The foundation years
Launched as a go-to-market agency for MENA. Featured on the cover of Channel Middle East as “Transformation Agents.” Engaged by the Channel ME Conference & Awards for planning, moderation, and judging from 2011–2019.
In 2008, the world was retreating. Asem Galal and Samer Karawi did the opposite — they bet on Dubai, on the region, and on a simple conviction: this market needed operators, not just advisors.
The origin story
Between them, the founders had spent more than three decades inside the world’s most important technology companies — Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, Compaq, Intel Security (McAfee), and Borland. They had built regional businesses, led teams across the Middle East, and managed product lines worth hundreds of millions.
And in the middle of the worst financial crisis in a generation, they left all of it — to found Galal & Karawi Management Consulting in Dubai’s DMCC free zone. Not a theory practice. An operator’s practice.
That decision — to build during a crisis, to commit to a region when others were retreating — is the founding DNA of G&K. It is why the firm still operates with skin in the game, with long-term commitment, and with the understanding that real growth is built during difficult times, not easy ones.
Our evolution
G&K’s current positioning is earned, not bolted on. It rests on three foundations built over nearly two decades.
Launched as a go-to-market agency for MENA. Featured on the cover of Channel Middle East as “Transformation Agents.” Engaged by the Channel ME Conference & Awards for planning, moderation, and judging from 2011–2019.
Broadened into strategic positioning, human capital, and operational excellence. A defining capability emerged: ecosystem design and thought leadership strategy — beginning with Dubai Media Academy.
AI integrated as the lens for every engagement — not a service line. Two parallel tracks: AI consulting and capability building, and thought leadership ecosystem design.
Purpose, vision & mission
To close the gap between where organisations are today and where the intelligent economy demands they go tomorrow — combining the strategic depth of experienced operators with the transformative power of AI.
To be the region’s most trusted advisory partner at the intersection of AI, strategy, and growth — the firm leaders call when transformation must be real, not theoretical.
To design and execute AI-informed growth strategies — blending human expertise with intelligent systems, and engineering the platforms and content that position our clients as the leaders of their industries.
“We don’t just advise on growth. We engineer it — with you, for you, through the intelligent use of strategy, people, AI, and the ecosystems that make leadership visible.”
What we stand for
These are not decorative. They are visible in how we work, how our services are described, and how we treat every engagement.
We give clients honest counsel, not comfortable answers. We recommend the strategy we believe in, not the one that’s easiest to sell.
We don’t hand over a deck and leave. We stay. We implement. We measure. We adjust.
Dubai is not a satellite office. It is where G&K was born and where its understanding of the market was built since 2008.
AI is a lens, not a silo. Organisations that fail to integrate it will be left behind — we make sure our clients are not among them.
Growth happens within ecosystems of partners, ideas, platforms, and conversations — so we build the ecosystems that make leadership visible.
Clients outsource their business to us, and we in-source our company to them. That is how we operate.
Meet the founders
Managing Partner
A technology executive turned entrepreneur who has spent more than three decades building businesses across the Middle East. Before co-founding G&K in 2008, he held regional leadership roles at Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, and Intel Security / McAfee, spanning product management, regional strategy, and channel leadership. He received multiple Excellence Awards during his corporate career.
Today he is recognised as a key regional authority on AI in business and media — covered regularly by Bloomberg Asharq, CNBC Arabia, Sky News Arabia, and Forbes Middle East. He co-launched the iع initiative with Dubai Media Academy and helped shape Future Majlis with Dubai Media.
MBA, Maastricht School of Management · Member, American Management Association & IEEE. Focus: reinvention, AI transformation, and thought leadership ecosystem design.
Managing Partner
A rare blend of European and Middle Eastern technology leadership. He began at Borland in France before joining Microsoft, where he worked across France and the Middle East for nearly a decade. He then held regional roles at Compaq MENA and Hewlett-Packard Middle East, building deep experience across pre-sales, product management, marketing, sales, and corporate communications.
Samer’s approach is grounded in a belief that the formula for success is a winning customer, a winning vendor, and a winning channel — all aligned. He has led numerous consulting and training programmes on business and channel development, retail enablement, and strategic market re-invention.
Master’s in Marketing & Information Systems, University of Paris (Sorbonne) · Published in Forbes, PC Magazine, and IT Weekly. Focus: operational effectiveness and marketing strategy.
As featured in Channel Middle East
“Transformation Agents” · Cover story, August 2018 — turn the pages
We don’t just advise on growth. We engineer it — with you, for you. Start a conversation with a Managing Partner.