The Conservative Middle East Council

What The Conservative Middle East Council does

The Conservative Middle East Council (CMEC), legally CMEC UK & MENA LIMITED (Company No. 11902485), is a London-based not-for-profit organization established in 1980 by Sir Dennis Walters MBE and Foreign Secretary Lord Carrington under the supervision of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Operating from 84 Eccleston Square, London, with a registered office in Braintree, Essex, and a headcount of 1–10, CMEC convenes analysis, debate, and programming on the Middle East and North Africa for an audience of UK Conservative parliamentarians, diplomats, and the wider interested public. It is governed by a Parliamentary Committee led by Honorary President Lord Soames, Chairman Kit Malthouse MP, Vice Chairmen Andrew Bowie MP and Martin Vickers MP, and Director Charlotte Leslie.

CMEC's product surface is a portfolio of member-facing services rather than a technology platform. It offers three annual membership tiers — individual (£30), student (£10, ID-verified), and corporate (£200, covering up to 10 employees) — which gate access to events, webinars, recordings, member insights, and a daily briefing archive. The Events Program runs debates, briefings, panel discussions, receptions, and parliamentary events (including a recurring presence at the Conservative Party Conference). Content distribution is layered: the Daily Update newsletter (Mailchimp), the CMEC Podcast (Apple Podcasts and SoundCloud), and Insights & Analysis on the website, supplemented by structured regional exploration resources covering the Arabian Peninsula and Iraq, the Levant and Israel, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, and Turkey and Iran. There is no proprietary software, API, or AI system — content is produced by human experts and curated through standard web and email channels.

The business model is subscription/membership-fee recurring revenue plus discretionary donations and corporate sponsorship, marketed through a multi-channel mix of organic social (X/@cmec_uk), email/newsletter, podcasts, content marketing, and in-person events in Parliament and London. Customer segments are split between Conservative parliamentarians (primary), individual members, and corporate members, with a strategic alliance with the Syria Britain Business Council as a reciprocal partner for delegation programming. CMEC is not venture- or PE-backed, has no subsidiaries, and operates as an independent not-for-profit private limited company.

Name

The Conservative Middle East Council

Legal name

CMEC UK & MENA LIMITED

Website

https://cmec.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Conservative Middle East Council (CMEC) is a London-based not-for-profit, founded in 1980 under Margaret Thatcher, that convenes UK Conservative parliamentarians, diplomats, and interested individuals around analysis and events on the Middle East and North Africa, funded by individual, student, and corporate memberships plus donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Membership: Annual membership fee of £30 providing access to member-only content, events, webinars, recordings, and networking opportunities.
2. Student Membership: Annual membership fee of £10 with same benefits as individual membership, requiring valid student ID.
3. Corporate Membership: Annual membership fee of £200 entitling up to 10 employees access to events and online membership content. Corporate sponsorship opportunities available by email inquiry.
4. Donations: CMEC accepts donations through their website.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CMEC is a not-for-profit membership organization that promotes discussion of UK foreign policy in the Middle East and North Africa. It sells annual memberships (Individual £30, Student £10, Corporate £200) that unlock access to debates, panel discussions, parliamentary briefings, webinars, podcasts, member-only insights, and a daily news email. It also runs Conservative Party Conference events and organises parliamentary delegations to and from the MENA region.

Product overview

The Conservative Middle East Council (CMEC) operates as a unified membership-based organization offering a portfolio of interconnected services focused on strengthening UK-MENA relations. The core offerings include individual, student, and corporate membership tiers that provide access to exclusive events (debates, briefings, panel discussions, webinars), the CMEC Podcast series, Insights & Analysis content, the Daily Update newsletter digest, and comprehensive regional exploration resources covering all MENA sub-regions. These products work together as an integrated engagement platform enabling parliamentarians and the wider public to gain insight into the Middle East and North Africa region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Individual Membership Annual individual subscription at £30 per annum providing access to CMEC events (debates, briefings, panel discussions, receptions), webinars with virtual access, recordings, enhanced networking opportunities, and members-only website content and briefings.
• Student Membership Discounted annual subscription at £10 per annum requiring valid Student ID, providing the same benefits as Individual Membership including events, webinars, recordings, networking, and members-only content.
• Corporate Membership Annual corporate subscription at £200 per annum entitling up to 10 employees access to events and online membership content; corporate sponsorship opportunities available by email inquiry to [email protected].
• Daily Update Newsletter Bite-sized daily digest email delivering top news and analysis on the Middle East and North Africa region direct to subscribers, with a member-accessible archive of past issues for 2022, 2023, and 2024.
• Events Program Regular in-person and virtual events including debates, briefings, panel discussions, receptions, webinars, and informal gatherings held in UK Parliament and London venues, featuring distinguished speakers from the UK and MENA region.
• CMEC Podcast Audio podcast series featuring distinguished military, diplomatic, academic experts and cultural voices from the MENA region, distributed on Apple Podcasts and SoundCloud.
• Insights & Analysis Written analysis, opinions, and briefings on the latest developments across the MENA region, including political and diplomatic responses and thought-provoking commentary organised by topics such as Defence & Security, Economy & Environment, Law & Society, Politics & Diplomacy, and Sport & Culture.
• Regional Exploration Resources Comprehensive country profiles and historical timelines covering MENA sub-regions: Arabian Peninsula and Iraq, Levant & Israel, North Africa, Horn of Africa, and Turkey and Iran.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Syria Britain Business Council (SBBC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCMEC collaborates with the Syria Britain Business Council, speaking to delegates at their conferences and hosting panels. CMEC Director Charlotte Leslie chairs the Women In Business Panel at SBBC conferences. The partnership focuses on business relations between the UK and Syria.
• Conservative PartycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCMEC is an integral part of the Conservative Party, organizing events at party conferences and receiving recognition for its role. CMEC organizes Conservative Party Conference events and has been praised for its role within the party.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Atlantic Council: Major US-based international affairs think tank with explicit MENA programs and significant convening power. Comparable as a broader incumbent offering overlapping research, briefing, and convening activities.
• Chatham House (Royal Institute of International Affairs): UK's leading international affairs think tank with extensive MENA research, events, and corporate sponsorship programmes. Larger, cross-party, and far better funded; competes with CMEC for senior policy engagement and corporate partners.
• Royal United Services Institute (RUSI): UK defence and security think tank with established MENA programming. Larger and cross-party, competing for the same defence-and-security policy engagement and corporate sponsorship that CMEC addresses.

Direct peers

• Bow Group: UK's oldest Conservative think tank, producing policy research and convening members. Shares CMEC's Conservative Party affiliation and event-driven policy engagement model, with overlapping Westminster networks.
• Syria Britain Business Council (SBBC): Active CMEC partner and UK bilateral business council for Syria. Mirrors CMEC's membership- and event-driven model; CMEC's Director chairs SBBC's Women in Business Panel in Damascus, evidencing deep operational overlap.
• Henry Jackson Society: UK foreign policy and national security think tank with strong Conservative-leaning positioning and significant MENA programming. Comparable in political alignment, policy focus, and Westminster access.
• Middle East Institute (MEI): US-based think tank dedicated exclusively to Middle East affairs through research, publications, and convening. Most directly comparable peer on MENA-specific mission and programming model, though operating in a different political ecosystem.
• Council for the Advancement of Arab-British Understanding (CAABU): UK-based membership organisation promoting understanding between Britain and the Arab world through events, briefings, and delegations. The closest structural peer to CMEC, but Labour-leaning rather than Conservative-aligned.
• Foreign Policy Centre: UK-based foreign policy think tank running events, briefings, and policy research. Similar in structure and agility to CMEC, though progressive-leaning rather than Conservative-aligned, competing for the same policy-engaged audience.

Others

• Arab British Chamber of Commerce: UK body promoting UK-Arab trade and commercial relations. Complementary rather than directly competing, but overlaps with CMEC's corporate sponsorship base and trade-oriented content.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cmecnews
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-conservative-middle-east-council

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Conservative Middle East Council