Savio D’Souza, Director of Brand Finance, highlights how the forward-thinking brand strategies of Middle Eastern organisations across healthcare, telecommunications, and wealth management sectors are elevating the region’s international market positioning.
THE GLOBAL RISE OF MIDDLE EASTERN BRANDS
Middle Eastern efforts to build the region’s reputation and influence are reflected in the growing value and strength of its homegrown organisations.
Brand Finance is the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy, with a team of researchers and analysts determining the value of everything from automobiles to hospitals to football clubs.
According to Brand Finance data, Middle Eastern companies are gaining influence in the global marketplace, particularly in the banking, telecommunications (telecoms), and healthcare sectors. This momentum is the result of careful, strategic investment in brand strategy.
Middle Eastern brands generally have a strong regional reputation, but face challenges when cultivating business internationally. Top companies are using innovation and investment to overcome this challenge, not only increasing their own brand strength, but boosting perceptions of the region. This is cyclical, as the resulting stronger brands become valuable in attracting additional investment into the Middle East.
These brand efforts are supported by government programmes such as Vision 2030 in Saudi Arabia, an initiative to diversify the kingdom’s economy in a market historically dominated by oil.
A similar programme in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is We the UAE 2031, a national plan to shape the future of the country with a focus on socioeconomic investment and development aspects. The programme is expected to double the country’s GDP from AED 1.49 trillion to AED 3 trillion.
HEALTHCARE
Substantial investments are being directed into the region’s healthcare market, with the aim of positioning the Middle East as a leader in the transition towards a digitally advanced healthcare landscape.
For example, the brand value of Saudi Arabia’s King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSH&RC) grew 31 percent in 2024, taking its brand value to USD1.5 billion, making it the Middle East’s most valuable healthcare brand.
KFSH&RC has also increased its Brand Strength Index™ (BSI) score by 1.2 points in 2024, achieving a score of 73 out of 100. This means it has maintained its standing as the 20th strongest academic medical centre worldwide for the second consecutive year in Brand Finance’s Global Top 250 Hospitals ranking for 2024.
The organisation’s research indicates the hospital has high local and regional awareness and familiarity, a strong reputation for research, and is known for adopting the latest medical treatments and technology.
KFSH&RC also successfully performed the world’s first fully robotic liver transplant in 2023, a significant advancement in minimally invasive transplant surgery. Meanwhile, Saudi female astronaut, Rayyanah Barnawi, conducted a series of experiments aboard the International Space Station (ISS) on behalf of KFSH&RC. These bold innovations help solidify the hospital’s reputation for medical innovation while building brand strength for both KFSH&RC and the region.
SEHA is another example of a brand building strength by highlighting its home region. The health services company hosts annual forums and conferences, drawing specialists from around the world and further enhancing the brand’s reputation both regionally and internationally.
Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC) is one of UAE’s largest hospitals and operates under SEHA. It was established as part of the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030 to enhance healthcare services in the country, and has made significant investments in nurturing local talent, contributing to the growth of the UAE’s healthcare sector.
TELECOMS
As Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 aims to create over 30 million private sector jobs, brand investment in its talent strategies extends across sectors. Telecomms is a great example where Middle Eastern brands differentiate from the rest of the market.
The Brand Finance Employer Brand Index is based on surveys to determine how strongly brands are perceived as a desirable place to work. Telecoms was a hot industry in the early 2000s, but the sector’s popularity has tapered in Europe and North America as telecoms has become more commoditised. The exception is the Middle East, where telecoms remain a booming industry for top talent.
Etisalat and (E&), Saudi Telecoms Company (STC), and Turkcell all rank second in their respective countries as employer brands, which is a strong position as government initiatives aim to dynamic opportunities within the Middle Eastern job market.
These brands are also shining examples of how diversification of services can pay off in brand strength and value. The most valuable telecoms brand in the Middle East, STC, is expanding in both size and scope, creating an integrated system of subsidiaries. The company’s interest in Telefónica, one of the largest telecoms companies in the world, marks a key milestone in STC’s growth journey. The company is now the second strongest telecoms brand in the Middle East, further enabling its commitment to ongoing growth and diversification.
WEALTH MANAGEMENT
Perhaps the most powerful example of how companies can invest in their own brand to contribute to Middle Eastern growth and stability, ultimately attracting investment and boosting consumer confidence, is the Public Investment Fund (PIF). A pilar of Vision 2030, the Saudi Arabian government’s strategy relies on PIF to develop and unlock new sectors.
PIF is the most valuable and second strongest sovereign wealth fund (SWF) in the world, behind only Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) in brand strength. Media coverage and company awareness through the purchase of Newcastle United in the UK, and the formation of professional men’s golf tour, LIV Golf, have fuelled PIF’s brand strength, as have ambitious gigaprojects such as The Line – a futuristic 110-mile-long smart city.
PIF differentiates its brand from other SWFs by deploying only 21 percent of its assets outside of Saudi Arabia. Other leading SWFs, such as Norway’s Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM) with a brand value USD859 million, only invest outside of their countries.
With significant assets under management (AUM) and a long investment horizon, PIF and other SWFs are leaning into strategies based on patience and partnership, which is expected to continue to drive the brand perception of SWFs.
Brand valuation helps companies understand how their brand value contributes to the overall success of a business. This not only informs decision-making but can also be a valuable asset that helps attract investors and secure financing. A strong brand can help a company differentiate itself from its competitors and establish a unique identity in the market, which generally boosts customer loyalty and retention.
Finally, a strong brand can also help organisations weather economic downturns or industry disruptions. Rising brand strength and brand value lead to rising influence, a phenomenon unfolding in real time as the world witnesses the global rise of Middle Eastern brands.
