The Brand Union Middle East launches its second office in the region

The move reflects the emirate's growing global profile as well as the increasing awareness of the role of world class branding consultancies for organisations within the GCC.

Endorsing the establishment of the Abu Dhabi office, Worldwide CEO of The Brand Union, Simon Bolton said: 'Abu Dhabi is an integral part of The Brand Union's growth strategy in the Middle East and the office highlights our commitment to the emirate.'

'2007 was a year of great success for The Brand Union in the Middle East and Abu Dhabi is a key market for the next stage of the agency's development,' added Hermann Behrens, CEO Middle East, The Brand Union.

Abu Dhabi is considered the economic engine of the U.A.E. and has been labelled as the 'richest city in the world' in honour of its per capita GDP ($52,000) being the highest across the globe. The government of Abu Dhabi recently issued its '2030 Urban Structure Framework', which aims to transform the city into a global commercial and cultural centre.

The Brand Union is actively supporting the 2030 Abu Dhabi Framework and its commitment to the city has been demonstrated by the recruitment of Toby Southgate as the Managing Director for the Abu Dhabi office. Southgate has developed and managed top level client relationships across the UK, Europe and the United States with projects including the 2012 London Olympic bid.

'A sizeable portion of The Brand Union Middle East's revenue is already generated from Abu Dhabi and it was critical to respond to our growing client base in the emirate. We aim to be an integral part of the '2030 Urban Structure Framework' outlined by the Abu Dhabi government and our full scale operation in the city will assist in growing our market share here,' explained Southgate.

Southgate also recognises the growing profile of Abu Dhabi as an attractive place to live and work. 'We are fortunate that a number of senior staff from within The Brand Union are keen to develop their careers in Abu Dhabi. We are also forming our external recruitment plans, and we have a great opportunity both to nurture local talent and to learn from those already in the marketplace.'

The Brand Union has long been active with some of the major brands changing the face of Abu Dhabi. The client list already includes Mubadala, the investment company owned by the Abu Dhabi government and TDIC, The Tourism Development & Investment Company which has already attracted global partners such as The Louvre and the Guggenheim Foundation to their Saadiyat Island development.

'Abu Dhabi is quite simply one of the most exciting cities in the world. Over the next decade we expect to see a number of truly global brands developing out of Abu Dhabi, and we will be here to partner with them and ease that growth process' concluded Southgate.

The Brand Union is committed to delivering memorable and valuable brand worlds for its clients. Driven by a deep-seated commitment to becoming masters of the art and science of brand building the company helps brands grow, offers direction and protect brands against the economic and cultural elements, and from self harm.

Unified not uniform, the Abu Dhabi office now joins a union of more than 500 people working together across 21 cities including Dubai, New York, London and Tokyo.