Online event
Current situation in the Middle East: Risks and opportunities for business
Tuesday 05 May at 11:00AM
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A practical briefing on geopolitical, security and economic developments in the Middle East and Pakistan, and their implications for business risk and decision‑making.
What you’ll learn
- Improved understanding of current regional risks and their implications for business
- Practical approaches to mitigating geopolitical, security and operational risks
- Awareness of emerging opportunities and priority markets despite regional uncertainty
Description
This session will provide UK businesses with timely, practical insight into the rapidly evolving geopolitical, security and economic landscape in the Middle East and Pakistan, and what it means for trade, investment, supply chains and business operations.
Attendees will leave better equipped to make informed decisions and manage risk amid ongoing volatility.
Speakers
Sarah Mooney
HM Trade Commissioner and HM Consul General to Dubai, UK Government
Sarah Mooney is His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for the Middle East and Pakistan, and British Consul General to Dubai and the Northern Emirates, taking up the role in February 2025.
Prior to taking up this role, Sarah was the British Deputy High Commissioner Karachi; Director of Trade Pakistan; and HM Deputy Trade Commissioner for Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon.
She has served in Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and the Department for Business and Trade (formerly the Department for International Trade) for two decades.
She was previously a Deputy Director in the Department for International Trade, UK in various roles between August 2019 and August 2022. Between 2015 and 2019 she served as Head of Science and Innovation, India, Africa and the Middle East at the British High Commission, New Delhi.
From 2011 to 2015 she held the position of Head of Science and Innovation, Americas at the British Embassy in Washington DC. She has also held the positions of Deputy Consul General and Head of Trade in Istanbul, and Deputy Director Trade USA at the British Consulate General New York.
Tom Griffin
Partner, Control Risks
Tom leads Control Risks consulting business across the Middle East & Africa. He has considerable expertise in advising businesses as they embark on growth strategies across the region, helping them manage the challenges and complexities inherent with operating in Africa and the Middle East and providing support around reputational, operational & political risks, pre-market assessments, stakeholder mapping, due diligence and strategic business intelligence.
Niamh McBurney
Associate Director, Middle East and North Africa, Control Risks
Niamh McBurney leads Control Risks’ political, regulatory, and operational analysis on the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and oversees the practice’s analysis on the Arabian Peninsula. Based in Dubai, she supports clients in navigating myriad political risks, opportunities and challenges for investors and operators in a range of sectors through custom advisory work and contributions to our subscription services. Her areas of expertise are GCC politics, regional security, and regional energy markets.
Angiolo Tosi
Director, Crisis and Risk Consulting, Control Risks
Angiolo is a Director in the Crisis and Security Consulting practice in the Middle East. He advises a broad range of clients on their corporate security, enterprise risk management, and resilience requirements, including government, financial services, oil and gas, energy, retail, leisure and hospitality.