This article was originally posted in Conulstantcy Middle East
In 2026, the credibility of professional services firms will rest not on technical output, but on whether their leaders understand national priorities, interpret societal shifts, and show clear alignment with the country’s social ambitions.
This shift is significant and structural. The 2025 UAE federal budget, which allocates thirty-seven percent of total spending to social development, education, healthcare, pensions and wellbeing, signals that the country’s next decade of transformation is anchored in human capital. When this financial commitment is considered alongside the announcement of 2025 as the Year of the Family, the policy direction becomes unambiguous. The UAE is investing in people, in social cohesion and in long-term stability. Under the umbrella of We the UAE 2031, every sector from financial services to healthcare, from real estate to technology is being asked to align with a national narrative centred on social value, quality of life and opportunity for families and future generations.
For advisory firms, this context creates a new reputational mandate. It is not optional and is no longer a peripheral dimension of corporate responsibility. It is central to how firms will be assessed by government, regulators, clients and the wider ecosystem.
The UAE is recalibrating expectations of private sector contribution. The implications for advisory firms are clear. Human capital development is becoming a defining element of firm reputation. The country’s focus on talent as a national asset means firms are expected to demonstrate how they develop and retain local talent, how they contribute to knowledge transfer and how they strengthen future-ready capabilities. What once might have been considered an internal HR matter has now become an expression of how the firm supports the nation’s long-term aspirations.
Family-oriented sectors are also rising in importance. The Year of the Family underscores national attention on education, healthcare access, pensions and financial literacy, insurance and protection, wellbeing and mental health, digital and financial safety and intergenerational wealth planning. These are areas where advisory firms will face increased expectations to build stronger insight products, more relevant thought leadership and more specialised advisory offerings. Firms that fail to do so may appear misaligned with the country’s direction of travel.
Corporate policies are equally becoming part of the public narrative. How a firm supports parents, how it enables flexible work, how it invests in staff wellbeing and how it contributes to financial security for its people will be viewed as indicators of its integrity and long-term contribution to the UAE’s social goals. These policies are no longer internal matters. They are reputational signals that reflect how well a firm understands the national agenda.
Clients themselves are expecting a different calibre of advisory relationship. The shift is moving from helping organisations meet compliance requirements to helping them contribute to the country’s future. CEOs, boards and government entities want partners who understand national strategies, community expectations and the social purpose behind policy. They are looking for advisors who can interpret context as confidently as they interpret regulation.
The industry must stop communicating only commercial capability and start communicating social value. Firms need to show how they build human capital, support families, strengthen workforce wellbeing and enable the UAE’s future economy. Visibility must be rooted in local context and backed by real insight. Senior leaders will need to step into public policy conversations on education, AI, health innovation and workforce development. Arabic-language presence is no longer optional, because national dialogue is increasingly taking place in Arabic first.
The advisory firms that will lead in 2026 will be those that understand the UAE’s social contract, that empower their senior leaders to speak with clarity and relevance and that build reputations grounded in their contribution to the country’s long-term development. They will not be passive observers. They will be partners in the national story.
The UAE is resetting the standard for advisory excellence. Brand prestige, international credentials and legacy presence no longer guarantee relevance. The firms that will command influence are those that prove their social value, invest in human capital, and align visibly with the country’s priorities. Leaders who embrace this shift and communicate with clarity, intent and contextual intelligence will shape the region’s advisory future. Those who fail to adapt will be sidelined by a market that has already moved on.
Amel Osman, Managing Director and Head of UAE
H/Advisors Dubai