Mood Group Q+A: Trends in the MENA region

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The Gulf Print & Pack team recently had the pleasure of speaking with Marcus Doo from Mood Group, a leading specialist executive search firm for the packaging and print sectors globally. 

Q: How do you see the overall trends in consumer spending power and economic development in the MENA region? How is this impacting the development of the consumer goods and services sector?

A: Across the GCC, consumer spending power remains relatively resilient, supported by population growth, government investment and diversification agendas. This continues to underpin steady demand in consumer goods and services, particularly where brands are focused on premiumisation, convenience and localisation rather than pure volume growth.

Q: Looking at the Gulf States and Saudi Arabia, do you see any change from mainly importing consumer and industrial goods to local manufacturing?

A: Yes, there is a clear shift underway. National industrial strategies and localisation programmes are encouraging more regional manufacturing, particularly in food, FMCG, pharmaceuticals and packaging. While imports remain important, local production is becoming a more strategic priority than it was historically.

Q: How do you see the development of the packaging print and machinery market in MENA, and more specifically in the Gulf States and Saudi Arabia?

A: The market continues to mature. Investment is increasingly focused on modern equipment, efficiency and quality rather than simple capacity expansion. In the Gulf, we see a growing emphasis on scalable operations that can serve both domestic and export markets.

Q: Is automation happening or are these industries still driven by mostly manual operation?

A: Automation is progressing, but unevenly. Larger and more internationally exposed groups are investing steadily, while smaller operators often adopt a more incremental approach. Overall, the direction of travel is clearly towards greater automation and process control.

Q: What kind of skillsets are package printing and converting companies looking for in the region? Primarily operations and upper management, or operator-level?

A: Demand is strongest at the sales, operational leadership and senior management level, particularly individuals who can improve efficiency, manage change and develop local teams. Technical operator skills remain important, but leadership capability is increasingly the differentiator.

Q: What do you see as the fastest growing sectors in the regional commercial printing market?

A: Packaging-linked commercial print, labels, and value-added applications are generally outperforming traditional segments. Growth is strongest where print supports branding, compliance or shorter-run, faster turnaround requirements.

Q: Do you see a major transition between analog and digital printing across both package printing and commercial print sectors? Is this changing the skillsets converters, printers and PSPs are looking for?

A: The transition is gradual rather than disruptive. Digital is growing alongside analog rather than replacing it outright. This is driving demand for more versatile skillsets, combining traditional print knowledge with digital workflows, data awareness and customer-facing capability.

Q: What are you most looking forward to seeing at Gulf Print & Pack in Dubai this year?

A: Gulf Print & Pack consistently reflects the direction of the regional market. It will be interesting to see how suppliers position automation, sustainability and digital solutions in a way that is practical for regional operators.

Q: What would your advice be to printers, converters and PSPs looking forward to attending Gulf Print & Pack 2026?

A: Attend with a clear focus. Use the event to understand where your business needs to evolve operationally and in terms of people capability, rather than simply following technology trends. The most value comes from asking how solutions fit your strategy, not the other way around.