Page 295 - Aamir Rehman - Dubai & Co Global Strategies for Doing Business in the Gulf States-McGraw-Hill (2007)

Enabled Organization: Setting Up for Success 277

Gulf states. Dubai’s late ruler Sheikh Rashid invested in ports and
shipping infrastructure long ago and set forth the vision for the mas-
sive Jebel Ali Free Zone from which Dubai’s infrastructure excellence
stems. His successors have extended the infrastructure vision with
free zones dedicated to knowledge economy sectors such as media,
the Internet, financial services, and health care. Finding flights in and
out of Dubai for business meetings has become, thanks to Emirates
Airlines and the airport’s “open skies” policy, extremely easy. Other
emirates, and other GCC states, have adopted similar strategies, but
Dubai enjoys a strong first-mover advantage. Dubai’s neighbors,
even those that permit alcohol and do not require conservative dress,
have not gone nearly to the lengths Dubai has in terms of nightlife
and “party” culture.
Table 10.1 lists a handful of prominent global companies that
have chosen to place a regional head office in Dubai. The companies
span heavy industry, such as GE and GM; consumer goods firms
like Pepsi; and services firms like McKinsey & Co.

TABLE 10.1
Leading Companies with Regional Head Offices in Dubai 4

Non-GCC Markets
Sector Company Reporting through Dubai
Industry Halliburton All—Dubai is one of two global
headquarters
GE Egypt, Kenya, South Africa, Jordan,
Lebanon
GM Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen
Canon Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Yemen, Libya,
French-speaking Africa—22 countries
Consumer Goods Pepsi Levant, North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa
Unilever Yemen (Saudi Arabia excluded)
Beiersdorf 16 countries
Carrefour Egypt
Services McKinsey & Co. None
IBM Jordan, Lebanon, Palestinian Territories,
Yemen
Clifford Chance None
Reuters 23 countries