Business Extra

In this episode:

Opec+ decision to cut output 'technical' and 'right' measure, UAE energy minister says

IEA cuts oil demand growth forecast as recession risks loom

Disruption is the new normal

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• IMF cuts 2023 growth forecast and warns 'worst is yet to come'

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Alix Partners, the global consulting firm, has launched a Middle East Disruption Index to examine the impact of trends such as climate change, technological advances and geopolitics on businesses and trade in the region.

The survey showed 78 per cent of chief executives in the UAE and Saudi Arabia are confident in their company’s ability to withstand disruptive forces. However, there is also a lot of uncertainty with two thirds afraid that the disruption will ultimately displace them. Concerns over finding the right talent and also making effective investments in technology also cloud the outlook.

Rob Hornby, Head of EMEA, AlixPartners and Gabriel Chahine, Middle East AlixPartners Lead speak to host Mustafa Alrawi about how disruption has become a new normal for organisations and companies.

In this episode:

• Economic recovery ‘like no other’: IMF, McKinsey, OECD experts tell PCR podcast series

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A growing arts scene in the Middle East and North Africa over the past decade has both supported economic diversification and also been a sign of its success. Following the Covid-19 pandemic and amid concerns about the outlook for the region, can arts and culture maintain its momentum?

Dr Ridha Moumni, Christie’s Middle East deputy chairman, talks to host Mustafa Alrawi about the auction house's role in growing the sector in the region and beyond.

In this episode:

• NFTs and how Sotheby's is courting a new generation: Business Extra

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The National's London Bureau Chief Damien McElroy explains why the crisis has come about and discusses which direction the country might head next under such pressure, with host Mustafa Alrawi, including the possibility of a radical shake up of the social contract.

In this episode:

• Britain's energy crisis explained as cost of living woes await new PM

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More than 3,000 workers at 70 companies in the UK began a six-month trial of a four-day working week in June.

Researchers will work with each organisation to measure the effects on productivity and the well-being of its workers, and on the environment and gender equality. The trend toward new patterns of work has accelerated following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Charlotte Lockhart and Andrew Barnes, from non-profit 4 Day Week Global, talk to hosts Mustafa Alrawi and Kelsey Warner about how they are building a community to research four day work week practices and identify the future of work.

In this episode:

• Companies could save $206bn by adopting remote working and ease inflation pressures

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Automation and robotics are becoming mainstream and have emerged from beyond heavy industry in recent years. They can be found across sectors such as health care, tourism, retail, F&B and mobility.

Investment and research into the field has also picked up including here in the UAE where Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, or MBZUAI, is supporting local ambitions. Robots were also on hand to help visitors at Expo 2020 Dubai.

Prof Takeo Kanade of Carnegie Mellon University talks to hosts Mustafa Alrawi and Kelsey Warner about how advances in robotics are changing the way we live and work.

In this episode:

• Will staff shortages bring about the rise of the robots?: Business Extra

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The Global Gender Gap Report 2022 — released by the World Economic Forum last month — said countries will take another 132 years, compared to 136 in 2021, to close the gap between men and women in the workforce. In Mena, this figure stands at 115 years.

Overall, the gap has widened compared to before the pandemic and the lack of equity for women, particularly in management roles, has become a crisis. With the challenges facing business such as climate change, inflation and technological shifts, diversity of leadership as well as staff, will build resilience to cope with such an unprecedented era of change. And the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated a long-term global trend of more women founding their own businesses, according to the professional social networking site LinkedIn.

Sue Duke, vice president of global public policy and economic graph at LinkedIn, which provides insights and data to research including the Forum's report, talks to host Mustafa Alrawi about the risks and opportunities involved in closing the gender gap.

In this episode:

• Bucking Covid-19 trend, Saudi women take job market by storm: Business Extra

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A number of countries across the Gulf and Middle East and North Africa, including the UAE, are stepping up investments in companies and initiatives that develop local food supply chains.

Dana, which supports desert-tech and agri-tech startups with at least one woman founder, has agreed a deal with Masdar City to set up an R&D beta facility in Abu Dhabi.

Chief Executive of Dana, Zada Haj, talks to co-hosts Kelsey Warner and Mustafa Alrawi about the importance of building up the sector amid growing concerns about food security in the Mena region amid climate change, conflict in Ukraine and Covid-disrupted supply chains.

In this episode:

• Masdar City and investment platform Dana sign pact to advance food security in UAE

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