Mott MacDonald managing director for the Middle East says developing national workforce capacity is key to the region

"The industry should support the UAE's own efforts to achieve a higher degree of nationalisation in the labour market, recognising the social benefits of a fully employed workforce and the commitment this would bring to long term business success," commented Ian. "Delivering locally by local people and supported by international expertise is what Mott MacDonald believes is the best way to respond to many of our customer needs. Our offices around the world are operated and managed by local staff providing services to the local market."

His presentation, which was delivered at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, covered the development of sustainable business practices and was based on the Three Pillars - people, planet and profit. Using primarily Abu Dhabi as a reference, the presentation looked at some of the current and future challenges that regional businesses will need to address in operations, human capital and performance so that sustainability is achieved not only in terms of resource use, but also by the businesses themselves.

"The Middle East is a region of great variety and promise, but it can also be a place of challenges, especially for businesses looking to maintain a presence and establish a long term future within the power and water industry," said Ian.

Building Information Modelling (BIM) was also cited as gaining significant traction in the Middle East. Ian warned that those who do not invest in the necessary software, hardware and staff training could find themselves being overtaken by a rapidly developing industry. This could potentially lead to loss of market share which could impact on performance.