Over the past 25 years, Furqan Athar has been instrumental in strategically planning and managing some of the most successful shopping centres and mixed-use developments in the Middle East and Asia. Furqan began his career at Price Waterhouse Coopers and KPMG before taking on management positions with Dubai-based developers Majid Al Futtaim (MAF) Shopping Centres and Al Futtaim Group Real Estate. An expert in business process and IT set-up, he has participated in the deployment of major ERP solutions for various multinationals. He has been instrumental in the financial and strategic planning of some of the Middle East and Asia’s most successful shopping centres and mixed-use developments. Furqan is a trained Chartered Accountant (CA) and a Chartered Management Accountant (CMA) from the UK with wide-ranging experience in investment portfolio management, from planning to divestment and exit strategies. In 2004, Furqan launched SPRET Trading; he founded Retail Solutions, an investment management and advisory firm based in Dubai. He’s the Managing Director of SPRET Retail, a multinational retail company with over 250 employees within various locations across the Middle East. In 2011, Furqan established McARTHUR + COMPANY proudly which boasts over 110 years of cumulative experience with over 90 successful shopping centre projects worldwide. McARTHUR + COMPANY offers the benefit of local offices to serve clients in the Middle East & North Africa, Asia, and North America. Our professionals offer expertise using international best practices with local knowledge of retail markets and shopping influences. McARTHUR + COMPANY works with leading investors and developers of shopping centres, mixed-use developments, and retail destinations providing development advisory, retail leasing, marketing, asset management as well as investment and financial analysis for our clients. We create well-planned, highly popular shopping destinations with long-term financial growth in value. Mr Athar has extensive experience in all aspects of the shopping centre industry, specifically focusing on investment management and value creation. Furqan is well known throughout the region as an expert in shopping centre investment underwriting and operational finance.