Mohammed Khader, chief development officer at Almal Real Estate Development, reveals how the company is expanding its global reach through experiential hospitality, premium residences and Dubai’s emerging smart-workspace market.

How is The Unexpected positioned for long-term investment growth given its proximity to the Wynn Casino and Al Marjan Island’s rapid rise?

Our location beside the Wynn resort creates a long-term demand. We’re building more than a hotel; we’re creating a lifestyle-led ecosystem. By combining experiential hospitality with branded, fully managed residences, we generate recurring revenue, stronger occupancy, and sustainable value appreciation for investors. The goal is simple: outperform market cycles by anchoring ourselves to a growing tourism and entertainment hub.

How will the project merge the Ibiza spirit with Palladium Hotel Group management?

Ushuaïa Ibiza Hotel or what is now known as The Unexpected Ibiza Hotel brings the cultural energy: the music, the day-to-night pulse, the bold design. Palladium brings the operational precision. Together, they create a hospitality model where iconic entertainment meets disciplined global management. Residents and guests get the best of both worlds: immersive experiences supported by robust performance systems.

What sets The One by Almal – Bali apart in Nusa Dua’s competitive development landscape?

The One by Almal in Bali is intentionally multi-segment. Private villas cater to capital-growth buyers, townhouses serve families and long-stay users, while resort-managed apartments attract yield-driven investors. By diversifying the mix, we broaden our market reach and stabilise occupancy across seasons. It’s an ecosystem approach, not a single-product approach, and that’s what creates durable value.

How does The One Bali’s location and resort-style amenities enhance value?

Nusa Dua already performs exceptionally well as a luxury destination, and we amplify that with private pools, rooftop dining, co-working lounges, and hospitality-led services. These amenities are not decorative, they’re revenue drivers. They help us capture premium nightly rates and attract hybrid travellers who stay longer and come back more often.

How will Almal balance its luxury reputation while entering commercial real estate through The Smart Space?

The Smart Space is a strategic brand extension. We’re applying our luxury design principles, smart technology and service ethos to a commercial product. It allows us to diversify without diluting our identity. The aim is to introduce a premium, flexible workspace model that complements our hospitality and residential portfolio while unlocking new growth channels.

How does The Smart Space align with Dubai’s 2040 Urban Master Plan?

Dubai’s 2040 vision is about sustainable, people-centered, tech-enabled urban development. Smart Space fits directly into that narrative. By placing flexible, smart workspaces in key urban hotspots, we support reduced commute times, higher efficiency, and adaptive business environments. It’s a commercial asset designed for the next generation of Dubai’s economy.

On 20 November, Gulf Business hosted an exclusive roundtable at the Motivate Media Group boardroom in Dubai Media City, bringing together senior technology, HR and AV specialists to examine a rapidly evolving question: How is modern collaboration reshaping meeting spaces?

The conversation centred on five key themes shaping the region’s workplaces: how IT decision makers are planning and implementing technology in larger rooms and auditoriums; the merging roles of AV and IT — with audio quality emerging as a true game-changer; the benefits and challenges of end-to-end solutions versus multi-brand setups; the barriers to adoption, from budgets to user knowledge; and what the “ideal collaboration space” now looks like for organisations.

Opening the session, Yassine Mannai, associate director – sales and marketing, Shure MEA, said companies across the GCC are redesigning their meeting rooms to match new expectations.

“Spaces today need to be more dynamic and adaptable,” he explained. “Companies want areas that can shift from corporate events to trainings and wellness sessions — all while ensuring every participant, in the room or online, enjoys the same clarity and engagement.”

For Shure, audio has become central to that shift.

“Our goal is not just to sell hardware,” Mannai said. “It’s about creating inclusive, engaging spaces where collaboration works seamlessly. Previously you needed an audio engineer to configure everything. Now we’re building systems that guarantee high-quality audio while simplifying deployment for IT and facilities teams.”

He added that microphones, sensors and other capture devices now define the quality of modern collaboration.

“If you’re deploying AI or any advanced collaboration tools, you need high-quality input first. The hardware drives the experience that follows.”

Around the table, the broader transformation was equally clear. Anuja Shah, head of strategy and IT at Zurich Middle East, stressed that the best technology “stays in the background”, allowing people to focus on content rather than tools.

From the HR perspective, Clarise Morris, HR manager – MEA & APAC, Leviton Middle East, pointed to the challenge of uniting different generations and levels of digital fluency: “We talk about culture, engagement and inclusivity. If we don’t connect people properly, none of that works.”

For organisations with distributed teams, simplicity has become non-negotiable.

“When the experience fails, the impact fails,” said Shivani Saxena, chief of staff at RemotePass. “Remote employees need to feel as present as those in the room.”

Participants also debated the merits of end-to-end solutions versus multi-brand setups, a topic increasingly relevant as meeting spaces grow in size and complexity. Mannai noted that unified systems can reduce deployment challenges and create a more consistent user experience, while multi-brand configurations continue to serve specialised needs.

“People want systems that work the moment you walk into the room,” he said. “Plug-and-play has become a real expectation. When the setup is seamless, people collaborate better — and the technology stays where it should be: in the background.”

Across the session, one message emerged clearly: the modern workplace is no longer defined by desks or even buildings, but by the quality of connection between people.
That connection depends on meeting spaces that feel natural, intuitive and equitable — whether someone is speaking from a boardroom table or joining from a laptop thousands of kilometres away.

As this Gulf Business Roundtable showed, the future of collaboration will not be shaped by more technology, but by smarter, simpler, plug-and-play experiences that give teams the freedom to focus fully on the work — not the tools behind it.

Thank you to all our roundtable speakers:

• Yassine Mannai, associate director – sales and marketing, Shure MEA
• Shivani Saxena, chief of staff, RemotePass
• Anuja Shah, head of strategy and IT, Zurich Middle East
• Jannat Singh, founder and CEO, Talent Shark
• Faisal Zaidi, president, Exscape
• Algert Beollari, head of compliance and MLRO, Astero Falcon
• Rishi Chahal, co-founder and CCO, IDCUBE
• Clarise Morris, HR manager – MEA & APAC, Leviton Middle East
• George Simon, co-founder and CEO, Cornerstone Technology Solutions Global

Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund plans to reduce its stake in Britain’s second-largest supermarket group Sainsbury’s SBRY.L by nearly 4 per cent, a term sheet showed on Tuesday, ending its near-two-decade reign as top shareholder in the chain.

Qatar Investment Authority plans to offer shares at 317.6 pence ($4.20) per share in a secondary offering with JPMorgan as the sole bookrunner, according to the term sheet. Sainsbury’s shares are up 23 per cent this year and closed at 326 pence on Tuesday.

Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund has been a Sainsbury’s shareholder since 2007. That year its holding peaked at 25 per cent and it abandoned a potential bid. It started selling in 2021.

In October last year, the fund reduced its holding by about 5 per cent through a nearly $400m share sale.

Qatar’s fund plans to sell shares worth about 265.5 million pounds, reducing its stake to 6.82 per cent from the current 10.48 per cent, according to LSEG data. The fund would drop to the fourth-largest shareholder from first place.

Sainsbury’s and the fund did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.

Sainsbury’s, whose UK grocery market share has grown to a near-decade high of 15.3 per cent, has said that it now expects to deliver retail underlying operating profit of more than 1 billion pounds for its year to March 2026.

It has a market capitalization of 7.44 billion pounds as of Tuesday’s close.

The first phase of oil giant Aramco’s 2222.SE Jafurah gas plant is complete and production has begun with a capacity of 450 million cubic feet per day, the Saudi finance ministry said on Tuesday.

Jafurah is potentially the biggest shale gas project outside the U.S. and is expected to reach sustainable production of 2 billion cubic feet per day by 2030. The finance ministry, in its 2026 budget statement, listed the milestone as an achievement reached in 2025.

Jafurah’s gas output will be used for domestic power generation, freeing up crude for export that is currently used for power in the kingdom. Aramco has said its unconventional gas programme at peak production is expected to generate electricity equivalent to displacing 500,000 barrels per day of oil.

The $100bn Jafurah project, estimated to contain 229 trillion standard cubic feet of raw gas, is central to Aramco’s ambitions to become a major global player in natural gas and boost its gas production capacity.

Aramco’s gas production was 12.6 billion cubic feet per day at the end of September, up from 12 bcfd a year earlier. Aramco last month said it was boosting its gas growth target to 80% above 2021 levels from a previous targeted growth of 60 per cent. In its 2021 annual report, Aramco said it reached a single-day record gas output at the time of 10.8 bcfd.

Aramco CEO Amin Nasser, who has called Jafurah a crown jewel in the company’s portfolio, said during an earnings call last month the first phase was on track for completion by the end of this year.

Aramco earlier this year raised $11bn from a lease and leaseback agreement of its Jafurah gas processing facilities with a consortium led by Global Infrastructure Partners, part of BlackRock BLK.N.

Aramco declined to comment.

The doors of the Zayed National Museum, located in the heart of Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Cultural District, opened to the public on December 3.

Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Lord Norman Foster, the museum blends history, innovation, and culture.

The museum reflects how the story of the UAE’s Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, is deeply intertwined with that of the UAE, presenting his life as a lens through which to explore the values and aspirations that underpin the nation.

Visitors can enjoy immersive audiovisual displays, multisensory installations, and a collection of more than 3,000 objects, with 1,500 on display.

Zayed National Museum: Where culture and heritage meet

More than a museum, the destination offers a cultural experience: visitors can explore the permanent galleries, including Our Beginning, which traces the life and leadership of Sheikh Zayed; Through Our Nature, immersing guests in the UAE’s diverse landscapes; To Our Ancestors, showcasing 300,000 years of human presence; Through Our Connections, highlighting trade, technology, and the rise of shared identity; By Our Coasts, focusing on maritime heritage; and To Our Roots, reflecting traditional lifestyles and customs.

The museum also features the Al Masar Garden, a 600‑metre outdoor gallery connecting the Saadiyat coast to the museum, complete with native plants, a working falaj irrigation system, artistic sculptures, multisensory installations, and a timeline of Sheikh Zayed’s life.

Dining and leisure are part of the experience, with the fine dining Emirati restaurant Erth, Al Ghaf Cafe, and Garden Cafes.

Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, said: “As the national museum of the UAE, Zayed National Museum tells the unfolding story of the land and its people. It demonstrates the unifying power of our history and our culture, providing a space where citizens, residents and visitors can see themselves reflected in the story of our people and our land. Bridging past, present and future, it will help shape how we understand the UAE’s evolving cultural narrative. As a world-class centre for research and learning, it will inspire and equip the next generation of Emirati curators, historians and conservators, enabling our nation to further contribute to knowledge production and global cultural discourse.”

Month-long programme to mark the opening

To mark its opening, Zayed National Museum is welcoming the public to experience a programme of performances, workshops and cultural activities running until December 31 under the theme ‘Deep Roots and Everlasting Legacy’.

The museum’s indoor and outdoor spaces will be activated with diverse experiences that honour the UAE’s heritage and celebrate its culture.

The programme brings together music, dance and storytelling to connect audiences of all ages to the nation’s history and heritage.

Highlights include traditional Razfa and Naashat dances; an immersive Gahwa experience designed with Bait Al Gahwa, accompanied by poetry, Taghrooda music, Nahma seafaring chants and the Nadba mountain call; poetry performances; and musical recitals. Hands-on workshops will explore traditional crafts and arts inspired by the museum narrative and collections, and museum tours will be available. Workshops and tours require advance booking.

The museum’s retail shop, Al Nagwa Boutique, offers a curated selection of gifts and souvenirs inspired by the museum’s themes and collections.

Alongside cultural icons like Louvre Abu Dhabi and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, Zayed National Museum promises to be a lifestyle destination that celebrates the nation’s past while inspiring its future.

Zayed National Museum entry tickets and annual memberships are available at zayednationalmuseum.ae.