The inaugural Polo Classic Cup — which took place on 7 December, 2025 — made a confident and well-attended debut at Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, welcoming more than 400 guests as the official Speakers’ Welcome for Abu Dhabi Finance Week (ADFW).

Conceived as a refined prelude to a packed week of high-level discussion and deal-making, the event brought together global leaders from finance, technology, blockchain, and government in a setting designed to encourage meaningful conversation away from conference halls. The day commenced with opening remarks from Abdullah Al Suwaidi, chief support services officer at ADGM, who underscored Abu Dhabi’s growing role as a global platform for dialogue, capital, and cross-border collaboration.

The polo itself featured a blend of local and international talent, with Saleh Mohamed Al Geziry, director general of the Tourism Sector at DCT Abu Dhabi, taking to the field alongside recognised global players. Set against the backdrop of one of the region’s most iconic landmarks, the matches were complemented by curated hospitality and informal networking moments that continued throughout the afternoon.

Off the field, the guest list reflected the breadth and influence of Abu Dhabi Finance Week. Leaders from major companies such as ADNOC, Allianz, AON, Standard Chartered, Brookfield Global Funds, Blackrock, BNP Paribas, G42, Guggenheim Family, Jefferies, Lonestar, Taylor Wessing, Visa, Hanwha and Temasek were all strongly represented.

“The Polo Classic Cup is where business influence meets lifestyle elegance,” said Louise Karim, CMO of AIOKA, the global hospitality and events firm behind the concept. “It creates a space for global leaders to connect in a way that is elevated yet relaxed, while reflecting the UAE’s heritage and ambition.”

Max Palethorpe, CEO of AIOKA, said the event was intentionally designed to prioritise genuine connection. “This is more than a sporting occasion,” he said. “By bringing together decision-makers in a setting like this, we create an environment that strengthens relationships and builds lasting value. Together with our partners, we’re setting a new benchmark for luxury sporting experiences.”

As a first edition, the Polo Classic Cup succeeded in its aim of setting the tone for Abu Dhabi Finance Week — blending sport, culture, and global business, while offering senior leaders a rare moment to slow down, engage, and build rapport before the week’s agenda gathered pace.

Nowadays, global cities are judged as much by quality of life as by economic output. Where people want to live, companies tend to build, and investors follow. That link between daily experience and long-term growth has become central to how urban centres compete.

Recognising this, Dubai has set out a 10-year Quality of Life Strategy, approved in 2024, that places wellbeing at the centre of its growth model. The plan runs to 2033 and is designed to keep pace with a city that has more than tripled in size since 2000 and continues to expand. Its scope is broad, covering neighbourhood design, mobility, green space, and services, and it reflects Dubai’s aim to be seen not only as a hub for business but also as a global benchmark for urban living.

Why wellbeing is on the agenda

Cities compete on more than growth figures. Talent, investment, and long-term settlement decisions often hinge on how liveable a place feels day to day. Governments have started to measure wellbeing as closely as they do GDP, and the concept has moved into economic planning. The OECD, for example, now publishes a global wellbeing index, and several European cities use quality-of-life benchmarks to shape urban budgets.

In this vein, Dubai has made quality of life a policy goal rather than a by-product of development. The new 2033 strategy pulls together work already under way in urban planning, mobility, and public health into one coordinated programme. It sets out more than 200 projects and creates a central office to ensure delivery across agencies and private partners.

Population growth and urban planning

Dubai’s population has passed 3.6 million and could approach six million by 2040. Growth on that scale makes liveability a planning challenge as much as a social goal. Housing, transport and public amenities all have to expand in line with demographics if the city is to remain practical and attractive.

A core idea in the new strategy is the “20-minute city”. It means shaping districts so that most daily needs such as schools, clinics, shops, parks and public transport are no more than a short walk or cycle away. The thinking is that if residents can cover 80 per cent of routine trips within that distance, pressure on roads eases, neighbourhoods feel more connected, and wellbeing improves. For a fast-growing city, it is a way of weaving quality of life directly into the growth model instead of adding it later as an afterthought.
Flagship initiatives

The strategy is being rolled out in three phases through to 2033, with the early work concentrated on visible improvements in neighbourhoods and public space. The first phase includes a redesign of three model districts, Al Mizhar 1, Al Khawaneej 2, and Al Barsha 2, where shaded paths, safer crossings, and stronger links between community hubs such as shops, mosques, and parks will be introduced. These pilots are intended to set the standard for upgrades across the city.

Alongside these upgrades, work on transport links is moving ahead with new walking and cycling routes, shaded paths, and expanded metro and bus lines. The aim is to create neighbourhoods where residents can reach daily services quickly, while also encouraging active mobility and easing congestion.

Expanding parks and green areas

Another priority is adding more green space to the city. More than 30 new parks are planned within the first three years, alongside the redevelopment of existing public squares and neighbourhood gardens. The aim is to make parks part of everyday life rather than occasional destinations, with small but accessible spaces distributed across residential districts.

Larger projects include the redesign of coastal parks such as Al Mamzar and Jumeirah, and the introduction of shaded family areas, sports facilities, and cycling tracks.

By 2033, the total public park area is expected to grow from 23 to 64 square kilometres, almost tripling the space available. Expanding greenery also carries practical benefits, helping to cut urban heat, improve air quality, and lower energy demand from cooling.

Culture, leisure, and community life

The strategy isn’t only about roads and parks though, it’s also about how people spend their free time. More than 1,000 events are planned each year, from sport to music and performance, and new venues will be added so more residents can take part. Squares and community spaces are being designed into neighbourhoods, giving people places to gather close to home rather than relying on malls or long drives.

Cultural diversity is treated as an asset. Dubai already brings together more than 200 nationalities, and the plan reflects that mix while still protecting heritage and Emirati traditions. It also makes room for growth in the creative economy: cultural, tourism and hotel space is expected to increase by more than 130% by 2040, and new hubs for arts and design are part of the build-out. Each district is meant to have its own character and social life, avoiding a one-size-fits-all approach.

Wellbeing as a measure of progress

What stands out about this strategy is how many parts of city life it touches. Cultural and tourism space is set to expand by more than 130 percent, green cover will almost triple, and transport systems will be retooled so that public and shared travel account for nearly half of all trips. The private sector is also expected to play a large role, with more than 100 projects open to outside investment and delivery.

By putting wellbeing on the same level as infrastructure or economic growth, Dubai is building a framework that changes how a global city is judged. The next decade will show how far these commitments shape daily life, but the scale of the plan means it will be a defining part of how Dubai positions itself by 2033.

The writer is a partner at The Knightsbridge Group.

Australia is set to become the first country to implement a minimum age for social media use on Wednesday, December 10, with platforms like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube forced to block more than a million accounts, marking the beginning of an expected global wave of regulation.

From midnight (1300 GMT), 10 of the biggest platforms will be required to block Australians aged under 16 or be fined up to A$49.5m ($33m). The law received harsh criticism from major technology companies and free speech advocates, but was praised by parents and child advocates.

The rollout closes out a year of speculation about whether a country can block children from using technology that is built into modern life.

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And it begins a live experiment that will be studied globally by lawmakers who want to intervene directly because they are frustrated by what they say is a tech industry that has been too slow to implement effective harm-minimisation efforts.

Governments from Denmark to Malaysia, and even some states in the US, where platforms are rolling back trust and safety features – say they plan similar steps, four years after a leak of internal Meta documents showed the company knew its products contributed to body image problems and suicidal thoughts among teenagers while publicly denying the link existed.

“While Australia is the first to adopt such restrictions, it is unlikely to be the last,” said Tama Leaver, a professor of internet studies at Curtin University.

“Governments around the world are watching how the power of Big Tech was successfully taken on. The social media ban in Australia … is very much the canary in the coal mine.”

A spokesperson for the British government, which in July began forcing websites hosting pornographic content to block under-18 users, said it was “closely monitoring Australia’s approach to age restrictions.”

“When it comes to children’s safety, nothing is off the table,” they added.

Few will scrutinise the impact as closely as the Australians. The eSafety Commissioner, an Australian regulator tasked with enforcing the ban, hired Stanford University and 11 academics to analyse data on thousands of young Australians covered by the ban for at least two years.

Beginning of the end

Though the ban covers 10 platforms initially, including Alphabet’s YouTube, Meta’s Instagram and TikTok, the government has said the list will change as new products appear and young users switch to alternatives.

Of the initial 10, all but Elon Musk’s X have said they will comply using age inference-guessing a person’s age from their online activity – or age estimation, which is usually based on a selfie. They might also check with uploaded identification documents or linked bank account details.

Musk has said the ban “seems like a backdoor way to control access to the internet by all Australians” and most platforms have complained that it violates people’s right to free speech. An Australian High Court challenge overseen by a libertarian state lawmaker is pending.

For the social media businesses, the implementation marks a new era of structural stagnation as user numbers flatline and time spent on platforms shrinks, studies show.

Platforms say they don’t make much money showing advertisements to under-16s, but they add that the ban interrupts a pipeline of future users. Just before the ban took effect, 86 per cent of Australians aged 8 to 15 used social media, the government said.

“The days of social media being seen as a platform for unbridled self-expression, I think, are coming to an end,” said Terry Flew, the co-director of University of Sydney’s Centre for AI, Trust and Governance.

Platforms responded to negative headlines and regulatory threats with measures like a minimum age of 13 and extra privacy features for teenagers, but “if that had been the structure of social media in the boom period, I don’t think we’d be having this debate,” he added.

The journey from start-up to a thriving and sustainable business is challenging and complicated, requiring entrepreneurs to wear many hats along the way. From visionary to operations manager, human resources director and chief marketing officer, business owners are required to fulfil all these roles and more, until the entity has gained a foothold in the market and has a real fighting chance of survival in its sector.

But now, as founder, you’ve reached a crossroads, wondering whether you should stay on as CEO or step down. As passionate as you are, this is the time to remove emotion from any decision regarding the future of the enterprise. Should you take an early exit and leave the day-to-day running of what is your baby to someone else, or should you stay at the helm as CEO and steer the ship yourself?

Should I stay or should I go? How to decide.

At this stage in the company’s development, the question is, what is needed to take it to the next level? Where does the business sit in the competitor landscape? Is it performing optimally, and what are the projections for sales of your product or service? Is the company adequately resourced to achieve your goals and objectives? Take a long, hard look at the facts and figures and build an honest needs assessment that might – or might not – include you in a leadership position.

At the same time, a skills analysis of everyone working for the company – some of whom may have come aboard at the very beginning of your journey – is also required. You may need to move people around, redeploy them as the company’s growing needs demand, ensuring they are working where their skills will be best utilised. Take your personal growth into consideration and decide what more you can bring to the company now that it’s achieved a certain level of stability and even success.

What it takes to be an effective CEO

Entrepreneurs are not always wired to be business leaders. They are big ideas people, often ill-equipped to manage a functioning operation. An effective CEO needs many essential qualities. They need to lead from the front, taking a strategic overview, putting systems in place but delegating actual operations to key staff members. CEOs need to manage investor relations, ensuring that financial partners get the ROI they were looking for. A CEO also needs to explore opportunities to scale and to guide the company through transitions of size or operational focus. Above all, CEOs need a certain level of detachment to make the tough decisions that ensure the longevity and profitability of the business.

To be…

As the company founder, you clearly have an advantage should you choose to be the CEO. You’re the only one with the product and institutional knowledge – not to mention the agility – to get this done. You are deeply invested in the company, both emotionally and financially. Maybe the company is still too young or small for you to relinquish control, and you are the one driving momentum and morale now that things have started to happen. Perhaps you are only just growing into your role and have a lot more to give.

So, if your objective view of the company’s needs and of your own skills leads you to believe you are the best person for the job, and you are ready to stop doing and start leading, delivering on your original vision for the company, then the CEO role should fit like a glove.

…Or not to be

But perhaps the reality is that you’re not the right person to take the company forward. You might be feeling burnt out from the crazy ride you’ve been on so far, and maybe you’ve lost the strategic vision you once had. Perhaps you’re receiving negative feedback from the board or staff and have skills gaps that are hindering the company’s progress.

If you had a succession plan in place from the outset, hopefully your replacement is ready to step in and take over the reins in a seamless handover. Alternatively, if there is no one with the necessary skills, start the recruitment process and begin planning your exit and new role.

Defining your new role (whichever way you go)

Your future – inside or outside of the company – depends on your plans for your business. Perhaps that plan is to scale and sell, in which case your job will be to ensure the growth and expansion of the business and to guide the new leadership through change. If your goal is to build a legacy for your family or children, you need to plot a steady course and look further into the future while keeping an eye out for new markets or product diversification. In this case, the growth trajectory does not need to be as steep or urgent, and you can afford to explore many different opportunities. You may stay involved as a founder member or take a position on the board. Whichever path you choose, forge a role for yourself where you will have the most impact.

Rashid Mohammed is the head of Revenue & Strategy at SPC Free Zone.

Exxon Mobil XOM.N, Saudi’s Aramco 2222.SE and Samref on Monday signed an agreement to evaluate a significant upgrade of the Samref refinery in Yanbu, and an expansion of the facility into an integrated petrochemical complex.

The companies intend to explore capital investments to upgrade and diversify production, including high-quality distillates that result in lower emissions and high-performance chemicals, Aramco said in a statement.

Earlier this year, the Saudi state oil giant had signed a memorandum of understanding with Exxon to evaluate an upgrade to the Samref refinery.

Samref is an equally owned joint venture between Aramco and Mobil Yanbu Refining Company, which is a wholly owned unit of Exxon.