UK-based Macdonald & Company, the leading recruitment consultancy focusing solely on the property industry, has announced the opening of its first Middle East office in Dubai. The move is expected to significantly boost the company’s international presence as it looks to leverage the thriving property market in the Middle East.
With offices in the UK, Hong Kong, South Africa and now Dubai, Macdonald & Company - the only recruitment company approved by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors - will be keen on adding to the 60,000 international candidates it has on its database. The company specialises in sourcing recruits in every field, from development, investment and finance, project management and quantity surveying to architecture, urban design and building surveying.
“Dubai was a natural choice for us when it came to setting up our base in the Middle East. The unprecedented growth in Dubai’s property and real estate sector, and not to mention the emirate’s rapidly growing economy, presented a scenario we had to capitalise on,” said Matthew Taylor, International Director, Macdonald & Company.
“Our Dubai office will not only cater to the UAE, but also to the rest of the region, including Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Jordan and Lebanon. We are certain that our high level of professionalism will tremendously benefit our clients in the region. We will use the highly effective blueprint that we have created in London for our Dubai office, dividing different sectors of the property lifecycle into defined areas of specialisation. Our consultants are therefore experts in their niche, offering outstanding professional advice to both clients and candidates alike,” added Taylor.
Established in 1994, Macdonald & Company acts for a wide variety of clients including banks, consultancies, property companies, funds, institutions and property developers, and is constantly enhancing its reputation for providing high quality, responsive, personal and confidential recruitment service worldwide. The company’s international expansion phase follows the recent completion of a reverse takeover of Prime People Plc to become AIM listed.
Macdonald & Company began focusing on the Middle East well in advance of starting fully-fledged operations in Dubai. In the second half of 2005, Matthew Taylor and William Buck, the company’s International Directors, made frequent visits to Dubai to finalise procedures regarding their new office and had talks with several of the leading property and real estate firms in the UAE. This helped the company build a high profile client base in the region, which includes IFA Hotels & Resorts, Gulf Finance House, Istithmar, DG Jones, EC Harris and Asteco.
Macdonald & Company has achieved impressive profits year after year. The results for the twelve months ended March 2006 clearly demonstrate the high levels of profit growth the company has been able to achieve by increasing the number of consultants it employs. The company reported annual revenues of US$ 30 million for 2005-2006.
“We are confident of becoming the number one property and real estate recruitment consultancy in the GCC region, and we look forward to offering a host of allied services such as a comprehensive salary survey, benchmarking and recruitment and retention advice. Once we establish ourselves in the Middle East through our base in Dubai, we will gradually explore possibilities for further expansion by setting up satellite offices in key growth areas in the region,” said William Buck, International Director, Macdonald & Company.
The Dubai office of Macdonald & Company will be managed jointly by Matthew Taylor and William Buck. Taylor and Buck will be assisted by a team of highly qualified and experienced recruitment consultants and chartered surveyors. The Dubai team includes Elliott Spencer, George Buck, Ben Waddilove and Dina Hijazi. The team has a combination of international and local experience along with capabilities in English, Arabic and French.
“The tremendous boom in the Middle East real estate and property market has warranted the need for professionals in the region. As an internationally reputed firm with specialist knowledge within the Property and Real Estate Sector, we are keen on providing Middle East companies with the best recruitment solution and we are looking to expand our list of qualified candidates across the region,” concluded Buck.
