Trading in the Middle East - Insider magazine feature
Mike Sanders, CEO at Intouch with Health has been interviewed as part of Insider's globally-focused "The Trade Mission" series.
The article can be read for free here.
Insider magazine’s ‘The Trade Mission’ series looks beyond post-Brexit difficulties with European trade to talk to business leaders who are already active in trading in different regions around the world.
Since 2013, Intouch with Health has ventured into the Middle East, initially in Qatar and The United Arab Emirates (UAE), and more recently Saudi Arabia. Within the article, Mike discusses Intouch with Health’s journey into the Middle East, the lessons learnt along the way, along with offering some advice to those following Intouch with Health into the region.
“There are many opportunities in the Middle East and it is a great place to work."
Speaking to Insider on Intouch with Health’s activity in the Middle East, Mike Sanders says “New build hospitals present an ideal environment for implementing patient flow management technology as part of the design and build process, rather than retrospectively as with many hospitals in the UK.”
“There are many opportunities in the Middle East and it is a great place to work, but business can take longer to complete and you must be open to adapting your product and mindful that ‘the UK way’ isn’t always the best way.”
As Intouch with Health’s activity in the Middle East and other international territories has grown, including Australia, Intouch with Health has expanded its team by bringing in a dedicated International Account Director, Yara Safi. Yara is fluent in six languages (including Arabic) and brings a wealth of experience and key strategic insight into Intouch with Health’s international operations.
Click here to read the article in full on the Insider website for free.
Background on three Middle East territories
Qatar has embarked on one of the largest and most ambitious infrastructure programmes in the world, with projected spend of more than US$220 billion over the next decade. The catalyst for this transformation is the Qatar National Vision 2030. Qatar is the UK's third largest export market in the Middle East and North Africa region.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) – with its hotbeds of commerce Dubai and Abu Dhabi – is the UK's largest market in region and the 12th biggest globally. The UAE is a key trading hub for British companies – around 50 per cent of UK goods are re-exported to a regional MENA market worth more than £150bn.
Saudi Arabia including defence sales, is the largest market in the region for UK export, with billions of pounds of civil contracts awarded each year, as well as large investments being made in new transport systems and social and physical infrastructure, particularly in healthcare and education.
