Stuart Taylor knows what a well-run process looks like. That is not a casual observation – it is the foundation of his entire career. As a senior PMO and assurance consultant, Stuart has spent years helping boards and executive teams across financial services, insurance, retail, and government understand whether their most complex projects are actually on track.
He has built PMO functions from scratch, introduced governance frameworks at global scale, and sat on the judging committee for the PMO Global Awards. When Stuart Taylor says a process is well-run, he is speaking from a level of professional experience that most people do not have.
Which is exactly why, when he chose GenZone to handle his Dubai company setup, and then voluntarily made a YouTube video about the experience without being asked, his words carry a weight that goes beyond a standard client testimonial.
From London to Dubai – A Plan That Started on a Whiteboard
Stuart’s decision to move to Dubai did not happen overnight. It was a considered, deliberate step – the kind of decision you would expect from someone who has spent his career helping organisations think clearly about complex change.
He had already been building Influential PMO, his independent project management consulting business, with a growing presence in London and an eye on the Gulf region. Dubai, with its expanding infrastructure, its scale of ambition, and its concentration of organisations building serious things, represented the next logical chapter.
But when someone in his YouTube comments asked why Dubai over the USA, Stuart’s answer said more than any tax calculation could.
“Dubai feels like a place still building its future, rather than focusing on maintaining what already exists. There is a real energy around growth, infrastructure, business and ambition – and in project and PMO work, that creates opportunities to work on things at serious scale and hopefully leave a mark.”
That is the perspective of someone who is not just chasing a tax break. Stuart is chasing a city that matches the scale of what he wants to build. And in Dubai, he found exactly that.
“A few months ago, this was just an idea on a whiteboard – a plan to expand my work and create new opportunities. Now I am here, company registered, visa approved, waiting for that little card that makes it all official.”
The Setup – Why He Chose GenZone
When Stuart began researching how to set up a business in Dubai, he encountered what most serious people encounter: a landscape that looks straightforward from the outside and reveals its complexity the moment you start digging.
Free zones or mainland. Different license types. The question of which free zone suits which kind of business. The process of becoming your own employee under your own UAE entity. The e-visa, the medical requirements, the residency stamping. Each step connects to the next, and the order matters.
“When I started exploring setup options, I quickly realised how complex it can all look. Free zones, mainland, different license types.”
Stuart worked with GenZone to navigate all of it. And what he found was a team that matched the standard he brings to his own client work – structured, clear, and thorough.
GenZone identified the right free zone for Influential PMO, registered the company, set up the trade license, and guided Stuart through the process of becoming his own employee under that entity. Every stage was managed. Every question was answered. Every step was explained before it was taken.
“Their communication was fast, pricing was clear, and the process was very smooth. It turned what feels like a maze into a much clearer step-by-step path.”
Coming from a man who judges the quality of project management processes at a global award level, that sentence is the clearest possible endorsement of how GenZone operates.
And Stuart was direct about one more thing – this was not a sponsored video. No arrangement, no request, no deal of any kind.
“This is not a sponsored video, but if you are considering getting set up here, I would seriously recommend you considering them as a partner.”
What the Process Actually Looked Like
One of the most valuable things about Stuart’s video is that he walked through the entire setup process step by step – giving a ground-level view of what it actually looks like to go from idea to residency. This is worth sharing in full, because it is the clearest honest account of the journey we have seen from any client.
The company had to come first. That is the fundamental sequence in the UAE – the entity sponsors the individual, not the other way around. Stuart set up Influential PMO Project Management Consulting remotely, handling the company formation stage from the UK before ever setting foot in Dubai for the in-country steps.
Once the company license was issued, the next step was the e-visa – the digital entry permit that allows you to legally enter the UAE while your residency process is underway. After that came the medical examination, a straightforward process involving a blood test and a chest x-ray. Then the residency visa was submitted, stamped in the passport, and Stuart was left waiting for the final piece – his Emirates ID.
“Right now I have the residency visa and I am just waiting for my Emirates ID. That is the final piece and that should arrive hopefully in the next day or two. Once that is ready, it unlocks everything else. I can open a personal and business bank account, get a proper phone plan, and basically live like a resident instead of a visitor.”
All of it – every stage, every appointment, every submission – arranged and supported by GenZone.
Moving With a Family – The Bigger Picture
What makes Stuart’s story different from many of the relocation accounts we share is that this is not just a business move. Stuart is relocating with his wife and children. And that changes the weight of every decision.
During his time in Dubai, he and his wife visited schools – trying to understand the communities, the locations, and what the next decade of their children’s education might look like. He was honest about the realities: schools are not free, and commute times for children are often much longer than families coming from the UK might expect.
“The big factor is schools. We are visiting a few to get a sense of the location, the community – just to get an idea of where our children are going to be spending the next decade.”
That kind of transparency is rare and valuable. Stuart is not presenting Dubai as a frictionless paradise. He is presenting it as a serious, considered choice that his family is making with open eyes – weighing the opportunities against the realities and deciding that the move is worth making.
His first impressions of the city itself were characteristically measured. The weather is hot but manageable once you adjust your routine. The metro is easier to navigate than London or Paris. The roads are wide. The people are friendly. And there is an unmistakable sense of collective direction.
“There is this sense that everyone is building towards something. Nobody is just coasting along.”
For a consultant who has spent his career helping organisations move with purpose rather than drift, that energy is not just appealing. It is exactly what he came for.
On Building Real Connections
Stuart also shared one of the more nuanced observations to come out of any of our client stories – a reflection on what it actually takes to build genuine relationships when you arrive somewhere new.
He noticed, as many do, that it is relatively easy to meet people in Dubai. The city is full of ambitious newcomers, and the social scene for entrepreneurs and professionals is active. But turning those initial connections into real relationships is harder – and Stuart had a clear theory about why.
“In my experience, when you focus on contributing first, genuine connections seem to happen much faster.”
It is a simple idea. But coming from someone who has built his professional reputation on helping others succeed rather than just positioning himself, it rings completely true. And it is the kind of insight that only comes from someone who has actually lived the experience, not just observed it from a distance.
Hear It From Stuart Himself
Stuart’s video is one of the most detailed and honest accounts of the Dubai setup process we have seen from any client. It covers company formation, the visa stages, first impressions of the city, family considerations, and the GenZone experience in full. It is not a short endorsement clip – it is a proper, considered piece of content from a professional who communicates with precision for a living.
The Verdict
Stuart Taylor came to Dubai with a plan, a family, and a professional standard that most people in this space would find difficult to meet. He found a city that matched his ambition. He found GenZone to handle the complexity of the setup. And he was impressed enough by both to document the entire experience for his 20.3K+ YouTube subscribers without anyone asking him to.
“It is more achievable than it looks. And with the right support, it is a process that can actually be enjoyable.”
That final word is the one that stands out. Enjoyable. For someone who has spent his career managing the most stressful kind of organisational change, the fact that setting up a business in a new country felt enjoyable is not a small thing. It means the process worked the way a good process should – clearly, calmly, and without unnecessary friction.
That is what GenZone delivers. And that is what Stuart Taylor, in his own words, confirmed.
Summary
Stuart Taylor is a senior PMO and assurance consultant, founder of Influential PMO, and a judge on the PMO Global Awards. He moved from London to Dubai with his family, set up his consulting business through GenZone, and documented every stage of the process on YouTube – from company formation to residency visa to his first impressions of the city.
GenZone handled the full setup: identifying the right free zone, registering the company, setting up the trade license, and supporting every in-country step from e-visa to medical to residency stamping. Fast communication, clear pricing, no surprises.
For a man who evaluates project management processes at a global level, calling it a smooth and well-run experience is the highest possible standard of endorsement.
If you are thinking about making a similar move – whether you are a consultant, a founder, or a professional looking to build in one of the world’s most ambitious cities – GenZone offers a free, no-obligation consultation to walk you through exactly what your setup would look like.