The Gulf Decision™
Three cities. Three days. One decision.
An executive immersion for CEOs, boards and founders of Australian, UK and New Zealand companies deciding whether to move their head office, or build a regional arm, in the Gulf.
Provisional Founding cohort Sunday 18 – Wednesday 21 April 2027 · 6–12 executives · by application
Some decisions cannot be made from a spreadsheet.
You have read the reports. You may even have an invitation in your inbox. But a decision this large (where your leadership lives, where your company is governed, where your people build their lives) deserves more than a brochure and a fly-in meeting.
The Gulf Decision™ gives you three days on the ground in three distinct places, each with its own strengths, and a method to turn what you see into a decision your board can act on. It is a decision program, not a trade mission: nothing is sold to you on the ground, and it does not favour any jurisdiction.
Leaders from Australia, the UK and New Zealand.
You will get the most from it if your company already has a reason to look at the region (customers, partners, capital, talent or a strategic priority) and you can commit to the pre-work and three full days.
CEOs & founders
Weighing a Gulf head office, regional headquarters, subsidiary or branch.
Chairs & directors
Who want first-hand evidence before a proposal reaches the board.
Family-enterprise principals
Thinking about where the next chapter of the business, and the family, should be based.
Not impressions. A decision.
The Decision Lab on the final afternoon turns three days of evidence into a written decision your board can test.
- A written decisionGo, Go with conditions, Not yet, or No-go, with your reasons.
- A shortlist of two jurisdictionsAnd one preferred operating model: serve from home, regional arm, hub and spoke, or head-office move.
- A 90-day roadmapWith owners, dates and the next decision gate for your board.
- The right questions for your advisersA prioritised list for your licensed legal, tax, immigration and banking advisers.
- Ryan’s written feedback, and a follow-up sessionFeedback on your decision memo within five working days, and an Executive Decision Session within 45 days.
How the three days work.
Sunday evening to Wednesday night. Visits are requested for each cohort and are subject to confirmation by the host; every session has an alternative briefing, so the program holds if a request cannot be met.
- SunDoha · evening
The question in the room
Welcome session from 18:30, then dinner. Every leader states their decision in two minutes. You will hear your own question differently by the end of the evening.
- MonDoha
Platforms and priorities
Ryan’s briefing, “Reading the Gulf”: how the three cities each create value, and how to look at a jurisdiction the way an investor would. The routes to setting up in Qatar. Lunch with leaders who live and work in Doha, a business-district tour, and an early-evening flight to Abu Dhabi.
Requested · subject to confirmation Qatar Financial Centre; by sector, Qatar Free Zones or Qatar Science & Technology Park
- TueAbu Dhabi
Institutions, innovation and the long view
A working lunch on banking, people and payroll. A fireside with Ryan on building companies headquartered in ADGM. A road transfer to Dubai, then a peer dinner around the hardest question you have not yet asked.
Requested · subject to confirmation Abu Dhabi Global Market; then Masdar City Free Zone and Hub71, or the Abu Dhabi Investment Office
- WedDubai
From impressions to a decision: the Decision Lab
Morning visits and a workspace tour. Then the Decision Lab, 13:30–17:30: four hours, facilitated by Ryan, in which you score your options, test them with your peers and write your decision memo and 90-day roadmap. Closing dinner.
Requested · subject to confirmation Dubai International Financial Centre; a free zone such as DMCC or IFZA
- ThuDubai · optional
Extension day
A one-to-one session with Ryan and a further sector visit.
Requested visits are not partnerships, sponsorships or endorsements. Timings are indicative.
Prefer one country?
The Corridor Edition is the open-cohort format. The others run on request.
Corridor Edition
Doha, Abu Dhabi and Dubai in three days, with an optional Thursday extension.
Qatar Edition
Three days in Doha, with an optional UAE extension day.
UAE Edition
Three days across Abu Dhabi and Dubai, with an optional Doha extension day.
Private Company Edition
Your leadership team or board, your dates, your routing. Up to six executives.
Start with the diagnostics.
Before you travel, you complete Ryan’s free Boardroom Diagnostics. Your summaries shape the questions you carry into every visit. The paid deep-dive reports are included in your seat, with an intake questionnaire and a 45-minute pre-briefing call with Ryan.
Offshore & Commercialisation Readiness
Eighteen statements across six dimensions, from protecting the offer and market entry to structure and operating capacity. Priority issues first; no overall score.
Start the diagnostic → Recommended · head-office decisionsStrategy Durability Index
Will the strategy still win in ten years, wherever it is run from?
Start the index → Recommended · raising or partneringCapital Readiness
Would capital say yes to you today?
Start the diagnostic →The investment.
Fees are shown in Australian dollars with US dollars alongside. A$ fees include GST for Australian buyers; US$ fees are for buyers outside Australia, plus any applicable local taxes. Fees are confirmed in writing at application.
Included: pre-work and diagnostic deep-dive reports; intake and pre-briefing call; all sessions, the Decision Lab and visits as confirmed; ground transport during the program, including the Abu Dhabi to Dubai transfer; working breakfasts and lunches; welcome, peer and closing dinners; program materials; written feedback on your memo; a follow-up Executive Decision Session; a 90-day alumni check-in.
Not included: international flights; the nominated Doha to Abu Dhabi flight; hotels (four nights, with preferred rates sought for you); visas or entry permissions where needed; travel and medical insurance (required); personal expenses; legal, tax, immigration or banking advice.
| Seat | Fee (A$ incl. GST · US$) |
|---|---|
| Founding cohort seat, April 2027 Founding | A$14,200 incl. GST · US$8,500 |
| Open cohort seat (Corridor Edition) | A$19,250 incl. GST · US$11,500 |
| Second colleague, same company | A$15,300 incl. GST · US$9,200 |
| Optional Thursday extension | A$4,200 incl. GST · US$2,500 |
| Private Company Edition, up to six executives | from A$97,900 incl. GST · US$59,000 |
A$ fees include GST for Australian buyers; US$ fees for buyers outside Australia, plus any applicable local taxes. No payment is taken on this site; register interest below to receive the program pack.
Four cohorts, Sunday to Wednesday.
Dates are chosen to avoid Ramadan, Eid holidays and the summer months. Each cohort runs with a minimum of six executives and a maximum of twelve.
18–21 April 2027
Sunday to Wednesday
Provisional24–27 October 2027
Sunday to Wednesday
Provisional14–17 November 2027
Sunday to Wednesday
Provisional9–12 January 2028
Sunday to Wednesday
Provisional
See the whole board before you move a piece.
Ryan Babbage is a founder and commercial strategist. He is currently based in Bangkok, Thailand.
- Founder & CEO of OceanMerge® and OceanBlocks® (headquartered in ADGM, Abu Dhabi)
- Co-founder & CEO of MindGo®
- Investor & Strategist at Stacked Up
His role in the program is to make your decision clearer and more disciplined, not to choose a city for you.
More about Ryan →Before you apply.
Q1Is this a trade mission?
No. It is a decision program. Visits are there to give you evidence; the Decision Lab turns that evidence into a decision. Nothing is sold to you on the ground.
Q2Will you tell us which city to choose?
No. Each city has distinct strengths, and the right answer depends on your customers, your activity, your people and your strategy.
Q3Is this legal, tax or immigration advice?
No. You will leave with better questions for your own licensed advisers, not a substitute for them.
Q4Can we bring our chair or CFO?
Yes, and we recommend it. A second colleague from the same company attends at a reduced fee. For larger teams, consider a Private Company Edition.
Q5What happens if a visit cannot be confirmed?
Every session has an alternative briefing, so the program and the Decision Lab go ahead.
Q6How do I travel there?
Entry requirements depend on your passport and change from time to time. We will point you to the official guidance before you travel; please always check the current rules yourself.
Q7What if we decide to proceed and want help setting up?
That is your choice, and entirely separate. See the note below.
A separate matter. Ryan is the founder of OceanMerge®, an advisory firm that can support setup and market entry under its own engagement and terms. That is entirely separate from this program: there is no obligation, and the program does not favour any jurisdiction.
The Gulf Decision™ is an executive education and strategy program offered by Ryan Babbage personally. It is not legal, tax, immigration, financial or investment advice. Rules, rates and entry requirements change; please confirm all matters with appropriately licensed advisers and official sources. Visits are requested and subject to confirmation by each host; no partnership, sponsorship or endorsement is implied. OceanMerge® is a separate company; any OceanMerge® services are provided under a separate engagement. A$ fees include GST; US$ fees are plus any applicable local taxes. Dates are provisional until confirmed.