Dubai-based Christine Warren is a strategic communications expert with over 30 years of global experience. A former BBC commentator and agency founder, she advises governments, CEOs and investors on branding, crisis communications and transformational growth. Her career has tracked the industry’s shift from press releases and newspaper columns to social media, influencers and now generative AI.
She has recently been nominated as a Board Candidate and Industry Expert for the British Chamber of Commerce Dubai, a recognition that reflects her standing in the field. Gulf Insider sat down with her to discuss how communications has changed over three decades, what AI means for the profession, and what businesses in the UAE still get wrong about building trust.
In your three decades in PR, marketing and communications, what has changed most over that time and what has remained surprisingly constant?
The biggest change has been the speed, scale and complexity of communications. When I began my career, organisations largely controlled communications, mediated through traditional channels like press releases, newspapers, television, events, and face-to-face relationships. Today, every employee, customer, influencer and stakeholder can be a publisher, and a story can travel globally in seconds. Technology has fundamentally changed how we communicate; however, it hasn’t changed why people communicate.
Trust, credibility, reputation and relationships remain at the heart of our profession. People still want to believe that organisations and brands understand them, listen to them and stand for something meaningful. So, while the channels have changed dramatically, the fundamentals haven’t. Good communications still start with understanding people, have something credible to say, and earn the right to be heard.
You have seen the industry move from traditional PR and corporate communications to social media, influencers, digital platforms and now generative AI. Which transformation has had the greatest impact on how businesses build trust and influence?
I would say the rise of social and digital media has had the most profound impact because it fundamentally changed the balance of power. Organisations and brands no longer control the conversation in the way they once did. Audiences have a voice, information travels instantly, and reputation is shaped by what people say about a company as much as by what the company says about itself. That has made authenticity much more important.
Businesses cannot simply communicate a brand promise; they have to demonstrate it consistently through their behaviour. Generative AI is now creating another major shift, particularly in how quickly organisations can create and distribute content. But I see AI as an accelerator rather than a replacement for trust. Technology can increase the volume and speed of communication; it cannot, on its own, create credibility or genuine human connection.
AI can now produce content, campaigns and communications strategies in seconds. What, in your view, remains uniquely human and therefore uniquely valuable in communications?
Judgement, empathy, intuition and human connection. AI can analyse enormous amounts of information and produce remarkably sophisticated content, but communication isn’t simply about producing words. It is about understanding people, context, emotion, culture and consequences. A strong communicator knows when something should be said, when it shouldn’t be said, how it will be received, and what the organisation’s responsibility is beyond the immediate message.
I also believe that creativity will remain deeply human, not because machines cannot generate creative ideas, but because the most powerful ideas often come from lived experience, curiosity, observation and an understanding of human behaviour. The future will belong to communicators who know how to combine the efficiency of AI with distinctly human judgement and empathy.
The UAE has positioned itself as a global hub for business, innovation and international investment. From your perspective as a communications and marketing professional, what can businesses do better to build relevance, credibility and influence in this market?
The UAE is an extraordinarily diverse and sophisticated market. Businesses need to recognise that relevance here cannot be built through a one-size-fits-all communications approach. The first step is to understand the market properly—its culture, ambitions, business ecosystem and increasingly international audience. Companies need to move beyond simply announcing what they do and demonstrate how they contribute to the wider ecosystem.
Credibility comes from substance. Businesses should be able to articulate their purpose, demonstrate expertise, share meaningful perspectives and, importantly, show evidence of the value they create. I also think companies should invest more in local relationships and local storytelling. The UAE has become a place where global expertise and local ambition meet. The strongest brands will be those that can operate globally while communicating with genuine local relevance.
What is the biggest misconception that business leaders still have about PR and strategic communications?
Probably that PR is primarily about publicity. Good strategic communications is much bigger than media coverage. It is about managing reputation, building stakeholder confidence, shaping narratives, anticipating risks, influencing perceptions and helping an organisation communicate with clarity when the stakes are high. Another misconception is that communications can fix a weak proposition. It can’t. Communications can amplify what is credible and compelling, but it cannot sustainably disguise poor products, poor leadership or poor organisational behaviour. The best communications professionals therefore need to be close to the business and involved in strategic decision-making and not brought in simply to promote a decision that has already been made.
After three decades in the profession, and now being nominated as a Board Candidate and Industry Expert for the British Chamber of Commerce Dubai, what do you want this next chapter of your career to be remembered for?
I want this next chapter to be remembered for contribution rather than simply achievement. After three decades in the industry, I feel a responsibility to share my experience, perspective and lessons I have gained with the next generation, while continuing to learn myself. The communications landscape is changing faster than ever, and I want to help organisations and professionals navigate that change with confidence, integrity and ambition. Being considered as a Board Candidate and Industry Expert for the BCCD is an opportunity to contribute at a broader level; to bring strategic communications into conversations about leadership, reputation, governance, innovation and business growth.
Ultimately, I would like to be remembered as someone who helped raise the standard of the profession whether through my work as a pundit for the BBC or as an industry spokesperson and as someone who believed that communications should have a seat at the leadership table, that reputation must be earned rather than manufactured, and that the most successful communicators are those who combine commercial understanding with humanity, integrity and purpose.
