North East to Middle East

Around four months ago I packed my bags and headed to Newcastle Airport. After living in Wallsend since being born I was moving out to a new life in the sunshine of Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates.

Over the coming few months I will be taking a look at life and business in this part of the world, as well as looking at the similarities between the North East and the Middle East. Based on my brief experience so far, there are quite a few...

I suppose it would be useful to give some background as to why I am here! I am an associate at Eversheds LLP, an international law firm. For six years I worked in the Newcastle office, within the banking and finance team.

My brother, Paul, has been living and working out in Abu Dhabi for 18 months now. A conversation in the back of a London taxi - about coming here on holiday to see Paul - led to me being offered the chance to relocate to help set up the new Eversheds Abu Dhabi office...and now here I am!

In this first blog it would also be very useful to give a little bit of background to Abu Dhabi, for those who are unfamiliar with the name or the place.

Abu Dhabi is the largest of the seven emirates which make up the United Arab Emirates. The UAE sits on the Arabian Gulf, across the sea from Iran, bordered to the south and west by Saudi Arabia, and in the east by Oman.

Abu Dhabi city is the capital of the UAE. Despite this, its neighbouring emirate/city, Dubai, is a far more recognisable name internationally - and in the North East of course with the daily Emirates flight between Dubai and Newcastle International Airport.

It is fair to say that there is a bit of local rivalry between the two emirates!

Abu Dhabi emirate sits on 9% of the world's known oil reserves. Unsurprisingly Abu Dhabi city is, it is widely reported, the richest city in the world.

The oil in Dubai is almost exhausted, which explains the rapid rate of development there as it seeks to transform itself into a financial and tourist centre. Abu Dhabi also has grand plans to diversify, however its oil reserves allow it to implement this in a more considered fashion.

The investment of its oil wealth is not just inward looking. Abu Dhabi, primarily through its sovereign wealth funds, is actively pursuing a policy of making big investments overseas. Last weekend's purchase of Manchester City Football Club, and the recent acquisition of a 75% stake in New York's iconic Chrysler Building, are a sign of things to come.

Expect to hear a lot more about this corner of the world over the coming months and years as Abu Dhabi gears up for its 2030 Master Plan which aims to see the city and the emirate become a major global player.

It is going to be a very interesting and exciting place to be, and I look forward to sharing some of this experience with you.

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