Dentsu MENA today announced that it has received its regional headquarters license from the Ministry of Investment and Ministry of Commerce in theKingdom, reinforcing its commitment toward Vision 2030, driving the transformation program, and supporting ambitious local talentAs one of the region’s largest media and advertising networks, dentsu already supports many of the government’s vision realisation programs, government ministries and portfolio of investment companies to bring the Saudi Vision 2030 to life for global audiences through a suite of integrated marketing solutions from media to creative and customer experience management. André Andrade, CEO of dentsu EMEA, said: “Opening a regional headquarters in Saudi Arabia is a strategic decision that demonstrates dentsu’s commitment to the Kingdom, our support of its transformation and confidence in its economic future. As we accelerate toward 2030 and beyond, we are fully committed to working with and supporting our stakeholders with the next phase of their transformation agendas.” Tarek Daouk, CEO of dentsu MENA, added: “I am delighted that dentsu MENA has inaugurated its new regional headquarters in Riyadh, and that we are the first of the major advertising holding companies to do so. We want to set the standard and help to build the regional headquarters ecosystem for the media and advertising industry. After more than fifteen years operating in the Kingdom, this is a natural step in our evolution where we aim to continue building longstanding, trusted and mutually beneficialrelationships with our clients, partners and people in Saudi Arabia.” With a rapidly expanding workforce of employees in Saudi Arabia, dentsu aims to become a significant contributor to talent development in the Kingdom. Fostering partnerships with the likes of Prince Sultan University, dentsu will expand its staff numbers over the next three years by recruiting Saudi graduates, with a particular focus on female talent, with the deployment of early careers recruitment programs, internshipand learning and development curriculums designed to accelerate gender diversity in leadership roles. Dentsu has also opened a new flagship office in Riyadh at Business Gate, from which it will service a growing portfolio of local and multinational clients in the Kingdom, building on its existing presence in Riyadh and additional office in Jeddah.

The Advertising Business Group (ABG), a leading self-regulatory non-profit organisation, has announced a strategic alliance with Ad Net Zero, a global initiative committed to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the advertising sector, signifying the launch of a pioneering initiative aimed at decarbonising the UAE’s advertising sector and encouraging sustainable behaviour change through advertising.The announcement, which was made at Dubai Lynx, MENA's premier festival of creativity, underscores a collective commitment to bolstering the markets’ role as the regional epicenter for driving sustainability within advertising and marketing initiatives across vital industries. By partnering with Ad Net Zero, the ABG aims to help the advertising industry contribute to the UAE's net-zero goals and promote responsible consumption and production. The launch of the chapter will serve as the regional hub for MENA and is a decisive move towards shaping a more sustainable future for the advertising industry in the region.Ad Net Zero is set to launch in the UAE with its founding supporters Google, META, Unilever, Group M, MCN, Dentsu, Publicis Groupe and Omnicom Media Group, all taking the lead in sustainable leadership and adding to the wider list of ANZ global supporters*. This commitment underscores the industry's dedication to pioneering responsible advertising standards and shaping a sustainable future.Commenting on the milestone Khaled AlShehhi, Executive Director of Marketing and Communication, UAE Government Media Office, stated: "With 2023 and 2024 declared as the Years of Sustainability by the UAE President, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and the successful culmination of COP28 in Dubai, the message is clear: Sustainability is not optional. The UAE proudly launches Ad Net Zero, marking a pivotal moment in our journey towards sustainability. This initiative, a project close to my professional journey in the UAE, is not just a response to a global climate emergency; it is a bold statement of our commitment in the advertising industry. Ad Net Zero empowers us to leverage our industry's unique influence to drive meaningful change. With this launch of Ad Net Zero, it's imperative to remember that everyone has a crucial part to play. This isn't just an initiative for the advertising industry; it's a universal call to action. Every individual, business, and sector can make impactful contributions toward our sustainable future. Let's unite in this vital effort."Sebastian Munden, Chair of Ad Net Zero, said: “We are pleased to see the reach of Ad Net Zero grow with the launch of the UAE Chapter, which will act as the regional hub for MENA. It takes motivated people across the sectors to get momentum for launch. The ABG’s public commitment for a more sustainable future in advertising is a vital step and connects them to the global community and the Ad Net Zero tools to help facilitate this outcome.“Motivating citizen behaviour change at scale was a topic that came up in many discussions I was part of at COP 28 in Dubai. A more sustainable and globally connected approach, from how ads are made to what they promote, can only be a good thing. There's no time to lose."The ABG recently unveiled its comprehensive sustainability agenda that aims to empower the industry to take direct action and reduce its negative impact from both advertising emissions and content. The agenda focuses on building a more sustainable sector through emissions reduction, closing the industry wide sustainability knowledge and skills gap, and empowering the industry to combat greenwashing practices.Leyal Eskin, Vice President, Head of Personal Care Business GCC Countries at Unilever and Chair of Advertising Business Group commented: “The Advertising Business Group’s (ABG) alliance with Ad Net Zero marks a pivotal moment in driving environmental sustainability for the UAE advertising industry and supports the UAE’s Net Zero commitment. This collaboration is a testament to the ABGs overall commitment in driving responsible advertising business practices and will help shape a sustainable future for the UAE’s advertising and marketing industry.”The advertising sector needs to take responsibility for a sustainable future, through both reducing its operational emissions and through creating work that leads to a more sustainable future.Ad Net Zero supporters, global, and at a national level, are required to set public science-based net zero targets. This can be done through either the Science Based Targets initiative, a commitment to the UN Race to Zero (including via the SME Climate Hub), The Climate Pledge, or other comparable alternatives. Supporters need to measure and report their progress annually. If supporters do not already have net zero targets in place, they are required to establish them within 15 months of joining Ad Net Zero. Ad Net Zero and ABG are committed to guiding supporters during the initial phase. For the first three months, both teams will offer comprehensive assistance, including information, training, and upskilling, to facilitate a smooth start to the measurement journey.ABG invites companies within the advertising and marketing industry to become Ad Net Zero supporters. By committing to ANZ, companies can play a leading role in setting responsible advertising standards, positively shaping the future of the industry. The initiative offers a clear five-point action plan and guidance for organisations to achieve net-zero GHG emissions within the advertising sector. Following the initial learning period, supporters will have 12 months to measure their emissions accurately and set their public science-based net zero target. Guidance and support will be provided to assist supporters in this crucial endeavor.

Merkle, dentsu’s leading technology-enabled customer experience management company, has today announced the key appointment of Sameer Poonja to the newly created Head of Experience and Platforms role. In his new position, Sameer will lead the Experience Platform capability for Merkle, with a focus on helping clients create omni-channel content-driven experiences. His responsibilities include delivering high quality, integrated experiences and championing the principles of headless content and digital asset management to deliver customised experiences. Sameer will lead the delivery of these outcomes by connecting the dots across Merkle’s pillars of analytics, data, CX, UX creative and performance marketing. Poonja is an experience pioneer, with several career highlights including launching Emirates Airlines' first consumer-facing application, building Canada's first wireless machine with Coca-Cola, and spearheading the launch of Canada's first cloud-based hotel management system. His entrepreneurial spirit also led him to co-found Spades, a contactless web-based dine-in solution, in response to the growing demand for frictionless payment experiences.Commenting on his appointment, Sameer remarked, "I am thrilled to join Merkle MENA and embark on this exciting journey of shaping transformative digital experiences. By focusing on the 'why' I believe we can redefine the boundaries of what’s possible in the region’s digital landscape. Merkle holds a distinctive position in the market, offering our clients a comprehensive blend of strategic insights, creative ingenuity, design and technical proficiency, and effective commercial strategies to advance their growth agendas." Prior to joining Merkle, Sameer served as a Senior Advisor at Roland Berger, where he played a pivotal role in establishing growth strategies for prominent entities such as Entertainer and various Saudi Government institutions. He has also demonstrated a commitment to fostering innovation and driving tangible results by mentoring, incubating, and accelerating new entrants on the Fintech Fast Track Program while leading Innovation, Partnerships and Design for Visa CEMEA. Andreas Skopal, Managing Director Merkle MENA said, “Sameer brings unparalleled experience and a proven track record in strategy, experience platforms and innovation. I have no doubt that under his guardianship we will be able to set new standards in digital experience delivery by harnessing platforms and fostering collaboration across UX, business upskilling, performance, and cross-channel connectivity to facilitate seamless interactions across digital touchpoints for our clients and their customers.” Poonja commences the role with immediate effect. This appointment follows the earlier announcements of Stacy Anderson as Deputy Managing Director, Omar Khan of Head of Data & Analytics and Andreas Skopal as Managing Director, and forms part of a growing Merkle MENA executive team. 

Merkle, dentsu’s leading technology-enabled, data-driven customer experience management company, today announces the appointment of Stacy Andersen as Deputy Managing Director, Merkle MENA. In this newly created role, Stacy will join Merkle’s regional leadership team and help drive growth across Merkle's client base, services and capabilities, with a focus on regional expansion.Stacy brings a wealth of experience and expertise in digital and business growth consultancy, omnichannel strategy, CXM, and transformation. With a career spanning over 18 years, Stacy has spent much of her career navigating an evolving digital landscape to deliver impactful solutions to clients across various industries and regions. In her new role, she will play a pivotal role in leading performance, strategy, and growth initiatives for Merkle MENA. She will oversee all performance accounts, including high-profile clients, while driving the adoption of capabilities beyond performance marketing to include data, AI, emerging technologies, SEO and experience.Prior to joining dentsu, Stacy held various leadership positions across major holding groups both in the Americas and MENA, with her most recent role being Head of Digital Transformation and Innovation at Publicis Groupe. She was responsible for opening Hearts & Science MENA, and previously worked at Merkle New York prior to dentsu’s acquisition of the company. Throughout her celebrated career she has worked with a diverse range of clients, including Neom, Majid Al Futtaim, Nestle, BMW, Samsung, One & Only, LVMH, Visa, and Amazon.Commenting on her appointment, Andreas Skopal, Managing Director of Merkle MENA, said: "Stacy's extensive experience, understanding of our business and our clients’ needs make her an invaluable asset to Merkle MENA. We are confident that her leadership will contribute significantly to our strategic objectives, bringing together creativity, technology and data to deliver seamless customer experiences. We are thrilled to have Stacy join the team and partner with her as we embark on our next phase of our growth."Expressing her enthusiasm for rejoining Merkle, Stacy added: "I am delighted to take on this new role with Merkle MENA to support the business in forging a new path for CX transformation in the region. The opportunity to partner with clients to accelerate their digital dexterity and enrich their customer experience through Merkle’s unique data and technology-enabled solutions is compelling, especially in a region that is at the forefront of digitization, innovation and economic diversification globally."

Carat, a dentsu company, today announced the appointment of Fiona Black as Integrated Client Growth Lead. In this newly created role, Fiona will architect progressive solutions and delivery excellence to enable growth for clients. Fiona brings with her a wealth of experience and a strong track record of delivering large-scale media transformation projects. At Carat, she will play a pivotal role in delivering value and driving profitable business growth for clients, while ensuring seamless collaboration across the dentsu network of agencies.Working closely with client partners to drive effective strategic partnerships Fiona will work towards delivering long term brand building.  By leveraging the full service offering across dentsu, Fiona will unlock new opportunities with integrated business plans designed to deliver commercially, creatively and culturally for some of the agency’s most complex and multidisciplinary clients. Commenting on her appointment, Ramzy Abouchacra, CEO, Carat MENA, said: “Fiona’s fresh thinking, determination and spirit is exactly what is needed to deliver meaningful progress and growth for our clients and our business. She is an energetic, transformative leader who brings strong expertise and a deep passion for innovation. I look forward to working with Fiona as we support our clients in their transformation journeys and develop Carat’s proposition ready for the next phase of our own regional growth plans.” With over two decades of experience working in the industry, Black’s previous experience includes key leadership positions across holding group agencies both in the UAE and the United Kingdom, leading teams across multiple markets. In these roles, she demonstrated her strategic leadership on significant domestic and international clients such as Visa, Mars, Mondelez, OSN, Activision Blizzard, Disney and PUIG."The whole media industry is at a turning point as brands reevaluate their agency experience and expectations - I am really excited to take on this position at as it represents an incredible opportunity to drive innovation and create seamless, integrated solutions that will truly benefit our clients. I look forward to working with the talented teams at Carat and across Dentsu in fostering strong, sustainable partnerships that deliver exceptional results for our clients," commented Fiona. 

Dentsu announced the appointment of André Andrade as CEO, dentsu EMEA overseeing the integrated growth strategy and business execution for dentsu within the Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) region. Andrade joins the community of Regional CEOs overseen by Giulio Malegori, recently appointed Group Chief Operating Officer, Dentsu Group Inc.Andrade has been part of dentsu for nearly 20 years demonstrating a proven ability to drive growth and scale client relationships across EMEA markets. Since 2004 he has served as CEO, dentsu Portugal, CEO of dentsu Spain & Portugal and further assumed the responsibility CEO Iberia & Sub-Saharan Africa (IBSSA) in 2013.In this most recent role, Andrade significantly grew revenue and performance in the IBSSA cluster and delivered a successful acquisition plan that integrated ten operations across media, creative, content and data bringing new capabilities and talent to dentsu teams, delivering on a true one dentsu market offering. Andrade also overseas dentsu’s Client & Solutions Hub for EMEA, in charge of driving client-centric strategy for integrated growth solutions across the region.“André has shown passion and commitment to bringing together the best of dentsu and spearheaded innovation to deliver integrated solutions at scale,” said Hiroshi Igarashi, President and CEO, Dentsu Group Inc. “I am looking forward to working in close collaboration as we continue to focus on putting our clients at the center, and delivering a seamless, integrated experience, driving growth and competitive advantage.”“Having worked with André for many years, I have witnessed first-hand his commitment to leading teams, transforming businesses, and driving client growth,” said Giulio Malegori, Group Chief Operating Officer, Dentsu Group Inc.. “He has extensive understanding of the Europe, Middle East and Africa region which means he is well positioned to understand the diverse needs of our people, clients and consumers.”“It’s an exciting time to be part of dentsu given our uniqueness in the marketplace, sitting at the intersection of marketing, consulting and technology. We are committed to embracing client-centricity at the core of everything we do and the decisions we make,” said Andrade. “I am ready to take on this next opportunity with dentsu and look forward to working together with our 16,000 people across EMEA in delivering innovation and people-centred transformation for clients.”Dentsu will announce Andrade’s successor over the coming weeks.

Yandex Ads, a prominent global digital advertising company, has announced the appointment of Mohamed Mahmoud as the Head of Client Partnerships & Data for the Middle East and Africa (MEA). This strategic move underscores the company's commitment to expanding its presence in international markets.Yandex Ads is the digital advertising division of the renowned Russian search engine and web portal, Yandex.Mohamed Mahmoud brings a wealth of experience from his previous roles at companies like Microsoft, Huawei, Publicis, Dentsu, ConnectAds, and Petal Ads, where he played a pivotal role as the Head of Client Partnerships and Data for the MEA region. In this capacity, he formulated the organization's go-to-market strategy, cultivated the partnership team, and elevated the brand's visibility through innovative events, educational programs, workshops, and collaborative efforts. Furthermore, as the Data Management Lead at Choueiri Group, he significantly contributed to the enhancement of data product collection and categorization for various media teams across industries.Evgenii Pavlov, General Manager at Yandex Ads MEA, expressed enthusiasm about the appointment, stating: "We are delighted to welcome Mohamed to the Yandex Ads team. His extensive international experience and proven track record in the MEA region make him a valuable addition as we continue our global expansion. Mohamed's leadership and strategic vision align perfectly with our commitment to delivering cutting-edge advertising solutions. We look forward to leveraging his expertise to strengthen our client partnerships and data initiatives, driving innovation in the ever-evolving digital advertising landscape."Mohamed Mahmoud expressed gratitude and said: "I am honored to join Yandex Ads, a company renowned for setting global standards in digital advertising excellence. I am excited to apply my expertise in data-driven strategies to fuel innovation as we embark on our international expansion journey."

Dubai: Dentsu has announced that Abdallah Bibi has been appointed as Commercial Director – Sports, Gaming and Content Partnerships, leading the development and design of dentsu’s offering in this space in the MENA region. Reporting to Tarek Daouk, CEO of dentsu MENA, Abdallah's new role will leverage opportunities in content production, rights distribution, naming and broadcast rights, gaming, anime and sports franchise infrastructure. Concurrently, Jad Noujeim, former Group Trading Director at Carat, assumes the position of Head of Trading for Amplifi, dentsu’s media investment arm. In this newly created role, Abdallah, with over 15 years of regional media experience, will oversee dentsu’s regional content and production efforts, integrating capabilities across the organization to build cohesive brand experiences. Jad, another stalwart of the dentsu team with 16 years’ expertise, having spent the last decade with Carat and most recently leading the media agency’s trading division, will take on Abdallah’s previous responsibilities leading Amplifi MENA. Globally, dentsu has an established Entertainment and Gaming business backed by a worldwide studio footprint, pioneering craft and technology capabilities and a roster of production partners and independent creators, enhanced by seamless integration with dentsu’s product and data offering. Abdallah will lead strategic investments and partnerships to leverage global entertainment opportunities and engage the thriving Middle Eastern gaming community. Working with the newly established Dentsu Anime Solutions Inc. in Japan, dentsu MENA will introduce new opportunities to market with anime licensing and merchandising to broadcasters and streaming platforms, along with peripheral businesses such as games, merchandising and events. Abdallah Bibi, newly appointed Commercial Director – Sports, Gaming and Content Partnerships remarked: “I’m excited to leverage my career experiences and dentsu’s rich heritage in this field to design our regional Content, Sports and Gaming offering. We are uniquely positioned to unlock new revenue opportunities for sports franchises, content producers and our clients. We will also be looking to create, enhance and invest in authentic gaming experiences for our clients in publishing, creator worlds, anime and e-sports. There is huge potential to produce transformative work in this space in our region, and I can’t wait to get started”.Jad Noujeim, now Head of Trading, Amplifi MENA said: “I'm thrilled to be leading our trading division into new horizons within the dynamic MENA media landscape. My focus will remain on cultivating strong partnerships, while leveraging deep industry insights and client-centric strategies to deliver on dentsu’s commitment to excellence and ongoing advancement.” Tarek Daouk, CEO, dentsu MENA added: “Dentsu Japan has an exceptional history in Entertainment and Sports as critical players in major sporting events and properties, as well as having a vast array of film, television, gaming, and anime experience. Dentsu’s content business is one of its true differentiators and as anime, gaming and sports continue to generate enthusiasm in MENA, particularly among Gen Z audiences, I’m excited for us to build a compelling regional offering in this space with Abdallah at the helm. Jad is also extremely well placed to lead Amplifi going forward, bringing together innovations, capabilities, and expertise to unlock new opportunities for our partners and clients. Congratulations to them both, I wish them every success in their new roles.”