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Over the past six years, Grant Thornton UAE has tracked the progress of women in leadership across mid-market companies, multinational corporations, and the public sector. ‘Women in Business 2025’ highlights notable advances in female representation at senior levels, while also identifying the structural, cultural, and regulatory shifts driving change.

The Women in Business project has explored what helps, and what hinders, women in the workplace through a period that’s offered plenty of challenge. Global mid-market companies have navigated the financial crisis of 2007-08, worked through the pandemic and currently contend with the impact of geopolitical tension and conflict.

Our Discovery Series is an opportunity for us to give back to the community and country in which we serve, through the provision of business insights. We hope that these insights will enable and inform enhanced business performance and innovation across the UAE. The first report in our Discovery Series is Women on Audit Committees in the UAE 2024, and provides baseline data for female representation that we intend to track and benchmark across other regions and markets in subsequent reports. As a firm, we are committed to advocating for gender diversity at senior leadership levels and want to keep the spotlight on this important topic so that change and progress is being made.

The Women in Business project has explored what helps, and what hinders, women in the workplace through a period that’s offered plenty of challenge. Global mid-market companies have navigated the financial crisis of 2007-08, worked through the pandemic and currently contend with the impact of geopolitical tension and conflict.

Organisations are rapidly embracing this shift, integrating ESG practices into their strategies to mitigate risks, build resilience, and unlock sustainable growth. Meanwhile, regulators and policymakers recognise the need for a supportive ecosystem that empowers businesses on this journey while fostering sustainable economic development.

The regional logistics sector has had a positive start to 2023, primarily driven by a stable macro-economic environment, proactive government policies, increasing demand for logistics services and growing investor confidence in the sector's long-term potential. As a result of these factors, the sector continues to see increasing levels of deal activity, with many high-profile acquisitions, partnerships, and collaborations taking place.

The logistics sector has had a positive start to 2023, primarily driven by a stable macro-economic environment, proactive government policies, increasing demand for logistics services due to the growth of e-commerce, technological advancements, and growing investor confidence in the sector's long-term potential.

Grant Thornton’s International Business Report (IBR) has been casting a light on the issue of gender diversity in senior management at mid-market businesses for 19 years, exposing barriers and identifying facilitators of change.

The regional economy performed strongly in the fourth quarter of 2022 owing to a successful FIFA World Cup, a booming tourism season, and favorable trade agreements being signed by energy exporters. Furthermore, the quarter saw an influx of new capital as international and domestic investors opened new offices in the region.

M&A activity in the regional logistics sector continues to be buoyant, fueled by the proliferation of trade agreements, a growing expat population and the continuing e-commerce boom.

Amidst global economic uncertainties, the MENA region is on a growth trajectory fuelled by elevated oil prices and accelerating business-friendly reforms. The global logistics market is estimated to be $9.1Tn in 2022 and is expected to reach $12.3Tn by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 6.2%. A combination of initiatives by regional governments and developments in e-commerce are driving the growth in logistics and warehousing activity in the region.

For the past 17 years, Grant Thornton has been tracking the global progress of women in senior management. Globally, female leadership positions passed the crucial 30% mark. In the UAE, we have recorded a 9% increase of female CEOs in the past 12 months, which sets the tone for a growing gender inclusive workforce in the GCC region.

Over the last 12 months, our women in business research has drilled down into the gender diversity stats of mid-market organisations around the world, looking at how the numbers are changing, and most importantly, what businesses are doing to make them change.

Global business is facing a wave of disruptive influences that look set to spark the Fourth Industrial Revolution. We explore how the way professionals work is evolving, the leadership skills that will be needed within the dynamic mid-market to thrive, and how organisations can stay competitive in the war for talent and customers in 2030.

The global economic cycle has peaked and businesses face a more downbeat global economy in 2019. However, while the headlines appear daunting, there are good reasons for business leaders to hold their nerve.