Why Menas?
Our experts
The heart of our capabilities lies in our network of highly focused authors and consultants, and Menas’ flexible structure enables us to mobilise this network at very short notice.
Menas is made up of a core team of experts, who in turn are supplemented by their own wider circles of country and industry specialists. Because we commission consultants on a project-to-project basis and are not obliged to use the same person for every assignment on one country, we are able to use the expert with the most suitable skillset for each specific project. The knowledge required to carry out an assessment of the cement market in Algeria will, for example, be very different to that required to conduct a security report on the same country, and the way we work reflects this.
All of our consultants are carefully recruited, with a priority placed on both English and foreign language skills, excellent analytical abilities, and in-country knowledge and contacts. They range from former high-ranking diplomats, UN employees, and regional heads of multinational corporations to journalists, economists and leading academics.
A personal approach
One of the most important aspects of how we operate is the close relationship we develop with our clients. Rather than a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach, we listen to our clients and gauge each unique situation to offer a tailored service and actionable insight. It is no coincidence that returning customers make up the vast majority of our business.
We appreciate feedback, and in an industry where it would be all too easy to become a faceless entity we try to create as many opportunities for personal interaction as possible, for example with our free monthly Breakfast Briefings, which have now been running for over five years, as well as other special events delivered over the course of the year.
We extend this personal approach to the relationship between our clients and our experts: we want to connect you directly with our trusted sources, for example with our Ask our Experts service. That’s a mark of our pride in their work, and our commitment to openness with our clients.
An independent, long-term view
We place an emphasis on candour and integrity, and can provide testimonials from clients who value the ability of our consultants to deliver hard truths about countries and their governments, as well as the good news.
We continue to look at difficult countries even when business interest wanes so that we can provide experience and advice when demand for the market returns. When many consultancies left Iran, Libya and Yemen, for example, we remained, and our current knowledge is therefore based on decades of analysis. Our Yemen publication, for example, tracked the advance of the Houthis and highlighted the threat they posed for two years before it became evident; Libya Focus predicted early on that, whilst IS was weak in Derna, the group would get a real hold in Sirte and that it would be difficult to dislodge it from the town; and our Iran consultant forecast well in advance of the press and other analysts the date of the signing of the JCPOA to within a few days.