Stanton Chase, one of the world's leading executive search and leadership advisory firms, today announced the appointment of Rupak Sircar as Partner and Head of the Consumer Products & Services Practice for the Middle East. Based in the firm's Dubai office, Rupak will lead executive search and leadership advisory mandates across retail, FMCG, e-commerce, hospitality, luxury, beauty and consumer technology, supporting both regional consumer groups and global brands operating across the GCC.
The appointment comes at a transformational moment for the region's consumer economy. Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 giga-projects, the UAE's evolution into a global consumer brand hub, and the rapid digitalisation of retail and FMCG operating models are reshaping the leadership requirements at the very top of consumer organisations. Increasingly, regional players and multinationals are competing for the same scarce pool of leaders capable of operating across digital and physical channels, balancing local fluency with global standards, and translating consumer insight into commercial outcomes.
Rupak joins Stanton Chase from Landmark Group, one of the Middle East's largest consumer and retail conglomerates, where he served as Chief Human Resources Officer for Hospitality and New Businesses. Over the course of his career, he has held senior leadership and human capital roles across consumer, hospitality and global financial services organisations including Royal Bank of Scotland, ING Group, ICICI Bank, Bank Muscat and Eveready Industries. He holds a Fellow in Talent Management from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
"The Middle East's consumer economy is undergoing the most significant leadership reset in a decade," said Rupak Sircar. "The leaders who built these businesses in the last cycle are not necessarily the leaders who will scale them in the next one. Boards and CEOs across the region are asking sharper, more uncomfortable questions about who they need at the top, and they need an advisor who has lived inside that conversation, not just observed it. That is the practice I am here to lead."
"Rupak brings a credential that very few leadership advisors in the region can match as he has hired, assessed and developed senior consumer leadership talent from inside one of the biggest consumer organisations in the Middle East," said Wassim Karkabi, Managing Partner of Stanton Chase Middle East. "That insider's perspective, combined with his global education and pedigree, makes him an exceptional addition to our partnership and a strong signal to the market about the seriousness with which we are building the Consumer Products & Services practice in this region."
The Consumer Products & Services Practice is one of Stanton Chase's seventeen global specialty practices. The Middle East office will work closely with the firm's offices across Europe, Asia and the Americas to bring international leadership talent into the region, and to help regional consumer leaders take on global mandates.
About Stanton Chase
Stanton Chase is one of the world's leading leadership advisory firms, ranked among the top ten globally. With more than 70 offices in over 40 countries, Stanton Chase specialises in executive search, executive assessment, board services, succession planning and executive coaching across seventeen industry-specific practice groups. The firm has been operating in the Middle East from its Dubai office since 2006 and is owned by its partners, who take individual responsibility for delivering outstanding quality on every assignment. Stanton Chase is a member of the Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants (AESC).
