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28 March 2024

UAE-based executives work in more countries than ever before

Benchmarking study assesses what companies do on a daily basis to earn and sustain the trust and respect of their people. (Shutterstock)

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By Staff

Executives based in the UAE are responsible for bigger geographic territories than ever before, a research by International SOS, a medical and travel security risk services company, has found, showing that the UAE is strengthening its role as a global business hub.

Some 46 per cent of UAE-based executives report that the number of countries they work in for their companies has increased over the past two years. Over a third (37 per cent) says they do more business travel than before.

Some 18 per cent of executives in the UAE now work across the GCC. For 11 per cent, their work spans the Middle East and North Africa region. Some 6 per cent now also work in Europe. For 3 per cent, their responsibility includes sub-Saharan Africa.

Amongst its own clients, International SOS has seen business travel from the UAE increase by 33 per cent over the past three years, compared to just over 16 per cent from New York, some 14 per cent from Singapore and just over 6 per cent from London.

Amongst its other services, International SOS tracks business travellers, so companies know where their personnel are and can act swiftly during critical health and security events.

“This research shows that the UAE’s role as a global business hub is strengthening, and that the UAE is the centre for an increasingly large geographical region,” said Des Donnelly, Development Director EEMEA at International SOS.

“More UAE companies and multinationals with a regional headquarters here are carefully considering their duty of care to the increasing number of employees they are sending further afield, and more often. Companies recognise that when they ask employees to travel they need to know the health and security risks, work to mitigate them and be ready to act if problems do happen.”