The 2021 Middle East Family Enterprise Survey report provides insight from prominent family groups across the region. It explores how family enterprises are planning and prioritising transformation across their business, the family itself and their wealth. The respondents are based in the Middle East and operate and invest in businesses across a range of sectors, geographies, and in their private capacity both regionally and internationally.
Overall, the family enterprise landscape reflects incredibly high levels of activity and planning across the spectrum. 38% of the respondents said that they have
already finalised a transformation plan and are executing on it, whilst 59% of
the respondents are currently designing and discussing their transformation
strategies.
Two areas emerged as critical importance, both vying and competing for investment: digitisation and people. Continued investment into digitisation and people has become paramount and key pillars within transformation journeys, as 21% of respondents are allocating more than 20% of their budget into digitisation over the coming years.
Survey respondents also pointed to resources being allocated to strategic M&A
both regionally and internationally, while existing portfolios are increasingly
being repositioned, and in many instances simplified, to align to their updated
strategic direction.
With the magnitude of planning and execution of transformation underway, it is evident that the family enterprise landscape in the region has begun a new period of rapid evolution.
If you would like to discuss the findings in more detail, please reach out to our dedicated team: