With engineering consultants in the Gulf experiencing trouble getting paid as per their contractual agreements, Kimble discussed the importance of leveraging stakeholders and building political profile to help resolve the difficulties.

Kimble spoke for 20 minutes, firstly on the context and culture of operating in the Gulf. He then presented a six-step methodology he has devised that provides an integrated communications strategy for companies to establish and protect reputation. The methodology has been devised to help companies understand the importance of mitigating political risk, and a simplified version is available on the ACE website. Kimble used the example of Britain’s Crossrail to highlight some basic differences between infrastructure projects in the west and in the Gulf, then took questions for 10 minutes before joining a panel of journalists to discuss the issues raised under the Chatham House rule. CEO Nelson Ogunshakin and Chairman of ACE International Business Group Gavin English moderated the session.

Sitting on the panel were Frank Kane, Senior Business Correspondent of The National newspaper, Sean Brierley, Content Director for EMAP Middle East, and Rob Denman, Editor in Chief and CEO of Pathfinder Business. The panel discussed issues critical to successful lobbying and press engagement in the Gulf. Other speakers discussed key legal, contractual, health and safety and insurance issues that consulting engineers operating in the GCC have to consider.

“[ACE CEO] Nelson Ogunshakin and the team at ACE have been working on behalf of their members since it first became apparent that there would be a squeeze in the Gulf,” said Kimble. “The background to the issues in the UAE is similar to elsewhere, but the culture is very different. I thought delegates would benefit if I could illustrate how they might employ public affairs to their advantage regionally and internationally. I would like to thank Frank, Rob and Sean for their time and their insight – it was a heavyweight discussion.”