People

George Grant
PO Box 183996
Dubai, UAE

WhatsApp +90 533 8886401
george@georgegrantassociates.com

EXPERTISE SUMMARY

George Grant is a Chartered Quantity Surveyor and practising Arbitrator, Mediator and Dispute Board Member with over 45 years experience in the fields of Development & Project Management, Cost Management, Contract Administration, Claims Management, Dispute Resolution and Arbitration. Twenty-seven of those years have now been spent in the Middle East (7yrs in Oman, 20yrs in the UAE). George has held top management positions in leading consultancy and corporate organisations and has completed many assignments throughout the region as well as in India, Africa and the Far East. He now runs his own international management consultancy practice based in Dubai and is a board member of various associated companies.

George has successfully pursued and defended multiple multimillion dollar claims and has extensive experience of contracts and commercial management work in civil engineering, general construction, energy, oil and gas, and maritime construction.

He has sat as sole Arbitrator, Chairman, and co-Arbitrator, in three member, Tribunals, acted as Mediator, Dispute, Board, Member, Third-Party, Neutral and Expert Witness.

Download a detailed CV here

MEMBERSHIPS

Fellow Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (FRICS)
Fellow Asian Institute of Alternative Dispute Resolution (FAiADR)
Fellow Dispute Board Federation
Associate, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (ACIArb)
Registered with Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC)
Registered with Scottish Arbitration Centre
Panel Member Abu Dhabi Global Market Arbitration Centre (ADGM)
Panel Member Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC)
Panel Member Asian Institute of Alternative Dispute Resolution (AIADR)
Panel Member Saudi Centre for Commercial Arbitration (SCCA)
Panel Member Tashkent International Arbitration Centre (TIAC)
Member Federation of Integrated Conflict Management and the Mediation and Conciliation Network (FICM-MCN)
Member ArbDB Chambers London

BOARD MEMBERSHIPS

International Power and Water Investments (IPWI)
ASG Ghana

WORK HISTORY

GEORGE GRANT ASSOCIATES LIMITED

April 2012 – Present
Managing Director

In April 2012 I returned to consultancy setting up my own practice based in Dubai to focus on the provision of arbitration and dispute resolution services and to take on senior advisory roles (Board Level) in construction and development management.

I am a Registered Arbitrator with Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC).

DRAKE & SCULL INTERNATIONAL PJSC

January 2009 – April 2012
Commercial Operations Director – Drake & Scull Water & Power

Drake & Scull International is an AED 5bn per year Turnover Company which is listed on the Dubai Financial Market. As Commercial Operations Director I was responsible for the successful delivery of all of our projects in the Water and Power sector. The main areas of operation covered the Middle East, North Africa and Indian Sub-Continent. My role included responsibility for contract and commercial management of the projects as well as company profit & loss. I was also responsible for the commercial performance of the waste water subsidiary Passavant Roediger.

I continued to work as an independent Arbitrator, Mediator and Expert Witness. I am a Registered Arbitrator with Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC) and a registered Mediator with The Mediation Centre Dubai.

Drake & Scull entered the PPP, BOO and BOT markets and I was responsible for leading this effort. We were involved in bids in Djibouti, Egypt, Uganda, Syria, India, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

This included setting up SPVs, negotiating concession and offtake agreements, EPC contracts, consortium and supply chain agreements, raising debt and equity finance.

Bids have included:-

Rail bids in Hong Kong (KCRC)
Mechanical and Electrical packages on the Princes Noura University Monorail project in Riyadh
District Cooling projects in Cairo and integrated utilities solutions (municipal services) for major mixed use developments in Cairo, Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada. Site area are in excess of 1,000 hectares Consortium members include consultants, banks, major utility operators and construction partners
District Cooling BOT for Hadeed Steelworks at Jubail Saudi Arabia
Combined desalination and wind power generation project in Djibouti
Tripoli Airport Infrastructure Libya
100mw Hydro Electric power plant Uganda
Renewable energy projects in India

ASGC PROPERTIES

July 2008 – December 2008
Chief Executive Officer

Responsible for setting up and managing the property development arm of Al Shafar General Contracting Group. Operation was put on hold because of poor market conditions.

SAMA DUBAI

September 2006 – July 2008
Senior Director Operations & Contracts, Head Project Management Centre of Excellence

Responsible for development support and contracts management function within Sama Dubai Vice Chairman of the Investment Committee, the Executive Committee and the Risk Management Committee, Board Member Contracting and Project Management Joint Venture Companies.

Played a leading role in the Senior Management Team and in strategic business initiatives pursued by the Company. Negotiated and set up two strategic joint venture companies in construction and project management with Murray & Roberts and EC Harris.

Projects included:-

Lagoons Dubai a 500 hectare mixed use development with in excess of USD 10bn. Lagoons had its own mono rail system which was planned to integrate with Dubai Metro.
Amwaj, Morocco - a Salam Resort Project, USD 4bn
Yiti, Oman - a Salam Resort Project, USD 3bn
Bahrain - a Salam Resort Project, USD 2bn
Dubai Towers Doha, Dubai, Melbourne Beijing and Istanbul. Iconic mixed use high rise developments with a total value in excess of USD 5bn

CURRIE & BROWN, DUBAI

1995 – September 2006
Regional Director

Regional Director, Currie & Brown (Middle East)/Barker and Barton Lawson Group, responsible for all aspects of running, managing and developing the Middle East business.

The workload covered all aspects of project management, project development management, quantity surveying, cost management, contract administration, facilities management consultancy and management consultancy as it relates to the construction and real estate development business on a wide variety of projects throughout the region.

In addition to managing the regional business, I specialised in contracts issues, claims arbitration/dispute resolution and providing commercial management and auditing services.

I have acted on behalf of clients in various contractual dispute situations as arbitrator or expert witness in the Middle East and UK.

Projects undertaken by the regional business ranged in value from AED 10 Million to AED 60 Billion, for companies such as Union Properties, Sama Dubai and other regional/international developers.

In June 2003, Barker Barton and Lawson was acquired by Currie & Brown. At that time the Currie & Brown business comprised 4 people based in Abu Dhabi.

In my role as Regional Director I built the combined business into one which employed 150+ people with offices in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Muscat and Doha, and operating throughout the Middle East, North Africa and Indian Sub-continent. New service lines were introduced such as facilities management consultancy and management consultancy thus broadening the base of the business.

Generated in excess of AED 200 Million in fee income producing a profit of AED 10 Million from a turnover of AED 60 Million (20% of Currie & Brown Group turnover).

Project values totalled an amount in excess of USD 20bn and covered all sectors of the construction industry.

BARKER BARTON AND LAWSON (SCOTLAND) LIMITED

1985 – 1995
Managing Director

The firm provided a full range of quantity surveying, project management and cost engineering services to a variety of clients in both the public and private sectors.

These projects covered the building, civil engineering and petrochemical sectors. I was involved in all aspects of the Company’s activities.

In particular I was personally responsible for providing quantity surveying and project management services on the following contracts:-

New Printing Headquarters, Glasgow for Scottish Daily Record & Sunday Mail Limited, GBP 20 Million
The Time Capsule, Monklands, an Ice and Water Leisure facility for Monklands District Council, GBP 14 Million
ICI Grangemouth – providing cost engineering and contract administration services on a GBP 30 Million extension to their Procion Plant

GEORGE CAMPBELL LIMITED, SCOTLAND

1984 – 1985
Development Director

Responsible for all commercial and project management functions of this Property Development Company. Reported to Managing Director.

R M NEILSON PARTNERSHIP, SCOTLAND

1982 – 1983
Senior Quantity Surveyor

Responsible for all surveying functions on all types of projects. These functions included feasibility studies, cost planning, preparation of contract documentation and preparation of variations and agreement of final account.

Projects included refurbishments, new build housing, industrial, commercial and leisure developments and petrochemical works, ranging in value from GBP 50,000 to 20 Million. Reported direct to Partner.

WILSON & WILSON, ARCHITECTS AND SURVEYORS

1974 – 1981
Trainee / Assistant / Quantity Surveyor

Initially received instruction in all aspects of quantity surveying while attending Napier University, Edinburgh on a part time day release basis.

As I gained knowledge and experience, my duties and responsibilities grew until after 5 years I was carrying out the full range of quantity surveying services on all types of projects. Reported to Partner.

ARBITRATION AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION EXPERIENCE

As a Chartered Quantity Surveyor with over 40 years experience, the vast majority of which has been spent in Consultancy, I have practiced in the Middle East Region for the past 20 years. I have acted on behalf of many clients over the years resolving contractual and commercial disputes in both informal and formal dispute resolution environments. In the last few years I have acted as sole arbitrator on three separate occasions in disputes involving Main Contractor/Sub Contractor, Architect/Client and multi unit property purchase. I have also served as a member of three-man tribunals. I have acted as expert witness (Quantum) on a number of construction industry disputes which have been the subject of arbitration proceedings. I have extensive knowledge of all of the main forms of contract commonly used in the Region and have a good understanding and appreciation of the many cultural issues which can impact the dispute resolution process.