Rob Canning: Vice President, GMG Home

Rob Canning is the Vice President of GMG Home, driving the division’s strategic growth, brand innovation, and market leadership across both outdoor and indoor living categories. With over 25 years of retail experience, Rob is instrumental in enhancing business performance, increasing profitability, and shaping a long-term vision that positions GMG Home as a premier lifestyle destination in the UAE and beyond.

Rob’s academic journey began in Dubai at JESS (Jumeirah English Speaking School) and Dubai College, before he pursued higher education at Bangor University. His entrepreneurial spirit and passion for retail led him to a remarkable career, starting at Falaknaz Habitat in Dubai, where he rose from Store Manager to General Manager within a year. He further refined his expertise through key roles at BoConcept, MFI, and O2, gaining extensive experience in operations, customer experience, and business expansion.

Under Rob’s leadership, GMG Home has evolved into a multi-brand lifestyle powerhouse. He transformed Suncoast from a single warehouse showroom into the UAE’s definitive outdoor furniture destination, now with flagship stores in Al Barsha and Dubai Hills Mall in Dubai, and Reem Mall in Abu Dhabi. The brand has become synonymous with quality, design, and experiential retail, achieving significant year-on-year growth.

Expanding his vision into indoor living, Rob launched Modora – a curated, design-led interiors brand that complements Suncoast’s outdoor expertise. Modora delivers contemporary, functional, and emotionally engaging home collections, redefining indoor spaces with a focus on craftsmanship, storytelling, and personalised design. Together, Suncoast and Modora reflect Rob’s ambition to create a seamless lifestyle ecosystem, bridging indoor and outdoor living for the modern consumer.

Looking ahead, Rob’s vision is bold: to position GMG Home as the leading home lifestyle brand in the GCC, with expansion plans into Saudi Arabia and other international markets. He draws inspiration from emerging design trends, the UAE’s evolving real estate landscape, and the opportunity to elevate specialized markets like outdoor and indoor furniture to global prominence

Rob’s expertise spans strategic vision, crisis management, financial acumen, change management, and stakeholder engagement – skills that continue to underpin his transformative leadership.

Outside of work, Rob pursues the thrill of engines, sailing, and off-road adventures, finding balance and inspiration in the desert’s open landscapes – a reflection of the same boldness and curiosity he brings to his professional journey.