Dubai continues to attract global attention as a business hub. In 2025 alone, over 70,000 companies registered in the emirate. These businesses come in many forms: international companies setting up regional offices, startups launching new ventures, local companies diversifying, and organisations expanding through acquisitions and mergers.
This case study focuses on one such acquisition in the oil and gas sector, where people continuity, regulatory compliance, and operational stability were critical to success.
The Challenge
A growing oil and gas company, referred to here as Company OG, was in the process of acquiring a division from a large multinational organisation that was divesting part of its business.
The acquisition was not just about assets or contracts. It involved transitioning a highly experienced team that had worked together for over eight years and had built the division into a success. This team held deep institutional knowledge, strong client relationships, and operational expertise.
For Company OG, retaining this team was non-negotiable. The challenge lay in transitioning them from a large, established organisation into a newly formed entity without disrupting their employment, visas, family sponsorships, or sense of security.
The Approach
S&K HR Consulting was engaged to design and manage the transition from an HR and people perspective. The focus was on retention, continuity, and employee experience, while ensuring full compliance with UAE labour and immigration requirements.
A structured transition plan was created, broken into clear phases with defined milestones. Some activities ran sequentially, while others were managed in parallel to reduce risk and timelines.
Phase Zero: Understanding Before Action
The process began with what we call Phase Zero. This stage focused on understanding the existing setup in depth before any changes were introduced.
We reviewed current employment contracts, compensation structures, benefits, and terms and conditions. One-on-one conversations were held with each team member to understand individual concerns, expectations, and pain points.
Given the importance of every individual in the team, the transition plan was built with a personalised lens. The primary objective at this stage was clear: achieve 100 percent retention.
Building the HR Foundation in Parallel
While employee discussions were underway, we simultaneously built Company OG’s HR framework from the ground up. This included employment contracts, HR policies, an employee handbook, standard letters and templates, and a complete payroll setup.
Operating in Dubai also meant managing immigration and sponsorship requirements. Many employees were sponsoring family members, had travel plans, or were mid-leave during the transition period. Each of these details had to be mapped carefully to avoid disruptions.
This required close coordination around visa timelines, family movements, leave schedules, and field assignments. From the employee’s perspective, the transition appeared seamless. Behind the scenes, multiple moving parts were being managed simultaneously to ensure continuity.
Onboarding and Employee Experience
Recognising that employees were moving from a large corporate environment into a newly formed company, special attention was given to onboarding and reassurance.
Welcome packs, structured orientation sessions, and a clear onboarding programme were introduced to signal stability and professionalism. The aim was to ensure employees felt supported, valued, and confident about the future of the organisation.
Despite the complexity of the workforce, including field-based roles and frequent international travel, all employees were successfully onboarded over a three-month period along with their families and sponsorship arrangements.
The Outcome
The transition was completed with full retention of the team. Client relationships were preserved, and operations continued without disruption.
Five years later, Company OG has grown significantly. What began as a Dubai-based acquisition has expanded into a multi-country presence, including operations in Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. S&K HR Consulting has continued to support the organisation through its regional growth and HR setup across geographies.
Key Learnings
This case highlights several important lessons for businesses acquiring or setting up operations in the UAE.
First, acquisitions in the UAE are people-led. With a largely expatriate workforce, employment and sponsorship considerations must be handled with precision and care.
Second, teams are often geographically dispersed, requiring HR solutions that account for field operations, travel, and regional nuances.
Finally, a strong HR framework and thoughtful onboarding significantly reduce learning curves and operational friction. As shared by the owners of Company OG, welcoming employees into a well-structured organisation made the transition smoother and accelerated business stability and growth.
