IAN FAIRSERVICE Founder and managing partner, Motivate Media Group

With media in its infancy, Fairservice identified the opportunity to launch the county’s first magazine and set up his media business, Motivate Publishing, in June 1979. Together with his partner Obaid Humaid Al-Tayer, the former UAE Minister of State for Finance, he has seen the company develop into one of the most successful media houses in the region. Publishing a wide range of award-winning magazines and books along with diverse media interests across digital, content, events and cinema, Motivate has a team of more than 150 media professionals in a network of Middle East offices.

What’s On, Gulf Business, Emirates Woman, Identity, Golf Digest, Campaign and Business Traveller are some of Motivate’s best established consumer and trade brands with websites that reach an audience of more than two million people each month.

The company has several successful joint venture partnerships including its cinema advertising business, Motivate Val Morgan. During the past few years, Fairservice has also diversified the group’s interests to include joint ventures with global content and influencer marketing platform VAMP from Australia, social listening and research specialists MavenMagnet from the US and acclaimed British documentary filmmakers Lorton Entertainment.