Our Story & Mission
A Practice Built for the Way Business Actually Works Here
Majlis was founded on the belief that sound counsel belongs in the room with decision-makers — not delivered as a PDF and left to gather dust.
← Back to HomeAbout Majlis
Where the Conversation Begins
The word majlis — from the Arabic for "a place of sitting" — carries a particular meaning in Emirati culture. It is the room set aside for receiving guests, for unhurried conversation, for reaching understanding together. That is the spirit we have tried to carry into our work.
The practice was established in Dubai by advisors who had spent years inside regional businesses — not only consulting from the outside. They had sat across from owners navigating succession questions, finance directors trying to understand why costs kept rising, and founders wondering whether the moment had finally come to scale. What they found, again and again, was that the most valuable thing an advisor could do was ask better questions — and then listen carefully to the answers.
Majlis operates from Office 1204 in Mazaya Business Avenue, Jumeirah Lake Towers — a short distance from many of the enterprises we serve. We remain a deliberately small practice. This is not accidental; it allows every client to work with a senior advisor throughout their engagement.
Our Vision
To be the advisory practice that UAE business leaders turn to when decisions carry real weight — because they trust the quality of the thinking that happens in the room.
Our Mission
To bring structured analytical thinking and deep regional knowledge into engagements that are human in their conduct and grounded in the specific realities of each client's business.
Our Values
Candour, care, and clarity. We say what we see, we respect the difficulty of operating a business, and we present our findings in language that is useful rather than impressive.
The People
Advisors You Will Work With Directly
Each member of the Majlis team brings a distinct background to the practice — but shares the same commitment to thoughtful, relationship-centred advisory work.
Khalid Al-Ansar
Founding Partner · Strategic Advisory
With a background spanning corporate finance and enterprise transformation in the Gulf, Khalid leads strategic growth engagements and chairs the practice's advisory review process.
Sara Rashid
Senior Advisor · Operations
Sara spent a decade in operational leadership roles across manufacturing and professional services before moving into advisory work. She leads all Operational Efficiency Assessments at Majlis.
Nadia Mansour
Advisor · Market Entry & Licensing
Nadia has guided over forty international firms through the process of establishing a presence in the UAE. Her knowledge of licensing, freezone structures, and local partnership norms is the foundation of our Market Entry service.
How We Work
Standards We Hold Ourselves To
Confidentiality as Standard
All client information is treated with strict discretion. Engagement details, financials, and internal processes discussed in our sessions are never shared externally without explicit consent.
Independence of Advice
Majlis holds no financial relationships with vendors, software providers, or service companies. Our recommendations are based solely on what we believe will work for your business.
Written Deliverables
Every engagement concludes with clearly written outputs — reports, roadmaps, or briefing documents — structured so that the findings remain useful beyond the final session.
Commitment to Timelines
Engagements are scoped with defined durations and milestone checkpoints. We hold to these commitments and notify clients in advance if any adjustment is needed.
Inclusive Stakeholder Approach
We take care to gather perspectives from across the organisation — not only from senior leadership. Operational insight often lives closer to the ground than the boardroom.
Continuous Adviser Development
Members of the Majlis team maintain active engagement with UAE business regulation updates, regional economic forums, and professional development programmes in their respective domains.
In Practice
Advisory Work Grounded in Regional Reality
Business advisory in the UAE operates within a distinct set of conditions — a regulatory environment that is responsive but requires careful navigation, a business culture where relationships precede contracts, and a market that moves quickly but rewards long-term thinking. Majlis has shaped its practice around these realities rather than applying imported frameworks that do not translate well to the Gulf context.
Our three service engagements — Strategic Growth Advisory, Operational Efficiency Assessment, and Market Entry Consultation — each address a different juncture in a company's development. Some clients work with us at a single juncture; others return as circumstances change. Either way, the engagement begins fresh with careful attention to the current state of the business rather than assumptions carried over from previous interactions.
We believe that the quality of the advisory relationship matters as much as the quality of the analysis. Businesses are run by people — people who deserve an adviser who is as interested in understanding their situation as in demonstrating competence. That is the kind of practice Majlis is, and it is the kind of practice it intends to remain.
If You'd Like to Know More, We'd Be Glad to Talk
There is no obligation attached to an introductory conversation. Reach out at a time that works for you.
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