Director Corporate Strategy

Position Overview

Our client, a distinguished and diversified conglomerate, stands at the forefront of key industries including real estate, construction, and industrial sectors, with additional interests spanning a variety of other businesses. To elevate its strategic coherence and operational excellence, the organization seeks a visionary Director of Corporate Strategy to establish and lead a robust corporate strategy function. This critical role will design and implement a unified framework that harmonizes performance tracking, governance, and capital allocation across all business units—each of which currently operates independently with its own metrics, reporting cycles, and strategic priorities.

Core Responsibilities

The Director of Corporate Strategy will serve as the linchpin between the Chairman, Board of Directors, and individual business units, ensuring alignment with the group’s overarching objectives. Key responsibilities include:

• Strategic Framework Development: Design and implement a cohesive corporate strategy function that standardizes performance measurement, governance, and reporting across all business units, despite their diverse operational cycles and metrics.
• Performance Evaluation & Challenge: Conduct rigorous performance reviews, identifying underperformance and growth opportunities. Provide data-driven insights to challenge business units where necessary, ensuring accountability and continuous improvement.
• Capital Allocation & Investment Evaluation: Lead the evaluation of growth and investment opportunities on a unified return basis, ensuring optimal capital deployment across the group. Collaborate closely with the Chairman and Board to inform strategic decision-making processes.
• Strategy Execution Monitoring: Track the execution of strategic initiatives to ensure they are not merely reported but actively implemented. Bridge the gap between strategy formulation and real-world execution, providing transparency to the Board.
• Governance & Family-Controlled Dynamics: Navigate the unique governance challenges of a family-controlled group, ensuring alignment with both corporate objectives and familial expectations. Develop frameworks that respect the nuances of governance in the GCC region.

Qualifications & Experience

We are seeking a seasoned professional with a proven track record in building or restructuring corporate strategy, corporate development, or performance functions within a diversified group, holding company, or investment platform. The ideal candidate will bring:

• Multi-Business Expertise: Demonstrated experience in managing strategy across multiple business units with distinct P&Ls, rather than a single-focused role. Prior exposure to real-asset industries—particularly real estate and industrial sectors—is essential. The ability to develop comparison frameworks that account for differing return cycles while delivering accurate insights to the Board is a critical technical skill.
• Regional & Governance Acumen: In-depth knowledge of GCC operating environments and a nuanced understanding of governance within family-controlled enterprises. Familiarity with how governance functions in practice, beyond theoretical frameworks, is highly valued.
• Executive Maturity & Influence: Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills to engage with business unit leaders who have operated autonomously for decades. The role requires the ability to facilitate difficult conversations, challenge performance, and drive alignment without direct line authority. The first year will primarily involve building relationships, establishing credibility, and fostering a culture of accountability.

Why This Role Matters

This is a transformative opportunity for a strategic leader to shape the future of a dynamic conglomerate. The Director of Corporate Strategy will play a pivotal role in unifying the group’s diverse businesses under a shared vision, ensuring sustainable growth, and enhancing shareholder value. By bridging the gap between strategy and execution, this role will directly influence the Chairman’s and Board’s decision-making processes, driving long-term success for the organization.