BrazilPwC opens office at Dubai's Emaar Square, fourth in UAE
PwC Middle East’s new office in downtown Dubai is a six-storey, state-of-the-art facility with an open plan and flexible working arrangements, complete with a “disruptive” digital Experience Centre.
The new 176,000 plus square feet building on Emaar Square is PwC’s second office in Dubai and fourth in the UAE. The office was inaugurated last week by Chairman and CEO of the Emirates Group Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, who acknowledged it as a symbol of growing international interest in Dubai as a business hub.
For PwC, Dubai in particular and the Middle East as a whole has been a bright spot in recent years. The Middle East marks one of its fastest growing practices in the world, spurred on by a business environment hungry for improvement and government-backed efforts to transform the region into an economy of the future.
“The UAE has long signified a beacon for tolerance, resilience and innovation. As a testament to our continued investment in the region, we have reimagined our workplace in a number of locations around the Middle East,” noted Hani Ashkar, Senior Partner at PwC Middle East.
The Emaar Square office joins PwC Middle East outfits in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah nationally, alongside regional offices in Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jorda, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. With a combined team of more than 5,600 professionals, PwC Middle East grew its revenues by nearly 20% last year to touch the $900 million mark. The new state-of-the-art office marks a commitment to further growth in the future.
New age office
The Emaar Square office is more than a boost in workspace. In many ways, it signals the evolution of business in line with new market priorities. One example is the in-built Experience Centre, where clients can work collaboratively with PwC on the entire (digital) innovation lifecycle, from design to execution.
Ashkar described the Experience Centre as “a hub for innovation and creativity, solving our region’s most important problems.” Another example is the working culture of the new office, which is being set up to put people – employees, clients and customers – at the heart of the business.
“As a people business, it only made sense that our new offices in Dubai were centered around our clients and people,” said Ashkar. PwC Middle East Chief People Officer Mona Abou Hana gave an insight on what this people-first environment will look like.
“We created an open environment meant to disrupt traditional workspaces. Unburdened by restrictive hours or seating, the space embodies our flexibility framework and centres around our people experience. The first floor, complete with a cafeteria, café, wellbeing centre and nursing facilities, recognises that life goes on even in a typical workday. We want to empower our people to find the right balance for themselves.”
