<\/p>\n
Denise McGinty: Dubai challenges you to think differently<\/p>\n
The Edinburgh entrepreneur built a career in Dubai and is now advising those seeking a new life in the UAE, writes TERRY MURDEN<\/p>\n
A holiday in Dubai more than 25 years ago proved to be far more than simply a chance for Denise McGinty to recharge the batteries.\u00a0 It marked the beginning of a new life \u2013 and a business journey that would see the Scottish entrepreneur build and exit one of the UAE\u2019s largest-scale outsourcing workforce businesses before launching her latest venture back home in Edinburgh.\u00a0<\/p>\n
McGinty, founder and CEO of Dubai Family Office, has opened a UK base in Morningside, designed to support Scottish professionals, entrepreneurs and families exploring opportunities in the UAE, from getting the children into school to setting up in business and sorting out workforce plans.<\/p>\n
While traditional family offices are usually associated with wealth management, Dubai Family Office focuses on lifestyle and business services for corporates, individuals and families looking to relocate or invest in the UAE.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOur role is to help people navigate what can be a complex process,\u201d says McGinty whose own entrepreneurial journey began in Scotland, running a food business, until Dubai became the foundation for much of her career since she moved there in 1999.<\/p>\n
Over the years she has witnessed the transformation of Dubai into one of the world\u2019s major international business hubs. \u201cIt was dynamic, safe and full of opportunity,\u201d she recalls of her first impressions of Dubai. \u201cIt was also a very different city back then, with few highways and none of the skyscrapers now dominating the skyline.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The population\u00a0exploded from 650,000 at that time to more than four million today, and its rapid growth as a destination for international workers seeking opportunity sparked her first major ventures: five years in real estate leasing, followed by nine years building and selling an outsourced household cleaning business, The Housekeeping Group.<\/p>\n
The company delivered training skills to about 30,000 women, mainly from Asia and Africa, accumulating awards from government entities for its work in training and developing HR policies. It became one of the UAE\u2019s largest domestic staffing and outsourcing providers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Throughout the course of her career in the UAE, McGinty has handled regulatory environments, leveraging government-backed initiatives, and embracing the cultural dynamics of doing business in the region.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the process she has developed a detailed understanding of commercial and practical realities of living and working in the UAE. That experience now underpins Dubai Family Office.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople often underestimate what\u2019s involved,\u201d she says. \u201cThere are considerations around visas, business structures, schooling, employment, property and practical day-to-day arrangements. Having access to the right expertise makes a significant difference.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The new Edinburgh office has attracted a steady flow of interest, with a recent breakfast seminar drawing business leaders and prospective clients keen to understand the opportunities available. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFor most clients, these are important life, investment or business decisions,\u201d says McGinty.\u00a0\u201cThey want confidence that they\u2019re speaking to people who understand the process and can connect them with the right support.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now 62, she has seen more than a change in the cityscape of Dubai. The culture has also become more diverse, and the business environment has evolved. Unlike when she first set up a business in the emirate, a sponsor is now only required in certain industries such as defence, aviation and telecommunications. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe government has an \u2018Emiratisation\u2019 programme, a requirement of private companies to employ a percentage of Emiratis. This ensures a fair balance in the workforce and ensures positive integration,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The advantageous tax benefits are clearly an attraction for those looking to relocate. There\u2019s no income tax, and salaries come inclusive with medical insurance. There is no taxpayer-funded national health service, but there are no waiting lists. If you need medical treatment, you can get it almost instantly. From a schooling perspective, the government raises revenue from visas, school fees and fees paid to different departments. All schooling is private.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Regarding the current tensions in the region, she says: \u201cThe conflict in the Middle East isn\u2019t just affecting the UAE, it has an impact on countries globally.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCertain industries may be affected. But for those living and working on the ground here, it really is business as usual.<\/p>\n
\u201cDubai is not for the faint-hearted, it challenges you to think differently and work harder, but if you are prepared, it can transform your life in ways that simply wouldn\u2019t have been possible elsewhere.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
>Latest Daily Business news<\/p>\n
Like this:<\/p>\n
Like Loading…<\/p>\n
\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n
#Denise #McGinty #Daily #Business #Magazine<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Denise McGinty: Dubai challenges you to think differently The Edinburgh entrepreneur built a career in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7],"tags":[272,306,12445,12440,12441,12442,12443,1351,12446,12444],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6672"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6672"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6672\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6672"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6672"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6672"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}