The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council hosted a luncheon conversation on Thursday, February 13th, 2025 at the Rosewood Hotel in Abu Dhabi in honor of His Excellency Hareb Al Mheiri, Executive Director of Investor Growth at the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), a division of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development. His Excellency and his team briefed attendees on opportunities for partnership and investment in Abu Dhabi, industry clusters on which ADIO is focused, and ways ADIO is supporting companies and investors that enter the U.A.E. market.

His Excellency provided an overview of ADIO’s mandate to support investors and companies looking to establish themselves and grow in Abu Dhabi, specifically detailing ADIO’s suite of investor support services. His Excellency emphasized Abu Dhabi’s ambitions to become a global financial hub. Yaser Al Yousef, Director of Investor Relations & Retention at ADIO, noted the evolving business landscape in Abu Dhabi driven by economic diversification efforts, regulatory reforms, and an increased focus on innovation and sustainability.

His Excellency highlighted ADIO’s 13 focus clusters, which include the Smart and Autonomous Vehicle Industry (SAVI) cluster housed in Masdar City and the AgriFood Growth & Water Abundance (AGWA) cluster. The clusters are a combination of government and private entities creating opportunities in these priority sectors. His Excellency and Mr. Al Yousef stated the goal of ADIO’s clusters is to attract investment to establish wholistic ecosystems for development in these sectors. His Excellency also noted ADIO’s support for the U.A.E.’s broader focus on the key areas of financial services, technology and AI, and healthcare and life sciences.

His Excellency discussed ADIO’s role in the bilateral trade and investment relationship between the United States and U.A.E. He stated that U.S. companies are choosing Abu Dhabi and the U.A.E. because of the global hub they are creating and the growing opportunities in various sectors. He explained the ways in which ADIO takes a hands-on approach to support investors on both a business and personal level, including providing advice on schools, healthcare, and visa requirements.

For more information about the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council’s programming, please contact Caitlin Cottrell at ccottrell@usuaebusiness.org.