Industry Leaders Explore Resilience and Sustainable Growth at The Briefing with Arabian Business

Dewan CEO Ammar Al Assam joins the discussion on navigating key challenges facing the construction sector across the region

Dewan Architects + Engineers participated in The Briefing with Arabian Business at JW Marriott Marquis Dubai, joining senior business leaders for a wider conversation on resilience, recovery and the strategies shaping the Gulf’s next phase of growth. The invitation-only forum brought together executives, policymakers, founders and industry leaders from across sectors including real estate, construction, investment, tourism, hospitality, logistics and infrastructure. Discussions throughout the event focused on how businesses across the GCC are responding to geopolitical uncertainty, shifting market conditions, supply chain disruption and rising costs while continuing to pursue long-term growth.

Among the wider programme, H.E. Badr Jafar, UAE Special Envoy for Business & Philanthropy, delivered an opening keynote addressing the foundations of the UAE’s resilience and the importance of long-term strategic thinking. Other sessions brought together senior figures including John Hadden, CEO of Alshaya Group; Lewis Allsopp, Founder of Allsopp & Allsopp; Gabriel Sémelas, President Africa and Middle East at Airbus; Vijay Valecha, CIO at Century Financial; Sameer Abdi, Partner and Head of Advisory at Grant Thornton; and Scott Livermore, Chief Economist at Oxford Economics. Representing Dewan Architects + Engineers, CEO Ammar Al Assam joined Dr. Mohammad Baydoun, Senior Vice President at DAMAC Properties; Salam I. Ilayyan, Regional Director at AtkinsRéalis; and Thomas Spannring, Group CFO at EtihadWE for a discussion focused on how the Gulf’s construction and development sector can sustain momentum amid rising costs, supply chain pressures and global uncertainty.

A central theme of the conversation was the changing definition of resilience within the built environment. Against a backdrop of increasingly complex market conditions, the panel explored how organisations can build greater flexibility into their operations and make informed decisions without slowing the momentum of project delivery. The discussion highlighted that resilience is no longer simply about managing or mitigating risk. Increasingly, it requires organisations to anticipate change, adapt quickly to evolving circumstances and establish the processes and partnerships needed to keep complex projects moving forward.

For architecture, engineering and construction businesses, this adaptability is particularly important as the Gulf continues to experience significant development activity across multiple sectors and markets. Balancing ambitious growth with commercial realities requires collaboration between developers, consultants, contractors and other stakeholders throughout the project lifecycle. The discussion reinforced the importance of agility, collaboration and informed decision-making as the Gulf’s construction sector navigates continued growth alongside increasingly complex market conditions.