This summer will get off to a laugh-out-loud start, thanks to the return of Russell Howard.
The British funnyman is coming to the UAE for a one-night-only show later this year, as part of his Respite world tour.
The comic and TV presenter will perform his critically acclaimed stand-up at Dubai Opera on Friday, June 26, after last taking to the stage in the Emirates in 2017.
Howard, 39, will make his UAE stop in the midst of his world tour, before heading off for dates in the UK, New Zealand and Australia.
The star is set to bring his quick-fire wit and satirical world views to the stage, with The Times writing of Respite: "His sets deal with everything from foreign policy to his fear of death, and he rages as much as he teases."
Bristol-born Howard is known for his on-screen work as much as his stand-up, having fronted topical shows such as Russell Howard's Good News and The Russell Howard Hour.
He is also a regular panellist on comedy favourite Mock The Week, and has appeared on the likes of 8 Out of 10 Cats and Would I Lie to You?
Tickets for Respite, Howard's sixth stand-up tour, are on sale at dubaiopera.com from Dh150, as part of a 20 per cent early-bird offer for a limited time.
The comedian previously told The National that "there's nothing else I'd rather do" than stand-up.
"I get a real kick out of people coming to see me and making them laugh. It’s still the best thing in the world," he said ahead of his 2017 gig at Dubai College Auditorium. "And I think when that stops, I’ll stop."
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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- This week's field comprises 120 players, 21 of which are amateurs
- 15 previous Mena Tour winners are competing at Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club
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Family: I am happily married to my wife Liz and we have two children together.
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Al Dhafra Street
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The biog
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