About Us – The MENA Catalysts

We want to change the way you think about government relations.

Our Origins

Our origin story begins with us working “in the trenches” of multinationals, managing Gulf government relations and market expansion. We were the clients of many top ‘consulting’ firm and global government relations firms burning through time, pain and financial resources. Sound familiar? We can help.

Problem worth solving: No firm was tailored for high tech companies expanding in the Gulf economies.

We learned the hard way: The Middle East’s business policy landscape was fundamentally different from traditional policy consulting. Law and PR firms promised quick fixes but wasted valuable time. Government affairs firms boast of global scale, but lack the specialization needed for the Gulf’s high tech economy.

Our Lightbulb Moment

We realized that government relations in the Middle East operated fundamentally differently and are not a nice-to-have. Governments aren’t referees or bureaucratic roadblocks alone —they are vital facilitators. This secret led us to the genesis of The MENA Catalysts, to deliver Gulf market expansion priorities, to provide the right high tech sector expertise and key relationships to clients that they will get nowhere else.

The Way Ahead

Fast forward two years into the future. The MENA Catalysts is the leading government relations firm in the Middle East. We’re pioneers in Middle East policy diplomacy for emerging technologies. Our clients are among the world’s most ambitious multinationals, and we’re helping achieve new levels of Middle Eastern growth.

Differentiators

Penetrating insights on Day 1

We will deliver new insights to clients from our very first meeting with minimal effort. We know what you want because we’ve been delivering Middle East public policy for decades. We’re seasoned veterans who understand the regulatory process inside and out—from the ground level to the top—across UAE and Saudi government ministries and top international governments.

Access to Gulf Halls of Power

Many global government relations firms may claim to have access to the region’s heads of state, but they don’t have relationships to them like we do: with the business-relevant regulators you want.

Clearing the Path

Securing licensing and market access, we strip regulatory obstacles for high tech companies expanding in the Gulf – in ways that other firms in the region or beyond, simply can’t match. This is why we have high numbers of clients with multi-year, long-term relationships.

Exclusive, Tailored Middle East Government Relations

We are the only proven, seasoned operators exclusively delivering Gulf government relations for fintech, AI, and digital assets companies. This gives us competitive advantages to provide outsized impact and progress often, in less time than expected.

Meet Our Experts

The MENA Catalysts is the only tech-focused Middle East government relations firm with hard-to-reach access to former top regulators, policymakers, and experienced industry leaders. Together, your delivery team brings over 100 years of hands-on problem-solving experience. That is a lot of problems, and even more projects delivered.