IP Excellera Expands to Abu Dhabi, Targeting Booming Market Opportunities

IP Excellera has planted fresh roots in Abu Dhabi, opening a new office and appointing Partner Nour Sukkar to lead operations in the UAE’s capital. The advisory firm, long known across the region for its work in investor relations, sustainability, and corporate reporting, says the move is about being physically closer to a market that’s fast becoming one of the most liquid and talked-about in the world. With the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) brushing up against AED 3 trillion in market capitalisation, it’s no surprise companies like this want a front-row seat.

Nour brings to the role a solid background from her time at Credit Suisse (now UBS), HSBC, Teneo and TD, blending investment banking with hands-on financial communications. It’s a pretty spot on mix for an exchange that’s seen a wave of new IPOs and dramatic jumps in foreign inflows. She’ll be joined by Shaimaa Aly, who comes with experience in corporate reporting from stints at Emperor, Brunswick Group and SEC Newgate. That pairing looks tailor-made for a city where annual reports and media relations are fast becoming as strategic as the IPO roadshows themselves.

Speaking about the opening, CEO Samantha Bartel said the Abu Dhabi base means closer proximity to clients in a market that’s evolving at record pace. She also highlighted how Nour’s track record with ADX-listed companies should give Excellera a bit of an edge. Nour herself called Abu Dhabi a natural hub for capital flows, clearly banking on the supportive regulatory climate and appetite for large-scale listings.

On the flip side, it’s worth noting that Excellera Advisory Group, which IP Excellera is part of, has ambitions beyond the UAE. The Group has already established presences in major European and US hubs, and recently brought in ICG as a financial partner to speed up its growth. That tells me this new Abu Dhabi office is less a one-off, more a piece of a bigger puzzle stretching across continents.

Now, I must confess—I reckon it can be a bit of a faff when firms trumpet their “unique proposition” every time they expand. But here the maths do add up: ADX’s foreign investment almost doubling in a year is not just noise, it’s a signal. And if you’ve ever sat down with an Abu Dhabi founder eyeing a listing, as I once did during Arageek’s work with local startups, you’ll know the big pinch point isn’t always getting investor appetite… it’s being ready to communicate with the world once the capital pours in. That’s where firms like IP Excellera really earn their keep.

So yes, the office launch is another ribbon-cutting photo op, but it also plants Excellera right in the heart of a market that’s shaping up to be a global heavyweight. And believe it or not, moves like this—though sometimes drowned in corporate wording—do matter for startups here as well, because better investor communications often trickle down into healthier capital markets for everyone. If they can navigate the fast tides of ADX without loosing their course, they’ll be chuffed to bits with the results.

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