This went very well, and Ewan commented “We were delighted to have the opportunity to take part in this SCDI event.”

Mark Rushton, International Development Director commented, ‘’We are really excited in the potential of having a legally registered base in Abu Dhabi.  We can now concentrate on continuing to build-up on the relationships with the many local and international companies we have links into already.  It was also fantastic great being able to use the services of Frank Henderson at Native / MEBC through a personal referral, as with his local UAE experience he was able to assist us in many ways during the process relating to the formation of STC Global, Abu Dhabi.  Additionally, we also feel that the Marketing services provided locally by Native Dubai will be very useful moving forward’’

Frank Henderson, MEBC Middle East Representative, commented on this exciting MEBC development,  ‘’Due to the nature of the overall approach to doing business in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, this prime situation office facility, combined with the opportunity to work with and under the umbrella sponsorship of this particular well-respected Abu Dhabi family is a great step forward for those companies who are new to market or are looking at greater market penetration in the Emirate’’  Frank intends to make contact over the next few week with prospective MEBC member companies who have been recently expressing interest in the ever-buoyant commercial arena of Abu Dhabi.

Frank, who never misses a photo opportunity and Ewan discussing the next MEBC client meeting

It is planned this will be an on-going positioning where we continually link potential members into an appropriate Middle East market, this enables us to follow-up on specific market research, local knowledge and general awareness through on-going contacts in the region by our Middle East Economic Development Team.

Frank commented that “It is great to see so many Scottish businesses from such a broad-spectrum of sectors showing the continued desire to focus on this market thus addressing the huge potential for commerce and trade ex Scotland in the Middle East. Being based in Dubai, an area that has seen both boom and consolidation over the past year, I am acutely aware of how critical it is to approach the market with the correct business model and just as importantly, via a fit-for-purpose sponsorship channel to avoid lead-in times that will throw-up early, potentially challenging cash flows’’ Frank also stated that at present the markets of Qatar and Abu Dhabi presented great opportunities for all sectors.

Find out more here.

A special thank you goes to our guest speakers Council Leader Jenny Dawe from the City of Edinburgh Council, as well as Iain Stirling, Chief Executive Officer of Native”

The Middle East Business Club was formed to provide a business mentoring and introduction avenue for companies who wished to explore being commercially active or having a presence in that region.

Click Here for Regional & Sector Profiles

Click Here for Iain Stirling, CEO of The Native Agency’s, presentation