In a significant step to support family-owned enterprises, Dubai Chambers has launched the first-ever family business advisor directory, marking a major milestone for the UAE’s dynamic private sector. The Dubai Chambers family business advisor directory features 56 hand-picked, trusted consultants, aiming to help family-owned businesses navigate challenges, embrace governance, and ensure long-term sustainability.
This move underlines Dubai’s strategic vision to strengthen the role of family businesses in the emirate’s economy and highlights the Chamber’s commitment to offering practical tools for business success and legacy planning.
Why This Directory Matters for Dubai’s Business Landscape
Family businesses play a critical role in the UAE economy, particularly in Dubai, where they contribute a significant portion of GDP and employment. However, as these businesses evolve over generations, they face unique challenges such as:
• Succession planning
• Governance and dispute resolution
• Ownership structure and legal compliance
• Digital transformation and innovation
• Family office and wealth preservation strategies
The Dubai Chambers family business advisor directory addresses these challenges by providing a reliable pool of certified experts who understand the local context and global best practices.
A Vision to Empower Generational Legacy
Dubai Chambers’ initiative is aligned with the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33), which seeks to double the size of the emirate’s economy and position Dubai among the top three global economic cities.
Speaking about the launch, Mohammad Ali Rashed Lootah, President and CEO of Dubai Chambers, stated:
“Family businesses are the backbone of our economy. With this directory, we are empowering them with access to qualified advisors who can help secure their legacies for generations to come.”
He emphasized the importance of maintaining family unity while ensuring business growth, stating that trusted advice is essential in this balancing act.
What’s Inside the Advisor Directory?
The Dubai Chambers family business advisor directory is a curated resource designed with precision. Here’s what it offers:
56 Verified Consultants
Each advisor was selected based on experience, credibility, and specialization. Their qualifications cover key business domains such as:
• Legal and compliance
• Finance and tax planning
• Corporate governance
• Digital transformation
• Succession planning
• Mediation and conflict resolution
Multilingual Support
Recognizing Dubai’s diverse demographic, many advisors provide support in multiple languages including Arabic, English, Hindi, and French.
Sector Expertise
From retail and real estate to logistics and hospitality, consultants have deep industry knowledge tailored to family business models.
Easily Searchable Platform
The online directory is intuitive and allows users to search by:
• Area of expertise
• Languages spoken
• Years of experience
• Industry specialization
This user-friendly approach ensures businesses find the right consultant quickly and confidently.
How the Directory Benefits Family Businesses
The Dubai Chambers family business advisor directory goes beyond being just a listing. It is a strategic business tool designed to offer tangible value.
Guided Succession Planning
Advisors help families draft succession plans that align with both emotional and financial goals.
Conflict Resolution
Trained mediators offer solutions to internal disputes, which can derail even the most successful family firms.
Business Continuity
With the help of experts, family businesses can ensure smooth transition and reduce risks tied to leadership changes or ownership shifts.
Legal Structuring and Compliance
Lawyers and legal advisors guide families through the intricacies of UAE commercial laws and family governance frameworks.
Financial Transparency and Tax Efficiency
Finance consultants work on structuring the business for better cash flow, accountability, and compliance with international tax norms.
Why Now? Timing Is Everything
This initiative comes at a time when over AED 3.67 trillion in wealth is expected to be transferred from one generation to the next within the next decade in the GCC. Family-run enterprises are beginning to recognize the need for expert guidance to preserve both capital and harmony.
Dubai Chambers is proactive in ensuring that businesses do not just survive but thrive during this transformational period.
Industry Feedback: A Welcome Move
The launch has been well received by various stakeholders. Business owners, legal experts, and governance specialists have praised the move.
Fatima Al Shamsi, a third-generation business owner in Dubai, said:
“We’ve always been cautious about involving outsiders in family matters. But having a trusted advisor with local understanding and international perspective made a huge difference. This directory made it easy to find the right fit.”
Similarly, Ahmed Rahman, a corporate governance consultant listed in the directory, commented:
“It’s a great step. It sends a message that professionalizing family businesses is not optional anymore, it’s essential.”
Alignment with Broader Strategic Goals
This initiative complements Dubai’s efforts in:
• Family business law reform, offering legal clarity around inheritance and succession
• Business ecosystem development, encouraging startups and SMEs to mature into family-owned dynasties
• Global business positioning, making Dubai a hub for responsible and sustainable family entrepreneurship
It also supports the UAE Family Business Law, which came into effect in 2022, aimed at facilitating the smooth transition of family businesses from one generation to the next.
How to Access the Directory?
Accessing the Dubai Chambers family business advisor directory is simple:
- Visit the official Dubai Chambers website
- Navigate to the Family Business Center
- Use the search filters to find a relevant advisor based on your needs
- Reach out directly via the provided contact details or through the inquiry form
The service is free to access, though consultations may come at a cost depending on the advisor’s structure.
What’s Next for Dubai Chambers?
This is just the beginning. Dubai Chambers has announced plans to:
• Regularly update and expand the directory with new advisors and evolving specializations
• Host workshops and webinars featuring listed advisors
• Launch mentorship programs pairing experienced family business leaders with younger generations
• Integrate AI and data analytics to provide predictive business insights and risk assessment for family enterprises
Such steps further enhance Dubai’s attractiveness as a business-friendly destination with strong institutional support.
Final Thoughts
The Dubai Chambers family business advisor directory is a timely, strategic, and much-needed initiative that reflects Dubai’s forward-thinking business vision. By providing trusted, vetted, and qualified consultants, it allows family businesses to tackle complex issues with confidence and clarity.
In a region where family enterprises form the economic backbone, this move fosters resilience, continuity, and growth. Whether it is helping draft a succession plan, resolve a dispute, or prepare for expansion, the directory serves as a powerful resource to guide family-owned firms into a sustainable future.
Dubai has once again shown why it is not just a city of dreams but also a city of plans, partnerships, and progress.
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