Dr. Easa Al Bastaki, the President of the University of Dubai, is delivering the keynote speech at The Arab Franchise Awards 2025 event at the iconic Queen Elizabeth 2, Dubai
Dubai, UAE:
The historic Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) set a magnificent stage for the Arab Franchise Awards, where Dr. Easa Al Bastaki, President of the University of Dubai and one of the UAE’s leading voices in innovation and education, delivered a compelling and visionary keynote address. Speaking before influential entrepreneurs, investors, franchise leaders, and global delegates, Dr. Al Bastaki celebrated the region’s growing leadership in the franchise industry while emphasising the urgent need to build and promote more homegrown brands that can compete internationally.
Addressing a diverse gathering of industry pioneers, Dr. Al Bastaki applauded the extraordinary scale of this year’s awards, which brought together over 150 brands from 30 countries. He congratulated the winners across 30 competitive award categories, praising their achievements, resilience, and contributions to elevating franchise standards in the Middle East. He noted that the presence of such a broad global representation demonstrates the UAE’s emergence as a dynamic hub for franchising excellence and cross-border business collaboration.
In his keynote, Dr. Al Bastaki highlighted that while international brands enrich the region’s retail and F&B landscape, the long-term economic advantage lies in developing local concepts that reflect the culture, creativity, and entrepreneurial ambition of the Arab world. He emphasised that despite strong entrepreneurial activity, the number of Arab-origin brands achieving global scale remains limited. He urged Emirati and regional founders to build concepts capable of expanding across continents, encouraging them to innovate boldly, embrace franchising as a model for scalable growth, and trust in the strength of local identity.
Winners of the Arab Franchise Awards 2025 with Khaled Almaeena, Chairman of the Arab Business Media Group, UAE
Dr. Al Bastaki also praised the efforts of institutions, business leaders, and platforms such as the Arab Franchise Expo and Arab Franchise Awards for fostering a vibrant ecosystem that nurtures both established and emerging brands. He reaffirmed that with the right ecosystem support, mentorship, funding, knowledge-sharing, and international exposure, homegrown brands contribute significantly to the UAE’s economic diversification and innovation-led growth. His message resonated deeply with attendees, inspiring the next generation of franchise entrepreneurs to dream bigger, build stronger, and expand further.
