British construction companies have played a major part in laying the foundations for Dubai's development success.
One of the first to arrive was Costain when it picked up the US$10 million (Dh36.7m) deal to build Dubai International Airport in 1959.
A few years later, Balfour Beatty arrived on the scene and with a local partner, Dutco, built the Mina Jebel Ali port.
As Dubai grew, so did British construction companies.
WS Atkins, the UK's biggest engineering and design firm, came up with the drawings for the sail-shaped Burj al Arab hotel in 1994, while Carillion helped to build Dubai Festival City.
As the good times rolled, dozens of others joined them, making their marks on projects ranging from the Palm Jumeirah and Dubai Metro to building roads and bridges.
But the financial downturn of the past couple of years has left British builders in a precarious position, with at least one, Mouchel Group, a consultancy company, deciding to pull out.
The company's once robust earnings from the region tumbled as hundreds of projects came to an abrupt end at the height of the global financial crisis. This time last year, British construction companies were reportedly owed $2 billion in unpaid fees from Dubai developers, spurring Lord Mandelson, the former UK business secretary, to raise the issue with the Government.
Mouchel said it was owed about $16.2m, prompting it to put its regional business division up for sale at the end of last year. A sale is yet to be finalised.
Still, other big players including WS Atkins, Halcrow, Hyder and Mace have vowed to ride out the slowdown, despite facing a struggle to keep staff employed with a sluggish workload.
Even Hopkins Architects, which is embroiled in a legal dispute with Dubai Properties, has said it will keep its office in the emirate open.
"You can't give up on Dubai," says Mario Pishiri, a managing director at Hyder, which said in February it had $14.9m in outstanding debts from Dubai clients. "There is a consolidation, but it will come back again ? It's too vibrant a place not to come back again."
Whether they have made redundancies, asked staff to take a salary cut or moved people to busier locations in the region, British construction firms have undergone a significant overhaul during the past couple of years to cope with tougher market conditions.
WS Atkins, which also designed the Dubai Metro's Red Line, has cut 1,433 jobs across its Middle East network, bringing the total number employed in the region to 1,867 from 3,300 at the end of 2008.
Keith Clarke, the chief executive at WS Atkins, says it has no intention of "walking away from the Gulf".
"We've been here for 30 years and we'll be here for another 30," he says. "We're very comfortable that the region has a secure, long-term future. We see it as having the same financial issues, frankly, as the rest of Europe and America - only theirs came rather more abruptly, and a bit later than the rest of world. But they are getting solved at about the same rate as the rest of the world.
"The Middle East is not different materially. It had a phenomenal boom and will return to a more normal market."
Perhaps the speed at which Dubai is seeking to settle its debts has helped to instil confidence in British construction companies.
While payment problems across the board persist, Nakheel, the troubled Dubai World-owned developer, provided a glimmer of hope last month when it started paying its trade creditors.
Halcrow, an engineering company which was owed money for work done on Nakheel's Palm Jumeirah, has received the first 40 per cent of its outstanding bills.
The UAE is not a market that Halcrow is going to turn away from, says David Yaw, the company's regional managing director.
"We're in it for the long haul and are still seeking to 'defend' our position in what we regard as our home markets," he says.
"That said, we recognise that Dubai in particular is going to be quiescent for some time. There are some signs of recovery but it is not going to rebound quickly to anything like the activity levels we saw within the last five years, which frankly is not desirable as it was so overheated."
And there are distinct signs of recovery. Government spending on infrastructure projects, whether for roads, schools or hospitals, has encouraged companies including the consultancy Mace to shift their focus towards various areas of the construction sector and different countries in the region.
"To compensate for the loss of markets in the UAE, our strategy has been to actively develop our business across the region, focusing on countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Syria, where demand remains and is increasing for project and construction management services," says Andrew Johnson, a director at Mace.
While companies are weighing up their options across the region, others point to the UAE's downturn as a prime time for seizing opportunities.
Wates Construction International, which has built 26 schools in Britain, moved to Abu Dhabi late last year to make the most of the emirate's spending on educational facilities.
Even though competition is tough, Wates recently won two contracts worth a combined $58.5m to build a school and renovate another for Aldar Academies in partnership with Abu Dhabi's Al Fara'a Contracting.
"The market is ferocious and speaking to our partner, Al Fara'a Contracting, this is the most difficult period they've experienced for many decades," says Matthew Kennedy, the director of Wates.
"But we came to Abu Dhabi when the market was flat with a view to taking advantage when things recovered."
@Email:agiuffrida@thenational.ae
Cinco in numbers
Dh3.7 million
The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown
46
The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.
1,000
The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]
50
How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday
3,000
The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
1.1 million
The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.
Company profile
Name: Tabby
Founded: August 2019; platform went live in February 2020
Founder/CEO: Hosam Arab, co-founder: Daniil Barkalov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Payments
Size: 40-50 employees
Stage: Series A
Investors: Arbor Ventures, Mubadala Capital, Wamda Capital, STV, Raed Ventures, Global Founders Capital, JIMCO, Global Ventures, Venture Souq, Outliers VC, MSA Capital, HOF and AB Accelerator.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: SmartCrowd
Started: 2018
Founder: Siddiq Farid and Musfique Ahmed
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech / PropTech
Initial investment: $650,000
Current number of staff: 35
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Various institutional investors and notable angel investors (500 MENA, Shurooq, Mada, Seedstar, Tricap)
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Results
2.15pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 1,200m
Winner: Maqam, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer).
2.45pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 1,200m
Winner: Mamia Al Reef, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami.
3.15pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 2,000m
Winner: Jaahiz, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel.
3.45pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,000m
Winner: Qanoon, Szczepan Mazur, Irfan Ellahi.
4.15pm: Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Cup Handicap (TB) Dh200,000 1,700m.
Winner: Philosopher, Tadhg O’Shea, Salem bin Ghadayer.
54.45pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,700m
Winner: Jap Al Yassoob, Fernando Jara, Irfan Ellahi.
The five pillars of Islam
Company profile
Company name: Shipsy
Year of inception: 2015
Founders: Soham Chokshi, Dhruv Agrawal, Harsh Kumar and Himanshu Gupta
Based: India, UAE and Indonesia
Sector: logistics
Size: more than 350 employees
Funding received so far: $31 million in series A and B rounds
Investors: Info Edge, Sequoia Capital’s Surge, A91 Partners and Z3 Partners
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus
Developer: Sucker Punch Productions
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Console: PlayStation 2 to 5
Rating: 5/5
Results:
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m | Winner: Eghel De Pine, Pat Cosgrave (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m | Winner: AF Sheaar, Szczepan Mazur, Saeed Al Shamsi
6pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan National Day Cup (PA) Group 3 Dh500,000 1,600m | Winner: RB Torch, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
6.30pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan National Day Cup (TB) Listed Dh380,000 1,600m | Winner: Forjatt, Chris Hayes, Nicholas Bachalard
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup for Private Owners Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 1,400m | Winner: Hawafez, Connor Beasley, Ridha ben Attia
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 80,000 1,600m | Winner: Qader, Richard Mullen, Jean de Roaulle
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 258hp from 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,550-4,000rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.1L/100km
Price: from Dh362,500
On sale: now
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
The biog
Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia
Favourite books: Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Good to be Great by Jim Collins
Favourite dish: Grilled fish
Inspiration: Sheikh Zayed's visionary leadership taught me to embrace new challenges.
The specs
Engine: Dual synchronous electric motors
Power: 660hp
Torque: 1,100Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Touring range: 488km-560km
Price: From Dh850,000 (estimate)
On sale: October
more from Janine di Giovanni
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Confirmed bouts (more to be added)
Cory Sandhagen v Umar Nurmagomedov
Nick Diaz v Vicente Luque
Michael Chiesa v Tony Ferguson
Deiveson Figueiredo v Marlon Vera
Mackenzie Dern v Loopy Godinez
Tickets for the August 3 Fight Night, held in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi, went on sale earlier this month, through www.etihadarena.ae and www.ticketmaster.ae.
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
In The Heights
Directed by: Jon M. Chu
Stars: Anthony Ramos, Lin-Manual Miranda
Rating: ****
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3
Director: James Gunn
Stars: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper
Rating: 4/5
A QUIET PLACE
Starring: Lupita Nyong'o, Joseph Quinn, Djimon Hounsou
Director: Michael Sarnoski
Rating: 4/5
INDIA SQUAD
Virat Kohli (capt), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Vijay Shankar, MS Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami
Company Profile
Company name: Yeepeey
Started: Soft launch in November, 2020
Founders: Sagar Chandiramani, Jatin Sharma and Monish Chandiramani
Based: Dubai
Industry: E-grocery
Initial investment: $150,000
Future plan: Raise $1.5m and enter Saudi Arabia next year
TWISTERS
Director:+Lee+Isaac+Chung
Starring:+Glen+Powell,+Daisy+Edgar-Jones,+Anthony+Ramos
Rating:+2.5/5
The Kingfisher Secret
Anonymous, Penguin Books
The bio
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite travel destination: Maldives and south of France
Favourite pastime: Family and friends, meditation, discovering new cuisines
Favourite Movie: Joker (2019). I didn’t like it while I was watching it but then afterwards I loved it. I loved the psychology behind it.
Favourite Author: My father for sure
Favourite Artist: Damien Hurst
Williams at Wimbledon
Venus Williams - 5 titles (2000, 2001, 2005, 2007 and 2008)
Serena Williams - 7 titles (2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015 and 2016)