Key Takeaways from the Consumer & Retail Leadership Roundtable in Dubai
February 2026
In the latest Consumer & Retail Leadership Roundtable organized by Pedersen & Partners, Consumer industry CEOs convened in Dubai for an animated exchange grounded in both market data and candid peer discussion. This session was organized in partnership with Andrey Dvoychenkov and Ugur Karci from NielsenIQ and we were joined by industry leaders such as Brc Cnkt, Bertrand Favre, Murat Kahriman, Mohit Bhatia, Fabio Grilli, Burcu Yazıcı, Fikret Baltaoglu, Maher Batrouny, Igor Marti, Mustafa Gul, Dharnesh Gordhon, Maged Fakhry, Nadim Kattan, Mohamed Itani and Shahid Khan as well as the Pedersen & Partners team including Andrea Williams, Michael Al-Nassir, Shayma Ibrahim, Oyal Bayrak and Kristian Pedersen.
Across the GCC, growth dynamics differ sharply from mature markets, with expanding populations, digitally native consumers, and rapid channel evolution accelerating both opportunity and competitive pressure.
Key takeaways:
- GCC markets continue to outperform many mature economies on both value and volume growth
- Convenience, e-commerce, and quick commerce are rapidly reshaping channel strategies
- Gen Z and social platforms now directly influence brand discovery, trust, and purchase decisions
- Health and wellness expectations are becoming baseline requirements across portfolios
- Leaders must scale quickly while keeping operations simple and execution disciplined
We appreciate the thoughtful contributions of all participants and thank them for helping shape an insightful and constructive peer exchange.