James Douglas Middle East

James Douglas Middle East is an executive search and leadership advisory business working from the United Arab Emirates, and it describes itself as a firm of advisers rather than recruiters. Its stated position is that leadership is not hired but built, shaped and trusted to create value, and its professional search services are aimed at senior management and executive appointments. The work is organised around four strands: advising organisations, where it helps boards and leadership teams shape leadership for resilience, innovation and growth; partnering with leaders, where it guides professionals at pivotal moments; shaping its own advisers; and moving ideas forward through insights on what leadership means today. James Douglas Middle East is part of EMA Partners.

The company organises its work into defined specialisations: Banking and Financial Services, Family Business and Private Enterprise, Emiratisation and Saudisation, Technology and Digital, Industrial, and Logistics. Its consultants extend that coverage further. Julie Abdel Massih handles mid to senior level recruitment across banking and financial services, shipping and maritime, and construction and real estate, and also supports early stage companies with team building, process setup and compliance. Charu Jindal leads hiring across technology, financial services and e-commerce. Fahmeeda Thondiary works on leadership and specialist hiring within technology, engineering, retail, fintech and manufacturing. Yogesh Thapa sits in the realty, construction and family business practice group.

The company works across the Middle East and the Levant, with consultants covering the GCC and an office in India from which Yogesh Thapa leads global searches for C-suite leaders, vice presidents and country heads. Regional Director Faiz Nomani has over 20 years of experience across the Middle East and Asia in executive search, recruitment and workforce solutions. Nadine Ghoraieb brings corporate banking and leadership advisory experience across Europe and the Middle East, and Anas Al Tekreeti has held senior commercial roles at Hays, CNS Middle East and TASC Outsourcing. Clients are asked to choose the firm on four principles: partnership over process, advisory over transactions, meaning over metrics, and legacy rather than quick fixes.