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:

Syria’s looking for investors, the UAE’s testing 6G, Elon Musk is trying to solve Dubai traffic, jobs, and real estate trends.

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

• Egypt welcomed 15 million tourists in the first nine months of 2025 (+21% YoY) bringing it close to its FY target of 18 million; the government aims to hit 30 million by 2028 through new capacity, upgraded experience, and the full opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum in November (full story)

• A new report from Arab News highlighted a big trend of how Gulf families are switching long-haul holidays in Europe for adventure experiences closer to home - glamping domes in Hatta, Oman’s Jabal Akhdar, and Saudi’s Al Ula are creating a new “nearby travel” culture in the region - might be a big blow for Harrods in London… (full story)

• Syria is launching a global charm offensive to get investors back in the country after 13 years of war, pitching $600-900bn in reconstruction opportunities - if you got the cash, that’s a potential for VERY high return opportunity (full story)

Energy & Resources

• Saudi Refineries Co. and UAE’s Go Energy are partnering up to study a new green hydrogen ammonia project in the Kingdom - I asked Chat GPT to define in the shortest way possible what these are, here it is: Green hydrogen is a fuel made by splitting water with renewable energy; combined with nitrogen, it forms ammonia - an easily transportable fuel key to decarbonizing industry and power. Hope you learned something new (full story)

• Aramco is slowing domestic projects as oil goes below $66 and focusing more on international projects (full story)

• KSA’s mineral exploration spend reached $130 per km², more than double its target under Vision 2030, as it looks to become a global leader in mining - we’ve seen this many times here, Saudi’s betting big on mining. You should go and tell your Energy practice head to switch focus from O&G to mining (full story)

Technology, Media & Telecommunication

• The UAE achieved a record-breaking 145 Gbps 6G Terahertz pilot by e& and NYU Abu Dhabi - remember when 3G was cool in the bbm days? (full story)

• The NFL is stepping up efforts to grow its brand in the Middle East with a flag-football event in Riyadh next May (full story)

Financial Services

• VC funding hit a record $2.77bn in the first nine months of 2025, up 152% YoY, going against global trend of declining investments - if you’re thinking of going for a start-up, now is the time (full story)

Transport & Logistics

• The first Dubai Loop by Elon Musk will open next year; it’s an underground road system which will have 17km of tunnels and carry up to 20,000 passengers an hour - all for anything to reduce the 6pm DIFC congestion (full story)

• Etihad is turning to the secondary market to buy airplanes as global backlog from Airbus and Boeing hits a record - there are many planes (especially narrow-bodies) that are being sold in the secondary market right now as airlines shut down due to bankruptcies (full story)

Consumer Products & Retail

• Dubizzle announced its plans to IPO, aiming to listing ~30% of its shares in the Dubai Financial Market (full story)

• A national survey in Saudi Arabia found that pharmacies are charging up to 180% more than wholesale for personal care items, sparking calls for tighter regulations as beauty imports reach ~$3bn - (full story)

• Abu Dhabi’s Multiply Group will acquire IHC subsidiaries 2PointZero (investment firm in energy and mining), and Ghitha (F&B) (full story)

Others

• Saudi Arabia announced $1.07 bn in new entertainment investments at the Joy Forum 2025, reinforcing its push to become a global hub for live events and tourism. The deals include projects launching in 2026 and the upcoming opening of Six Flags Qiddiya (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. Careem | Senior Commercial & Strategy Leader (Apply here)

2. Mastercard | Manager, Chief of Staff (Apply here)

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

4. Modern Pharmaceuticals | Strategy Analyst (Apply here)

5. Sundus | Sr. Strategy Specialist (Apply here)

6. AI71 | Product Strategy & Operations Associate (Apply here)

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

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

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

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

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

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

13. Cander | Strategy Manager (Apply here)

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

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

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

17. Miral Destinations | Senior Vice President 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)

KSA

1. Mandarin Oriental | Director of Commercial Strategy (Apply here)

2. Islamic Development Bank | Senior Strategy Management Specialist (Apply here)

3. Entaj | Senior Strategy Manager (Apply here)

4. Flyadeal | Corporate Strategy Specialist (Apply here)

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

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

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

8. Webook | Chief of Staff (Apply here)

9. Takamol | Consulting Manager (Apply here)

10. 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.

6 TRENDS SHAPING THE REAL ESTATE MARKET IN DUBAI

Real estate in Dubai… Congrats to all those that bought a house during Covid, you can probably retire now. The big question that everyone has now; is the market gonna crash? Are we gonna see a drop in prices? Should I wait for this crash to buy? Well, I don’t have the answers to those questions. But the reality is - the market is still outperforming global peers. According to the DLD, there were 94,700 new investors in H1 2025, a 26% YoY increase. So what’s happening? Real estate company Amaal identified six key trends. Here they are:

1. Off-plan sales dominate the market - buyers are really enjoying the payment plans that off-plan properties offer; there are actually some areas where off-plan is more expensive than ready… which is very weird if you think about it

2. Suburban living is gaining momentum - Dubai is simply becoming a normal city; central locations are just becoming too expensive, and so people move to “suburbs”. Gotta pay up to live in Manhattan…

3. Wellness and lifestyle amenities go mainstream - developers are starting to offer things beyond gyms and pools. People now want things like wellness-focused spaces, meditation areas, co-working lounges, pet-friendly areas, etc. - Gen Z stuff basically

4. Sustainability is becoming a dealbreaker - ESG-conscious investors, especially the international ones, are putting a lot of importance in LEED certifications, smart cooling, etc. so these things are moving from being exclusive to high-end developments to the mid-market segment as well

5. Mixed-used living is reshaping urban design - developers are increasingly building “vertical villages” - mixed-use towers that combine residences with co-working areas, supermarkets, cafes, and wellness centers

6. Technology is driving property search and investments - people are increasingly using smart platforms with predictive pricing tools, AR/VR home tours, and blockchain-based transactions to make real estate investment decisions.

Ultimately, if you are thinking about buying today, the trick is to find the right property at the price - in which case you would be protected in case of a market correction. For that, I’d recommend speaking to Ahmed Tlili. He knows a ton about the market and can find you the undervalued gems that would offer you that protection. Call him at +971 50 304 3900

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!