years: 2026

Dubai, 22nd September 2026: Communicate, the leading Middle East advertising and media platform, has announced the third edition of the  Communicate AI Conference, taking place on 29 September 2026 at Dubai Knowledge Park, in partnership with NordStella, the region’s leading community-driven event and content powerhouse.

Under the theme “The Age of Abundance,” senior leaders from advertising, media, technology, finance, retail, tourism and entertainment will explore what’s left for agencies to sell now that AI has made content creation faster and cheaper than ever,  and where human judgement, taste and strategic thinking still command a premium.

At the heart of this year’s conversation is a question the industry has been avoiding: “If a machine can generate 100 versions of your ad in the time it takes to order a coffee, what exactly is the client paying an agency for?”

More than 90% of advertisers use AI for media planning and creative generation, according to an AI in Advertising Survey. Meanwhile, 96% of the region’s marketing and advertising professionals have used AI tools, but only 26% use them regularly, and 70% worry about over-reliance on AI without human oversight.

Julien Hawari, Editor-in-Chief of Communicate said: “We didn’t pick ‘Abundance’ because it looks good on a backdrop, but because it’s the sentence nobody wants to say in front of a client: the work got cheap, and cheap work is everywhere. Taste is the only thing left that commands a premium, and half this region doesn’t know how to price it. This edition is where we make people say that out loud.”

Sahar Rafique, Managing Director of Nordstella said: “Every agency deck in this region has an AI slide now. That stopped being a differentiator a year ago. What decides who’s still standing in two years is whether they can prove a point of view a machine can’t fake.”

The agenda skips the theory and goes straight for the arguments. “Do You Still Need an Agency?” puts fee models and traditional agency structures on trial. “AI Ads Gone Wrong” dissects the year’s worst misfires against the human-made work that still wins. “Do You Speak AI-rabic?” asks whether regional culture and local nuance are the edge AI can’t touch. “Who Owns the Future: AI Influencers vs Human Influencers” pits a virtual creator against a real one. “Investing in the Future of AI and Entertainment” follows the money into the region’s creator and entertainment economy, and “AI Impact on Tourism Marketing” tackles a sector selling something no algorithm can fake: the trip itself.

Speakers include senior voices from Google, TikTok, Meta, Snap, talabat, ADNOC Distribution, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, Accenture Song, Parfums Christian Dior, WPP Media, Mashreq Bank, TECOM Group, Danube Home, Samsung Electronics, Accor, Mindshare and more.

WPP Media is the strategic partner for the 2026 edition. Mario Soufia, SVP of Strategy, Growth and Marketing at WPP Media, said: “Our focus remains on meaningful client growth. WPP Open brings together our people, AI and intelligence to help clients make better critical decisions.”

The event is further backed by TikTok as Silver Sponsor, Vinfast as Tech Showcase Partner and Sherpa Communications as the official PR Partner.

For the marketers, agency leaders, media owners and creators shaping what comes next: this is where the region works out its answer.

Dubai, UAE, 21 September 2026: Arthritis affects about half a billion people worldwide, yet its physical, emotional and economic impact on everyday life is often underestimated. To strengthen awareness and help people take greater control of their health, the Middle East Arthritis Foundation (MEAF) will host its annual World Arthritis Day community event from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm on 24 October 2026 at the Shangri-La Hotel, Dubai. Inspired by the global Achieve Your Dreams theme, the event will encourage people with arthritis to pursue their goals through earlier diagnosis, informed care and stronger community support.

MEAF is urging people to recognise symptoms and seek medical advice before arthritis limits their independence. The condition is often dismissed as an unavoidable consequence of aging, although it can develop at any stage of life. Patients’ inflammatory arthritis symptoms are often dismissed when laboratory results appear normal, making it important to consult a rheumatologist.

Ankylosing spondylitis commonly begins during the teens or twenties, while juvenile idiopathic arthritis affects approximately one in 1,000 children under 16. A Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi study of Emirati rheumatoid arthritis patients recorded an average age of approximately 50, showing how significantly the condition can affect people during their working years. Without appropriate treatment, inflammatory arthritis can cause permanent joint damage and long-term disability, while some forms can also affect the eyes, lungs, heart and kidneys.

Through its patient support work, MEAF sees how chronic fatigue, morning stiffness and unpredictable flare-ups can affect employment as well as exercise, travel and routine activities. Painful hand joints can turn cooking or holding a pen into difficult tasks, while uncertainty around symptoms can contribute to anxiety and isolation. Rates of depression and anxiety among people with arthritis-related diseases can be between two and 10 times higher than in the general population. Exercise does not inevitably worsen arthritis, and suitable low-impact movement can help preserve strength and mobility.

Against this backdrop, MEAF’s event will combine clinical guidance with practical activities and patient experiences, helping attendees become more confident managers of their health. Participants will be able to speak directly with specialists and learn from others who understand the daily challenges of arthritis. Dedicated guidance will support women navigating fertility and pregnancy, with care extending through the postpartum period. The programme will also explore the role of nutrition, physical activity and mental wellbeing in managing the condition alongside medical treatment.

Dr Humeira Badsha, Founding Member of the Middle East Arthritis Foundation, said: “Over three decades of treating people with arthritis, I have seen how quietly the condition can change a life. Pain may appear first, but fatigue, reduced mobility and emotional strain can gradually affect work, relationships and independence. Conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis are autoimmune conditions, and early diagnosis is critical to managing them effectively, avoiding joint damage and preventing long-term disability. World Arthritis Day gives us a chance to help people recognise symptoms and seek care earlier. With the right treatment, practical lifestyle guidance and a supportive community, people can manage their condition with confidence and continue pursuing the goals that give their lives meaning.”

This year, MEAF has collaborated with the Emirates Society for Rheumatology to raise awareness, with Dr Amel Ginawi leading public awareness for the Society and stressing the importance of early diagnosis. Attendees can learn, connect and participate in different ways, including a practical nutrition workshop led by a clinical dietitian and sessions covering Tai Chi, accessible dance, mental resilience and sound healing. The event will also feature the RM Dreams Poster Competition, inviting participants to share their dreams and experiences through creative posters, with attendees voting for their favourites and awards presented to the winners.

By bringing patients, caregivers and health professionals into the same conversation, MEAF hopes to replace misconceptions with useful guidance and reduce the isolation that can accompany a chronic condition. The Achieve Your Dreams theme reflects the Foundation’s belief that arthritis should not define what someone can work towards, provided they receive timely care and support suited to their circumstances.

Dubai, UAE, 17 September 2026: Paramount Assure, a UAE-headquartered cybersecurity company, today announced a partnership with SecurityBridge, a specialist in SAP cybersecurity, to help organisations across the GCC strengthen protection of their SAP environments and bring SAP security intelligence into their wider cyber defence operations. The partnership was signed at GISEC 2026 in Hall 3 at SecurityBridge’s stand by Neeti Rodrigues, Chief of International Sales at Paramount Assure, and Christoph Nagy, Co-founder of SecurityBridge.

The collaboration comes as enterprises face growing pressure to protect the systems behind their most critical operations. IBM’s 2026 Report found that the average cost of a data breach for organisations in the Middle East reached $8 million, with excessive privileges, poor role management and difficulty prioritising threats among the leading factors increasing breach costs. For many organisations, SAP remains one of the most business-critical systems in their technology environment, but it is not always visible enough within day-to-day cybersecurity operations.

Many enterprises already have security teams, monitoring platforms and access controls in place, but these tools do not always show whether critical SAP patches are missing, custom code introduces risk, configurations are secure, or suspicious activity is part of a wider attack. This creates a gap between SAP teams and cybersecurity teams at a time when attackers are moving faster, and business systems are more connected.

Through the partnership, SecurityBridge will provide real-time visibility and contextual SAP security intelligence, while Paramount will bring its cybersecurity expertise, SOC capabilities, regional implementation experience and local customer support. Together, the companies will help customers identify SAP vulnerabilities, monitor risk, investigate suspicious activity and connect SAP security insights with their wider cybersecurity programme.

Premchand Kurup, CEO of Paramount Assure, said: “The Gulf cybersecurity industry has grown over 27 years into a US$20 billion market built around enterprise systems such as SAP, Oracle and Microsoft ERPs. Yet ERP telemetry still does not reach the SOC with the same consistency as other security data. This leaves teams vulnerable to risks inside systems that carry financial transactions, supply chains and government services. With UAE IA Standard v2.1 and Saudi NCA ECC placing greater focus on monitoring, patching and access governance, the next frontier is clear: real-time ERP telemetry in the SOC. Our partnership with SecurityBridge brings that visibility to SAP environments, giving CISOs across the GCC stronger control over the systems they are responsible for protecting.”

For customers, the combined offering makes SAP security more operational and easier to act on. Security teams can identify missing patches, risky custom code, weak configurations, unusual user behaviour, and misuse of privileged access within SAP environments. These insights can then support faster investigation, better coordination between SAP and cybersecurity teams, and more informed decisions on how to contain risk before it affects wider business operations.

Christoph Nagy, Co-founder, SecurityBridge, said: “The Middle East is a strategic growth market for SecurityBridge, as organisations increasingly recognise that SAP can no longer remain a blind spot in their cybersecurity operations. SecurityBridge closes this gap by bringing real-time, contextualised SAP security intelligence into the enterprise SOC. Expanding our regional footprint requires strong local expertise, trusted customer relationships and deep cybersecurity knowledge. Paramount brings exactly that. Together, we can help organisations across the GCC make SAP an integral part of their security operations and continuously protect their most critical business systems.”

Organisations across the GCC can engage Paramount to assess their SAP security posture, understand visibility gaps and explore how SecurityBridge can integrate into their existing cybersecurity operations. The companies will support customers through consultation, implementation and ongoing security operations support, helping them build stronger protection around SAP without treating it as a separate or isolated security function.

Paramount and SecurityBridge will continue working together to expand customer access across the region and support new SAP cybersecurity use cases as enterprises modernise their technology environments. The collaboration reinforces Paramount’s focus on helping regional organisations protect the systems that carry their most critical business processes, data and decisions.

DUBAI, UAE, 17 September 2026: Paramount, a UAE-headquartered cybersecurity company, today announced the launch of SoCMate, a first-of-its-kind GCC-born AI-powered security investigation assistant, at the Microsoft stand during GISEC Global 2026, taking place from 16-18 September at Dubai Exhibition Centre, Expo City Dubai.

Developed for CISOs and Level 2 and Level 3 cybersecurity professionals, SoCMate helps teams investigate threats in natural language, connect fragmented threat data and move from alert to action faster, with speed, consistency and context, to contain threats before they spread. The solution can reduce investigations that often take several hours to just a few minutes. SoCMate is currently available for Microsoft Sentinel.

A Connected View Of Every Threat

For cyber professionals, this changes how investigation begins. Modern SOCs have access to vast volumes of security information from endpoint detection, identity and access management systems, cloud environments and threat intelligence sources, but finding and connecting the evidence needed for an investigation can be time-intensive. Instead of needing to know where every clue sits across several security systems, teams can ask SoCMate a plain-language question and receive a connected view of suspicious activity, related evidence, attack context and identify the next best action.

This helps security teams understand whether an alert is isolated or part of a wider attack path, improving their ability to act before a threat expands. As attackers increasingly use AI to increase the speed, scale and sophistication of their operations, this pressure is growing. IBM’s 2026 Report found a 56% increase in AI-driven attacks, while the UAE faces at least 200,000 cyberattack attempts daily.

Pradeep Menon, Chief AI and Security Officer at Paramount, said: “SOC teams are dealing with exponentially growing volumes of security data, and the real challenge is turning that information into actionable intelligence quickly enough to prevent or contain attacks. SoCMate brings a first-of-its-kind approach to SOC investigation, changing the analyst experience from searching manually through fragmented data to working with an assistant that can connect signals, build context and guide the next action, while keeping critical response decisions with the security professionals responsible for them.”

Investigations Reduced From Hours To Minutes

SoCMate’s impact is especially significant when teams deal with complex attack activity. The solution reduces several-hour investigations of complex attacks moving across company systems and suspected data theft to about eight to 10 minutes, giving SOC teams faster context for containment decisions. The value is not only shorter investigation time, but stronger context, fewer missed signals, and more consistent analysis before threats move deeper into the environment. The solution has also been tested across malware alerts, phishing cases, privilege misuse, suspicious indicators and incident timelines.

By enabling professionals to investigate in natural language, SoCMate reduces dependence on advanced coding skills and deep knowledge of security data structures. It can help teams work more consistently across experience levels, increase SOC throughput and free experienced professionals to focus on threat hunting, prioritisation and response decisions. This is key as it helps bridge the global cybersecurity workforce gap, estimated at 4.8 million professionals.

Premchand Kurup, CEO of Paramount, said: “Across the Middle East, organisations are expanding digital services, cloud environments and connected infrastructure at speed. That creates a clear need for continuous security monitoring that can operate 24×7 without depending solely on scarce specialist resources. AI-assisted investigation can help make that model more accessible by reducing the time and cost involved in qualifying incidents, while keeping human oversight central to response decisions.”

SoCMate is designed to work alongside an organisation’s existing SOC technology rather than requiring teams to replace their current environment. With current support for Microsoft Sentinel, Paramount aims to make AI-assisted investigation a practical part of everyday SOC operations, helping security teams build the speed, context and capacity needed to keep pace with faster, more complex threats.

Visitors to Paramount’s booth at Stand ME1214 in Hall SS2 can request a SoCMate demonstration during GISEC Global 2026.

CAIRO – 16 September 2026 – Pearson (FTSE: PSON.L), the world’s lifelong learning company, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Egypt’s Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research to support the adoption and expansion of internationally recognised applied learning qualifications across technical institutes and universities in Egypt.

Through the partnership, learners will gain access to Pearson Higher National qualifications, including Level 4 and 5 programmes designed to develop both academic knowledge and workplace-ready skills. The collaboration supports Egypt’s Vision 2030 and the National Strategy for Higher Education and Scientific Research, which prioritises graduate employability, innovation, entrepreneurship, and stronger alignment between education and labour market needs.

Why it matters: Egypt’s fast-growing higher education system must keep pace with the needs of a changing economy. With approximately 3.76 million students currently enrolled and enrolment projected to exceed 4 million by 2027-28, the challenge is not only expanding access, but ensuring that more learners graduate with practical, internationally recognised skills that can translate into employment, entrepreneurship and economic growth.

Through the partnership, Pearson and the Ministry will explore opportunities to strengthen technical higher education, enhance curriculum quality, build educator capability, and create internationally benchmarked pathways that prepare learners for employment in high-growth sectors.

Mark Bryson-Richardson MBE, British Ambassador to Egypt, said, “The UK and Egypt share a strong commitment to investing in education and skills. This partnership demonstrates the value of international collaboration in equipping young people with the knowledge and capabilities needed to drive future economic growth and competitiveness.”

Jane Baker, Vice President, Enterprise Learning and Skills, Pearson, said, “At Pearson, we believe learning opens doors to opportunity. Together with Egypt’s Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, we are supporting the development of high-quality technical higher education pathways that help learners build the skills, confidence and globally recognised credentials needed to thrive in a rapidly changing world of work.”

“Today’s agreements demonstrate the strong momentum behind the UK–Egypt higher education partnership and our shared ambition to build sustainable, impactful collaboration. Through partnerships in transnational education, research and innovation, we can create new opportunities for students and institutions while supporting Egypt’s higher education priorities and strengthening the UK’s position as a trusted global education partner.” said, Mark Howard, British Council Country Director Egypt.

Pearson Higher National qualifications are delivered in more than 60 countries and are widely recognised by employers and higher education institutions worldwide. Equivalent to the first two years of a university honours degree, they provide learners with practical, career-focused education and pathways to both employment and further study. The qualifications have been developed in partnership with employers and industry experts to ensure graduates gain the knowledge and skills most relevant to today’s workforce.

The agreement reinforces Pearson’s purpose of helping people realise the life they imagine through learning and reflects a shared ambition to equip more learners with the skills needed to succeed in Egypt’s evolving economy and the global workforce.

Dubai, UAE – September 15, 2026 – Snowflake, the AI Data Cloud company, has unveiled Snowflake for Startups, which serves as a launchpad for founders to build and scale enterprise-grade AI applications on Snowflake’s AI Data Cloud, providing new product capabilities, strategic relationships with leading venture capital firms.

The initiative also aligns with the ‘We the UAE 2031’ vision, which seeks to strengthen the UAE’s position as a global economic hub and create an advanced, innovation-led environment that supports entrepreneurs and globally competitive businesses, underpinned by advanced digital infrastructure.  Snowflake for Startups empowers UAE founders with a secure, production-ready data and AI foundation, enabling them to meet the performance, governance, and trust requirements of large organisations from day one.

“The UAE has embraced AI as a core economic driver, and startups here are building to compete globally from the outset,” said Tareq Masoud, Country Manager, UAE, Snowflake. “Snowflake for Startups is designed to meet that ambition by giving founders access to the same secure, scalable data and AI foundation used by large enterprises. With AI adoption at around 84% across organisations in the region, the focus is on building AI that is ready for real-world use and long-term scale.”

“Across EMEA, we’re seeing a new generation of startups designing for scale from the outset,” said Ash Mugridge, RVP of Digital Natives & SMBs, EMEA, Snowflake. “Snowflake for Startups  enables founders to focus on innovation while we provide the performance, governance, and reliability they need to grow.”

Lowering the barrier to production-ready AI
Snowflake for Startups simplifies how early-stage companies access managed AI capabilities.  By providing self-service access to enterprise-grade AI infrastructure within Snowflake’s secure environment, startups can build, test, and deploy AI applications and agents without diverting resources to managing complex infrastructure. Startups can also accelerate their product innovation and scale seamlessly by using Cortex REST API, a secured and unified API layer that makes switching between leading AI frontier models easy, trusted, and cost-efficient.

Snowflake for Startups offers a comprehensive toolkit that combines marketplace access, startup acceleration, and venture investment. Founders gain exposure to more than 12,600 potential customers through Snowflake Marketplace, benefit from credits, engineering support, go-to-market guidance through the Snowflake Startup Accelerator, and access capital and strategic backing through Snowflake Ventures, which continues to expand its global startup portfolio.

How UAE startups are applying Snowflake

Sarwa, a UAE online investment platform, is using Snowflake’s AI Data Cloud to create a shared data foundation that supports reporting and day-to-day operations across the business. Snowflake brings together information from Sarwa’s databases, front-end, customer service platform and other systems in a centralised environment, where it can be prepared for business use and shared with downstream tools. This gives access to teams across reporting, operations, marketing and compliance to the information they need, while providing a foundation that can support Sarwa’s wider data requirements as the business evolves.

“Snowflake has given us the ability to bring together data from across the business and make it accessible to the teams that need it,” said Jad Sayegh, CTO & Co-founder, Sarwa. “It allows us to use the right tools for different parts of our stack while connecting those workflows at the data layer. This has empowered teams across the company to work with data more effectively, while allowing us to evolve our infrastructure as our needs change.”

September 11, 2026 — Alteryx, the agentic analytics and automation company, today announced new AI capabilities across Alteryx One that connect enterprise-grade business logic directly to the AI agents’ teams already use. By extending governed workflows and datasets to external AI tools, organizations can “build once and govern once,” eliminating the need to recreate complex business logic from scratch. This approach allows enterprises to scale AI action with confidence, helping to reduce both security risks and runaway token costs.

Key Findings

• 71 percent of IT leaders report that AI initiatives are most successful when IT and business teams collaborate closely to bridge the gap between AI agents and enterprise business logic.
• NextWave achieved a 20x reduction in LLM token consumption using an Alteryx workflow during a complex Office of the CFO reconciliation between front-office and back-office data.
• Up to 93 percent reduction in token consumption and up to 85 percent increase in speed on tasks involving raw, ungrounded data, when combining an LLM with an existing, trusted Alteryx workflow.
• Up to 83 percent reduction in token costs and up to 65 percent increase in speed on tasks involving clean, grounded data.
• 65 percent of analysts confirm that AI delivers the most value when business logic is managed at the business level.

“Generative AI is brilliant at brainstorming, but it often struggles with the precision required for enterprise execution. Organizations don’t need agents that guess at business rules and burn through tokens; they need AI that operates on the same trusted business logic and governance that underpin the rest of the business,” said Ben Canning, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx. “By connecting existing tools to a governed business logic layer, we are allowing enterprises to stop the ‘re-work’ tax of rebuilding business rules for every new agent, ensuring that every AI-driven action is as reliable as the calculations they already trust.”

New Capabilities

The latest capabilities include:

Ask Alteryx: With this release, Ask Alteryx evolves from an embedded assistant into the primary way users interact with Alteryx One, guiding new users step-by-step through their first workflow in Designer and giving everyone a natural-language front door to their data through Ask Alteryx for Live Query, with connections to Snowflake, Big Query, and Databricks for reading and writing data directly. Ask Alteryx checks existing workflows and data first, delivering a governed answer when one exists or building a new workflow when it doesn’t, with every output remaining inspectable, editable, reusable, and schedulable within Alteryx One.

Agent Studio: Enables business users to turn existing, already-governed datasets into conversational agents without rebuilding anything. Analytics teams maintain full control over which datasets and KPIs power agent responses, while finance and operations departments can instantly scope an agent to their reconciliation dataset or KPI dashboard data, so stakeholders can ask trend, root-cause, and variance questions in plain language and get governed, explainable answers back.

Alteryx Insights for OpenAI: Available through the ChatGPT Plugin Directory, this capability allows business users to generate answers based on analyst-approved data, calculations, and workflows. Employees can investigate revenue variances or resolve reconciliation issues directly, accessing trusted business logic without opening the platform or requiring an Alteryx seat. Alteryx will be expanding this surface integration strategy to bring governed logic to where teams already collaborate, including upcoming support for Claude, Gemini, Slack, and Microsoft Teams.

Alteryx MCP Server: The governed way to use Alteryx from whatever AI platform or agent you already work in. It lets AI agents interact with Alteryx as easily as a human would, finding the right data, building multi-step solutions, and turning them into governed, repeatable workflows. Agents can build, run, schedule, and discover Alteryx assets directly, with external AI requests inheriting Alteryx’s authentication, workspace context, role-based access controls, and permissions automatically, so every interaction carries the same security model and audit trail as if a person had done it. More capabilities, including connection creation and expanded scheduling, are expected to roll out later this year on the same governed connection.

Alteryx Skills: A GitHub install that teaches third-party agentic interfaces, OpenAI Codex, Microsoft Copilot, Claude Code, Gemini CLI, and more, how to build Alteryx assets the right way, closer to how Ask Alteryx already builds them. Rather than each tool guessing at Alteryx’s patterns on its own, Skills gives them Ask Alteryx’s own workflow-building know-how, so a financial calculation or reconciliation workflow gets built correctly the first time, without rebuilding logic or permissions separately for every tool your team uses.

September 11, 2026, Dubai, UAE – Sherpa Communications, a leading B2B-focused business consultancy and PR agency operating across the Middle East region and Africa, has been recognised as the ‘Advertising & PR’ winner in the ‘Best Digital Campaigns’ segment at the Marquee Awards 2026, presented by Martechvibe.

The 2026 Marquee Awards recognised 24 winners across 20 categories. The win places Sherpa Communications among a strong line-up of recognised brands and organisations including Meydan Free Zone, Abbott, Citi, Apparel Group, Alshaya Group, Al Ain Farms, LuLu Retail, Ajman University, Ajmal Perfumes, Aster DM Healthcare, Sharjah Cooperative Society Five Hotels & Resorts, Msheireb Properties, Styli (Landmark Group), and Mashreq, which were recognised across the awards’ Best Digital Campaigns and Technical Excellence categories.

Anastasiya Golovatenko, PR Director at Sherpa Communications, said: “We are honoured to receive the Advertising & PR award at the Marquee Awards 2026. As one of the region’s only agencies focused specifically on B2B communications, we understand that B2B brands are often more complex and require a different level of strategic thinking and sector expertise. It’s a challenge to break down complex technologies and solutions into clear, relevant stories that resonate with the right audiences. Hence, being able to do that consistently, backed by our experience and understanding of the market, is what makes this recognition particularly meaningful for us.”

With more than 12 years of specialised B2B comms experience, Sherpa Communications supports global enterprises and regional organisations operating across complex and high-growth sectors, including technology, real estate, construction, cybersecurity, AI, fintech, healthcare and pharma, smart mobility, logistics and warehousing, satcom, education, interior design, and other industries.

The agency’s offering combines strategic communications advisory with business consultancy, helping organisations strengthen market positioning, build reputation, navigate complex stakeholder environments, and communicate business-critical narratives with clarity and impact. Sherpa’s expertise spans corporate communications strategy, reputation and issues management, executive profiling and leadership visibility, media relations and stakeholder engagement, thought leadership development, integrated content strategy, product and market launches, press conference management, digital PR, social media advisory, competitive intelligence, brand monitoring, media training, and public speaking preparation.

Earlier this year the agency was also recognised with the ‘Editor’s Choice: Excellence in Real Estate Business Consultancy’ award at the Gulf Business Real Estate Awards 2026. The recognition at the Marquee Awards 2026 adds to Sherpa Communications’ growing portfolio of industry awards and reflects the agency’s focus on strong PR and communications strategies applied for all the clients they work with.

Al Khobar/Riyadh, 10 September 2026 – Starlinks, a leading logistics and supply chain solutions provider in the Gulf region, has selected Swisslog to deliver a major warehouse automation programme for a new aviation MRO facility in Saudi Arabia. The programme forms a key component of a broader supply chain solution for a leading aviation company in the Middle East.

The programme will be implemented at a new aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul facility in one of the region’s most important aviation hubs. The facility is being developed to support growing demand for aircraft maintenance services and spare parts logistics across Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East.

Supporting growth in a key aviation hub

As local and regional airlines expand their fleets and increase passenger and cargo capacity, supply chains must process greater volumes of materials while ensuring rapid access to critical components.

To meet these requirements, Starlinks is delivering the overall supply chain solution, including supply chain design, automation planning and operational implementation. Swisslog is providing the warehouse automation systems and software that will support inventory storage, material handling and distribution operations throughout the facility.

One integrated automation solution

The integrated solution combines a high density AutoStore system with pallet automation and Swisslog’s SynQ software platform to support both small parts and palletised inventory within one coordinated material flow, forming a major investment in the facility’s future logistics capabilities.

AutoStore provides compact, high-density storage for MRO spare parts. Bins are stacked in a modular grid, with robots moving on top to access and retrieve items quickly. This helps ensure accurate handling of critical components and efficient use of warehouse space.

The pallet automation scope includes a pallet automated storage and retrieval system with Swisslog Vectura stacker cranes, together with Swisslog ProMove pallet conveyors, a pallet shuttle car, inbound transport systems and picking stations. Together, these technologies will connect receiving, inspection, storage and order fulfilment processes into a seamless material flow across the facility.

The combined automation programme will create a highly automated logistics infrastructure designed to support the storage and movement of aviation materials, while providing the capacity required for future growth.

Alexander Komianos, Managing Director UAE & Solutions, Starlinks, said:

“Saudi Arabia is investing heavily in aviation, logistics and industrial capabilities. These developments require supply chains that can scale efficiently and support increasingly demanding operations. By combining our logistics expertise with proven automation technologies from Swisslog, we are delivering a robust foundation for long term growth and operational excellence.”

Rami Younes, General Manager, Swisslog Middle East, said:

“We are proud to support Starlinks on this important programme. The combination of AutoStore technology, pallet automation and SynQ software will help ensure high inventory availability, efficient use of space and reliable material flow. These capabilities are essential as aviation supply chains continue to grow in scale and complexity across the region. We look forward to more landmark collaborations with Starlinks.”

A strategic step for aviation logistics in the region

The programme highlights the growing role of automation in aviation logistics and supports Saudi Arabia’s ambition to strengthen its position as a regional aviation and logistics hub. Together, Starlinks and Swisslog are providing the infrastructure needed to support the next phase of growth in the Middle East aviation sector.

September 10, 2026, Dubai: Global spend management company Qashio has become the Official Supporter of the Ryder Cup, ahead of the competition’s 100th anniversary at Adare Manor in Ireland in 2027.

Qashio serves more than 5,000 businesses globally, helping companies manage increasingly complex corporate spending across entities, markets and currencies.

As an Official Supporter, Qashio joins the Ryder Cup’s broader partner ecosystem, alongside a roster of leading global businesses. For Qashio, the significance is straightforward: the companies that lead categories should be seen in the places that define them.

The competition’s Worldwide Partners for 2027 include Rolex, Stripe, SAP, Capgemini, DP World and Smurfit Westrock.

“We want to be seen where our clients aspire to be,” said Armin Moradi, CEO of Qashio. “The Ryder Cup is one of those places. It brings together extraordinary athletes, global businesses and people at the top of their fields. For Qashio to be there feels completely natural.”

Ryder Cup week is one of the rare occasions where sport, capital and enterprise converge, bringing global business leaders, CEOs, investors and senior decision-makers from across industries together to network among peers.

Many consequential commercial relationships are built in environments like these, where strategic partnerships, investment conversations and cross-industry deals can begin or ultimately be signed, often well before they are publicly announced.

“Our customers travel the world and do business across borders. They sit in the best rooms, attend the best events and expect the companies they work with to operate at that same level,” Moradi said.

The partnership also reflects a shared international identity. For most of the year, Europe’s best golfers compete as individuals from different countries and backgrounds. At the Ryder Cup, they come together under one European identity.

“The Ryder Cup creates a kind of belonging that doesn’t follow a passport,” Moradi said. “Different countries, different backgrounds, one team.”

That connection is particularly relevant for Qashio. The company serves businesses across the European markets represented within Team Europe, while Dubai, one of Qashio’s two global headquarters alongside Dublin, is also home to a number of Europe’s leading golfers.

Qashio has been built around a similarly borderless reality. Its platform is designed for businesses whose financial operations increasingly extend globally.

“There is something in that identity that feels very familiar to us at Qashio,” Moradi said. “Our customers operate across borders. Our people operate across borders. We were never built around a single geography.”

Qashio’s expansion in Ireland also forms part of the strengthening economic relationship between the UAE and Ireland. Its expansion in Dublin was advanced through the UAE-Ireland relationship around Investopia, supported by H.E. Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism and Co-Chair of Investopia, alongside the IDA and senior Irish government and investment leaders.

Qashio is taking that commitment further through Qashio Labs, its Irish R&D hub, which the company intends to have operational ahead of the Ryder Cup in 2027.

“Being part of this celebration in Ireland matters enormously to us,” Moradi said. “Ireland has been a second home to me for years. I love golf, I love what the Ryder Cup represents and there couldn’t be a better place for its centenary than Ireland.”

The 2027 event will mark 100 years since the Ryder Cup began and only the second time it has been staged in Ireland.

“Europe has won the last two,” Moradi said. “I’d quite like to be there when they make it three.”

Richard Atkinson, Chief Ryder Cup Officer at the European Tour group, added: “The Ryder Cup has grown to become one of the largest events in global sport and provides a world-class platform for leading businesses to engage with an international audience.

“Qashio has built an international business around helping companies manage increasingly complex financial operations across markets. That global outlook, combined with its strong connection to Ireland, makes Qashio a compelling addition to our commercial programme.

“We are delighted to welcome Qashio as the Official Supporter of the 2027 Ryder Cup and look forward to working together to bring the partnership to life for its customers, partners and fans on the road to Adare Manor.”