Redesigning the Organizational Structure for the Dubai Media Council
Following the introduction of new government mandates, Dubai Media Council (DMC) needed to redesign its organizational structure to align with an expanded remit and bring in the skills, teams, and headcount required to deliver on its new objectives. A central challenge was incorporating gaming, which was a new area of focus within media, within DMC's existing structure in a way that was coherent, strategic, and operationally sound.
challenge
Sarah Lakhani Consulting began with a comprehensive benchmarking exercise, researching how five countries had structured their own media and gaming government organizations. These findings informed an initial structural proposal, which was then refined through multiple rounds of review and iteration with DMC's leadership until a final, agreed design emerged. The engagement went well beyond producing an organizational chart. We developed a full set of accountabilities for every team and for each department as a whole, mapped all government mandates across the relevant teams to ensure complete coverage, and developed KPIs for each team to establish clear performance expectations within the new structure. The result was a complete operational foundation rather than a design in isolation.
approach
The engagement produced an approved organizational structure supported by full documentation, including team and departmental accountabilities, mandate alignment, and performance metrics, giving DMC everything needed to move directly from approval into implementation.
results
The structure was signed off by DMC's Head of Strategy and Secretary General and is currently being rolled out, with new hires coming in against the newly defined roles. The depth of the deliverable ensured that the transition from old structure to new had a clear, practical foundation at every level of the organization.
