About

Impact Zones

Purpose

Investment should create more than financial returns. It should create opportunity. Impact Zones works at the intersection of investment, place and economic development. We help governments, economic zones and investors turn competitive advantages into investment, enterprise and sustainable economic growth.

What we do

We advise on foreign direct investment, economic zones, investment destinations, cross border trade and supply chains, from strategy and institutional design through investment attraction and implementation.

Our approach

Commercially grounded

strategies have to work in real markets.

Investor led

we design from the perspective of the investors, industries and supply chains a location seeks to attract.

Implementation focused

strategy is only valuable when institutions can execute it.

Globally connected

we connect markets, capital, governments, industry and specialist expertise across borders.

Leadership

Zoë Harries

Founder & CEO

Zoë brings 25+ years in economic zones and investment attraction, with more than six years of established presence and strong relationships in the region. She led investment attraction for a US$20 billion PIF-backed special economic zone in Saudi Arabia. Zoë has held leadership roles with Masdar City Free Zone in Abu Dhabi and the World Free Zones Organization in Dubai, and most recently served as Interim Country Head for Brunei Economic City SEZ.

She has contributed to industry discussions as a keynote speaker and author, through fDi Intelligence (Financial Times), Investment Monitor and the Annual Investment Meeting (AIM) Congress.

Zoë is a member of the Boardroom in Zurich and the Capital Club in Dubai, and a founding member of PLAYBOOK in Bahrain and Riyadh.

She also developed the ANCHOR Framework™ on what makes capital, talent and enterprise choose to stay in a place.

Global Experience

GCC

Investment destination development, economic zone design and attraction programmes for sovereign-backed developments.

Europe

FDI strategy, institutional design and investment facilitation for governments and agencies.

Africa

Economic zone feasibility, operating models and investment attraction for governments and developers.

Asia Pacific

Cross-border trade, supply chains and destination competitiveness for investment agencies and zone authorities.

Panama Investment Partners Group

Discuss a Mandate