GHD is celebrating two decades in the Middle East and its role in the region’s formative years of extraordinary growth.
With 2021 drawing to a close the global professional services company says it is ready to partner the UAE and neighbouring nations in an emerging era of challenges and opportunities in its capacity as a leader in energy transition, environmental solutions, transport, and digitisation of the built environment.
GHD itself represents an impressive growth story - established in 1928 and still “wholly owned by our people”, it now operates 200 offices across five continents, staffed by more than 10,000 skilled and diverse individuals.
When clients call, GHD leverages knowledge and reputation acquired during almost 100 years across the globe.
More recently, for example, the company has emerged as a hydrogen expert, providing leading advisors in energy transition.
Evidence suggests the Middle East could be at the heart of the hydrogen revolution, according to GHD, which highlights its role alongside the potential of GCC nations as leading exporters.
Panos Bafis, business group leader for Future Energy and hydrogen for the Middle East, says hydrogen has moved on in 20 years to become “part of the solution” on all continents.
And he confirms GHD is working on ground-breaking hydrogen studies and pilot projects around the world.
Future Energy is, GHD says, the company’s commitment to the energy transition.
“A promise to bring everything we have - interdisciplinary industry experts, global perspectives and diverse experience - to this urgent need for change and to support communities, corporates and whole countries on their mission to net zero.
“We partner with private and public sector clients to deliver services across the value chain, from origination to delivery, to contribute to a thriving clean energy future based on our deep technical and regulatory knowledge of the industry.
“Energy consumption and economic growth are inextricably linked. As our world grapples with population growth and the challenge of reaching net zero, while simultaneously recovering from the economic shockwaves of the pandemic, a great deal of work lies ahead.
“Be it our economy, our communities or our environment, the long-term success of our world depends on the transition to greener energy sources.”
Estimates suggest that by 2050 green hydrogen exports alone could generate as many as one million jobs and as much as $200 billion for the region, signifying a prosperous future.
As a new vision for the future of the Middle East emerges through bold initiatives such as the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030 and Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, regional states are moving forward on their post-oil strategies.
“Our approach has changed a lot in recent years … GHD recognises and understands the world is constantly changing,” says the company.
“With our focus now on advisory, environmental and digital solutions across the built environment, we help our clients move in the direction they want, and need, to go.”
In that respect, the company is establishing its place as a market leader when it comes to “the debate around the future of the Middle Eastern region through the energy transition, digitisation of our world and building more people-centric built environment”.
With a myriad of past successes spanning cutting edge digital training and energy infrastructure security to pipeline optimisation and waste disposal management solutions, GHD says: “Above all, we will continue to be a part of building adaptive, agile spaces and help shape a region that people want to come back to again and again.”
This commitment comes at a time when the spotlight is shining arguably brighter than ever on this portion of the planet.
Expo Dubai 2020 is making international headlines as its draws millions of inspired visitors to the city, in the year the UAE has celebrated its own milestone; 50 years since formation, accompanied by its own pledges for far-reaching energy transition.
GHD has expertise across several verticals, including geosciences, project management, digital, transportation, water, buildings and environment.
Crucially, for this region, future energy and energy and resources also feature strongly in its specialities segments.
“With considerable experience in delivering landmark energy and resources projects, GHD offers a broad range of services to the sector, through our globally connected network,” it says.
“From feasibility to performance optimisation, expansion of existing operations, development of new greenfield projects or closure of assets, GHD can assist clients to achieve their desired outcomes.”
GHD also states that the “global energy order is changing”, which is why its Future Energy division identifies future fuels such as hydrogen as a path forward - and factors such as affordability, accessibility, as well as sustainability, key to any energy system design.
“The global energy transition is not just a transformation of energy systems … it’s a transformation of communities and economies,” says the firm.
“We’ve reached an important tipping point in this journey with many industries making bold decisions to enable swift changes.”
GHD suggests that advancements in future fuels like hydrogen possess the promise to decarbonise other high energy-consuming areas such as transportation, heavy industry and heating.
This, in turn, presents an exciting opportunity to design and build sustainable and resilient communities, while working together to reduce climate change impacts.
“We are committed to solving the world’s biggest challenges in the areas of water, energy and urbanisation,” says GHD, which it leads through engineering, construction and architectural expertise.
“Our forward-looking, innovative approaches connect and sustain communities around the world.
“Delivering extraordinary social and economic outcomes, we are focused on building lasting relationships with our partners and clients.”
As everyone begins to value their communities and the environment around them ever more, climate change is increasingly part of the regional conversation - and action.
An energy ecosystem that has experienced incredible oil and gas power growth is now able to turn its expertise towards a renewable energy market headlined by solar or hydrogen - as UAE accomplishments with both have already proven.
And that could signal huge rewards for GCC nations as the world’s largest oil and gas players transform businesses to achieve a low-carbon future across production and supply chains - all the while applying the learnings of a long-established sector that continues to be receptive to new technologies.
With many regional states already boasting long established energy economies with the necessary supply chains and skilled workforces - and visionary leadership that recognises potential to reshape the planet’s energy landscape - potential could translate potently to influence the next 20 years of economic growth.
GHD has already played a defining role in the Middle Eastern growth story so far, across the past two decades.
And, it says, it is ready to deliver on the next thrilling chapters as key state-led initiatives for a post-oil future are felt.
“We can’t wait to see what the next 20 years has in store,” adds the company.
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
CABINET%20OF%20CURIOSITIES%20EPISODE%201%3A%20LOT%2036
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Asia Cup Qualifier
Venue: Kuala Lumpur
Result: Winners play at Asia Cup in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in September
Fixtures:
Wed Aug 29: Malaysia v Hong Kong, Nepal v Oman, UAE v Singapore
Thu Aug 30: UAE v Nepal, Hong Kong v Singapore, Malaysia v Oman
Sat Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong, Oman v Singapore, Malaysia v Nepal
Sun Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman, Malaysia v UAE, Nepal v Singapore
Tue Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore, UAE v Oman, Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu Sep 6: Final
Asia Cup
Venue: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Schedule: Sep 15-28
Teams: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, plus the winner of the Qualifier
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Etwo%20permanent%20magnet%20synchronous%20motors%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Etwo-speed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E625hp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E850Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERange%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E456km%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Efrom%20Dh737%2C480%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
RACE CARD
5pm: Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,400m
5.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh70,000 1,000m
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 2,000m
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 2,000m
7pm: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
7.30pm: Al Ain Mile Group 3 (PA) Dh350,000 1,600m
8pm: Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
Amith's selections:
5pm: AF Sail
5.30pm: Dahawi
6pm: Taajer
6.30pm: Pharitz Oubai
7pm: Winked
7.30pm: Shahm
8pm: Raniah
The biog
Favourite pet: cats. She has two: Eva and Bito
Favourite city: Cape Town, South Africa
Hobby: Running. "I like to think I’m artsy but I’m not".
Favourite move: Romantic comedies, specifically Return to me. "I cry every time".
Favourite spot in Abu Dhabi: Saadiyat beach
Dubai World Cup Carnival Card:
6.30pm: Handicap US$135,000 (Turf) 1,200m
7.05pm: Handicap $135,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
7.40pm: Zabeel Turf Listed $175,000 (T) 2,000m
8.15pm: Cape Verdi Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,600m
8.50pm: Handicap $135,000 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap $175,000 (T) 1,600m
The bio
His favourite book - 1984 by George Orwell
His favourite quote - 'If you think education is expensive, try ignorance' by Derek Bok, Former President of Harvard
Favourite place to travel to - Peloponnese, Southern Greece
Favourite movie - The Last Emperor
Favourite personality from history - Alexander the Great
Role Model - My father, Yiannis Davos
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Sebastian Stefan, Sebastian Morar and Claudia Pacurar
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2014
Number of employees: 36
Sector: Logistics
Raised: $2.5 million
Investors: DP World, Prime Venture Partners and family offices in Saudi Arabia and the UAE
Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history
- 4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon
- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.
- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater
- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.
- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.
- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.
-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.
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Sunday's games
All times UAE:
Tottenham Hotspur v Crystal Palace, 4pm
Manchester City v Arsenal, 6.15pm
Everton v Watford, 8.30pm
Chelsea v Manchester United, 8.30pm
DUNE%3A%20PART%20TWO
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Denis%20Villeneuve%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Timothee%20Chamalet%2C%20Zendaya%2C%20Austin%20Butler%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
More from UAE Human Development Report:
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%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3EThe%20loss%20of%20sodium%20chloride%20in%20our%20sweat%20can%20lead%20to%20confusion%20and%20an%20altered%20mental%20status%20and%20slurred%20speech%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EBody%20temperature%20above%2039%C2%B0C%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EHot%2C%20dry%20and%20red%20or%20damp%20skin%20can%20indicate%20heatstroke%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EA%20faster%20pulse%20than%20usual%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EDizziness%2C%20nausea%20and%20headaches%20are%20also%20signs%20of%20overheating%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EIn%20extreme%20cases%2C%20victims%20can%20lose%20consciousness%20and%20require%20immediate%20medical%20attention%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A
Company%C2%A0profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eamana%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2010%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Karim%20Farra%20and%20Ziad%20Aboujeb%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EUAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERegulator%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDFSA%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinancial%20services%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E85%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESelf-funded%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Tim Paine (captain), Sean Abbott, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner
MATCH INFO
Asian Champions League, last 16, first leg:
Al Jazira 3 Persepolis 2
Second leg:
Monday, Azizi Stadium, Tehran. Kick off 7pm
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
HEADLINE HERE
- I would recommend writing out the text in the body
- And then copy into this box
- It can be as long as you link
- But I recommend you use the bullet point function (see red square)
- Or try to keep the word count down
- Be wary of other embeds lengthy fact boxes could crash into
- That's about it
Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Date: Sunday, November 25
Match info
Australia 580
Pakistan 240 and 335
Result: Australia win by an innings and five runs
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.6-litre turbo
Transmission: six-speed automatic
Power: 165hp
Torque: 240Nm
Price: From Dh89,000 (Enjoy), Dh99,900 (Innovation)
On sale: Now
The five pillars of Islam
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Floward%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERiyadh%2C%20Saudi%20Arabia%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbdulaziz%20Al%20Loughani%20and%20Mohamed%20Al%20Arifi%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EE-commerce%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbout%20%24200%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAljazira%20Capital%2C%20Rainwater%20Partners%2C%20STV%20and%20Impact46%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E1%2C200%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
more from Janine di Giovanni
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.