Successfully Integrating New Hires into Your Family Business in the GCC

Family owned and led holding groups and conglomerates form the bedrock of the Gulf economy. In the UAE alone, they contribute approximately 60% of GDP, and play a pivotal role in employment, investment and national development. But as GCC countries pursue ambitious economic diversification strategies and adapt to rapid technological change, we are experiencing a moment of truth for the future of family-led organisations. Attracting and integrating new senior talent, especially from outside the family or the region is necessary for long-term resilience and growth of a family business.

The Landscape for Family Business in the GCC

New sectors are reshaping the economic playing field in the Middle East. As the region looks to diversify away from petrochemical legacy industries, family-owned organisations have a major role in the development of new sectors. Forbes’ Top 100 Arab Family Businesses 2025 list is dominated by companies expanding into retail, real estate, manufacturing, healthcare, and increasingly, technology and renewable energy. These businesses are not only maintaining their leadership in traditional sectors but are also embracing emerging industries.

Yet, by its nature a family business can be cautious when it comes to industry change. Of those family-owned groups surveyed by PwC, 35% prefer to avoid industry disruption entirely, and a further 32% only engage in limited innovation. With AI forecast to add up to 8.3% to the region’s GDP over the next decade, this hesitancy could put them at risk of being left behind.

What’s holding them back? One major challenge: talent.

According to Deloitte, 64% of family-led organisations report difficulty in attracting and retaining the right people. For a family business looking to expand beyond traditional sectors, or planning succession for a new generation of leadership, the ability to integrate external executives with fresh perspectives is critical.

The Case for External and International Senior Talent

Historically, family-led organisations have prioritised loyalty and familiarity. But the stakes have changed.

Bringing in external executives, often with multinational, blue-chip, or sovereign fund backgrounds, introduces much-needed perspectives, and capabilities for modernisation.

This could include:

• A CFO who’s led successful digital transformations across Europe
• A General Counsel with cross-border transactional experience
• A Head of Strategy from a Tier 1 global consultancy or sovereign wealth fund

Senior external hires can bring:

• Digital transformation experience
• Cross-cultural and regional intelligence
• Governance and regulatory know-how
• Commercial strategy from global markets
• Fresh leadership styles that support innovation

But successful integration is not automatic. It must be designed.

What to Look for Beyond Sector Knowledge

Hiring a technically competent executive is only one part of the equation. For large family- owned organisations alignment with values, ethos, and operating rhythm is often more important.

Senior hires capable of succeeding in a family business in the GCC typically demonstrate:

• Cultural Intelligence
  This involves understanding and respecting the unique social dynamics and communication styles in family businesses in the Gulf.

• Emotional Agility
  Senior hires need to balance showing respect for traditional business practices while driving innovative change and embracing new ways of working.

• Regional Experience
  Familiarity with local business etiquette, legal frameworks, and regulatory bodies, and market conditions.

• Patience and Diplomacy
  Navigating complex group dynamics and building relationships, particularly where decision-making is consensus-driven

Before making an offer, assess a candidate’s alignment with these softer factors, not just their CV credentials. This can be done through interviews, cultural fit assessments, psychometric evaluations, and reference checks that specifically focus on past experiences in similar environments.

Building a Future-Ready Hiring and Onboarding Process

To ensure successful integration, it’s important to modernise both how you hire and how you onboard. Here’s what to focus on:

1. Define the Role Clearly
   Ambiguity causes friction. Ensure every senior hire has a clear job description, well-defined reporting lines, and agreed decision-making powers. Document everything.

2. Hire for Character, Not Just Credentials
   Yes, sector expertise matters. But so does a candidate’s ability to influence without authority, navigate complex family business dynamics, and demonstrate emotional maturity. Build these into your hiring criteria.

3. Assess Values and Cultural Fit Early
   Use behavioural interviews, psychometric assessments, or real-world simulations to gauge a candidate’s comfort with the business’ operating style.

4. Prepare Legal, Tax, and Structural Foundations
   From employment contracts to relocation logistics, ensure both you and your new hire knows what to expect, particularly if they’re moving from outside the region.

The Role of Structured Employee Onboarding in Retention

A robust onboarding process can make or break a senior hire’s experience.

A well-structured employee onboarding process should extend over several months, not weeks. At this level, integration should be heavily focused on culture, context and connection. This support helps a new executive navigate informal power structures, understand how decisions really get made, and feel part of something greater than a job description.

Our recommended onboarding steps:

• Assign a non-family senior mentor for neutral guidance
• Schedule regular check-ins with leadership
• Build structured knowledge transfers with key department heads
• Document decision-making flows and organisational governance
• Create space for social interaction, both formal and informal
• Keep communication channels open in both directions

Why Aventus is the Right Partner for Your Family Business

The future of family-owned conglomerates in the GCC depends on their ability to attract, retain and empower the right leadership. This means being bold enough to look outside the family, and sometimes outside the region, while building a hiring process that sets people up to succeed.

At Aventus, we understand what makes family organisations successful in the GCC. Our leadership team has over 50 years of local and international executive search experience. We’ve placed senior hires across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman.

Our approach includes:

• Detailed market mapping and candidate assessment supported by Fitme
• GCC-specific onboarding support
• A high-touch, consultative search model tailored to family businesses
• Support with relocation, legal, and regulatory compliance
• Post-placement integration follow-up

We understand both the legacy and the future of your family business. And we help you bridge them. Whether you’re looking to prepare for succession, expand into new sectors, or future-proof your leadership team, Aventus can help.

Contact our team today to discuss how we can support your next strategic hire.