Connected Leadership in the UAE and Saudi Arabia | Brunswick Group
Perspectives

Connected Leadership in the UAE and Saudi Arabia

New research from Brunswick shows that corporate stakeholders expect business leaders to be adaptive, connected, and engaged – using social media to do so. The bar has never been higher for leaders confronted by a global pandemic, economic turbulence, and social upheaval. In the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and globally, readers of financial publications trust leaders who have adapted through these crises to be more accessible and transparent, including through social media.

Key Findings

  • Social media use is nearly universal among financial readers in the UAE and Saudi Arabia and a strong majority believe that business leaders should use these channels to communicate.
  • 3 out of 4 financial readers believe it is very important for CEOs in Saudi Arabia to actively communicate on social media about their company, especially about a crisis, the launch of a new product or service, or correcting misinformation about the company.
  • Across the UAE and Saudi Arabia, accessibility, keeping teams connected, and leading with transparency are cited as top reasons for business leaders to communicate on social media.
  • In Saudi Arabia, leaders must build and sustain trust using social media. By a 9:1 margin, financial readers trust a CEO who uses social media as part of their work more than a CEO who does not.
  • Stakeholders draw their first impressions from digital sources. 9 out of 10 financial readers in the UAE and Saudi Arabia check at least one of a CEO’s social media accounts when learning more about them.

The Landscape

UAE

97 to 1

financial readers trust a CEO who uses social media more than one who does not. a 4:1 margin agrees strongly.

9 out of 10

financial readers will check social media to learn more about a company’s CEO.

Saudi Arabia

98%

of financial readers believe it is important for business leaders to communicate via social media.

9 to 1

financial readers trust a CEO who uses social media more than one who does not.

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Contact us to learn more about our research and how Brunswick can help you and your leadership be more successful online.

 

Get the 2021 Report

We asked 5,200 readers of financial publications and 6,500 employees of companies with more than 1,000 employees – groups emblematic of the external stakeholders business leaders want to reach – about their communications expectations of corporate leaders across 13 different countries and markets.

From misinformation to employee engagement to crisis, the data is clear. Stakeholders expect executives to adapt to the changing circumstances they face. They expect a Connected Leader.

Get the Report