Glasgow Consulting Group (GCG), which was founded back in 2010, has a number of international affiliate offices, including in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
The full-service business research and advice company has core expertise in market entry and intelligence plus trade development in a large array of industries, including in the automotive sector.
GCG has now launched a dedicated research and consulting practice in the Middle East and Africa region, a move that the company claims will provide regional market intelligence, insights and thought leadership to clients in the region’s automotive sector.
Although the Middle East is still subject to disruption because of a number of emerging technologies and trends such as driverless and electric vehicles and ride sharing, the firm believes that the region has promise in the commercial and passenger spaces alike.
With Africa playing home to a billion people, yet barely 40m registered vehicles as of 2014, GCG believes that the underdeveloped region has great growth prospects all through the value chain, including in the vehicle assembly, production, sales and after-sales areas.
GCG is also of the belief that Africa is the international automotive industry’s final frontier, with the industry feeling pressure in many of the more mature markets.
In 2020, the company will again demonstrate its commitment to the region by publishing reports for the Passenger Car Market and Aftermarket for all of Nigeria, Ghana, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Kenya.
GCG will also issue a special report dealing with the issue of shared mobility within the UAE.
The firm believes that the secret to winning in the MENA region is being able to anticipate the moves made by competitors and to accurately analyse markets.
Vishal Pandey, the managing director of GCG for the MENA region, will lead the new practice.
Pandey has been working for the company for nearly 10 years after moving from the Dubai division of Deloitte, prior to which he served in various leadership roles for another global research firm and as a commercial market manager with Colliers.
In the time he has spent at GCG, Pandey has been busy working as a columnist, faculty member, mentor and speaker, and he has been a member of a variety of organisations and business councils.
He is currently on the World Tourism Organisation’s panel of experts and is a member of the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce.
While working at GCG, Pandey has also covered a wide range of sectors all across the MENA and GCC regions, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Anyone who drives any kind of motor vehicle within the UAE has a legal obligation to ensure that they are covered by at least a basic form of third-party car insurance.
More comprehensive options for car insurance coverage are available from a number of different companies in the UAE for drivers who wish to pay more for greater cover.
These policies include cover for damage caused during bad weather or in the event that the car is stolen.