Guidepoint doubles Middle East team during corona-hit year

Global expert network Guidepoint has managed to more than double its Middle East team over the past year, despite having to navigate the Covid-19-induced downturn. 

Guidepoint first launched in the region in the summer of 2019, with the aim of bringing its “expert on demand” proposition to clients across the Middle East and the Arabic-speaking part of North Africa. Fast forward nearly two years, and the expert matchmaker works for tier-one consulting firms, investment funds, multinational corporations, regional governments, and law firms.

One of the largest players in the $1.4 billion global expert services market, Guidepoint boasts a network of over 800,000 experts worldwide. Its clients tap these experts to inform their decision-making and populate insights. Meanwhile, consultants use Guidepoint’s services to augment their offerings – mainly in the strategic space and its periphery. 

Strong demand for its services – particularly in the UAE and Saudi Arabia – has seen Guidepoint grow its staff “by over 140% within the past 12 months,” said Bilal Sabouni, Guidepoint's Managing Director and Head of Middle East, North Africa and Turkey.

While the firm doesn’t disclose its clients, known is that Guidepoint serves nearly all of the globe’s ten leading consultancies, including members of the MBB (McKinsey, BCG and Bain) and Big Four (Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC) as well as hundreds of boutiques. One client out in the open in the Middle East is the Dubai Investment Development Agency, which signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Guidepoint in September last year. 

To accommodate this growth, Guidepoint has now doubled its office in Dubai, which is located in the heart of Dubai's Financial District at the Dubai International Financial Centre, and taken the opportunity to refit its locale. Sabouni: “We can now provide our team in Dubai with the same work ambiance as we offer in other hubs around the world.” 

Guidepoint has 14 offices worldwide, including in New York, London, Dusseldorf, Tokyo, and as of last month, Athens.