Yousef Al Nowais, Chairman & Managing Director, Arab Development • Interview

Arab Development has worked hand in hand with its partners over the course of the pandemic to remain resilient and optimistic about the future.

How have you worked to absorb the shocks of the pandemic, and what factors helped you remain resilient?

The impact of the pandemic has been universal and everyone has been hit by it in some way or another. However, being a diversified group helped us to stay resilient. Diversification was the advantage for us and we did not require any reorganization. If and whenever needed, our personnel operated from home using Microsoft Teams and Zoom. We have been successful and have also been careful to look after our employees’ welfare. In line with the guidance of the UAE government, all organizations managed to do an excellent job during this difficult period to manage the consequences of the pandemic, which should be appreciated by all.

How was the relationship with the companies you work with during the pandemic?

In brief, it remained good, as they were looking for advice and were following the government and clients’ stipulated regulations. They coped well with the requirements, even though they had to incur significantly additional costs to comply with statuary requirements due to-COVID-19. These included arranging PCR tests, providing vaccinations, and arranging additional vehicles to transport workers between camps and work sites to comply with the advised social distancing, and additional accommodation facilities had to be provided for the work force in the camps as well to meet with the requirements of social distancing.

Apart from the restrictions on working conditions, they were also adversely impacted due to late receipt of materials on site due to restrictions to the international transportation of materials and restrictions at ports in the UAE and in movement of materials from ports to sites. This, coupled with restricted working conditions at site, consequently had a major adverse impact on the schedule of construction and overall work completion.

Did any of the announcements in regard to fee reductions and stimulus packages affect you in a positive way?

Yes, these had positive effect as the government was receptive enough to propose the related measures at the right time. The tourism and hotel industry suffered heavily. The government’s directives through the central bank were very helpful in providing stimulant packages like reducing the rates of interest and deferring the payments for one or two years.

How did the oil price fluctuations and measures taken by ADNOC affect your operations?

The decisions and measures taken by ADNOC, in line with government guidelines, override everything else. When oil prices went down and, taking into consideration the impacts of the pandemic all over the world, it became essential to change priorities, which is what ADNOC and the government did. They prioritized things that were needed to be done first, such as maintaining plants, refineries, and services. In the UAE, we were completely closed for a total of one a half months, and then life returned almost to normal.

Have you seen an increase in the use of technology during the pandemic?

Yes. We had not utilized Teams or Zoom in the past on regular basis. But, now these are used as regular practice by our related personnel whether working from home or from the office. This has considerably reduced the need for travelling to attend meetings within the country or abroad and consequently the related expenses have reduced.

We have all learned a great deal from this, such as being patient, having faith, adapting to changing situations, and being flexible in order to stay resilient.

What milestones and priorities you have planned for the coming six months?

At present my priority is to keep the company running as it is and keep my personnel enthused. I want to do whatever I can, with the little I have, as I consider this by itself is success. Tomorrow, when things return to normal, we will see more work in the country. There will be challenges in the future as well for the oil and gas and petrochemicals sectors. However, as long as there is demand, growth will remain.