Business Strategy
Crisis Strategy & Scenario Planning
Structured responses to unstructured risk — decided before the crisis decides.
Handle structures Crisis Strategy & Scenario Planning for boards, founders and family enterprises exposed to legal, regulatory or capital pressure — converting uncertainty into governed options, controlled timelines and enforceable decision paths.
When this is needed
Crisis strategy and scenario planning: where the mandate begins.
- Downside scenarios have become plausible — missed projections, mounting disputes or tightening liquidity — but have not yet materialised.
- A covenant breach, lender acceleration or refinancing failure is possible, and the board has not agreed its response.
- A regulatory inspection or investigation is under way, and disclosure, cooperation and remediation must align with legal strategy.
- Shareholder or family tension is escalating, and decision rights in a crisis are unclear.
Matters Handle leads
Crisis and scenario mandates.
Four crisis domains. One decision system.
Board-Level Crisis Architecture
Roles, escalation paths and decision protocols for boards and families.
Legal and Regulatory Scenario Mapping
Litigation, arbitration, enforcement and regulatory pathways modelled as scenario branches.
Capital and Liquidity Contingency
Cash, covenant, refinancing and restructuring options sequenced and executable.
Stakeholder and Reputation Containment
Communication and counterparty alignment consistent with legal and capital positions.
The scope
Crisis Strategy & Scenario Planning — scope, made explicit.
A focused, premium mandate — with the continuity and control of the business asset at the center.
Crisis Risk Scan
Legal, regulatory, capital and operational exposures assessed together.
Scenario Mapping
Base, stress and failure paths with their impact quantified.
Decision Trees
Triggers, timelines and responsible owners defined in advance.
Crisis Decision Rights
Board and family governance calibrated for decisions under pressure.
Dispute and Enforcement Pathways
Legal positions protected and aligned with settlement and financing strategy.
The mandate
Crisis exposes whether governance is real.
Risk management catalogues threats. Crisis strategy decides what happens when a lender accelerates or a regulator calls. Handle builds decision trees tied to legal rights, capital structure and board powers — with layered horizons from immediate response to structural recovery, each with its own objectives and triggers.
Capital structure defines who can force outcomes and when, so covenants, security packages, intercreditor terms and equity rights are analysed for pressure points. Where a crisis is already live, assessment is compressed into triage — stabilise liquidity, protect the legal position, secure data and control messaging — and planning focuses on the decision space that remains.
What the mandate delivers
- Crisis risk scan across all domains
- Base, stress and failure scenario mapping
- Decision trees with triggers and owners
- Crisis decision rights for boards and families
- Capital and liquidity contingency plans
- Communication frameworks consistent with legal positions
How the work runs
Four disciplines. One crisis operating system.
Every scenario is attached to concrete actions, responsible owners and documented authority — a control framework, not a risk register.
01
Scenario Architecture
Disputes, regulators and lenders modelled as structured variables, not uncontrolled shocks.
02
Pre-Agreed Responses
Thresholds for when to shift strategy, escalate or exit set before they are needed.
03
Capital Pressure Points
Covenants, security and equity rights analysed to protect control and keep capital available.
04
Aligned Messaging
Disclosure and reputation management that does not undermine legal positions.
The Handle model
Practice-led. Never fragmented.
The work may begin here — it stays connected to strategy, capital and law.
Strategy & Operations
The work stays connected to market position, operating model, performance and execution governance.
M&A & Capital
The work stays aware of capital readiness, investor review, transaction logic and deployment discipline where relevant.
Legal & Regulatory
The work stays protected through structure, rights, governance, enforceability and regulatory or dispute readiness.
Why Handle
Options that hold in courtrooms and credit committees.
Handle aligns litigation, arbitration, capital structure and board authority in one crisis framework — and, subject to mandate, sits alongside leadership to execute negotiations, regulator engagement and dispute strategy.
- Legal, capital and operational risk in one model
- Partner-level judgment from day one
- Fluency in UAE courts, DIFC and ADGM
- Clear triggers and escalation thresholds
- Protective structures for equity, lenders and family
- Coordination of existing advisors under one direction
Before offering your business for M&A, you must raise it with discipline. Strengthen governance, restore financial clarity, and sharpen strategy. A parented business attracts investors with confidence, not discounts.
Mohamed abu El-MakaremManaging Partner & Chairman
Engagement paths
Where this work typically begins.
Growth & Expansion
When the asset must scale capacity, geography, capital, partnerships or market share.
Turnaround
When the asset must reset structure, capital, law, governance and operations under pressure.
Coverage
Applied across the seven priority verticals.
Handle builds crisis architecture for boards, founders, family enterprises and institutional businesses across the UAE and the GCC — with UAE onshore courts, DIFC and ADGM Courts and arbitration forums built into the scenarios.
Priority verticals · Where Handle operates
Industry & ManufacturingInfrastructure & Strategic AssetsHealthcare & PharmaEnergyEnvironment & SustainabilityAdvanced Technology & AIFood Security & Agritech
Related service lines · Business Strategy
Strategy capabilities · Explore further
Strategic Turnarounds for InstitutionsStrategic Planning & VisioningCompetitive & Market IntelligenceOrganizational Strategy & DesignOperational Efficiency StrategyChange Management & Transformation LeadershipKPI & Strategic Performance TrackingInnovation & Ecosystem StrategyMarket Entry & International ExpansionPortfolio Strategy & Business Unit OptimizationESG Strategy IntegrationStrategic Cost OptimizationLeadership & Board AdvisoryCorporate Vision & Culture Strategy
Across the Handle model
Questions, answered
Crisis Strategy & Scenario Planning — questions, answered.
How Handle structures crisis strategy and scenario planning.
When should a board start crisis strategy and scenario planning?
Once downside scenarios become plausible — before covenants are breached, regulators intervene or counterparties act.
How is crisis planning different from risk management?
Risk management lists threats; crisis planning sets enforceable actions, documented authorities and pre-agreed responses.
How are legal disputes built into scenario planning?
Each dispute path is modelled for forum, likely course, enforcement prospects and capital impact, so settlement and financing decisions align.
What role does capital structure play in a crisis?
It defines who can force outcomes. Covenants, security and intercreditor rights are analysed to anticipate lender reactions and restructuring options.
Is scenario planning useful once a crisis is already active?
Yes. Assessment compresses into triage, and planning focuses on the remaining decision space and hard constraints.
How are regulatory and reputational exposures handled?
Inspections, investigations and disclosure obligations are modelled, and messaging and remediation are aligned with legal strategy.
How does crisis planning differ for family enterprises?
Succession, control and legacy are integrated through family charters and shareholder agreements; crisis decision rights are documented.
Does Handle help execute the crisis plan?
Subject to mandate, yes — lender negotiations, regulator engagement, dispute strategy and board process, coordinated with existing advisors.
What information is needed to start a crisis strategy mandate?
Governance documents, financing and shareholder agreements, key contracts, active disputes or regulatory correspondence, and liquidity views.
Insights
Perspectives from live mandates.
Partner-led analysis on law, capital and strategy, shaped by boardroom realities across the UAE and the GCC.
Toku Launches UAE Unit as Talabat Scales Contact-Centre Rollout Across Eight MENA Markets
Toku Launches UAE Unit as Talabat Scales Contact-Centre Rollout Across Eight MENA Markets
Majid Al Futtaim Posts Record H1 EBITDA of AED 2.5 Billion as Growth Momentum Builds
Majid Al Futtaim Posts Record H1 EBITDA of AED 2.5 Billion as Growth Momentum Builds
UAE-Germany Investment Push: Al Jaber Calls for New Council to Unlock Long-Term Capital and Tech Growth
UAE-Germany Investment Push: Al Jaber Calls for New Council to Unlock Long-Term Capital and Tech Growth
Work with Handle
Begin with Crisis Strategy & Scenario Planning — kept connected to the whole Handle model.
When downside has become plausible.
Request an initial review
When the board must decide before events decide.
Set out the matter. A partner reviews it and responds with a defined route, strategy and accountable lead.
- Partner-level review of every request
- Strict confidentiality and privilege from first contact
- One accountable partner from review to execution
