Case Study

Development Director, Property Company, UAE

The Challenge

As the region's premier development company, this organisation had already changed the face of the city with landmarks of ingenuity and distinctive residential communities.

The next challenge was to deliver unique retail offerings on a major scale.  The newly formed retail/shopping mall division needed leadership from a development director who was able to roll out local neighbourhood convenience malls within the organisation's numerous residential developments, and also undertake the development of further large scale regional malls on greenfield sites in order to support the mega projects that were underway.  This individual would also be responsible for planning and executing the development pipeline of the company.

The Approach

Following an extensive brief taking process we identified the key requirements of the ideal candidate.  It was agreed between Carmichael Fisher and the client that the successful candidate would most likely be based overseas and not within the GCC.

We were active in mapping the market within the USA, Australia, UK/Europe and China. This was an exercise to not only identify the developments that were built but included additional insight into the projects which had been commercially successful.  This was a very important part of the process vital to the credibility of the individuals being considered for the position.

The Result

The shortlist presented to the client contained the best candidates from each country.  Following initial video conference interviews the client shortlisted several people for further consideration, however the initial screening also identified a very strong candidate whom the company decided to interview first.

He was a seasoned and experienced development executive capable of assembling teams and directing large and complex mixed use and retail projects.  He was managing a physical portfolio requirement for a major developer and he had also been responsible for the delivery of the largest retail project being developed in the United States at the time.  There was strong synergy between both parties and following financial negotiations a formal offer was brokered and accepted.  Relocation was handled seamlessly and this individual excelled within the new environment.