Today we interview Pablo Delgado, Partner and Director for Europe at Strategic Gears, a strategic consulting firm that helps organizations design and execute transformation, growth, and innovation strategies.
1.- Could you briefly explain what Strategic Gears does?
Strategic Gears is a strategic consulting firm founded in Riyadh in 2015 with an ambitious mission: to become the leading global consulting firm born in our home region, the Middle East. In just one decade, we have built one of the most recognized consulting firms in the Middle East, achieving Platinum and Diamond-level rankings across virtually all the services we provide and industries we serve, positioning us in direct competition with the world’s most prestigious international consulting firms.
Today, we operate across three continents, with seven offices and a team of around three hundred professionals, supported by a network of more than two hundred international experts and partnerships with leading academic institutions and private-sector organizations.
We serve more than two hundred and twenty clients, with experience across 18 different industries in the countries where we operate, and a portfolio of seven service lines comprising a total of twenty-six sub-services.
The main industries in which we work are: Energy and Natural Resources, Government and Public Services, Financial Institutions, Economy and Investment, Tourism, Culture and Hospitality, Defense & Security, Real Estate & Mobility, Industry & Manufacturing, Retail and Consumer Products, Social Development and Non-Profit Institutions, and Technology, Media and Telecommunications.
Our consulting practices are divided into: Strategy, Operational Excellence, Marketing and Communications, Human Capital, Mergers & Acquisitions, Research & Studies, and, finally — and probably the most important today — our Digital Solutions, Cloud and Artificial Intelligence practice.
What differentiates us is that we are not the traditional advisor who simply provides a diagnosis and a high-level strategy. At Strategic Gears, we accompany our clients from the design of a realistic and implementable strategy through to its effective execution on the ground.
2.- How has Strategic Gears positioned itself in the Madrid Region?
We opened our Madrid office in January of this year, 2026, on Calle Velázquez, in the heart of the famous Salamanca district.
From day one, we were very clear about our company’s purpose: we were not coming to open a satellite office to support our activities in the Gulf and Africa, but rather to create local value and build an effective bridge between two of the world’s most dynamic economic regions: Spain and Europe on one side, and the Middle East and North Africa on the other.
The opportunity is enormous and still largely unexplored from the perspective that Strategic Gears brings — that of the first relevant and credible player from the Eastern region with a presence in Europe.
There are Spanish companies with enormous potential to expand into Gulf markets that do not have the knowledge or connections required to do so with sufficient guarantees. At the same time, there are investors and business groups from the Gulf that want to grow in Europe but need a partner who understands both sides in depth. That is precisely what we do at Strategic Gears.
From a sector perspective, we are focusing especially on Artificial Intelligence infrastructure, energy and minerals, transport, tourism, culture and hospitality, and the sports industry. As mentioned, we do not only bring traditional strategy and consulting services, but we complement them with essential services related to closing mergers and acquisitions (M&A) transactions, given our position in the market.
Madrid has welcomed us with open arms, and iconic institutions in Spain such as Invest in Madrid, IE Business School and Casa Árabe have become absolutely fundamental partners for our firm from day one.
3.- At Strategic Gears, you empower organizations with data-driven and future-oriented strategies that generate impact. What organizations/companies do you consider your direct target audience?
We work with both the public and private sectors, and this dual focus is one of our greatest strengths. In the public sector, we work with government entities, regulatory authorities, and economic development organizations. In the private sector, we support companies of different sizes operating in complex industries and highly exposed to change.
What all our clients have in common is that they are at a turning point: whether it is an organizational transformation, an expansion into new markets, a corporate transaction, or an urgent need to develop internal talent. These are precisely the moments when Strategic Gears delivers the greatest value, because we combine analytical rigor with the ability to truly execute.
Another common denominator among our clients is that they want to work with a firm that has international experience and presence, while maximizing the value-to-investment ratio.
4.- What are your future and expansion prospects?
The outlook is extremely ambitious. In the short term, our objective is to consolidate the Madrid office as our European headquarters and transform it into a hub with the same strategic importance as our offices in Riyadh, Doha, and Cairo. This means growing our team, expanding our client portfolio, and strengthening our local capabilities with both national and international talent.
In the medium and long term, Madrid will be the platform from which we will expand our presence throughout Europe, and from there we will move into other markets that are highly attractive to us, such as Latin America. Strategic Gears is a consulting firm in which cultural ties are fundamental.
The South American region maintains extraordinary cultural, linguistic, and business ties with Madrid and Spain, and this gives us a starting advantage that would be extremely difficult to replicate from any other European city.
In short, we are building something significant and ambitious from Spain’s capital, and we have all the ingredients required to make it happen.
5.- Why did you choose the Madrid Region as one of your key locations? What positive points does the Madrid region have compared with other cities?
Madrid clearly stood out when we analyzed where to establish our European presence, and the reasons are compelling.
The first is its strategic connectivity. It is the only European region that simultaneously acts as a gateway to Europe, a bridge to Latin America, and a connection point with Africa and the Gulf. For a firm like ours, with a presence across all those regions, this position is unique and extremely difficult to replicate elsewhere on the continent.
The second is the ecosystem. Madrid concentrates the headquarters of major Spanish corporations with international reach, innovation centers, regulatory bodies, and a very active investment community. Added to this is our partnership with IE, one of the world’s most recognized business schools, which gives us privileged access to talent, networks, and institutional credibility from day one.
Another important factor for us is that the quality-of-life-to-cost-of-living ratio is highly competitive compared with other European capitals such as London or Paris, and the quality of life it offers greatly facilitates the attraction and retention of international professionals. Overall, it is a combination that is difficult to find elsewhere in Europe.
Finally, I believe that many people are not aware of the level of trust and historic friendship that exists between the place where our company was born — Saudi Arabia — and my home country, Spain. What makes it even more special is that this relationship extends over decades and through key state institutions, such as the Monarchy and the Central Government, as well as through our leading companies in both the private and public sectors.
This past May, for example, both governments signed a new chapter in the relationship between the two countries by creating a new “Strategic Partnership” alliance, endorsed by the Foreign Ministers of both countries precisely here in Madrid.
6.- How would you describe your collaboration with Invest in Madrid?
We view it in an extremely positive way. From our very first contact, we found in Invest in Madrid a team with a genuinely facilitative mindset, focused not only on providing information but on enabling success. They have been agile, have an in-depth understanding of the local ecosystem, and have connected us with the right stakeholders in a very short period of time.
What we value most is that the relationship has been truly collaborative. They took the time to understand what Strategic Gears does, our business model, and what we need in order to grow here. Thanks to that support, we can now say that we have a solid foundation in Madrid from which to continue expanding.
For any foreign company considering establishing itself here, having this kind of support from the beginning makes an enormous difference.
7.- How many jobs are you creating in the Madrid Region? What type of profiles are you looking for?
We are currently in a growth phase, so our Madrid team is expanding steadily, and we already have a team of 10 people in a very short period of time.
We create high-value-added employment, mainly strategic consultants and sector experts with experience in complex public- and private-sector environments.
We are very demanding when it comes to talent. We look for professionals who combine curiosity, ambition, and analytical ability with strong execution skills and a genuine commitment to the unique impact we are aiming to create. The team we are building in Madrid reflects exactly that standard.
8.- Would you recommend the Madrid Region to other foreign investors considering opening a business beyond their borders?
Without a doubt, yes. And I say this with complete confidence based on our own experience during these first few months.
Madrid has everything an international company needs to grow in Europe: connectivity, talent, strong institutions, and a mature business ecosystem. But beyond the city’s attributes, what truly makes the difference is the support you receive when you arrive.
Having organizations such as Invest in Madrid makes the establishment process much faster and far less uncertain than one might expect.
We arrived only a few months ago, and we already feel completely at home.