CompassPoint Consulting, the UAE’s leading fractional CFO company, is set to host an online webinar on April 9, 2026, titled “The UAE Founder Trap: What Experienced Operators Wish They Had Known Before They Scaled”, bringing together entrepreneurs, advisers and investors for a grounded discussion on what sustainable growth really requires in today’s market.
CompassPoint Consulting supports growing businesses across the UAE, GCC and UK with strategic finance leadership, helping founders and management teams improve planning, reporting and decision-making without the need for a full-time Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
The free-to-attend session will feature James Caan CBE, entrepreneur, investor and founder of Hamilton Bradshaw – CompassPoint Consulting’s lead investor – alongside Chris Hickey, former CEO of Robert Walters (UK, Middle East & Africa and North America) and Non-Executive Director at Hamilton Bradshaw Group; Zaid Aboobaker, Co-Founder and CEO of CompassPoint Consulting; and Zain ul Abideen, CFO and CCO of CompassPoint Consulting.
As the UAE continues to attract founders, capital and ambitious growth businesses, many companies still struggle to move from early traction to scalable performance.
CompassPoint’s webinar will explore why that happens. Drawing on the deep experience of investors and advisers who have helped build and scale businesses internationally, the session will offer practical insight into the realities of growing a company in the UAE.
The UAE Founder Trap will examine the need for financial clarity, operational structure and leadership development. Discussion will focus on the difference between growth and scalable growth, founder behaviours that can unintentionally create bottlenecks, and the importance of better reporting, stronger decision-making and greater investor readiness.
It is designed for founders, scale-up leadership teams, investors and business leaders who want a more realistic understanding of what it takes to build resilient businesses in the UAE.
Zaid Aboobaker, Co-Founder and CEO of CompassPoint Consulting, said: “The UAE offers founders real momentum, but momentum on its own is not a scaling strategy. We see many businesses with strong ideas and clear market opportunity, yet the foundations beneath them are not always strong enough to support growth at pace. This session is about looking honestly at those gaps – from financial clarity to operating discipline – and helping founders understand what sustainable growth actually demands.”
James Caan CBE said: “The UAE is one of the most exciting places in the world to build a business today. But scaling a company requires far more than just opportunity.
“Many founders struggle not because the market isn’t there, but because the financial visibility, leadership structure and operational discipline required to support growth haven’t been built early enough.
“As more entrepreneurs choose Dubai as a place to build their businesses, understanding how to scale sustainably becomes even more important.”
The webinar forms part of CompassPoint’s wider mission to contribute to the conversation around modern finance leadership, helping founders and leadership teams build businesses with greater discipline, stronger visibility and better long-term decision-making.
For founders operating in a market that rewards speed, the session aims to offer something more useful than generic growth advice: an honest conversation about the structures, habits and financial discipline that make growth sustainable.
