As AI-generated content accelerates and competition for attention intensifies, 2026 will be a defining year for B2B brands in the UAE and wider MENA region. According to Anastasiya Golovatenko, PR Director at Sherpa Communications, the real opportunity lies in differentiation through verified expertise, transparent storytelling and credible human voices. From scaling executive thought leadership and bilingual, culturally nuanced narratives to integrating PR with digital performance and crisis readiness, Sherpa is focused on helping brands build trust, visibility and measurable impact in increasingly complex and high-risk sectors.

What opportunities do you foresee for 2026, and how do you plan to leverage them?
In 2026, we see several trends turning into clear opportunities for B2B brands in the UAE and wider region. As AI-generated content floods the market, differentiation will come from verifiable expertise, transparency, and a distinctly human point of view, so we’ll help brands sharpen proof-led narratives, elevate credible spokespeople, and apply strong content governance. At the same time, B2B influence is moving beyond corporate platforms toward an ecosystem of leaders, subject experts, and community touchpoints, so we’ll develop and scale executive thought leadership and expert-led content that will have reach to a wider network and target groups.

With the region continuing to attract global attention and investment, there’s a real opportunity for both multinationals and regional businesses to build credibility locally and regionally. We’ll leverage this through bilingual, culturally nuanced storytelling and market-specific messaging for government, business, and industry-specific audiences. Finally, with fast-moving sector risks staying high on leadership agendas, we’ll proactively develop crisis readiness playbooks and conduct trainings so brands can respond faster and more confidently.

What major challenges did you encounter this year, and how did you address them?
In 2025, clients increasingly wanted communications tied to measurable business outcomes, sales, leads, and similar. While strategic comms is traditionally responsible for awareness and reputation, it was often expected by brands to contribute more directly to lead generation.

To address this, comms specialists need to evolve their approach by combining PR with digital marketing and other tactics to strengthen brands’ online visibility, support SEO efforts, and create more demand-generation value from earned media and thought leadership. Comms teams also leaned more heavily on data and insights to use performance metrics to better understand what content resonates, how audiences consume information, and which messages and channels deliver the strongest results.

Can you elaborate on your strategic partnerships this year and plans for next year?
For us, strategic partnerships are those where we can support the community more and contribute beyond day-to-day work. For example, we are part of TiE Dubai, a non-profit organisation focused on supporting startup entrepreneurs across the MENA region. Through this, we actively support initiatives dedicated to women founders, students, and other startup categories that need guidance on how to scale up, connect with investors, build brand awareness, and more.

What will be your primary focus areas and strategic priorities for 2026?
For us, 2026 is about deepening our role in more complex and highly specialised sectors. We see strong opportunities in areas such as information security, energy, construction, real estate and fintech, among others. Our goal is to continue positioning ourselves as a strategic B2B communications partner that can navigate these sophisticated industries, connect brands with the right audiences and help them tell their stories in a way that resonates locally and regionally.

Are there plans to explore new markets or introduce new products/applications in 2026?
We are already actively working across the MENA region, supporting clients in KSA, Oman, Egypt, Jordan, and other countries and in 2026 we plan to deepen our presence across these markets while expanding further where the opportunity is strong. As the region transformed into one of the strategic global hubs, we are seeing increased market entry from international players alongside stronger momentum from local and regional businesses. To meet this demand, we’ll broaden our cross-market capabilities and scale the services we deliver, especially multi-market PR programs, bilingual storytelling, executive thought leadership, and digital visibility support.

How is your company approaching sustainability, digital transformation, or AI adoption in preparation for 2026?
We are treating sustainability, digital transformation, and AI as one connected agenda with stronger proof, smarter systems, and safer scale. On sustainability, we are shifting from broad messaging to evidence-led communications. On digital transformation, we are making comms more performance-driven by integrating PR with digital tactics, so visibility translates into discoverability and demand. On AI, we are adopting it to accelerate research, monitoring, insights, reporting.