National Engineering Bureau

This Dubai-based new entry has big plans. CEO Jamil Jadallah admits the UAE is going through a “very cautious phase” – though that still means the practice completed seven office and residential developments there in 2010.

But Jadallah speaks excitedly about the “abundance” of opportunities in Saudi Arabia, Africa, and the Indian subcontinent. With offices already across the UAE, as well as in Dar es Salaam, Doha, and Bahrain, NEB expects to open offices this year in Delhi and Mumbai, Ashgabat in Turkmenistan, Riyadh and Mashhad in Iran.

Saudi and India are expected to be the firm’s areas of biggest growth, but south-east Europe, Iran and Libya are also on its hit list this year.

Projects due to complete in the next year or so include the 82-storey Torch Tower in Dubai Marina, Sharjah International Financial Centre and an American academy in Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi.