BrazilOxford Economics expands UAE operations amid positive outlook
Research and analysis consultancy Oxford Economics has expanded its UAE operations – citing its own positive economic outlook for the country.
With more than 1,500 international corporations, financial institutions, government organisations, universities and consultancies among its global client base, Oxford Economics is among the world’s foremost firms in the economic research and risk management consulting space. Citing its own positive country outlook, the UK-headquartered firm has expanded its presence in the UAE.
According to the firm’s projections, the UAE economy will see continued acceleration in growth for 2019, with GDP pegged to expand by 2.2 percent – up from 1.7 percent last year and the strongest showing since 2016. This, the firm puts down to a number of factors, but primarily due to a combination of government stimulus, increased oil output, and rising levels of local and foreign investment.
Describing its regional hub in Dubai as a base “for one of the largest private sector teams of economists in the region,” the office also serves as Oxford Economics’ global centre for macro-economic consulting services – one of the firm’s main global business lines. As part of its regional expansion, the local branch has welcomed Scott Livermore as its new Middle East Managing Director.
Livermore crosses from the firm’s New York office (one of five primary locations worldwide together with London, Frankfurt, Singapore and its Oxford headquarters), where as a member of the firm’s senior management team he served as US Chief Operating Officer and head of Oxford Economics’ macro-economic consulting services worldwide – a function he will continue to lead from the UAE.
In addition, Livermore will act as the firm’s Chief Economist for the Middle East, and has already led many of Oxford’s major client projects in both the GCC and North Africa – including for government institutions in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Libya, Algeria, Egypt and Oman – in areas such as capacity building, macroeconomic modelling, and policy impact assessments.
“Prospects for the UAE in the years ahead look bright,” stated Livermore, citing fiscal stimulus, a strong investment climate, and economic diversification as underpinning the robust local growth. “Coupled with the excitement around the upcoming Expo 2020, at Oxford Economics we think now is the perfect time to expand our operations and business in the UAE and across the wider Middle East.”
