Global consultancy firm, Arcadis, announced that Graham Reid has been appointed as the new Middle East CEO of the company. Reid, previously the company’s global design director, resumed position as of 1 February 2016. He will be succeeding Wael Allan who has stepped down to pursue opportunities outside Arcadis. Reid will be responsible for leading a 2,200 person business, focussed on winning and delivering major programmes by combining the firm’s design and consultancy capabilities. He has previously served as managing director and a member of the executive board at Hyder UK, where he completed three acquisitions. Executive board member of…
Author: Paromita Dey
Dubai-based developer, Nakheel, announced the delivery of its 251-room hotel at Dragon Mart. Managed under AccorHotels under the ibis style brand, the three-star hotel welcomed its first guests on 1 February 2016. Nakheel chair Ali Rashid Lootah said: “The delivery of our first hotel is a major milestone for Nakheel, marking the start of an exciting hospitality expansion programme that is set to bring 10 new hotels and resorts to Dubai. A hotel at Dragon Mart is a natural progression for this ever-growing retail and trading hub, and I am immensely proud to celebrate its opening today.” The hotel is directly…
Joint venture between Meydan Group and Sobha Group, Meydan Sobha, officially launched phase-three of Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum City – District One on at a press conference on 1 February 2016. Chairperson of Meydan Group Saeed Humaid Al Tayer and chairperson of Sobha Group PNC Menon revealed that the phase-one and phase-two of District One were already sold out with a handover scheduled from mid-2016 to end of 2017. With over 9,000 construction workers currently working on the project, the development is said to be the “pinnacle of luxury”, according to Al Tayer. With a prime location of the…
The Government of Afghanistan is bouncing back under the democratically elected, reform-minded President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai. With bold initiatives to fast-track the pace of industrialisation through Special Economic Zones (SEZs), Malcolm Dias analyses how this spells good news for investors and Middle East’s logistics and construction companies As part of Afghanistan’s economic development plan, its government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the US-headquartered Chord Group to establish a series of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) within the country. The signing took place earlier this year in Dubai, under the theme ‘Commercialisation of Military Bases in Afghanistan’. Since the…
HVAC manufacturers, S.K.M Air Conditioning LLC, launched its Tropical DC Inverter VRF System 88HP module (The Specter Series) with multi-mode selection and wide compatibility. The Specter Series, with a DC Inverter compressor and a heat exchanger, has cooling energy efficiency ratio of up to 4.35 in the 8HP capacity that will be a source of savings for its users. The Tropical DC Inverter VRF System can easily function in multi-mode selection from cooling to heating and vice versa, depending on the priority. With the Intelligent Manager of Midea (IMM), the integrated solution for controlling and monitoring VRF units, a user…
Advisory firm, JLL, released its annual review KSA Real Estate Market for 2015, which assessing the latest trends in the office, residential, retail and hotel sectors. The report highlighted the Riyadh market maintaining steady performance, while Jeddah showed continued growth momentum. Jamil Ghaznawi, national director and country head of JLL Saudi Arabia said: “We have witnessed a shifting demand in the residential market in both Riyadh and Jeddah, as the trend moves towards property rentals from sales. Residential transactions declined by 5% in the Year-to-November 2015 compared to the same period in the previous year. We expect rental demand to…
General Electric and the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity to be working together on a Power Up Plan for critical electricity generation and maintenance projects throughout Iraq. The plan includes a set of technological solutions and upgrade projects to ensure essential incremental power. This will add 700MW to the national grid over the summer. The value of contracts signed totals more than $1bn, financing for the initial stages worth $328m is already in place. Spokesperson from the Ministry of Electricity Mussab Al Mudaris said: “We are committed to strengthening our infrastructure to meet the growing demand for electricity, particularly during peak…
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority called on consulting firms to tender for advisory and regulatory development services for Dubai’s planned AED100bn clean energy fund, Reuters reported. The Dubai Green Fund was announced in the end of 2015 and aims to provide low cost loans for those who invest in the clean energy sector. According to local news agency, WAM, offers for the tender will be accepted until the end of February. Dubai aims to attain 7% of its energy from lower-emissions sources by 2020, 25% by 2030 and 75% by 2050, through energy sources including natural gas, solar, clean coal…
China’s front runner in commercial vehicles, Foton International along with exclusive Qatari distributor, Khalid Bin Nasser (KBN) for Trucks and Buses, launched the Foton Auman GTL Tractor Head in Doha on 25 January 2016. Sheikh Khalid Bin Nassar Al Thani, chair of KBN, discusses how the new truck could be a perfect fit for the (currently) economically challenged region In a ceremony at the Ritz Carlton Doha, Foton International and KBN for Trucks and Buses introduced the Foton Auman GTL Tractor Head to the GCC market for the first time. This marks the first unveiling of the Foton Auman GTL…
First Solar Saudi Arabia and Al Watania Agricultural Company announced the completion of its jointly funded pilot project that uses solar energy to power an irrigation at a farm spread over 300 square kilometres in Al Jouf, Saudi Arabia. The 684kW AC photovoltaic (PV) plant powers groundwater and distribution operations at the non-profit initiative, Al Watania Organic Farm, which is the Kingdom’s largest producer of organic products. The project is powered by First Solar’s advanced thin film PV modules. It produces 1,476 MWh of electricity per year, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 1,100 tonnes per year based on national averages…