Dubai Luxury: Past, Present, and Future

Date:
Wednesday July 30th 2008

Time:
8.00 - 9.30 am

Location:
Fleishman-Hillard
220 East 42nd Street
(between 2nd and 3rd Avenues), 11th Floor

Please remember to bring ID for building security

The World Wealth Report 2008 produced by Capgemini and Merrill Lynch illustrated a 15.6% increase in the number of High Net Worth Individuals in the Middle East (focused primarily in the Arabian Gulf) in 2007, and their wealth increased by 17.5% from 2006.  Dubai is the epicenter of this explosion of wealth and spending, displaying classic ‘conspicuous consumption’ patterns.  The UAE tops the world in per capita daily consumer spending, averaging $27 compared to regional spending of just $3.50 per day.  How is this happening, what’s fueling the growth, how are they getting wealth, and what’s behind the huge increases in spending?

Mac McClelland, President & CEO of The Luxury Marketing Council in the Middle East, is visiting New York to answer some of those questions.  A retired U.S. Marine Corps officer, Mac has lived and worked in Dubai for the last 12 years.  Raised in Libya during the period of transition from the monarchy to the Gaddafi government, serving as the U.S. Naval Attaché in the Sultanate of Oman, and retiring as the Political Advisor to the Commander of the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, he has lived in or worked in every Arab country for almost 30 years.

Launching the Dubai chapter earlier this year, Mac also runs a management consulting firm that assists American companies that want to work in the Middle East and North Africa.  He is married to Rhonda and they have three children, Jonathan, Caroline and Emily.  They have recently made their U.S. home in Nashville.

T. B. (Mac) McClelland, Jr. is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Center House Ltd., a consulting firm specializing in business development and business advisory services.  He is the President and Chief Executive Officer of The Luxury Marketing Council (Middle East).  Mr. McClelland has extensive experience working in the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific region, and Central and Eastern Europe.

Prior to founding Center House Ltd., Mr. McClelland was General Manager of Enron Middle East with responsibility for developing energy and communications projects and joint ventures from Morocco to Pakistan.

Other recent international experience includes Group Director (Eastern Hemisphere) for J. Ray McDermott, S.A., a marine construction company headquartered in the United States.  Before joining McDermott, Mr. McClelland served around the world in senior leadership positions in the United States Marine Corps, including the U. S. Naval Attaché and Naval Attaché for Air to the Sultanate of Oman, and as the Political Advisor to the Commander, U.S. Fifth Fleet in Manama, Bahrain.

Mr. McClelland obtained a B.A. in Mathematics from The Citadel; a M.A. in Human Resources Management from Pepperdine University; and, a M.A. in International Policies Studies from The Monterey Institute of International Studies.  He is a past President of the American Business Council of Dubai and the Northern Emirates, served on the Advisory Council to the School of Business at the American University of Dubai, was a member of the Board of Directors of the Gaza Power Generating Company, and serves on various other boards and committees.  He has testified as an expert witness before the US Congress and is a frequent public speaker on subjects ranging from business to security to policy issues in the region.  He has been featured in the Wall Street Journal and on CNBC discussing issues affecting American companies overseas.  Mac and his wife Rhonda live in Dubai with their three children, Jonathan, Caroline and Emily.