Gulf firms lose senior professionals in Middle East crisis, Ex-Google Exec says it means opportunity for Malayalis

Kochi: Every time tensions rise in the Middle East, Kerala feels the impact. With more than 2.5 million Malayalis working across Gulf countries, the region remains deeply tied to Kerala’s economy and family life. But amid the current crisis in West Asia, a quieter opportunity is emerging in the Middle East for experienced Malayali professionals, especially senior managers and corporate leaders.

As several highly paid Western executives in the region avoid or leave volatile regions, Gulf companies are increasingly embracing a new flexible business operational model known as “fractional management” by hiring experienced executives part-time to lead businesses in multiple firms instead of employing them full-time.

According to global marketing executive and fractional management expert Paola Piccinno, this shift could create a major opening for Kerala’s experienced diaspora professionals. Piccinno, an Italian-born Fractional Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) based in Australia, founder of Piccinno Strategic Marketing, and former executive at Google and Microsoft, spoke to Onmanorama during a recent visit to Kochi.

She believes the rapidly booming model is reshaping white-collar work globally while opening up lucrative opportunities for skilled Malayali corporate professionals.

What is Fractional Management?
For many Indians, corporate employment is typically understood as either full-time work, part-time shifts, or freelance consulting. Fractional management remains relatively unfamiliar and is often mistaken for freelancing.

“The term ‘fractional’, which originated in the US, is still new in many countries, including Australia and parts of Europe. People confuse it with part-time work or consulting, but it is very different,” Piccinno explained.

“Fractional professionals are usually senior or C-suite executives – CMOs, CFOs, CTOs or COOs – with 15 to 25 years of specialised experience who choose not to be tied to a single employer and divide their time across multiple companies.”

Instead of working for one company five days a week, they spend fixed “fractions” of their week with different firms. Piccinno said her own schedule may involve spending two days with one company, another day with a second firm, while dedicating the remaining time to other clients, conferences, university lectures and upskilling.

“Unlike consultants, fractional leaders work inside company structures, manage teams, attend board meetings, and make executive decisions,” she said.

Why Gulf companies are choosing this model
Hiring senior executives full-time in the Gulf is expensive. Salaries for experienced C-suite leaders can range between $200,000 and $400,000 annually. In an uncertain business climate, many Gulf firms – particularly SMEs, family businesses, and scaling startups – now prefer fractional executives because they can access high-level expertise without long-term financial commitments.

“The truth is, nobody needs to work or hire anyone for five days a week,” Piccinno said candidly.

Moreover, companies also save heavily on pensions, healthcare, paid holidays, and severance packages.

Hiring becomes faster, too. “Fractional leaders can often start within 48 hours, while onboarding a permanent senior executive often takes months,” she said.

Another advantage is flexibility. If market conditions change, companies can end contracts quickly without the complications associated with removing permanent senior executives.

Why professionals find it attractive
For executives themselves, the model offers flexibility, variety, and, in many cases, higher earnings.

“It gives us the luxury of deciding how to spend our time. In full-time roles, you rarely have time to upskill, network or learn new things unless you sacrifice weekends,” Piccinno said.

The model can also reduce burnout because executives focus primarily on high-impact strategic work rather than day-to-day operational firefighting.

Financially, the rewards can be substantial. Gulf-based fractional executives reportedly earn between AED 52,000 and AED 110,000 monthly per client, while hourly rates may range from AED 400 to AED 1,800.

The downsides of going fractional
Despite the attractive lifestyle, Piccinno warned that fractional work is far from glamorous.

“Clients come and go. It requires an incredibly resilient personality type. You are effectively a solopreneur, constantly pitching, selling your services and proving your value. There is nowhere to hide because you are judged purely on immediate results,” she added.

One of the biggest challenges is income instability. “There can be months with no clients at all, followed by periods where you are overloaded with work,” she said, adding that some experienced professionals face gaps of several months between projects.

The work can also feel isolating. Another growing issue is market dilution. Following global tech layoffs, many mid-level employees have started branding themselves as “fractional” while still searching for permanent jobs.

Why this could benefit Kerala professionals
According to Piccinno, the current Middle East situation could create a significant opening for experienced Malayali professionals. As Western executives become hesitant about relocating to the Gulf, companies still need leadership talent to drive projects linked to Saudi Vision 2030 and UAE Centennial 2071.

“I have fractional peers in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, and Saudi Arabia. Because of the regional situation, work is flowing to them rapidly. Employers face genuine executive shortages but still need top-tier skills immediately,” she said.

This creates a potentially lucrative opportunity for senior professionals in Kerala. A marketing expert or technology leader could live in Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram or Munnar while remotely working for multiple Gulf firms and earning in stronger GCC currencies.

How to enter the fractional space
Piccinno said professionals considering the shift should focus on specialisation rather than trying to be generalists. Professionals should also ensure compliance with regional labour regulations through proper freelance or independent work permits, such as the UAE’s ‘gofreelance’ visa framework.

Fractional Management is not freelancing
Piccinno stressed that fractional leadership is fundamentally different from freelancing.

“Freelancers are usually hired for specific tasks or projects. Fractional leaders function as embedded senior executives inside organisations,” she explained.

“A freelancer does not sit on corporate boards or make core executive decisions. As a fractional CMO, I can manage budgets, hire or fire staff, and shape long-term company strategy,” she said.