PA Consulting Group continues regional expansion with senior appointments

Abu Dhabi, UAE, August 15, 2016:  PA Consulting Group Middle East and North Africa has doubled in size since the beginning of 2016 as it continues to grow business across the healthcare, government services and transport, travel and logistics sectors.

More than 30 members of staff have joined the innovation, technology and consulting firm so far this year, with a number of new positions due to be appointed in the coming months.

In a newly created role at PA’s MENA Practice, Sayed Shah has been appointed as the Head of the Economic Competitiveness and Diversification Service, capitalising on his experience as a senior member of the British Diplomatic Service leading British missions in Turkey, Central Asia and MENA regions.  

Sayed led on political security and commercial issues at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and most recently headed UKTI in Turkey and Central Asia, where he developed the UK’s trade and investment strategy that doubled bilateral trade in five years. Sayed has lobbied governments at the highest levels, advised CEOs and global businesses and delivered significant investments and deals for clients. He has a background in Islamic Law & Islamic Finance and is well versed in the opportunities and challenges that the region presents.

Jamal Al Naser and Sally Heath have both been appointed as senior healthcare experts, and will work across the growing spectrum of PA’s healthcare clients, developing successful strategies and shaping initiatives.

A recognised thought leader in the region, Jamal brings more than 20 years’ experience of advisory services, most recently as the Principal Healthcare Transformation Services Leader at Philips Healthcare Middle East and Turkey, and Director of MENA Healthcare and Life Sciences at EY in Dubai, where he also led the Healthcare IT Advisory Services.  

Based out of the Abu Dhabi office, Sally will use her extensive experience in stakeholder engagement, business development and trade and investment to help healthcare clients grow their business in the Middle East and the UK.  

Until recently, Sally was the UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) lead in the UAE and successfully strengthened UAE-UK bi-lateral healthcare trade relations through supporting large NHS providers and UK private healthcare providers export overseas as well as supporting UAE healthcare providers invest in the UK. 

Relocating to PA MENA from the firm’s London office, Chuks Nwabineli has been appointed as an expert in implementation, and will deliver complex operational improvements and major construction programmes for clients in both the public and private sectors.  He specialises in programme and risk management within the retail, construction and transport sectors and has a demonstrable track record of using strong leadership and interpersonal skills to deliver client value.

In line with the expansion, Jonathan Rickard becomes Chief of Staff for PA MENA and a member of the senior leadership team reporting directly to the Head of the MENA region. His remit will be to drive the MENA strategy forward through business development, regional expansion and aligning all business operations. Jonathan has more than a decade’s experience at PA, including six years in MENA, and will be integral for ensuring regional alignment to the global business.

Jason Harborow, Head of PA Consulting Group Middle East and North Africa, said: “The recruitment drive that was implemented at the start of the year has not only bolstered our physical presence in the region but has also contributed to an increase in client work and delivery.  

“We are only interested in bringing the very best talent to the MENA Practice and I believe our team today is world class.   We work hard to exceed client expectations and bringing together the best minds in the business to ensure the offering to our current and future clients is unbeatable.”

PA Consulting Group has been operating in the Gulf region for over 30 years, successfully delivering more than 150 projects in 13 Middle Eastern countries, across sectors including healthcare, financial services, transport, energy, government, defence and security, education and manufacturing.