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Engage · London & Dubai
Begin with a strategic conversation.
Thirty minutes with a senior practitioner. No slides, no pitch — a candid assessment of where you stand and whether an engagement makes sense.
/ 01 — Reach Us
Direct lines, both offices.
Write to us with as much or as little context as you have. A senior practitioner — never a sales team — reads every brief.
Registered Office · UAE IFZA Business Park, Dubai Digital Park, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Dubai, UAE
Registered Office · UK Meridian Partners International Ltd 20 Wenlock Road, London N1 7GU
Send a Brief
We respond within one business day
/ 02 — Next Steps
What happens after you write.
Within one business day
A considered reply
A senior practitioner reviews your brief and responds personally — with either a proposed time to talk or, where the fit isn't there, an honest steer toward what you actually need.
30 minutes · Video
A discovery call
A working session, not a pitch: your regulatory exposure, current posture, and priorities — closing with a plain view of whether and where we can add value.
No obligation
A written scope — or nothing
If there is mutual fit, a scoping document follows with deliverables, timeline, and commercial terms. If not, the conversation ends there — usefully, and without follow-up pressure.
/ 03 — Questions
Before you write in.
Is what we share treated as confidential? Will you sign an NDA?
Everything you share — from the first email onward — is treated in strict confidence, engagement or not. We sign NDAs readily, including your paper, before any detailed discussion. Discretion is one of the firm's four stated values; we publish no client names.
We're not in London or Dubai. Can you still work with us?
Yes. Engagements are delivered remote-first over secure video across EMEA, APAC, and the Americas, with on-site presence for the moments that warrant it — board sessions, regulator meetings, and exercises. Working hours are arranged around your time zone.
Why isn't pricing published on the site?
Because scope drives price, and pretending otherwise misleads. Retainers run across four tiers — Starter, Seed, Growth, Enterprise — all month-to-month with 30 days' flexibility. Exact figures are shared at the discovery call, once we understand your regulatory exposure and pace of work — and they don't change afterwards.
Option B
Book Directly
Strategic Consultation
30 MIN · VIDEO · NO FEE
AVAILABLE
A focused first conversation — no slides, no pitch. We pressure-test where you stand and where the gaps are, then tell you straight whether Meridian Partners is the right fit.
A read on your DFSA / FSRA regulatory exposure
A quick diagnostic of your current security posture
Where — and whether — Meridian Partners adds value
Live availability · GST timezone · 30-min discovery slot
/ 12 — Questions
Common questions. Direct answers.
What is a Fractional CISO and how is it different from a vCISO?
A Fractional CISO (also known as vCISO or CISO-as-a-Service) is an experienced Chief Information Security Officer engaged on a part-time retainer basis — giving organisations executive-grade security leadership without the cost of a full-time hire. The terms are used interchangeably across the industry. Meridian Partners's Fractional CISO service includes security strategy, governance frameworks, board reporting, Zero Trust architecture design, and compliance oversight.
Where is Meridian Partners based?
Meridian Partners is a UAE-incorporated cybersecurity advisory (IFZA, Dubai) with offices in London and Dubai, operating globally across EMEA, APAC, and the Americas. All engagements are delivered via secure video collaboration with on-site presence as required.
What compliance frameworks does Meridian Partners support?
Gap analysis and readiness services are provided for ISO 27001:2022, PCI DSS v4.0, GDPR, and UAE PDPL. Each engagement produces a documented gap analysis, Statement of Applicability, risk register, and prioritised remediation roadmap. Extensions to NIST CSF, SOC 2, and HITRUST available on request.
How much does a Fractional CISO cost?
Meridian Partners offers monthly retainers across four tiers — Starter, Seed, Growth, and Enterprise — each scoped to the firm's size, regulatory exposure, and pace of work. All plans are month-to-month with no lock-in contracts. Engagements can be paused, scaled up, or scaled down with 30 days notice. Pricing is shared during the discovery call once we understand the scope.
View pricing tiers →
What does the engagement process look like?
Every engagement begins with a 30-minute strategic consultation at no cost. If there is mutual fit, a detailed scoping document is produced within 72 hours covering deliverables, timeline, and commercial terms. Formal engagement begins within 7-14 days of contract signature.
Does Meridian Partners take vendor commissions or kickbacks?
No. Meridian Partners operates on a strict independence principle — no vendor commissions, no channel-partner arrangements, and no resale agreements. Technology recommendations are based solely on client requirements, total cost of ownership, and architectural fit. This independence is the foundation of Practice III (Vendor Evaluation & Negotiation).
How confidential are client engagements?
Every engagement begins with a mutual NDA. Client identities are never disclosed in marketing material or case studies without explicit written permission. Case study descriptors (sector, geography, engagement type) are published only with client sign-off and at a level of abstraction that protects identity.
Which UAE financial regulators do you advise across?
Our Financial Services Practice covers the four primary UAE regulators directly: DFSA (Dubai Financial Services Authority, DIFC), FSRA (Financial Services Regulatory Authority, ADGM), CBUAE (Central Bank of the UAE, for onshore banks and payment providers), and VARA (Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority, for crypto and virtual-asset service providers). For healthcare we align to ADHICS; for critical national infrastructure, the UAE IAR standard. Engagements are framework-led and mapped to the specific regulator's evidential expectations.
Can a Fractional CISO be appointed as the named CISO under UAE regulations?
Most UAE regulators (DFSA, FSRA, ADHICS, UAE IAR) permit a named Senior Information Security Officer who carries individual accountability to the regulator and the firm's board. A Fractional CISO can fulfil this role provided the engagement establishes formal accountability, defined hours, board-level reporting access, and incident-response decision authority. We draft the appointment terms with your General Counsel and outline the regulator-facing accountability clearly in the engagement letter.
How does a Fractional CISO differ from an MSSP or general consultant?
An MSSP (managed security service provider) operates technology — monitoring tools, SIEMs, EDR consoles. They are excellent at the operational layer but cannot serve as your strategic security executive, sit in board meetings, or speak for the firm to regulators. A general consultant delivers project work — gap analyses, policies, audits — then leaves. A Fractional CISO is the recurring strategic leader: defining direction, owning the risk register, reporting to the board, leading regulator dialogue, and pulling in MSSPs or consultants as needed. Meridian Partners operates strictly at this executive-advisory layer; we do not resell MSSP tools or take vendor commissions.
Question not answered? Every engagement begins with a direct conversation.