Fit-Out Powerlist 2022 - ISG, Ranks 5th

Steve Ramsden, managing director, ISG-Southeast Asia and Middle East

ISG is a global construction services company with over 3000 employees. In the UAE, ISG was established in 2007, and has two offices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The UAE-based team has 100 employees from 21 nationalities; of them 30% are women. The company works across multiple sectors including, corporate office, hospitality and leisure, education, healthcare, and government and completed more than 100 projects over the past 12 months, achieving an average Customer Experience (CX) score of 85%. In 2021, ISG delivered the largest num- ber of fit-out projects, commissioned by Expo 2020 Dubai. ISG’s projects at Expo 2020 Dubai included almost 90 different structures, the most significant number of fit-out works by a single firm for thematic and country pavilions at Expo 2020 Dubai. This included 62 country and thematic pavilions, 10 Best of the Best (BOTB) restaurants, seven Local Gems restaurants, two Food Halls in addition to the Expo 2020 Media Centre, the Expo Monitoring and Control Centre, North and South Viewing Platforms, and Service Pavilions. Also, throughout 2021, ISG delivered several projects at ICD Brookfield Place, Dubai, the LEED Platinum-certified destination development in DIFC. ISG’s two- year framework agreement positions the company for strategic and long-term involvement as a trusted partner for engineering and construction services, supporting ICD in realising its investment vision for the iconic development. Projects delivered include highly spaced corporate office space, F&B and leisure spaces. In 2022, ISG has been appointed to several large- scale projects including, the fit-out the new headquarters for Du in Dubai, the complete refurbishment of the iconic Jumeirah Mina A’Salam Hotel and the fit-out of new Roxy Cinemas in Dubai Hills Mall, to name a few. ISG employees are active members in the community and have recently volunteered in the 1 Billion Meals Initiative during the Holy Month of Ramadan. The company has also raised funds for the Dubai Centre for Special Needs, travelling over 435km in the process. Managing director, Steve Ramsden, kicked off the initiative with a six-km walk on the opening morning, with other activities including badminton at Dubai.

World Trade Center (DWTC), cycling at Al Qudra, and an employee-led Kite Beach walk. Steve Ramsden has been at the helm of ISG’s Middle East business since 2016. In 2018, he was ap- pointed managing director of the Southeast Asia & Middle East regions. During his tenure, ISG’s presence in the region grew significantly and the UAE business achieved its best results in 2021. “We feel proud of our teams’ performance over the past 12 months. The pandemic has had a major impact on how we operate and how we deliver projects, but ISG adapted quickly by implementing various continuity strategies that built on our experiences in Asia, which had started the COVID-19 response cycle, ahead of us here in the UAE. This high level of readiness and agility placed ISG in good stead throughout the pandemic, was well noted by our clients and will remain vital in the future.” says Ramsden. “ISG’s ability to adapt to the chal- lenges brought forward by the pandemic, and the learnings that we have proactively acquired through- out, has enabled us to make measur- able progress towards the global ISG strategy of “All 4 by 2024″. This strategy encompasses delivering places where people and businesses thrive, providing the best customer experience in our industry, together with our supply chain partners, becoming a benchmark for HSE and making ISG the most attractive employer of the most innovative talent pool.” concludes Ramsden.