Business https://icn.live/business/ Sat, 07 Nov 2026 12:33:49 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.4 https://icn.live/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/elementor/thumbs/ICN.live_-rk09kh8xreotp0pxokpjravhv8kjvxct274u79yxuw.png Business https://icn.live/business/ 32 32 DIFC https://icn.live/business/companies/profiles/dubai-international-financial-center-difc/ Sat, 07 Nov 2026 12:33:17 +0000 https://icn.live/?p=15970 DIFC is the leading international financial center in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia, located in Dubai, UAE, connecting businesses to global markets and opportunities.

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DIFC is the leading international financial center in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia, located in Dubai, UAE, connecting businesses to global markets and opportunities.

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Beast Industries and Mastercard launch co-branded cards for creators globally https://icn.live/business/beast-industries-and-mastercard-launch-co-brand-cards-for-creators-globally/ Thu, 05 Nov 2026 20:18:16 +0000 https://icn.live/?p=15916 Beast Industries and Mastercard have agreed to build a group of co-branded card programs aimed at digital creators and the younger consumers who follow them. The companies describe the work as a way to move people from watching content to owning businesses. Behind that language sits a commercial question worth examining. Who governs the money, […]

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Beast Industries and Mastercard have agreed to build a group of co-branded card programs aimed at digital creators and the younger consumers who follow them. The companies describe the work as a way to move people from watching content to owning businesses. Behind that language sits a commercial question worth examining. Who governs the money, and who answers for the terms.

The agreement covers consumer and creator cards, member experiences, business tools, and financial education. Mastercard brings its payments network, loyalty systems and digital capabilities. Beast Industries brings the audience built around Jimmy Donaldson, the YouTube creator known as MrBeast and the most-subscribed name on the platform. Both sides frame the deal as support for the creator economy rather than a single product.

A partnership built for the creator economy

Mastercard has spent recent years positioning itself inside the Mastercard creator economy conversation, where content, commerce and financial services increasingly overlap. The company has already issued debit products designed for creators, following moves by rival networks into the same segment. This agreement extends that push by pairing a payments giant with one of the largest creator brands in the world. On its most recent earnings call, Mastercard described the program as covering both consumer and small-business creator cards.

For Beast Industries, the logic runs the other way. The company has grown from a single channel into a business spanning media, consumer products, technology and financial services. Adding card programs gives it a direct line to how its audience earns, spends and saves. The reach, both companies argue, reflects how a younger generation finds ideas and builds on them.

What Beast Industries and Mastercard have not disclosed

The announcement is notable for what it leaves open. Beast Industries and Mastercard have not named the issuing bank, the markets where the cards will launch, or a launch date. For a co-brand card, those details decide almost everything a cardholder cares about.

A co-brand card involves three parties. The brand on the front supplies the audience and the perks. A network moves each payment. The issuing bank sets the interest rate, the fees and the credit terms, and it carries the risk. Until the issuer is named, the cost of the product stays unknown. The brand with its name on the card holds the least control over what a user pays.

Who issues the card decides who sets the terms

This is where the governance question becomes concrete. Marketing language around turning fans into founders describes an aspiration. The issuing agreement describes the obligations. A creator who signs up for a card wants to know the rate, the protection, and the recourse if something goes wrong, and none of that has been published.

Mastercard’s announcement ran on its United States newsroom. Co-brand programs often launch in one market and expand slowly. A card available only to creators in one country would leave out much of the global audience the partnership points to. The gap between the stated ambition and the disclosed detail is the part worth tracking.

From followers to founders

The partnership does carry a clear strategic idea. Creators today operate as founders. They hire teams, launch products, and sell to customers across borders. Mastercard and Beast Industries plan to combine the payments network with the creator ecosystem to help these businesses manage cash flow and grow.

Jill Kramer, Mastercard’s chief marketing and communications officer, said the next generation is shaping culture and building new forms of commerce at once, and framed the work as opening paths from influence to economic opportunity. Jeff Housenbold, chief executive of Beast Industries, said the deal gives the company a chance to help people gain practical skills and push ambitious ideas further.

The financial plumbing is already partly in place. Earlier in 2026, Beast Industries acquired Step, a United States fintech offering banking and financial-literacy tools to teens and young adults. Step runs through a partnership with a chartered bank and issues a card with no monthly fees to a user base reported in the millions. That purchase moved MrBeast financial services from idea to infrastructure, giving the group an existing product to build on. The Mastercard agreement adds network reach and loyalty tools on top of what the company already owns.

Education, philanthropy and the 2030 pledge

The third strand of the deal involves access and learning. Through the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth and Beast Philanthropy, the two organizations plan to widen creator economy financial education and community resources. The stated goal is practical information tied to everyday decisions about earning, saving, and protecting what people build.

That piece connects to a wider Mastercard commitment. The company has pledged to connect and protect 500 million people and small businesses on their path to financial health by 2030. Placing the Beast Industries deal under that umbrella ties it to a public target the company can be measured against. A pledge with a date attached invites accountability, which is the useful part for anyone watching.

Why governance sits at the center

Strip away the framing and the creator economy co-brand cards represent a bet on where commerce is heading. A payments network treating creators as a small-business segment worth its own program signals how seriously the industry now takes online work as a source of income. It also places a well-known brand between users and a regulated banking product, which raises the stakes on clear terms.

For the people the deal targets, the value will rest on specifics still to come. Which bank issues the card matters more than the celebrity on the front. Launch markets matter more than the Priceless experiences on offer. Financial education helps only if it reaches people before they sign, not after.

Beast Industries and Mastercard have set out an ambition and a timeline worth holding them to. The partnership between Jimmy Donaldson Beast Industries and one of the world’s largest payments networks could give creators better tools to run their businesses. Whether it delivers on the promise of ownership depends on terms that remain, for now, undisclosed. The story to follow is not the announcement. It is who ends up governing the product, and on whose terms.

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Why Customer Service Is Essential to Success at International Airports https://icn.live/business/why-customer-service-is-essential-to-success-at-international-airports/ Wed, 04 Nov 2026 21:22:25 +0000 https://icn.live/?p=13464 International airports are among the most complex operational environments in the world. Every day, thousands of passengers, employees and service providers interact across interconnected systems, processes and services. Yet passengers rarely judge an airport by the complexity of its operations. They remember how smoothly their journey unfolded, how they were treated and how effectively challenges […]

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International airports are among the most complex operational environments in the world. Every day, thousands of passengers, employees and service providers interact across interconnected systems, processes and services. Yet passengers rarely judge an airport by the complexity of its operations. They remember how smoothly their journey unfolded, how they were treated and how effectively challenges were resolved.

After more than 25 years in the aviation industry, I have learned that excellent customer service is not simply about responding to passenger requests. It is about anticipating needs, creating confidence, and ensuring that operational excellence translates into a positive experience.

In my role as Head of Operations & Customer Service at Munich Airport, I see this connection every day. From parking and mobility services to operational coordination, customer support and process improvement, each decision can influence how passengers experience the airport.

For me, customer service is therefore much more than an operational function. It is a strategic leadership responsibility that contributes to an airport’s reputation, competitiveness and long-term success.

“A strong service culture begins internally before it becomes visible externally.”

The Passenger Journey Begins Before the Terminal

For many passengers, the airport experience begins long before they enter the terminal. It starts with a simple decision: How do I get there? Where do I park? How much time should I allow?

These questions may seem straightforward, but their answers can shape how passengers feel about the beginning of their journey. Working in airport operations and customer service has taught me that parking is not simply about providing spaces for vehicles. It is about creating confidence. Passengers expect clear information, intuitive navigation, and a smooth transition from their arrival at the airport to the terminal.

A confusing sign, an unexpected queue, or unclear instructions can create stress before a passenger has even checked in. Equally, a well-organized arrival can help travelers begin their journey feeling relaxed and in control. This is why parking, road access, traffic management, wayfinding, and customer support should never be viewed as isolated services.

They are interconnected elements of the same customer journey. From a management perspective, the challenge is to understand how these elements influence one another. Improving a single process may solve an operational problem, but it does not necessarily improve the overall passenger experience.

Successful airport management requires looking beyond departmental boundaries and understanding the journey from the customer’s perspective.

Operational Excellence Must Create Customer Value

Operational efficiency and customer satisfaction are sometimes treated as separate priorities. In my experience, they are closely connected. Reliable processes, effective coordination, and clear responsibilities create the foundation for positive customer experiences.

However, operational excellence should never be measured solely by how efficiently internal systems perform. The more important question is whether those systems create tangible value for the people using them. A technically efficient parking system that passengers struggle to understand is not necessarily a successful customer solution.

Similarly, a well-designed process can lose its effectiveness when communication between operational teams is insufficient. This is particularly important in a 24-hour airport environment, where changing demand, unexpected disruptions, and technical challenges require continuous operational readiness. Good operations should make complex processes feel effortless.

When passengers can navigate an airport without unnecessary uncertainty, delays, or confusion, operational excellence becomes visible through their experience.

For airport leaders, this requires aligning service quality, operational performance, and continuous improvement around a shared objective: making the customer journey easier, more reliable, and more predictable.

“Good operations should make complex processes feel effortless for every passenger.”

Leadership Begins with People

Technology, infrastructure, and processes are essential components of modern airports. But people remain the foundation of outstanding customer service. Employees are often the first to recognize operational weaknesses, changing customer expectations, or opportunities for improvement.

They deal with everyday challenges that may not immediately appear in performance reports or management dashboards. Listening to their experience can reveal small but meaningful improvements. Sometimes the solution is not a major infrastructure investment or a new digital platform. It may be clearer signage, better communication, a simplified procedure, or more effective coordination between teams.

Throughout my leadership career, I have learned that motivated and empowered employees are essential to operational success. People need clear responsibilities, appropriate training, and the confidence to make decisions within their areas of responsibility.

They also need leaders who listen, encourage cooperation, and create an environment based on trust and accountability. For me, leadership is not simply about managing performance indicators. It is about developing people, strengthening collaboration, and creating a culture in which everyone understands their contribution to the customer experience.

In international airport environments, this also requires cultural awareness, adaptability and respect for different perspectives. A strong service culture begins internally before it becomes visible externally.

Digital Transformation Must Solve Real Problems

Digitalization is transforming the aviation industry and changing how customers interact with airports. Digital parking reservations, license plate recognition, automated payment systems, real-time information, and data-driven operational management offer significant opportunities to improve efficiency and convenience.

Yet technology alone does not guarantee a better customer experience. The real question is whether it makes the journey easier. Does it reduce uncertainty? Does it simplify processes? Does it improve accessibility? Does it help operational teams respond more effectively when conditions change?

Technology must address genuine customer needs while remaining practical for employees and understandable for passengers. Operational data can support better planning, identify recurring problems, and help teams prepare for periods of high demand.

However, data becomes valuable only when organizations translate insights into meaningful decisions and measurable improvements. I believe the most successful digital transformation initiatives bring together operational expertise, customer understanding, and technological innovation.

Digitalization should not replace the human dimension of service. It should strengthen our ability to deliver it.

Customer Experience Is a Strategic Business Responsibility

Customer satisfaction is often measured through surveys, complaints, or response times. These indicators are valuable, but they tell only part of the story. The true strategic importance of customer experience lies in its contribution to trust, reputation, and long-term competitiveness.

Passengers experience the airport as one connected environment. They do not distinguish between internal departments, operational responsibilities, or individual service providers.

That creates an important leadership challenge. Airport organizations must move beyond isolated operational objectives and develop a shared understanding of customer expectations.

Customer experience must become part of strategic planning, infrastructure development, mobility management, digital transformation, and employee development. This does not mean every airport should adopt the same approach.

Every location has its own infrastructure, passenger mix, organizational structures, and operational challenges. There is no universal model that works everywhere. What can be shared, however, is a common mindset: start with the customer, understand the operation, and develop solutions that work in practice.

For me, this is the essence of sustainable service excellence.

The Future of Airports Is Connected and Human-Centered

Looking ahead, I believe successful airports will increasingly be defined by their ability to integrate people, technology and operational processes into one coherent customer experience.

Artificial intelligence, automation, connected mobility services and real-time operational information will continue to create new opportunities. However, the future of customer experience cannot be built on technological progress alone. It requires effective leadership, organizational cooperation and the ability to understand changing customer expectations.

My experience working in multicultural environments has reinforced my belief that successful leadership also depends on cultural awareness and the ability to connect people across different backgrounds. This conviction extends beyond my airport responsibilities to my engagement as Vice President of the Bavarian-Arab Society, where international dialogue, cooperation, and mutual understanding are central priorities.

Whether managing complex airport operations or building international partnerships, sustainable success depends on trust and shared responsibility. Ultimately, the purpose of airport customer service is not simply to resolve problems when they occur. It is to create an environment in which passengers feel informed, supported, and confident throughout their journey.

Operational excellence keeps an airport running. Exceptional leadership and customer experience turn it into a place people trust. And when everything works together, passengers may hardly notice the complexity behind their journey. But they will remember how it made them feel.

Because airports do more than connect destinations. They connect people, cultures, and opportunities.

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How AI-powered shopping in the UAE could change the way you buy online https://icn.live/business/trade/uae-trade/how-ai-powered-shopping-in-the-uae/ Sun, 01 Nov 2026 00:54:19 +0000 https://icn.live/?p=15672 AI-powered shopping in the UAE is moving faster than the stores meant to serve it. New figures from Visa show most shoppers here are willing to hand real buying power to software, while most retailers are not yet built to accept it. Think of an AI agent as a personal buyer with your bank card. […]

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AI-powered shopping in the UAE is moving faster than the stores meant to serve it. New figures from Visa show most shoppers here are willing to hand real buying power to software, while most retailers are not yet built to accept it.

Think of an AI agent as a personal buyer with your bank card. You set the rules; it does the clicking. The research found 82 per cent of UAE shoppers surveyed would let one make a purchase on its own, as long as they could cap how much it spends. That single condition, a spending limit, is what earns their trust.

The numbers behind the shift

The study, called the 2026 Global Digital Shopping Index, was commissioned by Visa Acceptance Solutions and produced by PYMNTS Intelligence. It surveyed both shoppers and merchants, then set the UAE beside Brazil and the United States.

UAE shoppers came out ahead on almost every measure of activity. Around 72 per cent of them used AI somewhere in their most recent purchase. That compares with 53 per cent in Brazil and 46 per cent in the United States. They also logged the most digital shopping moments of the three markets, about 2.3 a day. That pace puts the country at the front for sheer shopping activity.

One distinction matters more than the rest. Using AI to shop is not the same as letting it buy. Reading reviews, comparing prices, asking a chatbot for ideas, all of that is research. Handing over the card to finish the order is a bigger move. People take that step far more readily when they keep control of the budget, which is why autonomous purchases cluster around the promise of a spending cap.

Why retailers are falling behind

Demand is one side of the story. Merchant readiness is the other, and it is the weak point in AI-powered shopping in the UAE right now.

Only 19 per cent of UAE merchants surveyed hold structured product data that an AI agent can read. Without it, an agent cannot reliably see what a store stocks, at what price, in what size. A shelf a person can scan in seconds stays invisible to a machine that needs clean, labelled information.

The blind spot runs deeper. Only 31 per cent of merchants can even tell when a sale came through an AI platform. If a store cannot see the channel, it cannot plan around it. The result is a market where buyers are sprinting and many sellers have not laced up.

Retailers are not shrugging off the trend. Nearly three-quarters, 74 per cent, expect AI agents to drive at least 5 per cent of their sales within two years. A smaller group, 42 per cent, expect those agents to bring in 16 per cent or more. The ambition sits well ahead of the infrastructure.

AI-powered shopping in the UAE still runs on trust

Control is the real currency here. Shoppers will delegate the work, but only on their own terms.

The spending cap is the clearest sign of that. Permission over personal data is another. Asked how they would share shopping and payment details with an agent, most shoppers chose case-by-case consent over open-ended access. They want to approve each time, not once and forever.

Payment choice still pulls weight as well. A notable 86 per cent of UAE shoppers said a retailer accepting their preferred payment method shapes where they shop, the highest share across the three markets. Even when an agent does the buying, the wallet behind it counts. Strip away the control and the comfort goes with it.

The clock is short. About 71 per cent of shoppers expect to use an AI shopping agent within two years. For a store that has not started preparing, that leaves almost no runway. This is the pressure now shaping AI-powered shopping in the UAE, and it falls hardest on merchants.

What merchants need to do next

Mario Makary, UAE Country Manager at Visa, described the task as closing the distance between what shoppers want and what stores can deliver. He said UAE consumers are ready for the next stage of agentic commerce, and that merchants increasingly recognise the growth in it. The job now, as he put it, is readiness.

In practice that means three things. The first is structured product data, so an agent can read a catalogue without guesswork. The second is authenticated and tokenised payment acceptance, so money moves securely without exposing raw card numbers. The third is a set of controls that let shoppers decide how an agent reaches their data and spends their money.

Makary said Visa wants to help stores support secure, authenticated payments while keeping shoppers in charge of how, when and where their money moves.

The message for UAE retailers reads clearly in the data. Shoppers have already made peace with agents at the checkout. The stores that give those agents clean product data, safe payment rails, and visible spending limits will be the ones the agents keep coming back to. The rest risk being skipped by a buyer they never see.

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FHS World 2027 to gather 1,200 hospitality investors in Ras Al Khaimah https://icn.live/business/fhs-world-2027-to-gather-1200-hospitality-investors-in-ras-al-khaimah/ Fri, 30 Oct 2026 07:42:04 +0000 https://icn.live/?p=15621 FHS World 2027 is coming back to Ras Al Khaimah, and the venue tells you where this Emirate thinks its hospitality story is going. The summit will run at Wynn Al Marjan Island in November next year, inside a resort that opens weeks earlier. If you track where hospitality capital moves, this is a date […]

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FHS World 2027 is coming back to Ras Al Khaimah, and the venue tells you where this Emirate thinks its hospitality story is going. The summit will run at Wynn Al Marjan Island in November next year, inside a resort that opens weeks earlier. If you track where hospitality capital moves, this is a date to hold.

The return is a joint effort between the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, master developer Marjan, and The Bench, the company behind the event. It builds on a relationship that goes back years. Ras Al Khaimah hosted the show in 2018 and 2019, back when it carried the name Arabian Hotel Investment Conference.

What FHS World 2027 brings in numbers

Organisers expect around 1,200 delegates. That count includes roughly 250 investors and 200 speakers drawn from more than 60 countries. For context, this year’s edition pulled 1,000 delegates, so 2027 is planned as a step up. The event sits in the UAE as the Future Hospitality Summit, a brand that has grown from a regional gathering into a global meeting point for people who fund hotels.

Ras Al Khaimah hospitality investment has a clear pitch here. Delegates will not only talk about the Emirate, but they will also stand inside its newest asset while the paint is barely dry. Investors like to see a property working, and here they get it close to new. Wynn Al Marjan Island is set to open in September 2027, which puts the summit in its opening weeks. That timing is the point.

Why Wynn Al Marjan Island matters

Max Tappeiner, President of Wynn Al Marjan Island, calls it “the region’s first truly integrated resort.” The property brings rooms, dining, entertainment, retail and leisure under one roof, a format the UAE has not had before. Alison Grinnell, Group COO of Marjan and CEO of Marjan Hospitality, framed the resort as something built to change the conversation about what Ras Al Khaimah can hold.

Phillipa Harrison, who leads the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, put the logic plainly. Wynn Al Marjan Island is one piece of a wider growth plan, and the people who run a hospitality investment summit are the audience she wants to show it to. Jonathan Worsley, Chairman of The Bench, pointed to two strong past editions as the reason for coming back.

Where delegates will meet

The main sessions sit in Wynn Al Marjan Island’s Celebrations and Events Center. It runs to 7,708 square metres, anchored by a column-free ballroom of 2,633 square metres. Around the conference, organisers plan experiences across the Emirate: Jebel Jais, the UAE’s highest peak, plus the desert and the coastline. The idea is to let the destination sell itself.

The agenda for FHS World 2027 stretches wider than room deals. Sessions will cover destination development, wellness and medical tourism, branding, sustainability, technology and AI, branded residences, and restaurant investment. For a backer weighing a cheque, that mix is where the returns now sit. That spread tells you how the sector now thinks about growth. Hotels are one line on a much longer page.

My read on the move

Here is my take. Putting a hospitality investment summit inside a brand-new integrated resort is a confidence play, and Ras Al Khaimah is making it on purpose. Dubai has hosted the Future Hospitality Summit most years. Pulling the 2027 edition north, into Wynn’s opening window, says the Emirate wants investors forming their opinion on site, not from a slide deck.

Ras Al Khaimah hospitality investment is no longer a side story in the UAE. The Wynn project has already pulled money and attention toward Al Marjan Island, and FHS World 2027 gives that momentum a stage. Watch who shows up. In this business, the guest list is the signal, and the people who decide where hospitality capital goes next will be in the room.

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French creative agency R2 is now in the UAE through a new TTE partnership https://icn.live/business/services/advisory/french-creative-agency-r2-is-now-in-the-uae/ Wed, 28 Oct 2026 18:41:36 +0000 https://icn.live/?p=15547 French creative agency R2 is now in the UAE, after agreeing to a partnership with TTE, a Dubai-based business advisory firm with more than 30 years in the region. The deal was announced on October 27 and places R2 in Dubai. It also opens a route into Saudi Arabia and Egypt through TTE’s offices. The […]

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French creative agency R2 is now in the UAE, after agreeing to a partnership with TTE, a Dubai-based business advisory firm with more than 30 years in the region. The deal was announced on October 27 and places R2 in Dubai. It also opens a route into Saudi Arabia and Egypt through TTE’s offices. The Consul General of France in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, H.E. Jean Christophe Paris, attended the announcement.

TTE already supports companies on market entry, business development, corporate services, compliance and talent. It will now run a fifth business unit for digital marketing and branding. The new unit is called LAUNCH. It sits beside four existing ones, known as ENGAGE, ESTABLISH, OPERATE and BUILD.

TTE

A creative agency Dubai clients can reach through one partner

Through the new unit, TTE clients gain access to R2’s brand, creative and digital work. The two firms will cover positioning, corporate identity, communications strategy, advertising, content, digital platforms and social media. TTE brings knowledge of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the wider region. R2 brings teams that have delivered brand and digital projects in several countries.

Richard Rohou, CEO of R2:

“We have always believed that great creative work should travel, but entering a new market requires more than exporting ideas. It requires trust, local understanding and the right people on  the ground.”

“This partnership is a genuine two-way commitment. TTE gives R2 a platform to develop in Dubai and, through its regional presence, in Saudi Arabia and Egypt. In return, we bring the strategic and creative expertise that helps companies turn business ambition into strong, distinctive brands.”

“Our shared goal is to build a long-term offering that creates new opportunities for both our businesses and, above all, delivers real value to the clients we serve.”

Why French creative agency R2 is now in the UAE

International work has long been part of R2’s plan. The agency has built brand, strategy and digital projects for global clients, and the region is its next step. The move means R2 enters with a local partner rather than on its own. TTE provides the relationships and reach to support that step. For TTE, the tie-up extends what it can offer clients weighing UAE market entry.

A branding agency Dubai businesses can use across three markets

TTE runs operations in Dubai, Riyadh and Cairo. R2 adds brand positioning, advertising, content production, social media and digital experiences. Hassan Al Redha, Founder and Partner at TTE, said the business has always rested on long-term relationships and a close reading of the region. He described the new business unit as “an important extension of our capabilities.”

Hassan Al Redha, Founder and Partner at TTE:

“Our business has always been built on long-term relationships and a deep understanding of the region. This partnership strengthens what we can offer clients at every stage of their development.  We see this new business unit as an important extension of our capabilities.”

What it means that a French creative agency is in the UAE

Search, digital platforms and AI are changing how companies get found and judged. Clear branding and steady communication matter more as a result. The two firms say they will help clients build visibility, credibility and a clear difference from rivals.

For companies planning business expansion in the Middle East, the combined offer links commercial planning with brand delivery. R2 carries international credentials, named Brand Content Agency of the Year in France in 2024 and 2018, and Digital Agency of the Year in 2023. A digital marketing agency UAE capability now sits inside TTE’s own structure rather than through an outside referral. French creative agency R2 is now in the UAE as a standing part of that offer.

About TTE

TTE is a Middle East-based business advisory and growth partner with more than 30 years of regional experience and operations in Dubai, Riyadh and Cairo. Its five business units (ENGAGE,  ESTABLISH, OPERATE, BUILD and LAUNCH) support businesses across market entry,  operations, talent, growth, branding and digital marketing.

About R2

R2 is an independent, award-winning European strategy, creative and digital agency with an international footprint. Combining strategic thinking, storytelling and production capabilities, R2  partners with leading brands to develop distinctive brand platforms, campaigns, content and digital experiences across markets. Recognised as Brand Content Agency of the Year in France in 2024  and 2018, and Digital Agency of the Year in 2023, R2 continues its international expansion through its strategic partnership with TTE in the Middle East.

Special thanks to our media partner, Business France.

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LMD launches Christian A. Rockefeller Business Tower, bringing ‘hotelification’ to Sheikh Zayed Road https://icn.live/business/christian-a-rockefeller-business-tower/ Fri, 23 Oct 2026 09:23:53 +0000 https://icn.live/?p=15281 Christian A. Rockefeller Business Tower is the name behind LMD’s newest Dubai project, a Grade-A development that will become the city’s tallest commercial tower once it opens. The building rises 400 metres across 87 storeys on Sheikh Zayed Road. LMD, a global developer with projects across Europe, Egypt and the UAE, is building it in […]

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Christian A. Rockefeller Business Tower is the name behind LMD’s newest Dubai project, a Grade-A development that will become the city’s tallest commercial tower once it opens. The building rises 400 metres across 87 storeys on Sheikh Zayed Road. LMD, a global developer with projects across Europe, Egypt and the UAE, is building it in partnership with Christian A. Rockefeller, a sixth-generation descendant of the Rockefeller family. The project marks the first real estate building to carry his brand anywhere in the world.

What the launch covers

LMD announced the launch on 22 October 2026. Devmark leads sales and marketing, and Iconique Living Group (ILG) represents Christian A. Rockefeller worldwide. The tower is now on sale, with completion scheduled for the second quarter of 2031. Buyers can view the development at a sales centre on the 27th floor of Anantara Business Tower in Business Bay.

The design idea driving the project is what LMD calls the hotelification of office space. The approach borrows from hospitality, so an office address works more like a hotel. Tenants get wellness facilities, dining, meeting spaces and corporate hospitality inside the same building. Hamad Al Abbar, Managing Partner of LMD UAE, said the ambition is to give businesses more from their commercial address, combining offices with wellness, dining and meeting spaces. He linked the idea to LMD’s record of hospitality-led destinations across Europe, Egypt and the UAE.

A tower built around the business day

The design follows a full working day. Someone can train early before a first meeting, grab coffee with colleagues, then step away from the desk later on. Companies can use shared facilities through the day and host guests for evening events. That reach beyond a single floor is the point of the hotelification of office space, and it shapes how the amenities are laid out.

Five floors are given over to amenities, and two of those focus on wellness. A triple-height lobby built around an artwork and water feature greets staff and visitors. Retail sits across the ground and first podium levels. Cafés and dining fill the second podium level, giving people places for a morning coffee or a short break between appointments.

The spa holds private treatment rooms, sauna and steam facilities, ice rooms, changing areas and a relaxation lounge. Outside, an infinity pool, padel court, meditation area and sensory walk extend the space, along with cabanas and shaded seating. The fitness hub carries cardio, strength and functional training areas, free weights and a studio for Pilates, yoga, spin and martial arts. A juice bar and terrace round it out.

Grade A office space Dubai buyers can choose from

The office space for sale on Sheikh Zayed Road here is split into four collections: Prime, Elite, Executive and Presidential. Layouts run from single units to half-floor and full-floor plates. Prime offices start from about 1,077 sq ft, Elite from 2,294 sq ft, and Executive from 5,888 sq ft. The Presidential collection takes full floors between Levels 71 and 80, starting from about 11,541 sq ft, with private terraces.

This is Grade A office space Dubai companies can buy rather than only lease, which widens the pool to owner-occupiers and investors. Sean McCauley, CEO of Devmark, called the result a proposition the firm believes is unmatched in any Dubai business district, pointing to the location between two metro stations, the five amenity floors and the range of office sizes.

Views change by floor and direction. Some look towards Burj Khalifa and Downtown Dubai, others across Business Bay or along Sheikh Zayed Road towards the Arabian Gulf. The building will run 23 elevators, including high-speed double-decker lifts, plus more than 1,100 parking spaces.

Why the Christian A. Rockefeller Tower sits where it does

The Christian A. Rockefeller Tower stands between the Business Bay and Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall metro stations. That places it within reach of Downtown Dubai, DIFC and Business Bay. Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall are about five minutes away by road. Dubai International Airport is roughly 20 minutes out.

At Level 87, a sky business centre gathers lounges, two meeting rooms, two podcast rooms, quiet pods and a ballroom. An Observatory pool and outdoor terrace sit alongside, available as part of booked event space. The common-area interiors come from Bahrain-based International Design Associates, drawing on Art Deco, Manhattan loft character and contemporary New York.

Christian A. Rockefeller said he was deliberate about when and where to launch his brand, adding that a global debut is about readiness rather than visibility. He said Dubai is a city where investors understand long-term value and architectural discipline. As the city’s tallest commercial tower upon completion, the project ties the Rockefeller name to a long record of American enterprise and urban development, now framed as stewardship rather than inheritance.

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etisalat https://icn.live/business/companies/profiles/etisalat/ Wed, 21 Oct 2026 23:25:39 +0000 https://icn.live/?p=15141 Etisalat is a leading UAE telecommunications and technology company, delivering connectivity, digital services, and smart solutions to consumers, businesses, and governments.

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Etisalat is a leading UAE telecommunications and technology company, delivering connectivity, digital services, and smart solutions to consumers, businesses, and governments.

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Open AI https://icn.live/business/companies/profiles/open-ai/ Mon, 19 Oct 2026 23:21:04 +0000 https://icn.live/?p=15072 OpenAI is an artificial intelligence research and technology company developing advanced AI systems, including ChatGPT, to help people solve problems and enhance productivity.

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OpenAI is an artificial intelligence research and technology company developing advanced AI systems, including ChatGPT, to help people solve problems and enhance productivity.

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SpaceX https://icn.live/business/companies/profiles/spacex/ Mon, 19 Oct 2026 21:35:10 +0000 https://icn.live/?p=15067 SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not.

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SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not.

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