here)

14. Dubai Holding | Senior Manager - Strategy & Execution (B2B) (Apply here)

15. Dubai Holding | Assistant Manager - Commercial & Strategy - Dubai Holding Land Estate (Apply here)

16. Miral Destinations | Senior Vice President Strategy (Apply here)

17. Talabat | Manager Pricing Strategy (Apply here)

18. Network International | VP - Strategy & Transformation (Apply here)

19. Animoca Brands | Senior Associate, Strategy Ops / BD & Partnerships / Investments (Apply here)

20. Nabat | Strategy & Programs Lead (Apply here)

21. GJ Global | Chief of Staff (Apply here)

22. Revolut | Strategy & Operations Manager (Apply here)

23. Jacobs | Associate Director - Business Strategy & Finance (Apply here)

24. Fever | Partner Project Manager (Apply here)

25. Emirates Global Aluminum | Associate Manager - Strategy & Corporate Development (Apply here)

26. InvestSky | Growth & Strategy Manager (Apply here)

27. NymCard | Corporate Development Analyst/Associate (Apply here)

KSA

1. Tamer Group | Business Analyst, Strategy & Transformation (Apply here)

2. People Group | Senior Manager - Performance & Strategy (Apply here)

3. National Center for Government Resources | Strategy Execution Expert (Apply here)

4. Sanabil | Strategy & Operations Lead (Apply here)

5. Hays | Strategy & Transformation Consultant (Apply here)

6. Webook | Chief of Staff (Apply here)

7. SAN International Group | Head of Strategy (Apply here)

8. Takamol | Consulting Manager (Apply here)

9. Careem | Commercial & Strategy Leaders (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.

TOP 10 MOST ‘PERSUASIVE’ BRANDS IN SAUDI ARABIA - SAUDIA, AL RAJHI, AND AL BAIK MAKE UP THE PODIUM

A recent report from YouGov analyzed shopping attitudes in Saudi Arabia and compiled a list of top ‘persuasive’ brands. What does this mean? They basically calculated the likelihood of customers going from consideration to purchase intent in the marketing funnel. Here are the top 10 brands:

1. Saudia

2. AlRajhi Bank

3. Al Baik

4. Almarai

5. Apple

6. Toyota

7. Samsung

8. Hilton

9. Huda Beauty

10. Dior

Other findings in the report show that Saudis value local brands in their brand choices - 60% of them agreed to the statement “If I have a choice I buy products made in my home countr”

You can download the full report here

And that’s a wrap…

Thank you for being on board the Departure Brief this week.

Let us know how we did!

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