THE ECONOMY OF A PANDEMIC CLOUD SECURITY SMART FARMING REMOTE WORKING CITYSCAPE LOOTAH WHAT NEXT FOR REAL ESTATE? RETHINKING BRICKS AND MORTAR HOSPITALITY 2.0 HOW THE INDUSTRY IS MOVING FORWARDS PERFECTING THE PIVOT GREGOR AMON OF HOTEL DATA CLOUD ON WHY BEING NIMBLE IS A VITAL QUALITY JULY-AUGUST 2020 # 161 THE GUIDE TO GOOD BUSINESS AND BETTER LIVING MEET THE MASTER DEVELOPER LEADING AN AMBITIOUS ECO-TOURISM GIGAPROJECT IN SAUDI ARABIA RISING UP TOGETHER HOW ONE ENTREPRENEUR HELPED SMALL BUSINESSES DURING COVID-19 PLUS : UA E AED 20 BAHR AIN BHD 2 KUW A IT KWD 2 OM AN OMR 2 Arabian Business THE RED SEA DEVELOPMENT COMPANY JOHN PAGANO JUL Y- AUGUST 2020 THE ESSENCE OF SPEED EDGE GROUP CEO FAISAL AL BANNAI TALKS AGILITY AND STRATEGY DEFINING YOUR PURPOSE GREAT BUSINESSES HAVE A HIGHER PURPOSE, SAYS SERCO CEO PHIL MALEM THE PERFECT PICK-UP UPSCALE YOUR SUMMER IN THE UAE JULY-AUGUST 2020 CEO MIDDLE E A ST 3 contents July-August 2020 16 18 0 24 Business 12 NEWS Rounding up recent events 14 BUILDING A DIGITAL ECOSYSTEM Charles Yang, President of Huawei Middle East maps out his vision 16 LET’S GET REAL There are challenges but also opportunities for real estate in the Middle East, according to Savills 18 PERFECTING THE PIVOT Gregor Amon of Hotel Data Cloud, shares his perspective on making nimble moves 20 DEFINING A VISION Aamer Sheikh, President at PepsiCo MENAP, on how purpose is illuminating the way during Covid-19 22 THE VALUE OF HUMAN LIFE History suggests the economy often wins, writes Peter C. Mancall, 24 SMART FARMING Smart Acres is the latest hydroponic farm to eye up the region 26 PROPERTY INSIGHT Knight Frank lend its expert view 27 CLOUD SECURITY The C-suite is increasingly recognising the importance of security 28 BUILDING THE FUTURE Haider Ali Khan, CEO at Bayut, tells CEO how tech is changing the real estate market 30 NEW NORMS Rethinking remote working boundaries for expats 32 THE COST OF NOT GOING DIGITAL Why businesses need to ride the wave of digital transformation to ensure their continuity 28 204 C EO M I D D L E E A S T JULY-AUGUST 2020 contents July-August 2020 0 Leadership 36 RED SEA RISING On Saudi Arabia’s west coast, an ambitious eco-tourism gigaproject is rising up 42 LEADERSHIP PROFILE: CHRIS SPELLER Chris Speller, Group Director for Cityscape, Informa Markets on challenges and his leadership style 44 LIFE ON THE EDGE Visionary entrepreneur and defence conglomerate leader Faisal Al Bannai transforms industries through his leadership 48 NEXT STEPS It is time to start thinking about next steps, says Saleh Abdullah Lootah, CEO, Lootah Real Estate Development 50 REAL TALK Future home buyers and renters will emerge as winners, even in this challenging market, writes Jassim Alseddiqi, CEO of Abu Dhabi Financial Group (ADFG) and Shuaa Capital 50 42 48 36 SUBMIT YOUR NOMINATIONS TODAY For sponsorship enquiries: Benjamin McGladdery | Sales Manager Tel: +971 4 444 3227 Email: benjamin.mcgladdery@itp.com Anthony Chandran | Table Sales Executive Tel: +971 4 444 3685 Email: anthony.chandran@itp.com #AVBAwards GOLD SPONSOR CATEGORY SPONSOR Daniel Fewtrell | Director of Awards & Marketing Tel: +971 4 444 3684 Email: daniel.fewtrell@itp.com For nomination enquiries: Joe Peskett | Editor Tel: +971 4 444 3305 Email: joseph.peskett@itp.com Advanced T r aining a member of KHANSAHEB INVESTMENT NEW CATEGORIES RELEASED Celebrating 14 years of acknowledging excellence within the aviation sector in the Middle East, Aviation Business is pleased to bring you the Aviation Business Awards 2020. The Awards this year will also recognise businesses and individuals that have shone through adversity during the Covid-19 crisis with the introduction of four new categories. For more information, visit www.aviationbusinessme.com/awards or contact one of our team today. For event enquiries:contents July-August 2020 52 6 C EO M I D D L E E A S T JULY-AUGUST 2020 54 58 Pleasure 52 AUTOMOTIVE AMBITION A marque renowned for its high- octane vehicles, RAM pick-ups offer the perfect antidote to feeling cooped up after lockdown. It’s time to reclaim the open road again. 54 WELCOME BACK? Is the hospitality and leisure industry ready to reopen? Leading experts share insights on their strategy 58 RISING UP TOGETHER When Natasha Hatherall-Shawe saw the challenges faced by SMEs during Covid-19, she launched a grassroots initiative by her company, Tish-Tash, that is taking Dubai by storm and has helped over 70 SMEs with their marketing and advertising For more information IF THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS IF ONLY there was a place that provided unparalleled access to the fast-growing Middle East, Africa and South Asia markets. IF ONLY there was a place with an internationally recognised legal and regulatory infrastructure. IF ONLY there was a place with an established ecosystem of over 24,000 professionals working across 2,200 top global companies. There is. DIFC. Set up your business in the region’s leading financial hub today. @difcdifc.aes much as the business world is swift to adopt buzzword trends, it’s probably no surprise to anyone that the ennui over the Covid-19 vocabulary is evident. Words such as ‘unprecedented’, ‘new normal’ and ‘lockdown’ have been said and heard too much in recent months, even as we scrabbled around to find the right words – the exact phrases – that would adequately identify and describe the world-changing series of events emerging from one of China’s biggest industrial cities that spread across the world like, well, like a highly infectious viral pandemic. Somehow, giving things a name gives us the feeling of understanding it, of having power or influence. Of course, naming the virus did not stop it and we are learning to live with the reality that it is here to stay, for now. Instead, we have turned for guidance to our leaders, doctors, scientists and the people running our industries and countries – even as we were collectively forced to turn inwards, thanks to months of semi-enforced isolation at home. Working from home became living at work and then, just like that, summer unfurled, the lockdown tapered and the electric sense of unreality began to ease. So, what happens now? In this edition, we look to answer that very question. What now? What next? We speak to leaders from myriad industries about their take on what happens next, with valuable insights and examples from the brightest and best in the region. It is our aim to continue to harness the wisdom of CEOs, leading entrepreneurs and thought leaders in the remaining editions of 2020, bringing actionable examples that offer insight and inspiration to business owners and executives in the Middle East and beyond. Real estate takes a front row in this edition, with titans from Knight Frank, Savills, Bayut and JLL shining a light on challenges and opportunities. During 2020, concepts such as being nimble in business have never been more apt, and we have wise words from SERCO CEO Phil Malem on this and the importance of staying true to your values, as well as opinion from travel industry and cloud tech experts on how to navigate the ‘new normal’. Finally, illustrating that even in tough times, human will and vision can remain indomitable, The Red Sea Development Company’s CEO John Pagano – our cover star this month – shares the gigaproject vision of Saudi Arabia, which is forging on ahead with an ambitious mandate to bring visitors to the kingdom while safeguarding its natural heritage for future generations. Enjoy the issue! WHAT MUST BUSINESS LEADERS DO TO PREPARE FOR THE INESCAPABLE REALITIES OF THE POST-COVID-19 WORLD? FROM THE EDITOR A Share your views on thought leadership and innovation by getting in touch. Q U ESTI O N S? CO M M E NTS? Jola.Chudy@itp.com JOLA CHUDY Editor in Chief ED IT OR ’S P OR TR AI T: O LI VE R @ P HO TO SO LU TI ON S. M E 8 C EO M I D D L E E A S T JULY-AUGUST 2020JULY-AUGUST 2020 C EO M I D D L E E A S T 9 To receive your copy delivered directly to your door, subscribe online at www.itp.net/subscriptions The most important business people and CEOs talk to the most important magazine The publishers regret that they cannot accept liability for error or omissions contained in this publication, however caused. The opinions and views contained in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers. Readers are advised to seek specialist advice before acting on information contained in this publication which is provided for general use and may not be appropriate for the reader’s particular circumstances. The ownership of trademarks is acknowledged. 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