Government, Public Service

The Government and Public Sector continues to be an incredibly important driver of growth in the region, employing impressive numbers of citizens and directing the growth of entire economies. In times of less certain budgets, the importance of the Public Sector is never more important, demanding that it operates at its most agile, responsive, and efficient to most effectively implement the plans for smart cities. Even as the private sector grows in importance as an economic force and as an employer, the Public Sector must be energized with the latest knowledge and skills to ensure it achieves its goals.

Defence & Security

For governments across MENA, ever-shifting geopolitical and security concerns have prompted a continued surge in defence investments. Driven by technological developments and a desire to benchmark resources against the very best in the world, the region’s Defence industry has seen largescale investment in acquiring the latest defence hardware and in bolstering regional capacities. Underpinning all of this is the investment being made in specialized training & development, aimed at equipping human capital resources with the cutting-edge skills and knowledge they need to be successful.

Aerospace & Aviation

The MENA region, and the GCC in particular, has rapidly become globally recognized for its market-leading Aerospace and Aviation sector.

Already boasting some of the world’s most successful airlines and some of its busiest airports, alongside incredible ambition and investment in the opportunities presented by space, the sector looks set to be a key driver of growth in the coming years. As a result, successful industry players must remain strategically agile, aware of fresh challenges, and responsive to quickly-moving market sentiment.

Transportation

Major infrastructure projects have transformed the MENA region, creating faster, more efficient, and more sustainable transport networks. The region now boast world-class ports, incredible metro and tram systems, ultra-modern road networks, and ambitious rail plans that will increasingly connect the region.

Now the challenge for the industry is to maintain operational performance and boost efficiency, while continuing to embrace new technologies and seeking out the opportunities presented by globalization.

Logistics

Major infrastructure projects have transformed the MENA region, creating faster, more efficient, and more sustainable transport networks. The region now boast world-class ports, incredible metro and tram systems, ultra-modern road networks, and ambitious rail plans that will increasingly connect the region.

Now the challenge for the industry is to maintain operational performance and boost efficiency, while continuing to embrace new technologies and seeking out the opportunities presented by globalization.

Hospitality, Travel & Tourism

In the past decade, the GCC has worked incredibly hard to bolster and augment its Tourism and Hospitality sector, turning many of its cities into world-class tourist and conference destinations. Underpinned by heavy investment in major projects such as Expo 2020 and the World Cup 2022, the sector has also seen impressive growth generated from major new theme parks, hotel chains, and the creation of brand-new cultural attractions. Looking ahead, the growth of the Tourism sector demands ever-more focus on aspects such as customer service standards, logistics, and sustainability; challenges that will be met effectively by those organisations that are most adaptable and strategic in meeting new demand.

Energy, Natural Resources and Utilities

The region’s natural resources, and the ways it utilises them for the population, continues to be amongst the most important of industries in the MENA region. More volatile oil prices have, of course, brought fresh upstream and downstream challenges, while the continuing shift towards a more green economy perhaps suggests a trend towards reduced consumption. However, the sector will continue to be an important economic contributor as long as it continually seeks to responsively adjust its approach and offering - being aware of efficiencies in new technological advances, innovating to maximize return on every investment, and continuing to priorities highly-skilled workers as the key builder of the industry’s success.

Healthcare

As the population of the region continues to grow, thrive and age, the needs for globally-benchmarked healthcare systems will continue to increase.

This will be matched by greater demands placed on pharmaceuticals and life sciences companies, with a need to scale up research and development to meet burgeoning demand. While spending on the latest technology and practices will be part of the answer, the sector will also need to look for increased efficiencies and upscaled employee skills to continually improve regional health outcomes.

Pharmaceuticals & Life Sciences

As the population of the region continues to grow, thrive and age, the needs for globally-benchmarked healthcare systems will continue to increase.

This will be matched by greater demands placed on pharmaceuticals and life sciences companies, with a need to scale up research and development to meet burgeoning demand. While spending on the latest technology and practices will be part of the answer, the sector will also need to look for increased efficiencies and upscaled employee skills to continually improve regional health outcomes.

Education

The GCC region’s Education Sector has witnessed rapid growth in recent years, with ambitious plans to create and nurture world-class education systems that have new curricula, accreditation and global standards of teaching.

Banking & Financial Services

The Banking and Financial Services sector will always be a key pillar underpinning the overall strength of regional economies. To continue to provide this stability, the challenges for the future will need to be met head-on with innovative strategies and agile thinking. These include navigating the changing and increasingly-complicated regulatory environment; understanding the powerful changes in consumer demand; and realising the efficiencies and avoiding the obstacles presented by developments in technology. In doing so, the sector can ensure its business practices are built strongly and sustainably to meet future banking needs.

Retail & Consumer Products

The MENA region, and particularly the GCC countries, are world-renowned for their Retail and Consumer Products sector, with vast malls and shopping centers driven by high demand and spending power. Building on this success will require retailers to strategize for the future, thinking about efficiency, productivity, customer happiness and the advantages offered by new technology. Future-proof retail businesses will be those that have thought in-depth about their whole value chain, and those that have invested most time and consideration in the capabilities of their employees.

Manufacturing & Industrial Manufacturing

Manufacturing and heavy industry is a hugely exciting and growing sector across the region, with new capacities and specialisms being developed to supplement established industries.

As these new manufacturing divisions develop and grow, there will need to be an understanding of the particular demands of globalization, as manufacturing centers change locations. Automation and digitalization will play a major role in future business, and these must be understood fully to gain maximum market advantage.

Construction & Real Estate

Real Estate and the Construction sector has driven much of the region’s growth over the last two decades, building enormous mega-projects and developments that have made MENA and its dazzling cities a real estate investment hot-spot. As the sector continues to mature and develop, it will be faced with a need to look both at continuing to deliver on the design, implementation and handover of projects, and on the global standards it sets for itself. Understanding the evolving regulatory environment will be critical, as will continuing to optimise project management capabilities to meet the challenging demands of upcoming global events.