About Us – The MENA Catalysts

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

Our roots

Our “origin story” begins with us working in multinational companies, overseeing Middle East expansion or responsible for Gulf government relations. We hunted for the right policy advice , using almost every local ‘consulting’ firm in Dubai and Riyadh and an assortment of global government relations firms.

The problem: No firm was tailored for high tech companies for the Gulf economies

We learned the hard way: The Middle East high tech public policy arena was fundamentally different from traditional policy consulting. Law and PR firms claimed they could accomplish miracles, but really just burned through a lot of time creating little value. International government affairs firms headquartered abroad boasted of global scale but did not specialize in the Middle East high tech sector policy world.

Our lightbulb moment

We realized that government relations in the Middle East operated differently than abroad. Here, governments aren’t referees or even roadblocks. They’re critical facilitators. The key was understanding this reality. We came together to form The MENA Catalysts in order to reimagine Gulf government relations, to provide clients with the “right” high tech sector experience and the “right” relationships.

“The Way Ahead”

Fast forward two years into the future. The MENA Catalysts has become the preeminent Middle Eastern government relations firm. We’re the first to truly understand and deploy policy diplomacy for emerging technologies. Our clients are among the world’s most ambitious multinationals, and we’re helping them achieve new levels of growth in regional markets.

Differentiators

Manage-to-Results

We’re seasoned veterans who know the regulatory process from the bottom, the middle, and the top, from both within and across UAE and Saudi government ministries and U.S. international-oriented government departments.

Access to Middle East Heads of State

Many international government relations firms in the U.S. and UK may claim to have access to the region’s heads of state, but we are based in the Middle East and not only work with them but know the regulators themselves, the and law drafters, the executors of policy, the censorers with the power to unblock your apps.

Clearing the Path

We remove regulatory obstacles for high tech multinationals in the Middle East in ways other consulting companies in the region or beyond can’t match. This is why high tech leaders turn to us for advice.

Exclusive Middle East government relations tailored for high tech companies like you:

We’re the only proven, seasoned operators providing regional government relations services for tech companies. We deliver unique, effective, MENA-focused service for the app economy.

Our people

The MENA Catalysts is the only tech-focused government relations firm in the Middle East with privileged access to former top regulators and policymakers as well as experienced industry leaders. Combined, our consultants have over 100 years of hands-on problem solving experience. Where there are lots of problems, we see even more solutions.