Duncan Fraser-Smith

Duncan Fraser-Smith has spent the past 26 years in the hospitality industry, spanning Australia, Asia and the Middle East. During the past 10 years, he has been in the Middle East in key corporate food and beverage roles within the hospitality industry. In 2013, he established “The Cutting Edge Agency” and opened several outlets in the region including Michelin starred chef Jason Atherton’s Marina Social as well as Michelin starred Chef Greg Malouf’s Cle in the DIFC as well as Intersect by Lexus, to name a few. As Vice President of The First Group’s Food and Beverage division, he created and executed six new outlets for the group during his first year, for its newly formed standalone division. Through Fraser-Smith’s expertise, The First Group was able to secure the right to conceptualise and operate the world’s first Masterchef-branded restaurant called MasterChef, the TV Experience, which opened in Dubai in late April 2019.