New White Paper Reveals the Economic Power of DE+I in the Middle East

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It highlightss the fact that building inclusive hiring and leadership pipelines and fostering multicultural, multigenerational workforces, businesses can unlock creativity and long-term growth.

The report indeed quantifies how inclusive practices can power innovation, productivity, and long-term value creation across the Middle East. It reframes DE+I from a corporate ideal to a measurable economic driver, as it emphasises diversity across nationality, background, education, and socio-economic experience. Organisations that embrace this broader definition outperform peers in innovation, attract top talent, and sustain higher employee engagement.

The white paper delves into key challenges, from gender equity and accessible workplace design to fair labor practices. Backed by regional data, it provides actionable recommendations for policymakers and business leaders aiming to translate inclusion into measurable performance gains. In a region where diversity is a given, inclusion must become the growth strategy.

The report also aligns DE+I strategies with key national agendas such as Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, We the UAE 2031, and Qatar’s National Vision 2030. The launch will coincide with a panel discussion at Athar Festival, featuring leaders who will explore the region’s “real cost of exclusion” — from underrepresentation in leadership to barriers faced by people with disabilities. The session aims to demonstrate how a more inclusive corporate ecosystem can unlock creativity, strengthen competitiveness, and foster social cohesion.

“Diversity, equity, and inclusion aren’t abstract ideals—they’re essential to business resilience and innovation,” said Ravi Raman, Publisher at Fast Company Middle East. “This partnership with MCN highlights how DE+I can fuel sustainable economic growth across the region.”

Ghassan Harfouche, Group CEO of MCN MENAT & President of McCann Worldgroup APAC, echoed the sentiment: “In a region built on diversity, our biggest missed opportunity is not leveraging it. This report is a call to action—to reimagine our economies around inclusion and shared prosperity.”

The data is clear: exclusion is an economic liability. By demonstrating that DE+I can enhance innovation, attract talent, and strengthen employee engagement, the paper makes a compelling case for embedding inclusion into corporate strategy and governance—not as a social obligation, but as a growth multiplier.

The white paper will be unveiled during Athar Festival 2025 on October 21–22 at Riyadh’s JAX District, with attendance open to registered festival participants.