As CFO of the UAE renewable energy giant Masdar, Mazin Khan FCCA understands the challenges of making good decisions quickly. Masdar operates over six continents, delivering commercially viable and innovative projects in solar, wind, geothermal energy and energy storage. In his interview, he explains why availability of capital is an area where he has to ‘really think out of the box’.
Masdar’s rapid growth is part of a collection of evidence pointing to burgeoning business confidence across the Gulf Cooperation Council, as investment in innovation and AI gathers pace. PwC’s latest CEO survey shows that business leaders in the region are far more confident than their peers about the future growth of their companies and national economies. We also look at what Disney’s planned theme park in Abu Dhabi might mean for tourism in the Gulf. (If you are interested in more unusual indicators of economic health, take a look at our article on proxy measures, including lipstick sales and the length of shipping ladders.)
Economic growth often goes hand in hand with greater regulation, and we look at how the UAE’s businesses and their advisers are coping with the imminent mandatory introduction of e-invoicing.
It’s the time of year when many of us assess our progress and we have a collection of articles this month that discuss developments in professional career paths. Yeldar Rakishev ACCA, a graduate of the MSc in Professional Accountancy, explains how the course has helped him span the divide between practice and academia, and we take a close look at the erosion of the traditional linear career. ACCA’s new report, Career paths reimagined: the changing world of work, reveals that half of respondents to a survey from South Asia believe that linear careers will be replaced either significantly or completely in the next five to 10 years, in favour of a more flexible approach.
Our CPD articles this month include an exploration of concerns about global food security, as the price of rice and cocoa both hit a record high. We also explore the OECD’s new Crypto Asset Reporting Framework, which came into effect last month.
Finally, a reminder that if you are looking for more CPD articles, you might like to browse our extensive collection. You can also earn more than 21 units of free CPD by watching on demand ACCA’s annual Accounting for the Future conference.
