UAE family businesses stress crisis readiness and rapid decision-making at Make in UAE 2026
UAE family businesses meet at Make in UAE 2026, urging crisis readiness, rapid decisions and flexibility to strengthen resilience and boost economic growth.
The Make in UAE 2026 platform in Abu Dhabi hosted a high-level session yesterday that brought together leading heads of family-owned companies from across the country. UAE family businesses used the forum to outline how flexibility, faster decision-making and long-term planning have become central to managing repeated global shocks. Senior figures including Mohammed Alabbar, Abdulaziz Al Ghurair and Ghada Al Fardan shared practical lessons drawn from recent crises and how those lessons inform corporate restructuring and opportunity-seeking.
Senior leaders convene at Make in UAE 2026
The session formed part of a broader industry programme aimed at promoting domestic manufacturing and strategic resilience. Executives discussed a sequence of global disruptions over recent decades and the direct impact those events had on markets and supply chains. Speakers praised the UAE’s institutional stability and planning as key enablers that allowed firms to maintain continuity during turbulent periods.
Executives say crises are recurring and instructive
Mohammed Alabbar described crises as recurring realities that reshape economic trajectories and market expectations. He noted that events ranging from regional conflicts to global pandemics have tested corporate models and accelerated change across sectors. Panelists argued that organisations which codify lessons from past disruptions can adapt faster when new shocks emerge.
Family firms highlight flexibility and fast decision-making
Abdulaziz Al Ghurair emphasised that agility and prompt executive action are decisive factors in crisis management for family-owned groups. He said that streamlined governance and the capacity to make quick strategic adjustments provide family businesses with a comparative advantage. The panel underlined that speed of response often dictates whether a firm loses market share or captures new opportunities during a downturn.
Crisis periods used to reassess and restructure
Ghada Al Fardan shared how the COVID-19 pandemic served as a moment for internal review and business reorganisation at her firm. She explained that temporary pauses in usual operations opened space for reprioritising investments and launching new projects suited to shifting demand. Several participants echoed the view that structured reassessment during quieter intervals can result in stronger, more focused business models.
Economic contribution and competitive strengths of family groups
Speakers reiterated that family businesses represent a significant share of the UAE’s private sector output and employment. They highlighted attributes such as long-term orientation, fast decision cycles and deep local knowledge as strengths that enhance national economic resilience. Panelists also noted that family firms are often quicker to redeploy resources toward emerging market niches when conventional markets contract.
Practical measures to raise preparedness
Discussion turned to concrete steps companies can take to improve readiness, including scenario planning, decentralised decision protocols and investment in digital tools. Leaders recommended embedding contingency plans into corporate governance and running regular stress tests to identify vulnerabilities. They also urged closer public-private coordination to ensure infrastructure and regulatory frameworks support rapid business adaptation.
The consensus at the session was that resilience is built before a crisis through foresight, governance reforms and an openness to restructure when conditions demand it. Participants called on family businesses to leverage their inherent flexibility and on policymakers to sustain an institutional environment that supports continuity and reinvention.