Campaign The MENA Power List 2025

NASSIB BOUERI

DESIGNATION: CEO, VML MENA and WPP MENA RHQ CEO

YEARS IN THE ROLE: 2 years

YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: 23 years

YEARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION: 26 years

OTHER ROLES / BOARD MEMBERSHIPS: IAA UAE

POWER ESSAY: CTRL + ALT + DEL – THE NEW RESET

For more than three decades, the combination of three simple keys – Ctrl + Alt + Del – has been part of our digital vocabulary. At first, it was nothing more than a practical command: a way to restart a frozen computer, force quit an unresponsive programme, or free the system from an overwhelming task. For anyone who has spent hours in front of a screen, the action became second nature – an immediate response to frustration, a tiny ritual of recovery.

But as technology grew to occupy more of our lives, Ctrl + Alt + Del also became something larger: a mindset. The idea that with the right sequence of actions, we could break free from stagnation and begin again. How many times in our personal and professional lives have we wished for such a reset? A fresh start after a mistake, a release from a dead end, or the clarity to face a new direction. Over time, the metaphor stuck. Ctrl + Alt + Del became shorthand not only for managing our computers but for managing ourselves.

models, our roles and even our creativity while we remain true to the ‘big idea’.

For agencies, businesses and individuals alike, this means reimagining what engagement looks like. The old frameworks – how we worked with clients; how we organised teams; how we measured value – are being rewri en. AI might not be fully replacing the human element, but it is demanding that we elevate it. Efficiency alone will no longer define success; adaptability, imagination and the right choice of tools will. Just as Ctrl + Alt + Del cleared away what was frozen or corrupted, AI forces us to clear away assumptions about how things have always been done.

“AI forces us to clear away assumptions about how things have always been done.”

And yet, unlike the comforting speed of a computer restart, this reset is a process. It will unfold gradually, sometimes uneasily, requiring patience and openness. We cannot simply press the keys and expect everything to function as before. Instead, we are stepping into a new operating system for work and for life, one that we are still writing as we go.

Today, however, we are collectively facing what may be the ultimate reset. The emergence of artificial intelligence is not just another technological shift; it is the equivalent of the largest, most complex challenge our industry has ever a empted to process. It is, at once, the bug, the shortcut and the system overload that forces us to press the keys of change. Unlike previous resets, though, this one is in continuous evolution. There is no instant reboot or seamless return to the same familiar desktop. AI requires us to rethink our

The lesson of Ctrl + Alt + Del has always been that every system – no ma er how complex –has a way to start over. AI is our generation’s next reset command, it’s our responsibility to equip them with sharper tools to help them broaden their horizons, and create a deeper sense of responsibility and the added value they always brought to the business and clients. The future is not waiting to be debugged; it is waiting to be reimagined.

RAPID FIRE

What the industry needs to talk more about: Longevity of the industry and how.

What the industry needs to talk less about: Politics.

If you could change one thing in the blink of an eye, you would ...

Increase ad spend by 500 per cent.

What’s one thing about you that would surprise your team?

I stopped eating chocolate.

What mobile application can you not live without?

It was news apps until ChatGPT came along.

What word / phrase do people remember you for using the most?

“Very very.”

What’s one local / regional tradition that you love the most?

Qahwa and dates.

If you could choose any two people, currently alive, in the world to share a meal with you, who would it be?

The pope and Robert De Niro.

What’s your top word of advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha?

Listen. Don’t assume you know it all. What’s your go-to comfort food? Eggs.

What’s your favourite ad from the past 12 months?  Many.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE LAST

YEAR

Winning MENA Network of the Year at Dubai Lynx, bringing home Lions from Cannes, and our wins at the Athar Awards in KSA were all standout moments. I’m proud of our team’s dedication, the continued added value to our clients’ business, and the growing recognition for our creative excellence.

ANTONIO BOULOS

TITLE: President MENA, Frontline BPN

YEARS IN THE ROLE: 14 years

YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: 30 years

POWER ESSAY: HOW WILL ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND AUTOMATION MAKE THE AD INDUSTRY THRIVE AND ALSO UNDERMINE ITS GROWTH?

AI-driven hyper-personalised ads, predictive targeting, creative and campaign optimisation, etc., allow brands to reach the right consumer, with the right message, at the right time. Automation produces efficiency gains and lets agencies focus more time on crafting the product and creativity. By contrast, over-reliance on automation risks producing bland, forge able work. If ads stop surprising or entertaining, our audiences will tune out completely. From a media perspective, over-targeting and privacy intrusions risk alienating audiences, creating distrust and ad-fatigue.

The increased utilisation of AI and emerging new technologies across many communications disciplines leaves industry talent and leaders with two fundamental questions to answer: a) how can AI make the ad industry thrive? And b) how could it undermine its growth?

What happens when AI is purposely used?

Agencies focus on creativity and wit to create ads people actually enjoy, by tapping into human behaviour, not just algorithms.

Communications become relevant, valuable, and useful – not just visible. Your campaigns become a source of content people choose to engage with – not something to skip – strengthening ad authenticity and brand loyalty.

It enables seamless targeting and ads personalisation without violating privacy.

“The best outcome for the future of advertising industry hinges on balancing tech utilisation with human imagination.”

Automation improves time utilisation, but the spark of originality remains human. This allows agencies to double down on creativity to sharpen cultural insight, narrative building, emotional storytelling, humour and surprise.

Campaign performance improves and brands’ return on ad spend (ROAS) grows.

What happens when we put automation in the driving seat?

It limits creativity and originality. We flood consumers with low-quality, generic ads, creating clu er and fatigue resulting in a substantial drop in brands’ ROAS. Affinity between brands and consumers decreases, or worse, consumers reject ads entirely and shift to subscription or ad-free ecosystems.

Hyper-targeting can feel creepy at times – we have all been subjected to this – leading to consumer backlash, widespread use of ad blockers and inviting regulators to impose severe restrictions, crippling data-driven advertising.

DPR, CCPA, etc. and the end of third-party cookies are just the beginning. Stricter regulations on data use will force advertisers to reinvent targeting methods. It leads to platform dependency. Unchecked reliance on mega platforms puts brands and agencies at the mercy of algorithms and escalating costs.

A balancing act is required to determine how to best use AI and emerging technology tools. When responsibly used for their exceptional data processing speed and growing reasoning ability, such tools can sharpen personalisation and optimisation, while humans drive originality. In summary, the best outcome for the future of the advertising industry hinges on balancing tech utilisation with human imagination, and purpose with commercial results. Those who treat advertising as a value exchange –giving people entertainment, utility, or meaning in return for their a ention – will thrive.

RAPID FIRE

What the industry needs to talk more about: AI.

What the industry needs to talk less about: AI. More on this in the essay.

If you could change one thing in the blink of an eye, you would ...

Kill 30s interstitial un-skippable ads.

What’s one thing about you that would surprise your team?

I asked. Not much, apparently. An open book.

What mobile application can you not live without?

Social Media, YouTube, Chat GPT, topics of interests, Google Maps and Waze.

What word / phrase do people remember you for using the most?

“Let’s not postpone what we can do at 12:00 to 12:05.”

What’s one local / regional tradition that you love the most?

Generosity.

If you could choose any two people, currently alive, in the world to share a meal with you, who would it be?

Jimmy Fallon for the pleasure of his company and Jensen Huang for his foresight.

What’s your top word of advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha?

Swipe less. Sweat more. Grab a book in between.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE LAST YEAR

2024 was an exceptional year for us. Grateful for the amazing team and our clients’ support. The highlight: when teamwork is seamless, and everyone in their own right and in their own way, contributes with their fair share towards delivering on their stakeholders’ expectations, it always pays off.

HOLDING COMPANIES

ELDA CHOUCAIR

TITLE: Group Chief Executive Officer, Omnicom Media Group YEARS IN THE ROLE: 4 years

YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: 26 years

YEARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION: 26 years

OTHER ROLES / BOARD MEMBERSHIPS: ABG, IAB, IAA, Endeavor, UN Women Unstereotype Alliance

HIGHLIGHT OF THE LAST YEAR

Despite market challenges, the group expanded its portfolio with major brands including Etihad, Visit Qatar, Shamal and others. This year also marked the launch of Flywheel, an AI platform boosting e-commerce performance, and CREO, which equips clients with advanced tools and datadriven strategies to manage influencers more effectively.

RAPID FIRE

What the industry needs to talk more about: What drives clients’ business: sales, growth and impact.

What the industry needs to talk less about: Buzzwords that sound smart but do nothing.

If you could change one thing in the blink of an eye, you would ...

Make AI adoption ridiculously easy.

What’s one thing about you that would surprise your team?

I signed up for Dubai’s T100 Sprint. See you there! Not sure if it would be a surprise or an expectation.

What mobile application can you not live without? WhatsApp, life runs on it.

What word / phrase do people remember you for

using the most?

“Leadership is a choice”.

What’s one local / regional tradition that you love the most?

Family first.

If you could choose any two people, currently alive, in the world to share a meal with you, who would it be?

Satya Nadella and Indra Nooyi ... Brains and heart at the table.

What’s your top word of advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha?

Obsess about mastering the job you have, not the one you want to have.

What’s your go-to comfort food?

Used to be McChicken, thankfully not anymore.

What’s your favourite ad from the past 12 months? ‘Bad Guy Gone Good’ by Jenan.

POWER ESSAY: BEYOND AUTOMATION – WHY AGENCIES WILL MATTER MORE IN THE AGE OF AI

The agency business model is facing a seismic shift. Artificial intelligence (AI), coupled with economic and geopolitical pressures, is reshaping how value is created, delivered and measured across every industry, marketing included. For agencies, this transformation will not be about replacement but reinvention.

AI impacts organisations on three levels. First, it makes processes cheaper, faster and more efficient. Second, it improves effectiveness, helping teams make be er decisions. Third, it enables things we never imagined possible, driving innovation at scale. All three forces are already at play, but what’s about to accelerate is their integration into daily operations, fundamentally altering how agencies and their clients work.

A new scope of work

In marketing, this means re-imagining execution. Predictive modelling, scenario planning and real-time analytics are replacing our reliance on historical data and slow, periodic planning. Within the next 12 to 18 months, much of the marketing execution will be largely automated, with AI-powered platforms independently managing routine tasks.

You can already see this shift in action. Consumer insights, whether from a ribution modeling, algorithmic a ribution, marketing mix models (MMMs), or first- and zero-party data, are being fed directly into demand-side platforms (DSPs). This creates a closed loop where insights not only inform but also automatically optimise media buying and investment strategies. DSPs then generate real-time performance data, such as impressions, conversions, and reach, which feed back into models like MMMs and incrementality testing. The result: campaigns that are continuously optimised without human intervention.

A higher value proposition

So, if execution is increasingly automated, where do agencies fit in and what value do they bring? Far from becoming obsolete, agencies are moving higher up the value chain, focusing on strategy, orchestration and creativity, areas where human judgment remains essential.

Strategic orchestration is one of these areas. Automation can optimise within a platform, but it doesn’t decide where a brand should play. Agencies help advertisers answer bigger questions: Which markets to enter? Which channels to prioritise?

How to balance short-term sales against long-term brand equity? A DSP may adjust spend within connected TV, but it is the agency that advises whether CTV should be 10 per cent or 30 per cent of the media plan.

Similarly, stitching together separate DSPs that otherwise provide a fragmented view is the role of an agency. This cross-platform integration is essential to give advertisers a unified picture of the consumer and connect these walled gardens with offline insights, like retail sales.

The choice of model and the customisation or calibration of systems like MMMs, a ribution and AI also require human intervention. Someone needs to choose the right inputs, interpret outputs responsibly, and reconcile conflicting results. Machines can crunch data, but they cannot provide the human judgment needed to distinguish signal from noise.

The role and value of agencies become even more obvious when you contemplate creative considerations like storytelling. Automation can tell you who to reach and when, but it cannot decide what to say. Agencies shape the brand’s narrative, cultural resonance and emotional appeal. Neuromarketing and behavioural science can inform this process, but only people can craft stories that truly move us.

Governance, compliance and ethics fall in the same category. With regulations tightening everywhere, advertisers need agencies to be the stewards of data use, particularly with the setup of privacy-first measurement and (re)building trust with consumers.

In other words, agencies will deliver value to their clients by translating AI outputs into business language for CEOs; aligning campaigns with growth targets; and bridging the gaps between marketing, finance, sales and IT.

Think of it like aviation: AI systems and DSPs are the autopilot, efficient and precise. Agencies and their executives are the pilots, deciding where to fly, why and how to respond when turbulence hits. Without the pilot, the autopilot can only follow a straight line.

In this new era, agency value doesn’t evaporate; it moves upstream instead. From buying ads to designing growth strategies. From reporting metrics to interpreting insights in context. From targeting audiences to shaping meaningful brand experiences.

The future of agencies is not about doing more of the same, faster. It’s about moving higher, becoming the architects of growth in an automated world.

AMER EL HAJJ

TITLE: CEO MENA, WPP Media

YEARS IN THE ROLE: 2 years

YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: 21 years

YEARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION: 21 years

OTHER ROLES / BOARD MEMBERSHIPS: Advertising Business Group (ABG) and the International Advertising Association (IAA)

POWER ESSAY: A NEW MAP FOR A NEW WORLD

In last year’s Power Essay, I wrote how “client satisfaction eats AI for breakfast”. I stand by that – the human connection remains everything in our business. But what’s become clear to me over these past months is that the relationship between client satisfaction and AI has evolved into something far more nuanced than I initially captured.

The question now isn’t which one wins. It’s how they work together.

The marketing landscape we all grew up in professionally – it’s gone. Those clean divisions between media, creative and data that made our organisational charts so tidy – they’ve completely dissolved. Media is embedded in everything now, which creates this strange paradox: more complexity, but also more opportunity than we’ve ever had before.

The old scale-first approach simply doesn’t address what clients are dealing with today. They’re managing fragmented customer journeys across platforms that didn’t exist five years ago, while trying to prove ROI in ways their CFOs can understand. What they need – and what they’re increasingly demanding – are capabilities that integrate media, production, data and technology in ways that truly make sense operationally.

That’s precisely why we evolved into WPP Media. It wasn’t just a rebrand; it was a strategic response to client needs. We’re building an AI-integrated approach that leverages WPP’s broader creative and technology infrastructure but does so in ways that feel natural rather than forced.

Here in MENA, this integration challenge has its own particular characteristics. Digital adoption pa erns here have been anything but linear – we’ve seen markets leapfrog entire phases of development. Cultural sensitivity isn’t just important, it’s make-orbreak. And our audiences, who are overwhelmingly mobile-first, expect brand experiences that somehow manage to feel both globally sophisticated and locally authentic. It’s a delicate balance.

The core challenge remains consistent across markets: traditional targeting and measurement frameworks have become largely obsolete, yet we still need to reach the right customers and prove business impact in ways that satisfy increasingly sceptical stakeholders.

What I’ve learned through working with dozens of clients over the past year is that the answer lies in fundamentally rethinking how our teams collaborate.

When your creative team can see real-time audience response data and your media team can act on those insights immediately – not in the next planning cycle, but within hours – something powerful happens. Data stops being this abstract thing that sits in reports and becomes actionable intelligence that drives every decision.

This is what platforms like WPP Open enable: true integration rather than just coordination.

Recently, we partnered with a major regional client on a product launch that needed to work across multiple diverse markets simultaneously. By deploying real-time AI optimisation informed by live performance data, we achieved 45 per cent be er conversion rates and reduced acquisition costs by 12 per cent. But honestly? The metrics weren’t what impressed the client most. It was the strategic insights they gained about their customers that they could immediately apply to other parts of their business.

I want to be clear about something: this isn’t about replacing human judgment with algorithms. Anyone suggesting that fundamentally misunderstands what makes great marketing work. What we’re doing is removing the operational friction that prevents our people from focusing on what they do best – strategic thinking, cultural insight, relationship building and creative problem-solving.

The transformation isn’t without its challenges. New capabilities require investment. Integrated workflows demand organisational changes that can feel uncomfortable initially. But WPP Media combines global technology infrastructure with deep regional expertise in ways that allow us to guide clients through this evolution effectively.

Here’s what I find most interesting: when we implement this technology thoughtfully, it actually strengthens human connections rather than replacing them. Client satisfaction deepens because we’re delivering business results they can see and measure. Trust builds because we’re solving real problems rather than just optimising campaigns.

WPP Media’s vision is straightforward: to be the partner that helps you navigate this new landscape with confidence while achieving measurable growth. The future belongs to organisations that can seamlessly integrate AI capabilities with human insight and cultural understanding.

RAPID FIRE

What the industry needs to talk more about:

Equitable and transparent commercial and trading practices.

What the industry needs to talk less about: AI replacing human creativity.

If you could change one thing in the blink of an eye, you would ...

Erase injustice.

What’s one thing about you that would surprise your team?

I design furniture.

What mobile application can you not live without?

Chrome.

What word / phrase do people remember you for using the most?

“All can be managed.”

What’s one local / regional tradition that you love the most?

Hospitality.

If you could choose any two people, currently alive, in the world to share a meal with you, who would it be?

David Gilmour and Ryan Reynolds.

What’s your top word of advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha?

Build real connections, not followers.

What’s your go-to comfort food? Fillet steak – rare.

What’s your favourite ad from the past 12 months?

‘The PIF Effect’.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE LAST YEAR

Two years ago, I joined WPP Media to redesign our MENA operations, aligning with WPP’s global vision. Today, we’re clients’ firstchoice partner in the region with restructured teams, enhanced services, and integrated AI solutions used daily through WPP Open. I’m most proud of transforming our market position while building highperforming teams.

ALEJANDRO FISCHER

TITLE: Chief Strategy Officer, Havas Middle East

YEARS IN THE ROLE: 1 year

YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: 20 years

YEARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION: 14 years

POWER ESSAY: A BEAUTIFUL MESS –WHY STRATEGY MUST DOUBLE DOWN ON DIFFERENCE

It’s messy out there. AI is everywhere. Deadlines get shorter while expectations keep rising. Talent priorities are shifting on both client and agency side. And in the Middle East, visions become reality at a speed no other market can match. Tomorrow arrives today and today quickly turns into a new vision.

What a beautiful mess.

But mess is not the enemy. Sameness is. Everyone now has access to the same tools, the same data, the same trends. AI can churn out outputs in seconds. Efficiency has become the baseline. The risk is that our work starts to blur together, fast, polished, but interchangeable.

That is where strategy comes in. Not as a tidy framework or a neutral deck, but as a way of making sense of the chaos in ways others cannot. This is not the time to soften what we do. It is the moment to double down on what makes us different.

As agencies, we already have assets that set us apart. Frameworks that decode culture. Distinctive ways of working. Thought leadership angles. The red threads that connect disciplines. Too often, these get treated as decoration. They should be our operating system. If we do not use them with conviction, we risk blending into the noise.

So how do we stand out in this beautiful mess?

First, by applying our own lenses with discipline. Clients do not need another generic best practice; they need a distinctive way of seeing the problem. Our frameworks and methods are not overhead; they are our edge.

“Strategy without a point of view is just reporting. Our value lies in interpretation, judgment and the courage to take a side.”

Second, by having stronger opinions. Strategy without a point of view is just reporting. Our value lies in interpretation, judgment and the courage to take a side.

Third, by drawing more from the world around us. The richest insights do not come from comms reports, they come from films, music, sport, subcultures and everyday conversations that show where culture is moving. Staying open to the world is how we keep our work alive.

Finally, by doubling down on human understanding. Tools get copied, empathy does not. Understanding consumers and our own people, their contradictions, their tensions, their ambitions, is what gives strategy its power.

The mess will not get tidier. That is the opportunity. Strategy proves its worth when it turns noise into meaning, ambition into action and vision into momentum. The beautiful mess is our arena. The only way to win is to be unapologetically distinctive.

RAPID FIRE

What the industry needs to talk more about: Work-life balance and the sustainability of our people.

What the industry needs to talk less about: Brand vs. performance.

If you could change one thing in the blink of an eye, you would...

Make sure every child has food on the table.

What’s one thing about you that would surprise your team?

I love to draw in my spare time.

What mobile application can you not live without? Apple Podcasts.

What word / phrase do people remember you for using the most?

“Teamwork makes the dream work.”

Cheesy, I know, but true.

What’s one local / regional tradition that you love the most?

The ritual of Arabic coffee and the hospitality it represents.

If you could choose any two people, currently alive, in the world to share a meal with you, who would it be?

Rory Sutherland and Francis Mallmann.

What’s your top word of advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha?

Embrace the messiness.

What’s your go-to comfort food?

Ribeye with mashed potatoes.

What’s your favourite ad from the past 12 months? British Airways’ ‘Windows’.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE LAST YEAR

My highlight this year has been the growth of our team and the product we are so proud of, alongside the launch of Converged, our group-wide strategy for the Middle East. It has redefined how we unite strategy, creativity, media and PR into one system and one vision.

JENNIFER FISCHER

TITLE: Chief Innovation & Growth Officer, Publicis Groupe Middle East

YEARS IN THE ROLE: 3 years

YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: 18 years

YEARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION: 18 years

POWER ESSAY: JOYFUL LEADERSHIP

This weekend I was in the car with my husband. He mentioned he’d added a new song to our playlist. Suddenly, the lyrics came through the speakers: “oh la la, la la la la la, life is a joke and death is a punchline.”

Not exactly the kind of lyric you’d expect to inspire a leadership philosophy. But for me, it does.

Because the truth is, life is fragile. It’s short. And often, it’s hard. That doesn’t depress me; it motivates me. Not to climb faster to the top, but to make the things I do every day more meaningful, more rewarding, for others as well as myself. Work is, by definition, hard. You’re being paid to solve problems. But that doesn’t mean it has to feel heavy. Leadership, at its best, is about making things lighter.

Creating space for people to play, to contribute, to disagree, to take risks. Encouraging boldness even when things don’t always go as planned.

It’s a mindset of being ‘always in beta’. Like a game: what am I going to learn this week? What risk am I going to take? What new craft can I build? Step by step, that approach leads to bolder work, more daring ideas and greater fulfillment.

Of course, you can’t just tell people to lead that way; you have to model it. That means asking the

RAPID FIRE

What the industry needs to talk more about: Neuroscience.

What the industry needs to talk less about: Self-evident truths.

What’s one thing about you that would surprise your team?

I stopped eating chocolate.

What mobile application can you not live without?

Google Maps.

What word / phrase do people remember you for using the most?

“What can we learn from this?”

What’s one local / regional tradition that you love the most?

The majlis culture.

If you could choose any two people, currently alive, in the world to share a meal with you, who would it be? Fincher and Tarantino.

“When you’re genuinely energised by what you’re doing, people want to be part of it.”

What’s your top word of advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha?

Do the hard things.

What’s your go-to comfort food? Chocolate (I was kidding earlier).

HIGHLIGHT OF THE LAST YEAR HOLDING COMPANIES

For me, I call that joyful leadership. I’ve learned a lot about it from marriage. This month, my husband and I celebrated twenty years since our first date. The foundation of those years has been trust. And in leadership, trust is equally underrated. It starts simply: showing up, being consistent, being there. You may not always have the answers, but your presence builds confidence.

From there, it’s about how you do things. Wholeheartedly. With care. With excitement. Because excitement is contagious. When you’re genuinely energised by what you’re doing, people want to be part of it. They don’t just go through the motions; they lean in.

Joyful leadership means lowering anxiety in the room. Using humour. Turning learning into an everyday habit instead of chasing perfection. Celebrating failures as much as successes.

questions you don’t know the answers to. Pu ing yourself in uncomfortable places. Taking risks that might stretch you thin. Growth is rarely comfortable, but it creates a virtuous cycle. The more you grow, the more motivated you feel, and the more you want to keep going.

To me, leadership isn’t about being perfect. It’s about imperfect people leading imperfect people, and choosing to do so with ambition, kindness and a smile.

At the heart of it, becoming a be er leader is inseparable from becoming a be er person, one day, one risk, one smile at a time.

What’s your favourite ad from the past 12 months? Jellycat social content is adorable.

This past year, my greatest pride has been building a team that feels both extraordinary and precious, each person bringing something unique. Together, we launched the second edition of Growth Club, introduced Lion X as our innovation program, accelerated AI experiences, and saw Publicis Groupe lead the industry in growth and retention.

HOLDING COMPANIES

NATHALIE GEVRESSE

TITLE: CEO, Publicis Communications UAE

YEARS IN THE ROLE: 3 years

YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: 29 years

YEARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION: 14 years

POWER ESSAY: THE BEAUTY, THE MONSTER AND THE BEAT.

Some music lyrics hit deeper than sound – some of them unforge able, sudden, and sharp, reshaping a new perspective. Turning simple lines or words into a catalyst for deeper questions.

“Look. If you had one shot. Or one opportunity. To seize everything you ever wanted...”

– Eminem, Lose Yourself.

AI today feels exactly like that. An open field at dawn: vast, uncharted, full of promises, relentless, unapologetic and risky. For marketing and creative agencies, it is a guerrilla field: fast, disruptive and unpredictable. It breaks barriers, accelerates ideas and rewrites the rules of speed and scale.

“I wanna be your slave, I wanna be your master. I wanna make your heartbeat run like a rollercoaster... ’Cause you can be a beauty, and I can be a monster.”

– Måneskin, I Wanna Be Your Slave.

True. AI is power, a monster adding fuel, testing faster, spo ing trends before they break, scaling personalisation like oxygen and unlocking endless possibilities. A symbiotic partner in human creativity where we shape what is next with vision, judgment, empathy, imagination and emotion. And that’s hybrid intelligence. So, will the monster eat the beauty?

“Things aren’t the way they were before, you wouldn’t even recognise me anymore”

– Linkin Park, In the End.

Countless apocalyptic articles, VIP quotes, or posts have declared the end of jobs destined to be eliminated by AI, along with our creative industry. It feels like a very old refrain. Today, even a CEO can be replaced. So what. The debate in the creative industry should be less about replacing jobs and more about redefining them at every level, in every department.

Will the current model of creative agency change? Absolutely, and it already has. Do we need to be scared? No. On the contrary, the real job, the essence of creativity has not changed. It is still about understanding people, their fears, their dreams, their contradictions and their emotions. It is still about partnering with brands. It is just the beginning of the next level.

And the narrative has clearly shifted. Once it was about adoption, now it is about selection: AI evolves faster than we breathe, and the exponential choice of tools becomes the challenge. Interesting times ahead.

“In the Funhouse, I can’t never tell what’s real...” – Mothica, Funhouse.

Here’s the reality: without ethics, it is chaos. Ownership, authenticity and responsibility cannot be afterthoughts; they must be the compass. In a world intoxicated by speed and virality, the ones who will thrive are those who balance experimentation with accountability. AI is not the enemy of creativity; it is its amplifier, provided we respect the boundaries that protect trust, culture, brands, clients and people.

RAPID FIRE

What the industry needs to talk more about: Responsibility, ownership and ethics.

What the industry needs to talk less about: Ego stroking.

If you could change one thing in the blink of an eye, you would ... Remove silos.

What’s one thing about you that would surprise your team?

My eclectic music taste.

What mobile application can you not live without?

YouTube.

What word / phrase do people remember you for using the most?

“Everything happens for a reason”.

What’s one local / regional tradition that you love the most?

Hospitality.

If you could choose any two people, currently alive, in the world to share a meal with you, who would it be?

My first-ever boss and my current boss.

What’s your top word of advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha?

Be curious and have ethics.

What’s your go-to comfort food? Porridge with maple syrup.

What’s your favourite ad from the past 12 months?

Visa’s ‘Cash Walla Visa’.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE LAST YEAR

The best achievement has been surrounding myself with exceptional talents and amazing teams, including recent joiners who are truly excellent. Seeing our talents thrive and grow after a few years together is the most rewarding aspect, far beyond KPIs, transformations, wins, or awards.

HOLDING COMPANIES

SALEH GHAZAL

TITLE: CEO, OMD MENA

YEARS IN THE ROLE: 3.5 years

YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: 18 years

YEARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION: Born and raised in Lebanon and worked 18 years in the GCC

OTHER ROLES / BOARD MEMBERSHIPS: IAB MENA Board member

HIGHLIGHT OF THE LAST YEAR

Successfully launched and built the Qatar office from the ground up, transforming it into a growing hub with a strong team and thriving client relationships.

RAPID FIRE

What the industry needs to talk more about: The importance of building a brand.

What the industry needs to talk less about: AI, when it is not used correctly.

If you could change one thing in the blink of an eye, you would … I don’t know where to start.

What’s one thing about you that would surprise your team?

I failed twice in school.

What mobile application can you not live without?

WhatsApp.

What word / phrase do people remember you for

using the most?

“I need to wake up at 5 am tomorrow.”

What’s one local / regional tradition that you love the most?

Ramadan.

If you could choose any two people, currently alive, in the world to share a meal with you, who would it be?

Elon Musk and Sam Altman.

What’s your top word of advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha?

Read and stay up to date.

What’s your go-to comfort food?

Shawarma.

What’s your favourite ad from the past 12 months? ‘Almaza’ (Lebanon).

POWER ESSAY: WHEN SPEED KILLS ORIGINALITY

I train for triathlons, and my last race was the Warsaw Ironman 70.3 in June. There’s one thing you learn early on: you can’t sprint an Ironman. If you go too fast, too early, you burn out before the finish line. You need to know when to push, when to pace and when to reset. You need patience. And above all, you need strategy.

I feel the same way about marketing today. In Dubai, across the region, and globally, we are running faster than ever. New tech, new platforms, new AI tools and new generations. Gen Z and even Gen Alpha are shaping consumption pa erns before most brands have figured out Millennials.

“ Let’s be honest, we’ve created a culture where marketers expect agencies to move at TikTok speed.”

We’ve officially entered an era of hyper-acceleration. The result? Marketers are in a constant race to do more, faster. And that obsession with urgency is quietly killing something essential: original thinking.

We’re creating more campaigns, more reports, more dashboards than ever before. But let’s be honest, we’ve also created a culture where marketers expect agencies to move at TikTok speed:

“By when do you want the plan? Yesterday.”

“We need the report by noon. But it’s 9 am. Yes, but it’s urgent.”

“This needs to go live now.”

Sound familiar?

Yes, we can deliver at that speed. And with AI adoption, we can do it even faster. But here’s the truth: creativity needs space. Craft takes time. Ideas need oxygen.

When we rush every brief, we kill the possibility of breakthrough thinking. Planners stop searching for the insights that set you apart. They start recycling templates. They ignore innovation. And that’s how we end up in a sea of sameness.

This is a call for marketers and for agencies. If you want to stand out, you need to slow down:

Stop treating every brief like a fire drill. Urgency is not a strategy. Give your teams and agencies space to think. One strong idea beats 50 rushed ones.

Reward distinctiveness, not speed. The brands that take their time to understand audiences and craft stories will win cultural relevance.

In endurance sports, discipline beats adrenaline. You don’t finish an Ironman by sprinting the first 10km. You finish by pacing smartly, thinking clearly and finding rhythm.

Marketing works the same way. If we keep pushing everything as urgent, we’ll keep ge ing forge able campaigns. But when we pause, think, and create with intent, we deliver work that resonates, work that earns a ention, and work that we’re proud of.

Because in a world obsessed with speed, depth is the real competitive advantage.

AHMAD HAIDAR

TITLE: Managing Director, dentsu KSA

YEARS IN THE ROLE: 6 years

YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: More than 20 years

YEARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION: More than 40 years

OTHER ROLES / BOARD MEMBERSHIPS: MMA KSA Board Member

POWER ESSAY: MARKETING WITHOUT A MAP IN SAUDI ARABIA

When I first moved to Saudi Arabia more than 20 years ago, the marketing landscape looked very different. Fewer channels, longer timelines, predictable campaigns – we could plan months ahead and still be confident about how audiences would respond. That certainty doesn’t exist anymore.

Saudi Arabia today is one of the most dynamic markets in the world – not because there’s a rulebook everyone is following, but because there isn’t one. In this environment, there are no fixed formulas, no guaranteed paths to success. Brands, agencies and platforms are testing, learning and adapting in real time – and that’s what makes the opportunity here so exciting. In Saudi Arabia, we’re drawing the map as we go.

Part of what makes this market unique is the pace of change. Decisions happen quickly; investments are bold; and audiences adopt new behaviours faster than almost anywhere else. With Vision 2030 accelerating diversification across entertainment, tourism, retail and technology, the scale of opportunity is huge. But speed creates its own pressure. Brands aren’t just competing within their category anymore; they’re competing with culture itself.

Audiences here are younger, more connected and more expressive than ever before. They expect brands to reflect their values, speak their language

“Brands aren’t just competing within their category anymore; they’re competing with culture.”

and earn their place in the moments that ma er to them. And they have more control than ever over what they watch, share and buy. I hear this from clients every day: the pressure to stay relevant is relentless, and decisions that once took months now happen in weeks, sometimes days, as brands fight to stay part of the cultural conversation.

Nowhere is this shift more visible than in Saudi Arabia’s growing sports, entertainment and cultural economy. From football and gaming to festivals, music and film, audiences are forming passionate communities around the things they love – and shaping conversations in real time. For brands, these spaces represent huge opportunities, but showing up isn’t enough. Success depends on participating authentically, creating partnerships, stories and experiences that audiences choose to engage with. Increasingly, marketing here is about turning culture into commerce – connecting passion to purchase in ways that feel natural, not forced.

In a market moving this quickly, success depends on how fast we can respond. It’s no longer about locking in plans months in advance – it’s about testing, learning and adapting in real time. That means working differently: bringing creative, media, data and partnerships together from the start to deliver ideas that live inside culture, not around it.  And the pace isn’t slowing down – if anything, it’s accelerating. For brands and agencies, the opportunity is clear: Stay close to audiences, move with them and create work that connects meaningfully in the moments that ma er most.

The brands and agencies willing to navigate uncharted territory, experiment boldly and adapt faster will define what marketing looks like for the next decade.

RAPID FIRE

What the industry needs to talk more about:

Building local talent, real culture.

What the industry needs to talk less about:

Empty metrics that don’t matter.

If you could change one thing in the blink of an eye, you would ...

Close the talent gap fast.

What’s one thing about you that would surprise your team?

Energetic outside work, always moving.

What mobile application can you not live without?

WhatsApp.

What word / phrase do people remember you for using the most?

“One team. One goal.”

What’s one local / regional tradition that you love the most?

Family gatherings.

If you could choose any two people, currently alive, in the world to share a meal with you, who would it be?

Too many to choose. Table’s full.

What’s your top word of advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha?

Be bold, stay curious.

What’s your go-to comfort food? Steak.

What’s your favourite ad from the past 12 months?  HungerStation X Fananees Ramadan campaign.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE LAST YEAR

Over the past year at dentsu KSA, we focused on developing our teams across all verticals and scaling capabilities. We launched dentsu Sports International, introduced our production unit TAG, and strengthened media, creative and CXM capabilities – delivering campaigns that are bold, culturally relevant and truly make a difference.

HOLDING COMPANIES

MAZEN JAWAD

TITLE: CEO, Horizon Holdings

YEARS IN THE ROLE: More than 3 years

YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: 31 years

YEARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION: 27 years

HIGHLIGHT OF THE LAST YEAR

We reopened our office in new Riyadh, in a new ‘foodytainment’ centre, in a new creative space, with a new lovely team, attracting new clients and partners and aiming for new aspirations towards a new Horizon.

RAPID FIRE

What the industry needs to talk more about: Ethical practices.

What the industry needs to talk less about: M&A.

If you could change one thing in the blink of an eye? I would erase injustice.

What’s one thing about you that would surprise your team? I know who comes late.

What mobile application can you not live without? Waze.

What word/phrase do people remember you for using the most? “You’re not alone.”

What’s one local/regional tradition that you love the most?

Respect.

If you could choose any two people, currently alive, in the world to share a meal with you, who would it be?

Rafic and Mary Saadeh.

What’s your top word of advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha?

Invest early and never stop.

What’s your go-to comfort food?

Chocolate … then more chocolate.

What’s your favourite ad from the past 12 months? ‘Caption with Intention’ by FCB Chicago.

POWER ESSAY: BRANDS ARE BUILT TO LAST IF WE LET THEM

In 1916, Albert Lasker worked with the California Fruit Growers Exchange to solve two problems: rising competition and an unusual bumper crop of oranges. His solution was to brand the growers’ association as Sunkist and to create an entirely new product, orange juice. Lasker didn’t just sell fruit; he reshaped behaviour, built a brand, and set new standards for modern marketing. More than a century later, Sunkist still exists.

The lesson here is simple but urgent: brands that are nurtured, protected, and guided by a consistent sense of purpose can endure. Yet in today’s

“When brands are treated as line items instead of living, breathing entities, they lose their meaning. And once that meaning is gone, so is the brand.”

marketplace, too many brands are disappearing. They’re casualties of short-term decision-making, relentless restructuring, and an over-reliance on numbers at the expense of meaning.

That’s because our industry is in danger of mistaking speed for progress. Buzzwords like AI, e-commerce and performance dominate our conversations. Content is churned out faster than ever. But in this rapidly changing landscape, where the demand for content is higher than ever, we must ask ourselves: are we building transactions, or are we building value that lasts?

Any of us can create a tactical campaign, but building a brand that transcends generations requires care. Apple doesn’t just sell gadgets; it sells innovation. Nike doesn’t just sell shoes; it sells motivation. Rolex doesn’t just sell watches; it

sells status. These brands endure because they stay true to their essence, even as they adapt to cultural and technological change.

The Middle East provides a powerful case study. Dubai itself has become a global brand, one that sells ambition. It isn’t defined by a single campaign or initiative, but by a consistent and carefully nurtured story of vision, growth and possibility. It’s proof that a brand built with purpose and discipline can scale beyond borders.

And all this is happening against a backdrop of economic uncertainty, where marketing budgets are more fraught than ever before. These changes and shifts in consumer spend understandably raise questions for clients and teams alike: What does it mean for local players? Will global upheaval erode regional identity, or will it underscore the importance of brands that feel rooted and real? Ultimately, which brands will reign supreme?

The answer, I believe, lies in continuity. A brand that is cared for, one with a clear purpose and a consistent promise, can survive volatility. But neglect breeds fragility. When brands are treated as line items instead of living, breathing entities, they lose their meaning. And once that meaning is gone, so is the brand.

While our job as marketers, communicators and creators is to spark a ention, it’s also to tend to brands as stewards, to balance relevance with consistency, to innovate without losing identity, and to ensure that what we build today will still ma er tomorrow. It’s a difficult time to be a client, so we need to act as a true partner, continuing to educate CMOs – and, more importantly, CEOs and CFOs – about the economic value of creativity. Because the brands that endure are the ones that invest. They go beyond generating immediate conversions and build consumer connections that last.

In a world where sameness scales faster than ever, endurance is the true measure of brand success.

HOLDING COMPANIES

BASSEL KAKISH

TITLE: Chief Executive Officer, Publicis Groupe Middle East & Turkey

YEARS IN THE ROLE: 4 years

YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: 23 years

POWER ESSAY: 10 THINGS WE CAN LEARN FROM IRON MAN

Why talent is Tony Stark, AI is the suit, and together they’re unstoppable.

Every era of progress has a defining breakthrough. The steam engine fuelled commerce. Electricity rewired societies. AI is doing the same today at a speed and scale unlike anything before. I don’t see disruption; I see enablement. AI is advanced intelligence, not artificial. It is here, like electricity was here, shaping everything, whether we are ready or not.

But there is an even simpler way to explain it: Iron Man.

In the films, Tony Stark’s genius and imagination meet cu ing-edge technology. The result isn’t just a machine, it’s a superhero. That is how I see the relationship between talents and AI.

Here are ten lessons from Iron Man that shape how I think about talents and AI:

1. The superhero only exists when Tony wears the suit.

The Iron Man suit alone is just technology. Tony Stark alone is just a man. Only when the two come together do you get the real superhero. The same is true for us: AI on its own is powerful, but it needs a driver. Talents give it direction, conscience and creativity. That is when real transformation begins.

2. Talents come first.

Tony Stark’s instinct drives the suit. Likewise, our talents, not the technology, make the difference.

3. Keep upgrading.

Tony’s suits evolved from the clunky Mark I to nanotech in Infinity War. AI has advanced just as fast. Our responsibility is to keep upgrading our talents, so they evolve with it. That is why learning and development must be continuous, embedded into the P&L, with investment in both technical expertise and human skills like empathy and adaptability.

4. Resilience turns setbacks into strength. Every time the suit fails, Tony rebuilds it stronger. Mistakes are not failures; they are recalibrations.

5. Collaboration creates the Power of One.

Iron Man is formidable alone but unstoppable with the Avengers. The same applies to us. By breaking down silos and uniting creativity, data, media and technology, we deliver impact greater than the sum of its parts.

“No silo, no solo, no bozo”. That is the Power of One in action.

6. Ethics define the mission.

Tony Stark’s arc was about purpose, moving from weapons to saving lives. AI must also be guided by human empathy, ethics and cultural intelligence.

7. Curiosity is the real superpower.

Tony is always tinkering, questioning, pushing boundaries. That same curiosity is what our talents need to thrive with AI.

8. Diverse skills win ba les.

Tony is not just an engineer. He is a strategist, innovator and collaborator. The future of talents demands the same mix: technical fluency, creativity and emotional intelligence.

9. Culture is the Arc Reactor.

The Arc Reactor powers the suit. In our world, culture is the core. It fuels creativity, inclusion and performance. Without it, nothing else sustains.

10. The next chapter is still being wri en.

The next chapter is still being wri en. Tony Stark kept evolving his suits, and Marvel keeps evolving their universe. In our world, AI will keep advancing, but talents remain at the centre. The challenge is not only to keep pace, but to set it.

As leaders, our role is not only to build be er suits, but to empower the Tony Starks in our organisations. That means giving talents the curiosity, confidence, resources and infrastructure they need to thrive. The future will not be wri en by technology alone. It will be wri en by people bold enough to step into the suit. And that is when we unlock Iron Man-level transformation.

RAPID FIRE

What the industry needs to talk more about: Talent enablement.

What the industry needs to talk less about:

“Will AI replace talent?”

If you could change one thing in the blink of an eye, you would ...

Inequality.

What’s one thing about you that would surprise your team?

My DJ-ing skills.

What mobile application can you not live without?

WhatsApp.

What word / phrase do people remember you for using the most?

“Do. Or do not. There is no try.”

– Yoda

What’s one local / regional tradition that you love the most?

Ramadan.

If you could choose any two people, currently alive, in the world to share a meal with you, who would it be?

Warren Buffett and Elon Musk.

What’s your top word of advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha?

Be brave enough to make mistakes.

What’s your go-to comfort food? Mansaf.

What’s your favourite ad from the past 12 months?

Publicis Groupe’s ‘The Wishzels’ feat. Snoop Dogg.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE LAST YEAR

Seeing talents thrive, client successes and some big strategic wins, and continuing to fulfil our promise as a talent-first organisation.

GHASSAN KASSABJI

TITLE: CEO, Impact BBDO Dubai; Chief Growth Officer MENA, Impact BBDO Group

YEARS IN THE ROLE: 2 years

YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: 25 years

YEARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION: 31 years

OTHER ROLES / BOARD MEMBERSHIPS: Chief Growth Officer MENA, Impact BBDO Group

POWER ESSAY: AI WILL REPLACE THE UNREMARKABLE

Why creativity is now the only true moat in an age where technology can replicate everything else.

By the time this article is published, I will have wri en over thirty editions of The Bold Play, my weekly newsle er on how bold ideas, creative thinking and cultural insight drive business outcomes. Its message is consistent: creativity is not a department. It is a competitive advantage. And in a world increasingly shaped by AI, that advantage has never ma ered more.

Generative AI can now produce headlines, logos, scripts and even entire campaign frameworks in seconds. We are living in an age of creative abundance. But not all abundance creates value. The rise of AI has made one thing clear. Anything average can, and likely will, be automated.

So, what remains irreplaceable? The remarkable, the bold, the big ideas that move the world.

For years, the industry has chased speed, efficiency and scale. Those qualities now belong to the machines. What brands and agencies need to protect is the one asset technology cannot replicate: original thinking powered by emotional intelligence and human insight. Not just ideas built on data, but ideas that shape culture.

creativity must remain at the centre. AI should support the work, not replace the people behind it.

Generative tools will flood the market with content. What they will not flood it with is meaning. The value of work that connects, provokes, builds trust, or earns emotion is rising. The ideas that stand out today are not the most polished. They are the most resonant.

The brands that will lead are not the ones that use AI the most. They are the ones that show up with clarity, courage and creative distinctiveness. This is not about prompt engineering. It is about imagination. This is not about replication. It is about relevance.

“What brands and agencies need to protect is the one asset technology cannot replicate: original thinking.”

The Middle East is well-positioned to lead this shift. The region has shown the world what ambition looks like. We are producing ideas at a global level, campaigns that travel, and creative ecosystems that are no longer playing catch-up. To maintain this momentum, human

AI is a powerful tool. It can be the brush, and it can help mix the colours. However, it still requires an artist to select the message, the moment and the medium.

For marketers, this means asking sharper questions. Instead of chasing faster outputs, ask what only your brand can say and how to say it in a way that moves people. For agencies, it means protecting creative culture and backing the kind of minds that see what others miss.

AI will replace the unremarkable. It will make the average easier to produce. But it will also make the truly original more valuable than ever. To future-proof your brand, invest in what machines cannot create. Support real ideas. Trust the human instinct behind them. Choose the work that earns its place.

RAPID FIRE

What the industry needs to talk more about:

Compensating ideas and impact, not hours.

What the industry needs to talk less about:

AI as the whole answer.

If you could change one thing in the blink of an eye, you would ...

Free creativity from ROI obsession.

What’s one thing about you that would surprise your team?

I’ve always loved gaming.

What mobile application can you not live without?

WhatsApp (even my screen time agrees).

What word or phrase do people remember you for using the most?

“Bold.”

What’s one local or regional tradition that you love the most?

The way we gather as family. It says everything about our values.

If you could choose any two people, currently alive, in the world to share a meal with you, who would it be?

Elon Musk and the Dalai Lama. One reshapes the future. The other reminds us to be present.

What’s your top word of advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha? Don’t mistake speed for progress. Patience builds what shortcuts can’t.

What’s your go-to comfort food?

Spicy Tuna Sandwich from Joe & The Juice. Not a plug. Just a personal taste.

What’s your favourite ad from the past 12 months? ‘PromptZero’, our campaign for The Earth Public Information Collaborative (EPIC).

HIGHLIGHT OF THE LAST YEAR

Delivered double-digit profit growth; structured a new agency offering in the form of a marketing project management office to orchestrate large-scale integrated Omnicom solutions; successfully defended Sadia as incumbent; and secured major new business wins. Sustained Impact BBDO Dubai’s creative legacy while authoring The Bold Play, a thought-leadership platform built to mentor the next generation of marketing leaders and challenge today’s C-suite to back brave ideas.

GHASSAN MARAQA

TITLE: CEO – MENA, Memac Ogilvy

YEARS IN THE ROLE: 2 years

YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: Entire career of more than 30 years

YEARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION: More than 30 years

POWER ESSAY: TALENT, TECH AND REGIONAL TRANSFORMATION – MENA’S ‘POWER OF THREE’

The Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) is home to some of the world’s most exceptional talent in media and communications. This is proven time and again at the global and regional awards, where our accomplished creatives and talented youngsters walk away with top honours.

It is truly an amazing time to be in MENA as we stand at the intersection of technological innovation, generational transformation and unprecedented regional growth – a powerful triad that fuels our ambition and shapes our future.

From Saudi Vision 2030 to the UAE’s digital economy ambitions and the startup boom across the region, MENA is writing a new narrative.

Yet, today, the regional industry stands at a critical crossroads, not because of how we, as an industry, and our clients are reacting to the phenomenal changes that are redefining the way we work, but because many have embraced the status quo.

As digital transformation accelerates and new technologies emerge, we need to ask a fundamental question: Are we ready for a reboot? A total reignition of our creative engines with talent and tech at its core? This question has stared us in the face for years, but many conveniently choose to evade it.

Today, tried-and-tested creative approaches and communications playbooks are passé. We need a bold new mindset that embraces new rules while maintaining a human-first outlook.

That is why I advocate for total cultural transformation, whereby our talents can unlock their fullest potential while embracing the limitless opportunities of our rapidly evolving region.

Today, what once required 1000 Google searches and countless dipstick surveys can be gathered quickly with intelligent prompts, seamlessly streamlining research into customer behaviours and communications landscapes.

But what will shine through is the power of the human mind. Whether leveraging new technologies or creating culturally resonant campaigns, you need brilliant minds that understand the nuances and complexities of the region.

When human creativity meets technological possibility and regional opportunity, it unlocks pure magic – great work, genuine impact and delighted clients.

It is in this spirit that WPP’s CEO Cindy Rose, in her first town hall, spoke about the industry needing to “level up our skills and become AI superusers” to delight clients “with cu ing-edge innovation, creativity and business outcomes”.

The triple imperative of being ‘people-first’, ‘harnessing AI’ and ‘winning for clients’ is the new mantra for the industry – one that is nonnegotiable for our industry to thrive in the transformation era.

Finally, as our industry pursues growth, we must also be mindful that ‘growth’ is not just about ‘market share’. It is about relevance – about being trusted partners to our clients to support them achieve their goals through cut-through strategy, integrated solutions and borderless creativity. When they win, we win. Period.

I am confident that our talent, the momentum of regional transformation and a commitment to client impact will catalyse this era into the golden age for communications.

RAPID FIRE

What the industry needs to talk more about:

Human creativity in the AI era.

What the industry needs to talk less about: AI replacing talent.

If you could change one thing in the blink of an eye, you would ...

Bring the industry together.

What’s one thing about you that would surprise your team?

Love for chocolate and sweets.

What mobile application can you not live without?

Gaming apps and WhatsApp.

What word / phrase do people remember you for using the most?

“Borderless creativity.”

What’s one local / regional tradition that you love the most?

Ramadan vibes.

If you could choose any two people, currently alive, in the world to share a meal with you, who would it be?

Geoffrey Hinton and Andrew Ng, the AI wizards.

What’s your top word of advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha?

Master AI, stay human.

What’s your go-to comfort food? Pizza.

What’s your favourite ad from the past 12 months? Al-Futtaim Trading Enterprises’ ‘Honda Delivers’.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE LAST YEAR

Memac Ogilvy achieved a remarkable turnaround, winning large global and regional accounts. Headcount grew more than 25 per cent, network employee satisfaction showed best improvement in EMEA, and client satisfaction scores reached record regional highs. This came through expanding the integrated ecosystem powered by ‘borderless creativity’ across PR, influence, advertising, health and experience.

HOLDING COMPANIES

ELIE MILAN

DESIGNATION: Chief Performance Officer, Publicis Media Middle East

YEARS IN THE ROLE: 2 years

YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: 13 years

YEARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION: 13 years

OTHER ROLES / BOARD MEMBERSHIPS: IAB MENA Board Member

POWER ESSAY: LEADING CHANGE THE HUMAN WAY

Well, the good thing is that this article is not about AI, but in a way it is. The seismic shifts in today’s business ecosystem have forced agencies to connect or die. However, the creative and fast-paced nature of agency work can present unique challenges, particularly in overcoming the resistance to change. Effectively leading change is not about dictating new rules, rolling out new tech or AI solutions, but about empowering teams and transforming resistance into a collaborative journey towards a shared vision.

At the heart of successful change leadership lies transparent and empathetic communication. As leaders, we must move beyond simply announcing a change and encouraging adoption and instead articulate the compelling why behind it. Our teams are deeply invested in their work and know how to do it very well; therefore, they need to understand the strategic rationale behind how any disruption will ultimately benefit the agency, its clients and their own career growth. Instead of issuing directives from the top, we should foster a two-way dialogue, actively listening to concerns, validating anxieties and addressing fears head-on. This means moving from one-sided presentations to open forums and one-on-one conversations where genuine questions are welcomed and answered honestly.

To further mitigate resistance, we are be er off involving willing talent in the change process from the very beginning; they are often be er

equipped to navigate change. This isn’t about token gestures; it’s about genuine participation. Professionals thrive on having a sense of ownership, and when they are included in designing the new processes or strategies, they are far more likely to embrace them. As leaders, we should identify and empower ‘change champions’ from within different parts of the organisation to help lead the charge and influence their peers. This coalition of influential voices, supported by leadership, can make the initiative feel like a collective effort rather than a management mandate. This approach not only fosters a sense of psychological safety but also enriches the change plan with diverse, on-theground insights.

Change can be a frustrating and anxietyinducing experience, particularly when it involves new technology or shifts in established workflows. It is critical to invest in robust training and upskilling programmes to equip our talent with the tools they need to succeed and drive incremental value in this new environment. Equally important is creating momentum by recognising and celebrating short-term wins along the way. In a dynamic industry that thrives on fame and validation, acknowledging milestones and individual contributions boosts morale and reinforces the positive direction of the change. This continuous reinforcement embeds the new practices into the agency’s culture, making them the new normal rather than a temporary disruption and replacing uncertainty with innovation.

RAPID FIRE

What the industry needs to talk more about: Business results.

What the industry needs to talk less about: Everything else.

If you could change one thing in the blink of an eye, you would … Make sure every child could grow up safe, free and protected.

What mobile application can you not live without?

Shared family calendar.

What word / phrase do people remember you for using the most?

“Thank you.”

What’s one local / regional tradition that you love the most?

Christmas morning.

If you could choose any two people, currently alive, in the world to share a meal with you, who would it be?

Michael Jordan and Jensen Huang.

What’s your top word of advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha?

Keep learning, stay adaptable, and hold on to kindness.

What’s your go-to comfort food? Pizza.

What’s your favourite ad from the past 12 months?

‘Cash Walla Visa’.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE LAST YEAR

Leading a successful restructure of our performance organisation to best position Publicis to meet future market demands and deliver true transformation for our clients. Our strategic vision has resulted in enhanced operational workflows, agility and client focus.

HOLDING COMPANIES

DANY NAAMAN

TITLE: CEO, Havas Middle East

YEARS IN THE ROLE: 7 years

YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: 32 years

YEARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION: 53 years

OTHER ROLES / BOARD MEMBERSHIPS: IAA Board

POWER ESSAY: RAISE THE FLOOR, RAISE THE WORK

Our industry was built on competition. It keeps us sharp; it pushes ideas forward; it makes the work be er. But somewhere along the way, the race changed. We began competing on how li le we could charge and how much we could cram in, rather than on the outcomes we create. We feel it in every pitch, every scope, every late-night sprint. We are winning the brief, while quietly losing the capacity to deliver what the brief deserves.

This ma ers even more in the Middle East. The region is not just scaling budgets, it is building the next wave of advertising infrastructure, talent, measurement and media quality. Saudi Arabia’s transformation, the velocity of retail media and the rise of new platforms are not abstractions; they are the operating system of our work. Local campaigns are shining on global stages, and regional power brands are se ing templates others now study. If we underprice this system while we build it, we limit its potential. You cannot ask for sophistication in data, strategy and creativity, then remove the oxygen that funds it.

Efficiency is not the villain. It is a discipline we need. But efficiency without a floor becomes erosion. It erodes time for thinking and craft. It erodes media quality when owners are forced to trade value for volume. It erodes teams, who leave or burn out, taking capability with them. Cheap becomes expensive when it degrades the very inputs that drive effectiveness. And yet, too often, we are still chasing short-term media efficiencies, the

kind that look good on spreadsheets but rarely work in the real world.

What we need is not more rhetoric about ambition, but a collective shift in what we reward. Winning should mean creating work that grows businesses, builds brands people care about and makes cultural impact. It should mean investing in the sophistication of

“Cheap becomes expensive when it degrades the very inputs that drive e ectiveness.”

talent, tools and supporting the wider media ecosystem, through our partners, that allows us to deliver outcomes with lasting value.

The stakes are bigger than any one agency or client. This region has the opportunity to move from being seen as a fast-growth market to being respected as a global benchmark, a place where advertising proves it can fuel both culture and commerce. But to get there, we need to resist the temptation to measure ourselves only by the easiest numbers.

We can still compete hard. Let us compete on outcomes, not on erosion.

Raise the floor, raise the work.

RAPID FIRE

What the industry needs to talk more about: Impact and outcomes.

What the industry needs to talk less about: AI hype.

If you could change one thing in the blink of an eye, you would...

Shift every conversation to outcomes.

What’s one thing about you that would surprise your team?

I cook.

What mobile application can you not live without?

None.

What word / phrase do people remember you for using the most?

“Truth always rises to the top.”

What’s one local / regional tradition that you love the most?

Outdoor gatherings when the heat drops with friends and family.

If you could choose any two people, currently alive, in the world to share a meal with you, who would it be?

Giorgia Meloni and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

What’s your top word of advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha?

Don’t try to impress, try to make a difference.

What’s your go-to comfort food? Pasta.

What’s your favourite ad from the past 12 months? Calm’s ‘Silent Ad’.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE LAST YEAR

This year’s highlight has been the strong momentum we’ve built across the region. Not only in the UAE, but also in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Oman. What made it possible is the one-team spirit across the Havas Middle East Village, uniting people beyond geography and discipline.

CARLOS NADAL

TITLE: Managing Director, Havas Creative UAE

YEARS IN THE ROLE: <1 year

YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: More than 20 years

YEARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION: 16 years

OTHER ROLES / BOARD MEMBERSHIPS: Former SVP of Growth, Havas Middle East; Leadership across new business, village integration and transformation projects

POWER ESSAY: FROM GATEKEEPERS TO ORCHESTRATORS – THE NEW CREATIVE AGENCY PLAYBOOK

Creative agencies are stuck in the wrong role. For decades, they acted as the gatekeepers of creativity, deciding what got made, who got heard, and how ideas reached the world. But culture doesn’t work that way anymore. The most powerful ideas are born in collaboration: with clients who bring business truth; creators who bring cultural credibility; and communities who bring immediacy and scale. Agencies that hold on to the gatekeeper role risk designing for juries, not audiences. Those that thrive will learn to orchestrate, not to guard.

This is the trust gap clients feel today. Agencies promise collaboration but hold onto hierarchies. They talk about agility but deliver theatre. They celebrate culture but participate from the sidelines. Clients aren’t asking for more over-engineered decks or award-bait campaigns; they’re asking for ideas that are faster, sharper and built with them, not for them.

Co-creation is not a buzzword. It’s an operating system.

Agencies must become orchestrators: curating the right mix of voices and disciplines; designing the stage for collaboration; and scaling co-creation into a competitive advantage. This demands humility, openness and a willingness to let go of control in order to build relevance.

But orchestration can’t happen in a vacuum. It needs two conditions to thrive.

First, financial health.

Over-servicing and under-pricing don’t fuel collaboration, they kill it. Fragile agencies can’t invest in the tools, people, or partnerships required for co-creation. Stability is not a constraint on creativity; it is what gives teams the energy and space to build it.

“Clients aren’t asking for more over-engineered decks or award-bait campaigns; they’re asking for ideas that are faster, sharper and built with them, not for them.”

Second, commercial flexibility.

Rigid structures make co-creation impossible. Orchestration requires fluid teams, modular offerings and adaptive partnerships. Agencies must be able to scale up or down quickly, shift models mid-brief, and experiment with new ways of working. Flexibility isn’t a concession to clients; it’s the resilience that keeps creativity alive in disruption.

Together, these shifts form a new playbook for creative agencies: orchestrate creativity, protect the conditions for it, and build the structures that make it scalable.

In a world where AI can generate outputs in seconds, the value of agencies won’t be measured by how quickly they produce but by how well they orchestrate – blending talent, culture and craft into ideas that resonate. The agencies that survive won’t be those guarding gates or chasing validation, but those that clients trust to orchestrate ideas with speed, credibility and impact. That is the new creative playbook.

RAPID FIRE

What the industry needs to talk more about: Credibility and trust.

What the industry needs to talk less about: Awards obsession.

If you could change one thing in the blink of an eye, you would …

Have clients and agencies trade roles for a week.

What’s one thing about you that would surprise your team?

My passion for sports and health.

What mobile application can you not live without? Pinterest.

What word / phrase do people remember you for using the most?

“Let’s be pragmatic.”

What’s one local / regional tradition that you love the most?

Being welcomed with dates and Arabic coffee, a simple but meaningful gesture of hospitality.

If you could choose any two people, currently alive, in the world to share a meal with you, who would it be? Jose Andres, Chef and founder of World Central Kitchen, and Rafa Nadal.

What’s your top word of advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha?

Nothing comes for free.

What’s your go-to comfort food? Bread.

What’s your favourite ad from the past 12 months? ‘The Wait’ by Heinz.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE LAST YEAR

As SVP of Growth, I helped drive Havas Middle East’s Village integration, strengthening collaboration across creative, media, PR and content. This approach unlocked new business momentum, securing high-profile wins and deepening client partnerships, while proving that integrated, client-centric models can deliver both commercial growth and creative credibility.

HOLDING COMPANIES

REHAM NADER MUFLEH

TITLE: Managing Director, Horizon FCB YEARS IN THE ROLE: 4 years YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: More than 21 years YEARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION: Entire lifetime

POWER ESSAY: NEWTON’S THIRD LAW

It’s in our human nature to be creatures of habit. We naturally gravitate toward what’s familiar because it makes us feel safe and in control. We tend to behave in ways we know will lead to predictable results, mainly because it helps us avoid surprises or any outcomes that could be uncomfortable or disappointing. It’s easier to stick with routines or tried-and-true methods because the risk of the unknown can be unse ling.

It is also in our human nature to want greatness; we thrive on recognition and need to ma er, grow and leave some kind of mark. Deep down, humans seem wired to seek meaning and impact while most of us do feel a pull to become more than we are.

In advertising as well, this same instinct plays out. We often tend to lean towards safe, proven ideas because we naturally want to avoid the risk of a campaign that flops or doesn’t deliver the expected results. Who doesn’t?

Many clients are hesitant to try something untested or bold because they worry about wasting money or damaging their brand reputation. Which is completely understood. Clients also have bosses they report to, they have families they are responsible for and they have reputations they want to protect.

Agencies, as well, in turn, might stick to familiar work or strategies that have worked before. We have targets to meet, clients to please and also families whose lives are very much dependent on us.

But would ‘safe and expected’ achieve great, leave a mark, create an impact? Would it turn our respected reputation to a legacy and our targets to big fat bonus cheques?

The answer is obviously no. While this approach can lead to consistent results, it can also prevent us from exploring new, innovative ideas that could truly earn that ‘greatness’ that we all want in some shape or form.

We always say that if we want to see change or want to make change, we have to be the change. As cliché and as obvious as this sounds, it is also so true.

If we continue doing the same thing over and over again, it’s only normal that we will also get similar results every time. It is literally the definition of insanity to think otherwise.

And this is not an invitation for a revolution against our usual tactical campaigns that generate leads, engagement, views, click-throughs, or whatever that KPI is. Greatness in advertising can’t be achieved with amazing creativity that doesn’t generate an economic multiplier. It is when our work creates a strong connection with the brand and a ains business results simultaneously.

One of the oldest laws we all studied in school is Newton’s third law that explains how it is for every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction. In advertising, you can think of it the same way: when a brand puts out a message or campaign, the consumer will respond. Just like in physics, the response is tied to the force and direction of the original action – strong, authentic and creates engagement, or weak, misleading and almost unnoticeable?

So, this is an invite to be brave together, take calculated risks, push boundaries, dare to surprise and get out of our comfort zone from time to time. Then and only then, we will see a different reaction, set our brand apart, turn a good campaign into a legendary one, reach the outcome that we all want, the one we all thrive to achieve. Greatness.

RAPID FIRE

What the industry needs to talk more about: AI. How to integrate it for augmentation and not resist it in denial.

What the industry needs to talk less about: AI. It’s a reality of our present, not a choice anymore.

If you could change one thing in the blink of an eye, you would ...

The injustice in the world that we are witnessing in 4K.

What’s one thing about you that would surprise your team?

I actually have a life outside the office, and yes, I do sleep.

What mobile application can you not live without?

FB Messenger. Because it keeps me connected with my mother in Jordan.

What word / phrase do people remember you for using the most?

“We are very excited” (to our clients).

“Hello beautiful people” (to our people).

What’s one local / regional tradition that you love the most?

I love all our local traditions; we are so rich. But mostly respecting our elderly.

If you could choose any two people, currently alive, in the world to share a meal with you, who would it be?

My mother and Samih Sawiris.

What’s your top word of advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha?

Honestly? I feel they are the ones who should give us advice.

What’s your go-to comfort food? Pizza.

What’s your favourite ad from the past 12 months?

An ad that hasn’t been aired yet, but is coming very soon, which we worked on with Visa.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE LAST YEAR

Growing our relationships with our existing clients, which led to our biggest organic growth ever in 2025.

HOLDING COMPANIES

WISSAM NAJJAR

TITLE: Chief Operating Officer, Omnicom Media Group MENA YEARS IN THE ROLE: 4 years

YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: 24 years YEARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION: Born and raised OTHER ROLES / BOARD MEMBERSHIPS: Board Member, ABG UAE

POWER ESSAY: SOFT POWER, HARD ECONOMICS – MEDIA AS A NATIONAL GROWTH ENGINE

Advertising has moved far beyond boardrooms and brand managers. Marketing has become an instrument of government. Officials are realising what global brands always knew: narratives shape behaviour; perceptions drive decisions; and media investment yields returns.

Nations now operate with the discipline of corporate brands. They define their promise, highlight their uniqueness, and compete for global a ention as companies ba le for market share. The dividends are tangible: rising tourist arrivals, foreign direct investment, expanded trade flows, job creation and growth in non-oil exports, all of which feed directly into GDP.

This transformation is most evident in MENA. Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 has made promotion a central pillar of diversification, turning NEOM, AlUla and Riyadh Season into cultural and lifestyle destinations as well as infrastructure projects. Qatar has done more than host the World Cup; it has reshaped its global image through sports diplomacy and culture, weaving art, architecture, heritage and creative expression into its soft power narrative. The UAE has mastered the art of persistence, using media not only to present itself as a hub for business, trade and modernity but also as a centre of tourism, culture and innovation.

These initiatives are not mere advertising campaigns; they are national strategies, delivered with the persuasion of marketing and the weight of policy. For agencies, the stakes have never been higher. Media is no longer about awareness; it is about building nations. Our responsibility has expanded beyond storytelling to statecraft: a racting investment, drawing talent and enabling diversification. That requires fluency in both the language of creativity and the language of economics, GDP impact, competitiveness rankings and long-term reputation.

“The stakes have never been higher. Media is no longer about awareness; it is about building nations.”

The industry itself is undergoing a sea change. Agencies are evolving from campaign assemblers into agents of change. This means investing in data that demonstrates economic impact, cultivating relationships with tourism boards, sovereign funds, ministries, and developing talent able to bridge culture, commerce and diplomacy. Even media buying has shifted. It is no longer transactional but a ma er of strategic a ention allocation, much like a central bank deploying capital.

The implications for businesses are significant. Collaborating with government branding initiatives is no longer about corporate social responsibility or reputation management; it is a growth strategy. Companies that understand the mechanics of national advertising align with host-country ambitions and become participants in economic transformation, not spectators. Governments, in turn, reap dividends beyond visibility: tourism revenues, business inflows and capital investment.

MENA stands at the centre of this new reality. With its young demographics, urgent diversification needs and ambitious development plans, the region cannot afford gradualism. Here, advertising is not auxiliary; it is fundamental to nation-building. Campaigns in Riyadh, Doha and Dubai are no longer just creative exercises; they are wagers on competitiveness and influence. The challenge for our business is clear: to move beyond impressions and ratings and embrace our role as partners in shaping economic futures.

RAPID FIRE

What the industry needs to talk more about:

The courage to say “no”.

What the industry needs to talk less about:

The death of TV myth. TV continues to evolve and deliver scale.

If you could change one thing in the blink of an eye, you would …

The costly cycle of procurement engagements that drain billions of talent hours and replace it with transparent negotiations anchored in trust and shared growth.

What’s one thing about you that would surprise your team?

I value the lessons in failure over the comfort of success.

What mobile application can you not live without?

My friends’ group chat on WhatsApp, the one place I never filter myself.

What word / phrase do people remember you for using the most?

“Straight to the point.”

What’s one local / regional tradition that you love the most?

The habit of “Ahlan Wa Sahlan”.

If you could choose any two people, currently alive, in the world to share a meal with you, who would it be?

Michael Jordan and Banksy (if he chose to be known). One mastered presence, the other absence.

What’s your top word of advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha?

The best ROI you’ll ever get is on yourself.

What’s your go-to comfort food?  Comfort is whatever mum cooks.

What’s your favourite ad from the past 12 months? Beirut Beer’s ‘So What, but an Engineer’.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE LAST YEAR

As COO of Omnicom MENA, operations were integrated regionally, the AI agenda advanced, and governance strengthened to drive efficiency, transparency and accountability. The network pushed into CTV and programmatic OOH while scaling the Beirut offshoring hub into a centre of excellence, positioning for innovation, resilience and sustained growth.

HOLDING COMPANIES

REDA RAAD

TITLE: Group CEO, TBWA\RAAD

YEARS IN THE ROLE: 10 years

YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: 30 years

YEARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION: 30 years

OTHER ROLES / BOARD MEMBERSHIPS: Chairman of the Syracuse University MENA Alumni Board. Chapter Chair, Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) Emirates Chapter. Executive Commi ee Board of Directors of the International Advertising Association UAE Chapter.

Reda’s visionary leadership earned him global recognition, including being named to Campaign UK’s prestigious 40 Over 40 list and the Arabian Business Dubai 100. HIGHLIGHT OF THE LAST YEAR

RAPID FIRE

What the industry needs to talk more about: Long-term value over short-term hype.

What the industry needs to talk less about: “AI will replace us”. It won’t replace imagination.

If you could change one thing in the blink of an eye, you would ...  Cut the endless meetings.

What’s one thing about you that would surprise your team?

I’m a better padel player than all of them.

What mobile application can you not live without? WhatsApp.

What word / phrase do people remember you for using the most?

“The power of the big idea.”

What’s one local / regional tradition that you love the most?

Ramadan gatherings that bring everyone together.

If you could choose any two people, currently alive, in the world to share a meal with you, who would it be?

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, twice.

What’s your top word of advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha?

Learn to unplug, creativity lives offline.

What’s your go-to comfort food? Grilled cheese sandwich.

POWER ESSAY: FROM THE BACKYARD TO THE GLOBAL STAGE: 25 LESSONS FROM 25 YEARS OF DISRUPTION®

25 years ago, four dreamers sat around a backyard table in Dubai with nothing but ambition, restlessness, and an idea called Disruption®. From that small beginning, TBWA\RAAD grew into one of the most influential creative agencies in the region, home to more than 1,000 people across MENA, and today is named the Best Place to Work in the World.

Our journey has mirrored the transformation of the Middle East itself: bold, fast, ambitious and unapologetically disruptive. We’ve made mistakes, taken risks and kept moving forward. Along the way, we’ve gathered lessons that continue to guide us. Lessons that are as relevant to future leaders and CMOs as they are to us.

Here are 25 lessons from 25 years of Disruption®:

1. Start scrappy. Four dreamers in a Dubai backyard can build a global creative powerhouse.

2. Dream as big as your city. Dubai taught us that audacity is a strategy.

3. Build on the region’s pride. Creativity here doesn’t just sell; it redefines how the world sees us.

4. Bet on the “impossible” brief. Highway Gallery was once a crazy thought. Today, it’s a case study.

5. Make failure your tuition. Every misstep funds your next breakthrough.

6. Reset ruthlessly. When the game shifts, start fresh without fear.

7. Stay restless. Arrival is an illusion. Keep disrupting or get disrupted.

8. Curiosity compounds. The leaders who ask the most questions see the farthest ahead.

9. Let go to grow. Progress means hard choices: about processes, structures, even people.

10 Anchor in values, not trends. Culture changes, but integrity endures.

11. Creativity is MENA’s new export. From Louvre Abu Dhabi to KFC’s gaming culture, ideas from here travel everywhere.

12. Be a cultural translator. The strongest campaigns are rooted in local nuance but understood globally.

13. People are the product. Creativity doesn’t live in decks or tech; it lives in talent. Protect it.

14. Build an industry you’d want your kids to join. Wellbeing, purpose, and creativity must make this a career worth inheriting.

15. Earn the seat at the table. From service providers to strategic partners, we belong in boardrooms.

16. Use tech as a tool, not a crutch. AI amplifies judgment; it doesn’t replace creativity.

17. Speed beats size. Agility outperforms bureaucracy every time.

18. Reject mediocrity. Comfort zones kill originality; stay underdog hungry.

19. Creativity in crisis. When the world shut down in 2020, we didn’t. We reinvented and came back stronger.

20. Be where culture lives. Whether in gaming, music, or street food, meet people where they play.

21. Shift from KPIs to impact. Awards ma er less than moving markets, shifting perception, and shaping futures.

22. Mentor forward. True success is measured in how many voices you elevate, not just campaigns you win.

23. Local craft is global currency. Detail, design, and authenticity travel be er than imitation.

24. Protect the industry you love. It’s on us to keep it exciting, relevant, and forward-looking, so the next generation wants in.

25. Dare the brave thing. Playing safe is the riskiest strategy of all.

These lessons aren’t just about TBWA\RAAD, they’re about the industry we all share. Advertising has the power to shape culture, accelerate progress, and redefine how the world sees a region. But only if we protect it, invest in it, and keep it exciting for those who come after us.

The last 25 years prove what’s possible when you believe in Disruption®. The next 25 demand it. So, the question is: what will your Disruption® be?

DANI RICHA

TITLE: Group Chairman and CEO Impact BBDO Intl. NUMBER OF YEARS IN ROLE: 15 years

YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: 37 years

YEARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION: 37 years OTHER TITLES, BOARD MEMBERSHIPS: Director Omnicom Europe Limited; Director, BBDO Worldwide; Non-Executive Chairman, OMG MENA; Chairman and CEO: Impact Porter Novelli, FleishmanHillard ME, Impact Proximity, DDB UAE

HIGHLIGHT OF THE LAST YEAR

First leader from the MENA region to be inducted into the Loeries Hall of Fame. Under his leadership, Impact BBDO was named Regional Network of the Year at Cannes Lions for the seventh consecutive year. Achieved significant year-on-year growth across the region and across group companies, driven by major new business wins and strong organic growth.

RAPID FIRE

What the industry needs to talk more about: Getting paid for pitches and rewarded for the value of our ideas rather than the time it took to craft them.

What the industry needs to talk less about: Going viral – it sounds more like an illness than a strategy.

If you could change one thing in the blink of an eye, you would ...

Make everything 16:9 again. Why can’t people just rotate their phones for cinematic format? (Ironically, I just bought a vertical TV screen.)

What’s one thing about you that would surprise your team?

I talk in my sleep. Sometimes it’s even good ideas – but my wife refuses to write them down.

What mobile application can you not live without? WHOOP – I’m obsessed with sleep and steps.

What word / phrase do people remember you for using the most?

“Proper!”

What’s one local / regional tradition that you love the most?

Letting people pass by on the right side. Cuts out all the you first, no you first drama.

If you could choose any two people, currently alive, in the world to share a meal with you, who would it be?

I’d choose Gordon Ramsay and Robert Parker. I’d let them argue over the food and wine while I enjoy the feast.

What’s your top word of advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha?

Slow down, you’ll go faster.

What’s your go-to comfort food?

Digging through the jar until I’ve found all the orange jelly beans.

What’s your favourite ad from the past 12 months? ‘Caramelo for Pedigree’ by AlmapBBDO.

POWER ESSAY: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE VS. THE CREATIVE MIND

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has sparked a fascinating debate in the world of creativity: Can machines ever rival the ingenuity of the human mind? With AI now capable of generating headlines, analysing trends and optimising campaigns at a speed and scale once unimaginable, it’s tempting to wonder if the creative profession itself is at risk. Yet, beneath the surface of this technological revolution lies a deeper truth.

While AI can learn from the past and automate the expected, only the creative mind can imagine the unexpected, challenge conventions and dream up ideas that shape culture.

In the tension between code and creativity, we discover not just a competition but a powerful opportunity to redefine what it means to be original.

AI excels at pa ern recognition. It sorts through decades of campaigns, taglines, visuals and behaviours, identifying what has worked before and optimising accordingly. This ability makes it a powerful tool for efficiency. However, the most iconic campaigns aren’t born from efficiency; they’re born from challenging it. When Dove launched ‘Real Beauty,’ it didn’t optimise an existing insight – it sha ered beauty standards and started a global conversation. When AnNahar published a blank newspaper, it didn’t follow a format – it challenged the very purpose of media. These were not incremental

“The most iconic campaigns aren’t born from e iciency; they’re born from challenging it.”

improvements. They were leaps of faith. And AI, with all its processing power, isn’t built to leap; it’s built to calculate.

Take the Snickers campaign, ‘You’re not you when you’re hungry.’ This wasn’t just a clever slogan. It tapped into a universal human truth and turned a product benefit into cultural shorthand. The campaign became a catchphrase, a meme, a part of everyday language. No algorithm could have predicted that resonance. It took human insight, humour and risk to create something that lived beyond the screen and into the culture.

Great advertising isn’t just about moving products; it’s about moving people. It provokes, connects and sometimes even divides. AI can predict what people might click, but it cannot know why they’ll care. It can draft headlines, but it cannot sense heartbreak or rebellion. Creativity thrives in ambiguity and emotion, where data offers li le guidance. The Guinness ‘Surfer’ ad, for example, didn’t just sell a drink; it delivered a cinematic experience that became legend. That kind of magic doesn’t come from logic alone.

The real opportunity lies not in pi ing AI against the creative mind but in combining their strengths to break entirely new ground. When human imagination leads and AI supports, we transcend the limits of both. AI can handle the heavy lifting, analysing data, generating iterations and streamlining execution, giving creatives the space to focus on bold ideas, cultural insight and emotional resonance. This partnership does not just make work faster; it makes it braver. By freeing creative minds from the constraints of process and routine, we unleash their true potential to dream up what no one has imagined before. Together, human and machine can move beyond what’s been done, inventing the kind of unforge able work that shapes culture and sets new benchmarks for creativity itself.

HOLDING COMPANIES

ANDREAS SKOPAL

TITLE: Chief Executive Officer, Merkle MENA and dentsu CXM  YEARS IN THE ROLE: 2.5 years YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: More than 20 years YEARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION: More than 10 years

HIGHLIGHT OF THE LAST YEAR

Leading Merkle MENA through a period of significant growth, expansion and impact to cement our position as the leading integrated experience consultancy in the region. We bring together experience design, commerce, AI, data and analytics, SEO, emerging technologies and platforms, enabled through transformation excellence under one vision, driving growth and enabling brands to create more relevant, data-driven experiences across the region.

RAPID FIRE

What the industry needs to talk more about:  Change readiness.

What the industry needs to talk less about: That tech alone solves problems.

If you could change one thing in the blink of an eye, you would...

Reducing the fear of failure in the corporate setting, dare to dream, take ownership, and make it happen.

What’s one thing about you that would surprise your team?

The Ducati in my garage.

What mobile application can you not live without?

Nike Run Club.

What word / phrase do people remember you for using the most?

“Spend a small amount of time on small

problems, and a large amount of time on big problems.”

What’s one local / regional tradition that you love the most?

Hospitality, openness, family values, and most importantly Kunafa.

If you could choose any two people, currently alive, in the world to share a meal with you, who would it be?

Joe Rogan and Christopher Waltz.

What’s your top word of advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha?

Never make an early career decision based on money alone.

What’s your go-to comfort food?

My mum’s Austrian schnitzel and apfelstrudel.

What’s your favourite ad from the past 12 months?  Subway x ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ (powered by dentsu).

POWER ESSAY: DIGITAL EMPATHY – WHERE TECHNOLOGY ENDS AND HUMANITY BEGINS

When was the last time a brand truly made you feel cared for?

It’s a harder question than it sounds. Because while our experiences are becoming faster, smarter and more personalised than ever, they often feel … emptier. As chatbots, self-service platforms and artificial intelligence (AI) agents handle more customer interactions, customer experience (CX) leaders face a defining challenge: When does automation enhance the experience and when does it erode connection? It comes down to knowing what ma ers most to customers in each moment and designing around it.

Take self-service, for example. Customers love speed and convenience when rese ing a password or tracking an order. But the same customer might expect empathy, reassurance and real-time guidance when resolving a healthcare claim or switching financial providers. Context shapes expectations. CX leaders need to understand when technology empowers customers - and when it risks alienating them.

This is where the concept of digital empathy comes in. This is about far more than trying to make AI sound “human”. It’s about intentionally building automated interactions that acknowledge frustration, uncertainty and emotion – and about knowing when to bring a person into the conversation. Sometimes, a well-timed “I understand this can be stressful” from an AI agent is enough. Other times, the most empathetic response is escalation to a real human who can listen and reassure.

In MENA, this tension is amplified by cultural nuance. Service here has always been deeply personal and intuitive, built on hospitality and trust. Automating

“CX leaders need to understand when technology empowers customers - and when it risks alienating them.”

without empathy risks breaking the very relationships that brands are trying to strengthen. Our research shows that across industries, consumers still prefer speaking to people when making complex or high-stakes decisions. Yet, they also expect seamless, personalised support at scale. The opportunity is to design journeys where technology and human care coexist harmoniously, each playing to its strengths.

This requires leaders to rethink what “good” looks like. It’s no longer enough to optimise for efficiency alone. Every interaction – whether powered by AI or a person – shapes how customers feel about your brand. The most forwardthinking organisations are embedding empathy into their systems by connecting data, measuring sentiment and creating clear pathways for human intervention when needed.

The future of customer experience isn’t about replacing people. It’s about amplifying care at scale. The brands that succeed will be the ones that harness technology without losing sight of the human being at the other end of the screen. Because in the moments that ma er the most, customers don’t just want answers. They want to feel understood.

HOLDING COMPANIES

DANA TAHIR

TITLE: CEO, HAVAS Red

YEARS IN THE ROLE: 6 months

YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: 18 years

YEARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION: 19 years

POWER ESSAY: BEYOND THE HASHTAG – THE SHIFT FROM MESSAGING TO MEANING

You can’t build trust with tone of voice. Or earn relevance with a hashtag. That era is over.

Today, people want evidence, not intentions. They don’t care what your brand says about sustainability, inclusion, or purpose. They want to see what you’re doing to shift the systems that ma er.

Purpose without proof isn’t strategy. It’s performance.

Yet too many brands are still investing more in the optics of change than the operations behind it. A bold statement is shared on LinkedIn while employees are still in the dark. A crisis plan is polished, but the root issue remains untouched. An impact report is designed before impact is even delivered. Company initiatives promise transformation but offer li le transparency after the launch. PR becomes a shield, and awareness becomes a way to avoid accountability.

It’s not that audiences are cynical. They’re just paying a ention. And they’ve seen enough brands overpromise and underdeliver. Now, trust is reserved for the ones willing to do the hard things first, not just tell a be er story.

was underway, and the results were real. That’s not just a smart communications strategy. That’s leadership, because real change takes time. It’s unglamorous. It can’t be briefed into a campaign cycle. It demands resource shifts, uncomfortable conversations, boardroom buy-in and the kind of commitment that can’t be delegated.

But brands that are willing to go there? They’re the ones people will believe.

Here’s the truth: if your social impact work still sits in a silo, disconnected from commercial decisions, product strategy, or sourcing, it’s not purpose. It’s PR. If your brand platform doesn’t influence how you treat people, spend money, or use your power, it’s just another narrative.

“Real change takes time. It’s unglamorous. It can’t be briefed into a campaign cycle.”

That sequence ma ers. Action first. Words later. Take YSL Beauty’s ‘Abuse Is Not Love’ initiative. It didn’t begin with a glossy brand film. It began with NGO partnerships, internal training and multi-market infrastructure to support survivors of intimate partner violence. The brand only started talking once the work

In this moment, neutrality is no longer neutral. Silence is no longer safe. And purpose without evidence is no longer acceptable. The next generation of brand power won’t come from what companies say. It will come from what they’re willing to change.

So, the question isn’t whether your brand has a voice. It’s whether you’ve earned the right to use it.

Because now, relevance has new rules:

You don’t campaign your way into trust.

You don’t trend your way into credibility.

You earn both through action.

So, change first.

RAPID FIRE

What the industry needs to talk more about: We need to talk less and do more.

What the industry needs to talk less about: Overhyped trends and superficial storytelling.

If you could change one thing in the blink of an eye, you would ...

Eradicate all political injustice.

What’s one thing about you that would surprise your team?

If I’m seen eating carbs during the week.

What mobile application can you not live without?

WhatsApp.

What word / phrase do people remember you for using the most?

“Bravo.”

What’s one local / regional tradition that you love the most?

Ramadan.

If you could choose any two people, currently alive, in the world to share a meal with you, who would it be? Oprah Winfrey and Samih Sawiris.

What’s your top word of advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha?

Question everything, especially yourself.

What’s your go-to comfort food?

Pasta, when I’m allowed carbs.

What’s your favourite ad from the past 12 months? ‘Don’t Call It Love’ by Yves Saint Laurent Beauté.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE LAST YEAR

Ignited HAVAS Red ME into a regional thought leader in integrated comms, positioned us as a strategic hub for global mandates, won key blue-chip clients, expanded our portfolio across new sectors and markets, and celebrated the team’s growth by fostering a culture of collaboration.

HOUDA TOHME

TITLE: CEO, Havas Media Middle East

YEARS IN THE ROLE: 6 years

YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: 26 years

YEARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION: All my life

OTHER ROLES / BOARD MEMBERSHIPS: IAB MENA vice chair, IAA UAE chapter board member

POWER ESSAY: DO WE CREATE CULTURE, OR JUST CONSUME IT?

Content is not just information. It is culture in motion. The stories we tell, the research we publish, the language we elevate – these are the building blocks of identity. Yet in much of the Middle East, the foundations remain fragile.

Across medicine, economics, education and even popular culture, we rely heavily on content imported or adapted from global sources. Yes, regional newsrooms cover politics and conflict with energy, but the broader spectrum from scientific research to economic thought leadership is rarely homegrown.

This dependency shapes behaviour. Increasingly, young people reach for borrowed cultural references when expressing themselves, rather than those rooted in their own traditions. This is not only a ma er of language; it reflects an ecosystem where original local content is underfunded and undervalued. When depth and originality are scarce, identity itself becomes shaped by what comes from outside.

Meanwhile, global tech platforms have deepened this trend. They have democratised access and lowered barriers, but they have also set the market price of content at its lowest denominator. In the chase for scale and efficiency, professional creators are squeezed out. Publishers cannot reinvest in deep journalism or original research when the rewards are measured only in cheap clicks.

“When reach at the lowest cost becomes the sole measure of value, the outcome is shallow, lowimpact content.”

And here lies the irony: it is not a shortage of talent. Some of the most celebrated journalists and researchers globally are of Middle Eastern origin. But the region offers li le incentive or infrastructure to sustain its ambitions. We applaud their global achievements, but their absence leaves a cultural vacuum at home.

So, the question becomes: what kind of culture do we want to leave behind? One shaped by borrowed voices, or one authored by our own?

The responsibility does not rest on publishers alone. As marketers, agencies and citizens of this region, we guide where investment flows. When reach at the lowest cost becomes the sole measure of value, the outcome is shallow, low-impact content. But if we choose to reward depth, originality and cultural relevance, we can change the trajectory.

MENA already has the talent, the audiences and the tools. What remains is the will. By funding journalism, research and cultural production that originates here, we can shape a narrative that is not only authentic but lasting. Content builds culture and if we want a culture worth handing down, we must invest in its quality today.

RAPID FIRE

What the industry needs to talk more about: Stronger governance and industry standards.

What the industry needs to talk less about:

Whatever the buzzword of the moment is.

If you could change one thing in the blink of an eye, you would.

I would eliminate inequity; I want fairness and dignity for all.

What’s one thing about you that would surprise your team?

Nothing, they know me too well.

What mobile application can you not live without?

Any app that keeps me connected.

What word / phrase do people remember you for using the most?

“Never say: this is not my job.”

What’s one local / regional tradition that you love the most?

End-of-year family gathering.

If you could choose any two people, currently alive, in the world to share a meal with you, who would it be?

His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum and then maybe Oprah.

What’s your top word of advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha?

Work on being patient. Good things take time.

What’s your go-to comfort food? Pain perdu caramélisé.

What’s your favourite ad from the past 12 months? Medco’s ‘Being Lebanese is an Energy’ campaign.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE LAST YEAR

It is never about one moment. It is about how the team rises, time after time, to meet challenges head-on. Every milestone reflects resilience, adaptability, and the commitment to keep pushing our industry forward.

TONY WAZEN

TITLE: CEO, Publicis Media MENA

YEARS IN THE ROLE: 2.5 years

YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: 20 years

YEARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION: 20 years

OTHER ROLES/BOARD MEMBERSHIPS: ABG Board Member; IAA Board Member, YPO Member

POWER ESSAY: OPERATIONALISING

AI AND HUMAN CREATIVITY IN MENA’S MEDIA FUTURE

The marketing and media industry in the Middle East is at a pivotal moment. With the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence, automation and data-driven strategies, the sector has an unprecedented opportunity to redefine how brands connect with consumers. Yet, this transformation comes with a crucial question: how do we ensure that human creativity and cultural nuance remain at the heart of innovation and how do we operationalise that balance, so it delivers at scale.

Across our region, the appetite for technologydriven solutions is undeniable. AI-powered predictive engagement, automated workflows and first-party data frameworks are streamlining operations and allowing brands to engage consumers with precision. Consent-driven, first-party data systems now enable marketers to unify customer profiles, delivering hyperpersonalised experiences across digital, mobile, social and even offline channels. This privacy-first approach is especially critical in a region where regulators are moving swiftly to strengthen data governance and consumer trust.

But the real test lies beyond efficiency. AI can anticipate a consumer’s next click, but it cannot, on its own, understand the cultural context that makes a message resonate in Saudi Arabia versus Egypt, or why humour works in the UAE but might fall flat in Lebanon. These insights require the irreplaceable perspective of human creativity. The Middle East is a region defined by its diversity of languages, histories and traditions; it is here that algorithms must be guided by people who understand nuance, empathy and the cultural fabric of their audiences.

This balance is not just desirable; it is essential. Brands that over-rely on automation risk delivering experiences that feel sterile or disconnected from

local realities. Conversely, those that embrace AI as a co-pilot optimising campaigns, reducing waste and enabling human talent to focus on storytelling are poised to build deeper connections. The most effective campaigns of the future will be those where AI provides the intelligence and humans provide the imagination.

Yet, achieving this balance cannot be left to chance. Leaders in our industry must embed it structurally, operationally and technically. That means building teams where technologists and creatives collaborate seamlessly, with data scientists and strategists working nimbly side by side. This is more than AI training and workshops; the real challenge is designing new operating models that accelerate with AI’s precision but pause for humanity and cultural relevance. Models that break down silos, speed up collaboration and reframe client conversations around both efficiency and resonance.

The stakes are also economic. As regional markets push for sustainable growth, brands must move beyond short-term gains and campaign-level KPIs. Long-term brand equity depends on experiences that are both efficient and emotionally engaging. Leveraging AI to refine targeting and minimise waste is vital, but equally so is the role of marketers in creating enduring value through ideas that inspire, provoke thought and reflect local identities.

As the Middle East continues to rise as a global hub of media and creativity, the industry’s priority should not be choosing between AI and human ingenuity. The priority must be ensuring that they evolve together and building the systems, skills and structures to make that evolution possible. Only then can we deliver not just campaigns that perform, but stories that endure.

RAPID FIRE

What the industry needs to talk more about: AI as a media co-pilot.

What the industry needs to talk less about: Vanity metrics.

If you could change one thing in the blink of an eye, you would ...

Short-termism.

What’s one thing about you that would surprise your team?

I am a good cook.

What mobile application can you not live without?

LinkedIn, Insta, Headway, Amazon, Zillow and Vox Cinemas.

What word / phrase do people remember you for using the most?

Cost follows revenue.

What’s one local / regional tradition that you love the most?

Christmas and New Year’s.

If you could choose any two people, currently alive, in the world to share a meal with you, who would it be?

Michael Jordan and Jim Corbett.

What’s your top word of advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha?

Focus on adaptability and continuous learning and development.

What’s your go-to comfort food? Mexican cuisine.

What’s your favourite ad from the past 12 months?

The past 12 months, none.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE LAST YEAR

Business growth and client retention were a significant milestone that reflect the strength of our strategies. We successfully outgrew the market and positioned ourselves ahead of the curve by leading on both fronts. These accomplishments highlight our ability to adapt, innovate and continuously deliver value in a competitive landscape.

HOLDING COMPANIES

AHMED ‘FIZO’ YOUNIS

TITLE: CCO Publicis Communications KSA, Egypt and Visa One

YEARS IN THE ROLE: 2 years

YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: 25 years

YEARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION: 25 years

HIGHLIGHT OF THE LAST YEAR

Our biggest achievement this year was building bridges across KSA, Egypt and Dubai. By bringing our creative teams closer together, we strengthened collaboration, unlocked new business wins, deepened client trust, and delivered work that raised our creative profile in the region. We achieved this together.

RAPID FIRE

What the industry needs to talk more about: The future of creativity.

What the industry needs to talk less about: AI doomsday talk.

If you could change one thing in the blink of an eye, you would ...  End human suffering.

What’s one thing about you that would surprise your team? I learn from them daily.

What mobile application can you not live without?

Spotify.

What word / phrase do people remember you for using the most?

POWER ESSAY: A CASE AGAINST ‘CONSISTENCY’

I hate the word consistency, and you should too. Our industry loves recycling words, stripping them of their real meaning and dressing them up with new ones. The result? Language that misleads, bores, sometimes even damages, and no word has been more abused than ‘consistency’.

The intention was always good. Historically, brands had no personality, no traits, no clear tone of voice. They’d reinvent themselves like changing outfits and then cry about losing trust and relevance.

Marketers eventually realised what, in hindsight, now seems obvious: brands are like people. You can be funny, serious, or dramatic, but you’re still you. No one who knows you would mistake you for someone else, and that’s how consistency saved the day. It gave birth to timeless brands like Coca-Cola in the 1880s and Apple in the 1980s, brands you could trust and expect things from.

But expectation is not the same as prediction. No brand should ever become predictable.

And that’s the first trap, predictable brands. We get obsessed with playbooks and best practices, treating creativity like science and forge ing it’s also art. That’s how sameness sneaks in. One logo up front. One product shot by second three. One big super across the frame. One copy-paste AI prompt that spits out more of the same. Over and over again.

“Consistency isn’t the right word anymore. It suggests repetition, templates, sameness.”

“Done is better than perfect.”

What’s one local / regional tradition that you love the most?

Egyptian Easter (Sham El Nessim).

If you could choose any two people, currently alive, in the world to share a meal with you, who would it be?

Jessica Walsh and Roger Waters… but honestly, my wife and boys.

What’s your top word of advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha?

Please don’t listen to us.

What’s your go-to comfort food?

If I had wings … I would eat them.

What’s your favourite ad from the past 12 months?

Not exactly an ad, but ‘Three Words’ by Publicis Conseil.

The road to cookie cu ers is paved with good intentions. Good, consistent intentions.

Take it from me; I spent six years in the tech industry advocating for these practices. They made sense at the time, but the world has moved on, and so must we.

Here’s the second trap: boring brands. Predictability doesn’t just make brands safe; it makes them forge able. Big ideas need surprise, a bit of misdirection, that moment where you think you know what’s coming and then it flips. That’s what makes people feel something, remember something, talk about something. Do you think a brand like Liquid Death, with its outrageous collaborations, is following a playbook? The most interesting brands are the ones that refuse to be boring.

I know some of you will push back, and rightfully so. I’m not against the meaning of consistency; I’m against what the word has turned into. Because brands can’t afford to be all over the place. They need character, a cause, even Dama, a reason to exist.

But consistency isn’t the right word anymore. It suggests repetition, templates, sameness. I prefer coherence. For me, coherence solves the challenge. It allows variety without chaos. It lets a brand shift tone, format, even style, while still feeling unmistakably itself. And maybe for you, the word is something else. That’s fine. The point is not to trade one buzzword for another. The point is to stop mistaking uniformity for strength. Whatever word you choose, it should remind you that brands can be flexible and surprising, while still being whole.

To wrap up, I’ve always believed rules are made to be broken. I know it sounds like a bumper sticker, but it’s true. It’s important to understand the case for consistency, but maybe it’s time to make the case against it. So, let’s go break some rules.

MOHAMED AL KHEREIJI

TITLE: Chairman, Al Arabia OOH and Saudi Media Company (SMC) YEARS IN THE ROLE: More than 10 years YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: More than 20 years YEARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION: Born and raised

HIGHLIGHT OF THE LAST YEAR

Championing Saudi Arabia’s media transformation and positioning the Kingdom as a regional hub aligned with Vision 2030.

POWER ESSAY: BUILDING CONFIDENCE, EXPANDING MARKETS

When people talk about the media and advertising industry, they often describe it in terms of challenges: fragmented markets, lack of transparency, limited measurement, or competition for shrinking budgets. I see it differently. Every challenge is also a solution waiting to be unlocked.

Saudi Arabia’s media industry stands at a pivotal moment. Vision 2030 has created an environment that encourages bold ambition, international partnerships and local innovation. The opportunity ahead is not just to protect what we have, but to expand the scale of the market itself. Today, MENA’s advertising industry is valued at around $10bn. My belief is that this figure should not be the ceiling, but the starting point. With integration, collaboration and a renewed mindset, I believe we can triple this figure.

The key is to move away from fighting over the existing share and instead focus on expanding the size of the market itself. Too often, energy is wasted in competing within a narrow band of spend. The real opportunity is in building trust, transparency and education that unlocks new investment. When clients understand the value that effective media delivers, they are more willing to grow budgets and take creative risks.

This requires a cultural shift. Transparency in pricing, consistency in measurement and collaboration across the ecosystem are essential foundations. No single company or platform can achieve this alone. The market must rise collectively, if it is to achieve its full potential. As a group, we are commi ed to leading this transformation. Our ambition is to take Saudi Arabia’s success and scale it regionally, moving from a national champion to a MENA champion, and from there, accessing global markets.

“The real opportunity is in building trust, transparency and education that unlocks new investment.”

Technology will play a decisive role in this transformation, but it is not the only lever. Programmatic trading, data-driven planning and AI-powered analytics will help make the industry more efficient and measurable, but their greatest value lies in how they can build confidence and accountability. Equally important is talent – developing local expertise, empowering young professionals, and nurturing creativity. This is how we ensure that Saudi Arabia is not just a participant in the global media landscape but a leader within it.

We must also broaden our vision of what media can achieve. Beyond economic value, media has the power to tell authentic stories, shape culture and enhance the Kingdom’s global reputation. The role of our industry is to connect people and ideas, and in doing so, contribute to the wider ambitions of Vision 2030.

The opportunity is clear: to grow the market, not divide it; to build a unified media industry that is larger, stronger and more influential than ever before.

With optimism as our compass, and with Saudi Arabia leading the way for the region, I believe the MENA market can achieve its full potential and establish itself as a true global player.

SAMI AL MUFLEH

TITLE: Founder and CEO, Hills Advertising

YEARS IN THE ROLE: 22 years

YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: 29 years

YEARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION: 33 years

OTHER ROLES / BOARD MEMBERSHIPS: Formal diplomatic position as Ambassador of Antigua and Barbuda to Jordan; Board member of several private and international company boards

POWER ESSAY: WHY CREATIVITY MUST REMAIN HUMAN IN AN AI WORLD

The greatest threat to creativity today is not competition, shrinking budgets, or dwindling a ention spans. It is the industry’s growing reliance on artificial intelligence as a shortcut to originality. In an era where machines can generate content at scale, the temptation to substitute algorithms for imagination is dangerously high. If left unchecked, this over-reliance risks commodifying creativity – the very currency on which branding and marketing are built.

AI’s power is undeniable. It enables hyperpersonalisation, predictive analytics and rapid content production. Brands like Coca-Cola have leveraged this potential through their ‘Create Real Magic’ campaign, inviting fans to co-create

“Overuse of AI risks alienating audiences who are already sceptical of authenticity in advertising.”

AI-powered artwork. The initiative showcased AI as a tool for collaboration rather than replacement, reinforcing human creativity at its core. But for every success story, there are dozens of generic, AI-driven campaigns that flood the market with indistinguishable visuals and hollow messaging. This is where the danger lies: when technology becomes the driver rather than the enabler.

Yet, the industry is increasingly seduced by the comfort of metrics. Data-driven marketing has created an environment where campaigns are

designed to follow consumer behaviour rather than lead it. AI excels at extrapolating the past, but it cannot invent the future. If we allow algorithms to dictate creativity, we risk a world where campaigns are predictable, derivative and culturally sterile. True creative leadership requires moving beyond what audiences already know they want, into spaces they have not yet envisioned.

The ethical risks are equally pressing. When multiple brands rely on the same AI tools, outputs become homogenised, blurring differentiation and fla ening creative identity. Worse, the overuse of AI risks alienating audiences who are already skeptical of authenticity in advertising. Consumers may forgive imperfection, but they will not forgive manipulation or sameness. If creativity becomes commodified, brands lose the very thing that makes them memorable: distinctiveness.

The way forward is not to reject AI but to reframe it. The industry must adopt a hybrid model – where AI removes executional friction and unlocks possibilities, while human imagination sets strategy, shapes narratives and drives emotional resonance. AI can be the paintbrush, but it cannot be the painter.

The challenge is clear. As creative leaders, will we use AI to amplify human potential, or will we surrender imagination to algorithms? The question is not whether AI will transform the industry – for it already has. The real question is whether we will let it define creativity for us, or whether we will reclaim creativity as a distinctly human advantage. The choice we make now will determine not just the future of our industry but the cultural legacy we leave behind.

RAPID FIRE

What the industry needs to talk more about  Accountability.

What the industry needs to talk less about:  Buzzwords.

If you could change one thing in the blink of an eye, you would …  Standardisation.

What’s one thing about you that would surprise your team?

Early riser.

What mobile application can you not live without?

Google Maps.

What word / phrase do people remember you for using the most?  “Focus. Focus. Focus.”

What’s one local / regional tradition that you love the most?  Family gatherings.

If you could choose any two people, currently alive, in the world to share a meal with you, who would it be?

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

What’s your top word of advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha?  Stay curious.

What’s your go-to comfort food?  Mansaf.

What’s your favourite ad from the past 12 months?

The Samana campaign that was featured across Hills Advertising’s multiple bridge banners.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE LAST YEAR

Played a key role in shaping the region’s outdoor media landscape. Guided Hills Advertising toward steady growth and recognition with a focus on sustainable digital solutions and long-term partnerships with developers, earning industry awards that highlight both innovation and cultural contributions.

AHMED AL SAHHAF

TITLE: CEO, MBC Media Solutions (MMS)   YEARS IN THE ROLE: 5 years YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY:  More than 20 years YEARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION: Born and raised OTHER ROLES / BOARD MEMBERSHIPS: President of the IAA KSA Chapter, Board Member of Arabiya United Digital – Egypt, Member of the Supervisory Board of Engineer Holding Group – KSA, Executive Member of the Saudi Moroccan Business Council

POWER ESSAY: IAA SAUDI

CHAPTER – BUILDING A STRONGER ADVERTISING COMMUNITY IN THE KINGDOM

When I look at the pace of change in Saudi Arabia today, one thought is clear: transformation needs storytellers. Behind every new industry, every mega-project and every cultural milestone, there must be a narrative powerful enough to connect people to progress. That is where advertising comes in – not as a supporting act, but as a central driver of growth and development.

We often measure advertising in impressions, clicks, or ROI. But the real measure is its impact on society and the economy. In 2024, Saudi Arabia accounted for over a third of all ad spend in the Middle East. This isn’t just a number; it is evidence that advertising is becoming the driving force of our transformation. From tourism to technology, from sports to entertainment, industries are leaning on advertising to tell their stories, a ract investment and inspire audiences.

Think of how sports sponsorships, cultural festivals, or tourism campaigns don’t just sell tickets or trips – they create belief in a bigger national narrative. They show Saudi Arabia as a place of opportunity, creativity and pride. Advertising, in this sense, is not just selling products. It is selling possibility.

The IAA Saudi Chapter: a new milestone

That is why the recent launch of the International Advertising Association (IAA) Saudi Chapter marks a milestone for our industry. For the first time, Saudi Arabia has its own official representation within this global body with more than 4,000 individual and

corporate members spanning marketing, advertising, media, IT communications and academic sectors.

I view the IAA KSA chapter as a platform to amplify the strength we already have – to raise standards, accelerate knowledge exchange, and project Saudi expertise onto the global stage. The chapter’s mission is to build on momentum – nurturing the next generation of Saudi talent, deepening collaboration across the industry, and ensuring that our voice helps shape the future of advertising worldwide. This comes to life through industry events that spark dialogue; research that drives insight; training that empowers young talent; and advocacy that ensures Saudi voices are heard on the global stage.

As someone who has spent their career in media and marketing, I’ve seen how the right campaign can change the trajectory of a brand – or even an entire sector. What excites me most today is not just the scale of what’s being built in Saudi Arabia, but the stories we are yet to tell.

Advertising has always had the power to persuade. In Saudi Arabia today, it has the power to transform. And with the IAA Saudi Chapter, we now have the collective muscle to ensure that transformation is guided by creativity, fuelled by talent and anchored in purpose.

This is just the beginning. I look forward to welcoming more members into the chapter and to seeing the ideas, energy and perspectives they will bring as we shape the next era of Saudi advertising together.

RAPID FIRE

What the industry needs to talk more about:  Creative effectiveness and local talent.

What the industry needs to talk less about:  Vanity metrics.

If you could change one thing in the blink of an eye, you would have …

Faster industry collaboration.

What mobile application can you not live without?

WhatsApp.

What word / phrase do people remember you for using the most?

“Growth is the only way forward.”

What’s one local / regional tradition that you love the most?

Majlis gatherings.

What’s your top word of advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha?

Stay curious, stay bold.

What’s your go-to comfort food?

Homemade food by loved ones.

What’s your favourite ad from the past 12 months?

The recent Saudi Tourism Authority ad, ‘I Came for Football, I Stayed for More’ featuring Cristiano Ronaldo.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE LAST YEAR

Being appointed as the first President of the newly formed IAA Saudi chapter, which aims to position Saudi Arabia as a global leader in the advertising industry by promoting collaboration, empowering local talent, and aligning with the Kingdom’s development goals and Vision 2030.

JAMES BICKNELL

TITLE: Group Chief Executive Officer, Multiply Media Group (MMG)

YEARS IN THE ROLE: 16 years

YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: 24 years

YEARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION: 21 years

POWER ESSAY: BUILT FOR CREATIVITY

– SHAPING MEDIA EXPERIENCES WITH PURPOSE AND CLARITY

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and breakthrough technologies is reshaping how we plan, manage and operate. This evolution affects every industry, including the media ecosystem. As capabilities expand, so does our responsibility to use them with purpose.

In Out-of-Home (OOH) and across the broader media landscape, we’re seeing tools that allow campaigns to adapt in real time. AI, data and technology are now essential in creating brand experiences that are contextually relevant and meaningfully connected to the people they reach. I have observed this change firsthand in cities like Dubai, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, where digital OOH platforms are more dynamic and responsive to the world around them.

“The tools evolve, but the mission remains the same: create communications that connect.”

The tools evolve, but the mission remains the same: create communications that connect. Programmatic campaigns powered by AI and future-ready products informed by behavioural data are part of a wider movement we must shape for creative, strategy and technology to move together. In MENA, especially, the convergence of these disciplines is supported by a diverse population that is engaged and ready for bold ideas.

This is the context in which Multiply Media Group (MMG) was established. By bringing together a range of OOH capabilities under one structure, our aim is to support the evolving needs of the industry. Rather than pursuing scale for its own sake, we focused on

building a foundation that enables delivery with precision, discipline, and consistency. Achieving that across different markets requires agility in both mindset and execution. For me, growth is only meaningful when it is intentional.

Innovation is shaped by how we think and how we work. Technology supports this, but it begins with curiosity. New ideas come from exploring what’s possible through open conversations, shared experiments, and structured collaboration. When people feel supported to bring ideas forward, the results carry relevance.

Across MENA, the conditions for innovation are strong. The region is investing in smart infrastructure and media digitisation. I see this as an opportunity to shape how the media is experienced. From adaptive screens to campaigns integrating physical and digital touchpoints, we can build systems that reflect the region’s pace and potential.

I focus on building frameworks where creativity and innovation are part of how we operate and deliver. Every campaign, product and service is a reflection of how we think and understand the environments we serve: something built with purpose and discipline.

Creative thinking is embedded throughout concept to execution, shaping how problems are approached and briefs interpreted. It contributes to culture, expression and identity. As we look ahead, the opportunity requires using available tools with intention, as true impact depends on the thought behind the message. As the media landscape evolves, both globally and in MENA, clear purpose and direction ensure innovation remains intentional and impactful.

For me, that means bringing clarity to complexity, designing with care, and choosing to create work that stands for something. The momentum is already here. The future will be defined by those willing to shape it - with intention, imagination and responsibility.

RAPID FIRE

What the industry needs to talk more about: Data transparency.

What the industry needs to talk less about: Vanity metrics.

If you could change one thing in the blink of an eye, you would ...

Bureaucracy.

What’s one thing about you that would surprise your team?

I’m a terrible singer …

What mobile application can you not live without?

WhatsApp.

What word/phrase do people remember you for using the most?

“Stay one step ahead.”

What’s one local/regional tradition that you love the most? Iftar.

If you could choose any two people, currently alive, in the world to share a meal with you, who would it be?

King Charles III and Donald Trump.

What’s your top word of advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha?  Bet on yourself.

What’s your go-to comfort food? Steak frites.

What’s your favourite ad from the past 12 months?

Louis Vuitton x Murakami campaign.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE LAST YEAR

Being appointed Group CEO of Multiply Media Group (MMG) and launching the group at the World Out-of-Home (WOO) Annual Congress in Mexico this year has been a defining milestone. By uniting talent, technology and purpose, we are shaping a futurefocused OOH powerhouse built for scale, relevance, growth, and positioning ourselves to redefine the future of Out-of-Home globally.

PHILIP MATTA

TITLE: CEO, Hypermedia

YEARS IN THE ROLE: 1 year

YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: 26 years

YEARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION: 35 years

OTHER ROLES / BOARD MEMBERSHIPS: IAB board member

POWER ESSAY: THE NEW DNA OF OOH

Most cities build billboards. Dubai builds intelligence.

For decades, outdoor media was a one-way performance. Big screens, big budgets, big statements, but no idea who was watching. Impressive in scale, yet far from intelligent.

Now, the rules have changed. We’ve built a media network that doesn’t just broadcast, it responds. It understands. It engages. This isn’t a design tweak. It’s a shift in the DNA of Out-ofHome (OOH).

Across Dubai’s Metro, its busiest malls, and its largest hypermarkets, Hypermedia’s network is no longer just playing ads. It’s aware of who is there, when they’re there, and how to make the moment relevant, all in real time, with privacy built into the core. What used to be a loop of prescheduled messages is now a living, breathing system, adjusting in milliseconds to the people in front of it.

For the first time, programmatic real-time, audience-triggered DOOH is giving cities a medialed nervous system. This AI-driven platform captures live audience pa erns the instant they happen, feeds that intelligence into an automated exchange, and serves the most relevant creative in the exact moment it ma ers. It blends the precision of digital with the impact of physical space, transforming high-traffic locations into responsive, measurable and profitable assets.

Picture this: a station screen that knows the morning rush is peaking and swaps the generic loop for a coffee ad right when commuters are dragging their feet. A shopping mall display that catches the moment a parent with two kids strolls past and flashes a family holiday deal. A fashion launch hi ing its audience not by luck, but by design. That’s not targeting, that’s timing. And timing is everything.

Here’s the real disruption: we’re not guessing. We’re not working off your search history or last

week’s clicks. We’re responding to what’s actually happening, right here, right now.

This flips the whole concept of OOH. Instead of shouting at everyone in range, we’re having thousands of quiet, relevant conversations at once. And this isn’t just for brands. When media becomes responsive, cities themselves become more intelligent. A metro station that knows its passenger flow can ease congestion. A retail hub that understands shopper pa erns can improve the customer journey.

We are, in real terms, wiring the city to sense and respond.

This is where Dubai’s vision ma ers. The city has never treated infrastructure as fixed. Roads, towers, transport, public spaces, they’re all in

“We’re not guessing. We’re responding to what’s actually happening, right here, right now.”

permanent evolution. Our media network is built into that same mindset. It’s not just part of the skyline; it’s part of the system that makes the city work.

Dubai has never been shy about reimagining its skyline. Now we’re reimagining its media lines.

Looking ahead, the line between ‘media network’ and ‘urban network’ will fade. What we call advertising today will merge with public information, retail experience and entertainment. The same screen that tells you about a movie release might guide you to the fastest Metro route home, and then switch to a dinner offer as you arrive at the station.

That’s not the far future. That’s the next upgrade.

RAPID FIRE

What the industry needs to talk more about:

Real-time accountability.

What the industry needs to talk less about:

Vanity metrics.

If you could change one thing in the blink of an eye, you would ...

More positivity.

What’s one thing about you that would surprise your team?

Precision, control, speed and coordination on track sharpens the senses and the mind.

What mobile application can you not live without?

WhatsApp.

What word / phrase do people remember you for using the most?

“Anything can be done/achieved with the right mindset.”

What’s one local / regional tradition that you love the most?

Progressiveness and respect.

If you could choose any two people, currently alive, in the world to share a meal with you, who would it be?

Elon Musk and Lewis Hamilton.

What’s your top word of advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha?

Stay curious and think out of the box.

What’s your go-to comfort food? Sushi.

What’s your favourite ad from the past 12 months? Apple’s ‘Shot on iPhone’.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE LAST YEAR

Since co-founding Hypermedia in 1999, Philip Matta has helped shape it into one of the UAE’s pioneering OOH digital media companies. Over the past year, he drove the transformation into the region’s first real-time programmatic DOOH network across Dubai Metro, malls, and hypermarkets, setting new standards for audience engagement. He also unveiled a new iconic media destination for luxury advertising at Palm Jumeirah and other key destinations across the UAE.

NEZAR NAGRO

TITLE: CEO, Rotana Media Services Holding LTD

YEARS IN THE ROLE: 27 years

YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: 35 years

YEARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION: 35 years

OTHER ROLES / BOARD MEMBERSHIPS: Chairman of Rotana Modern for Publicity and Advertising (Rotana Signs)

POWER ESSAY: REIMAGINING OUT-OFHOME THROUGH DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

The advertising landscape is undergoing rapid change. As audiences shift from traditional TV and print to digital and mobile platforms, one medium remains resilient and full of untapped potential: Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising. For decades, OOH has been defined as static billboards or posters – highly visible, yet limited in targeting and engagement. Today, the industry must evolve beyond that perception. The urgent priority is to accelerate OOH’s digital transformation and unlock its role as a dynamic, data-driven platform.

Why OOH Still Ma ers

OOH is the only medium that people cannot skip, block, or fast-forward. It surrounds audiences in daily life – on highways, in airports, malls and city centres – offering a powerful canvas for storytelling. In an era of fragmented a ention, OOH delivers shared experiences that build brand trust and recognition. The future, however, lies in digitalisation.

The power of digital OOH (DOOH)

Digital OOH blends the scale of outdoor media with the precision of digital technology. Through programmatic buying, brands can launch and optimise campaigns in real time, adapting to weather, traffic, or even live sports scores. Screens that sync seamlessly with social media or mobile journeys transform OOH from a reminder medium into an interactive storytelling platform.

This evolution shifts OOH from broad awareness to contextual relevance – from static impressions to measurable engagement.

Building the infrastructure

To realise this transformation, the industry must invest beyond digital screens alone:

• Data ecosystems that connect OOH with consumer behaviour and mobility pa erns.

• Programmatic platforms offering advertisers the same agility as online media.

• Creative innovation that integrates OOH into omnichannel brand journeys rather than treating it as a standalone format.

MENA at the forefront

Nowhere is this shift more urgent – or more promising – than in the Middle East. Urbanisation, mega-projects and Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 create an environment where OOH can thrive. By digitising assets and expanding into premium, high-traffic locations, the region can position OOH as both a commercial growth engine and an integral part of cityscapes of the future.

A call for change

Too often, OOH is overlooked in favour of debates around digital and TV. The real opportunity lies in merging the two: expanding OOH’s physical presence while digitalising its capabilities. Those who view OOH as outdated risk missing a generational opportunity. Those who embrace its future will sit at the intersection of visibility, engagement and measurable results.

OOH is no longer just about billboards – it is about shaping tomorrow’s cities with stories powered by data and enhanced by digital innovation.

“In an era of fragmented attention, OOH delivers shared experiences that build brand trust.”

RAPID FIRE

What the industry needs to talk more about:

Digital transformation.

What the industry needs to talk less about: Linear TV.

If you could change one thing in the blink of an eye, you would ...

Accelerate innovation.

What’s one thing about you that would surprise your team?

I’m a creative storyteller.

What mobile application can you not live without?

WhatsApp.

What word / phrase do people remember you for using the most?

“Fairness.”

What’s one local / regional tradition that you love the most?

Ramadan gatherings.

If you could choose any two people, currently alive, in the world to share a meal with you, who would it be?

His Royal Highness Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud and Elon Musk.

What’s your top word of advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha?

Stay resilient.

What’s your go-to comfort food? Seafood.

What’s your favourite ad from the past 12 months? Apple’s ‘Vision Pro’ launch.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE LAST

YEAR

Consolidated Rotana Signs into a unified sales force to simplify access for advertisers. Expanded Rotana’s OOH footprint across premium city locations in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Accelerated digital growth, increasing DOOH revenues by double digits and positioning Rotana as a regional leader in future-ready media.

AMIT NAYAK

TITLE: Managing Director, Middle East & Africa, Bloomberg Media

YEARS IN THE ROLE: 11 years

YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: 22 years

YEARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION: 24 years: 1985-1994 in Riyadh and 2011-present in Dubai.

POWER ESSAY: A REGION TELLING ITS OWN STORY: THE RISE OF MIDDLE EASTERN BRAND AMBITION

Growing up in Riyadh in the 1980s and 90s, I remember a city and region defined by warmth, culture and a deep sense of community. The energy was always there, in the way people connected, built and imagined their futures – even if much of that story wasn’t visible to the rest of the world. What felt different then was that this story had not yet reached a global stage.

When I returned to the region in 2011, it was clear that change was underway. What has unfolded since is nothing short of remarkable: a transformation that has made the Middle East one of the most dynamic brand landscapes anywhere. The region is no longer just hosting global names; it is creating its own, rooted in heritage but built with global ambition.

This momentum has not come overnight. It has been built milestone by milestone – Expo 2020 in Dubai, the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, worldclass cultural festivals and concerts across the region and the rise of new industries in finance, sport and entertainment. These moments are not simply events; they are proof points of a region taking control of its narrative, with brands and institutions telling their own stories with confidence.

local ambitions were shared at such scale with a global audience. Since then, we have partnered with government organisations, airlines, tourism boards, financial institutions and cultural organisations to help bring local narratives to a global business audience.

At Bloomberg Media, our focus is about creating engagement and relevance. We combine data, insight and creative storytelling to help brands express their ambitions with clarity and impact. But it goes beyond content – it’s about connection. Through our convening power and crossplatform ecosystem, we engage decision-makers across digital, print, TV, audio and live events, ensuring that brand narratives are delivered where they ma er most. The goal is simple - we want to ensure that the stories emerging from this region are understood in the right context and with the depth they deserve, both here and on the global stage.

“The region is no longer just hosting global names; it’s creating its own, rooted in heritage built with global ambition.”

What excites me most is that this story is still in its early chapters. The Middle East today is a racting talent, capital and ideas at a pace few other regions can match. But beyond the economic transformation, there is a cultural momentum, a sense of possibility and ownership that is redefining what ambition looks like here.

I saw this shift up close in 2019, when Bloomberg Media worked on a landmark tourism campaign in Saudi Arabia that felt like an official “welcome” to the world, marking one of the first instances where

There’s so much of the Middle East the world hasn’t seen yet. I’m proud to be part of the team helping tell that story, and even prouder that more regional brands are now telling them with confidence, on their own terms.

RAPID FIRE

What the industry needs to talk more about: Brand trust.

What the industry needs to talk less about: Vanity metrics.

If you could change one thing in the blink of an eye, you would …

That my brother Nithin Nayak were still alive.

What’s one thing about you that would surprise your team?

My MJ impersonation video from boarding school has surpassed 20,000 YouTube views.

What mobile application can you not live without? Spotify.

What word / phrase do people remember you for using the most?

“Let’s change the game!”

What’s one local / regional tradition that you love the most?

Qahwa (Arabic coffee) and dates.

If you could choose any two people, currently alive, in the world to share a meal with you, who would it be?

Roger Federer and Ricky Gervais.

What’s your top word of advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha? Hustle.

What’s your go-to comfort food?

Bento box at any Japanese eatery.

What’s your favourite ad from the past 12 months? Nike ‘Nailed It’ following McIlroy’s Masters Victory.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE LAST YEAR

Being part of the founding team behind the Qatar Economic Forum, powered by Bloomberg, from early discussions in 2017 to its fifth edition in 2025, has been an amazing experience. Bringing together the world’s most influential CEOs and government leaders in Doha for discussions brought to life across our media ecosystem - alongside an exceptional global team and committed sponsors has been a proud milestone.

INDEPENDENT NETWORKS AND AGENCIES

SHADI ABDULHADI

TITLE: Founder & CEO, Boopin

YEARS IN THE ROLE: 14 years

YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: 18 years

YEARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION: 40 years

HIGHLIGHT OF THE LAST YEAR

International market expansions and onboarding great partners. Boopin’s journey from Dubai to nine markets globally, marked by new expansions in Qatar and Indonesia, growing teams, and trusted partners, has been among the most meaningful milestones of our story.

RAPID FIRE

What the industry needs to talk more about: Impact measurement.

What the industry needs to talk less about: Hype.

If you could change one thing in the blink of an eye, you would ... Speed up approvals.

What’s one thing about you that would surprise your team?

I have an aerospace degree.

What mobile application can you not live without?

WhatsApp.

What word / phrase do people remember you for using

the most?

Make it happen.

What’s one local / regional tradition that you love the most?

Ramadan gatherings.

If you could choose any two people, currently alive, in the world to share a meal with you, who would it be?

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin

Rashid Al Maktoum and Hans Zimmer.

What’s your top word of advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha?

Stay curious.

What’s your go-to comfort food?

A good burger.

What’s your favourite ad from the past 12 months? ‘Father’s Endowment’ by GMO.

POWER ESSAY: THE AGE OF HYPER PERSONALISATION – FROM MASS MEDIA TO ‘ME MEDIA’

Advertising has always evolved in tandem with the tools of its time, from print to radio and from television to digital. Today, we are experiencing one of the most significant shifts yet: the move from mass media to what I call ‘me media’. This is not just a buzzword. It marks a world where every consumer expects brands to see them as individuals, not just as part of a group.

For decades, the formula for advertising was scale: reach as many people as possible, as often as possible. Billboards on highways, prime-time TV spots and double-page print ads were all designed for the masses. That approach built awareness but rarely intimacy. Today’s consumer has flipped the script. They do not want to be shouted at in a crowd. They want to be spoken to directly.

As a result of this shift, relevance has replaced reach as the real currency.

Data is driving this transformation. Every interaction, from clicks to purchases to time spent watching a video, leaves behind insights. With AI and machine learning, these insights help us deliver messages tailored to a person’s needs, behaviours and even moods. Imagine a product suggestion appearing just when you’re looking for it. Or a piece of content that reflects your culture and language. Campaigns can adapt in real time to your preferences. When done right, personalisation feels natural and thoughtful.

But this shift is a double-edged sword. Consumers are more conscious than ever of their privacy. People want brands to know them, without overstepping or spying on them. The line between helpful and invasive is razor-thin. That is why trust, transparency and consent must guide every decision. If personalisation feels manipulative, it fails. If it feels human, it wins.

This is where creativity becomes essential. Data tells us what a consumer might want. Creativity decides how to deliver it in a way that inspires, excites and

connects emotionally. At its heart, personalisation should help brands connect more like people, not less. Because while data gives us precision, it’s creativity that gives us heart

At Boopin, this balance has been central to our evolution. We were born in Dubai and now operate across the Middle East and Asia. We have had to adapt to diverse markets, where personalisation means more than a well-timed ad. It means understanding cultural nuances in Riyadh. It means knowing consumer

“Today’s consumer does not want to be shouted at in a crowd. They want to be spoken to directly.”

behaviours in Cairo or generational preferences in Singapore. To us, hyperpersonalisation isn’t just targeting; it’s about understanding people.

It is about empathy. We design performance-driven campaigns where every impression is measured. But we pair them with content that feels authentic and relevant to our audience. That is how we have helped brands capture a ention and earn loyalty.

The future of advertising is clear: Mass media builds reach, but ‘me media’ builds relationships. Agencies and brands that embrace hyper-personalisation responsibly will thrive. Combining data, technology and creativity is key. At Boopin, this is our standard, not just our future. Ultimately, personalisation extends beyond media. It is about making every connection count.

INDEPENDENT NETWORKS AND AGENCIES

ELIE HABER

TITLE: Managing Partner, Fusion5

YEARS IN THE ROLE: 10 years

YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: 27 years

YEARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION: 27 years

OTHER ROLES / BOARD MEMBERSHIPS: Board member at Steppi App

POWER ESSAY: IN THE AI RACE, FORTUNE FAVORS THE FOCUSED

A recent MIT Sloan study found that 95 per cent of corporate AI pilots fail to scale. Gartner reports that 80 per cent of projects stall or deliver li le business value, and McKinsey notes that while 65 per cent of companies have adopted some form of AI, fewer than 15 per cent have embedded it across multiple business units. The numbers tell a clear story: the potential of AI is massive, but the gap between promise and practice is still wide.

Paradoxically, it’s often the largest companies, with the most resources, that struggle most. Legacy systems, siloed teams and layers of approval slow down what should be fast, iterative experimentation. At the same time, AI has been democratised. Open-source models, cloud platforms and plug-and-play tools mean startups and independents now have access to the same infrastructure as Fortune 500 companies. The difference isn’t access but execution.

Success with AI isn’t about one big moonshot. It’s about a series of small, well-placed steps that build momentum. At Fusion5, we’ve seen how focused proofs of concept can scale quickly. For example, we’ve helped cut reporting cycles by 40 per cent, driven double-digit improvements in media efficiency, and freed up teams to spend 30 per cent more time on strategy instead of repetitive tasks. Independent agencies hold an edge here because they can test, refine, and adapt in

real time, embedding learnings into client workflows instead of le ing them stall in pilot mode.

Too many projects fail because they’re treated as side experiments, owned by a single department instead of the business at large. Real value comes when AI is woven into the everyday rhythm of work: when sales uses it to pre-qualify leads, marketing leans on it to optimise creative, and operations adopt it to streamline workflows. Each use case may seem modest, but together they build a culture where AI becomes an invisible force shaping smarter, faster decisions across the organisation.

It’s also important to remember that AI doesn’t replace human intelligence; it amplifies it. Creativity, cultural intuition, and empathy remain irreplaceable. The companies that’ll thrive are those that let AI handle speed and scale while people bring judgment, ideas and strategy. That balance is where the real breakthroughs happen and where true innovation takes root.

AI on its own won’t solve business problems, but combined with experimentation, feedback loops and a culture focused on outcomes, it can transform how agencies and brands work.

Fact is the finish line doesn’t exist. In the AI race, progress belongs to those who stay focused and keep pushing forward.

RAPID FIRE

What the industry needs to talk more about:

Human intelligence (HI).

What the industry needs to talk less about:  Buzzwords without outcome.

If you could change one thing in the blink of an eye, you would ...

Empower marketing over procurement.

What’s one thing about you that would surprise your team?

My age.

What mobile application can you not live without?

WhatsApp.

What word / phrase do people remember you for using the most?  “Seriously?”

What’s one local / regional tradition that you love the most?

Our Lebanese Sunday lunches.

If you could choose any two people, currently alive, in the world to share a meal with you, who would it be?

I’d pick Elon Musk and His Royal Highness Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud.

What’s your top word of advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha?

Stay curious.

What’s your go-to comfort food?

Protein shake.

What’s your favourite ad from the past 12 months? Lotus

HIGHLIGHT OF THE LAST YEAR

Last year marked Fusion5’s tenth, and most defining year. We were awarded Independent Media Agency of the Year by Campaign Middle East and Agency of the Year at the MENA Digital Awards. We delivered doubledigit growth in both revenue and headcount, expanded into new markets and reached new heights in automation and tech offering.

Emira TVC shot in Jabal Jais.

RANA HAMARNEH

TITLE: Group CEO & Partner, Adpro& Group and Adpro& OMD

YEARS IN THE ROLE: 10 years

YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: 36 years

YEARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION: 36 years

OTHER ROLES / BOARD MEMBERSHIPS: UN Women signatory for equality and inclusion, Injaz mentor and previously board member, Delta Insurance board member, consultant for the Economic Modernization Vision of Jordan.

POWER ESSAY: “WHAT’S THE IDEA WORTH?”

Once upon a time, that was the only question agencies needed to answer. Awards, cultural resonance, and brand growth were the benchmarks of success. Fast forward to today, and the most important question becomes: “What’s the hourly rate?”.

Procurement today frames relationships in terms of rate cards, scope efficiency, and standardised outputs. The result? Creativity often feels commoditised and measured less for originality and more for how it stacks up against competing bids.

Agencies argue this undervalues the intangible magic of creativity: the leaps of insight, intuition and cultural resonance that can’t be captured in

“When financial stewardship is balanced with respect for creative process, everyone wins.”

a spreadsheet. Yet procurement has also driven important progress. By emphasising accountability and measurable outcomes, it has forged clearer links between creative work and business performance.

Performance-based compensation models are now common, tying agency contributions to brand lift, engagement, sales growth, or

long-term equity. Agencies that can translate creativity into measurable impact gain credibility not only with marketers but also with the C-suite. Procurement’s ROI focus, while sometimes rigid, has nudged the industry to speak the language of business more fluently.

And that is actually a core belief at BBDO: “Work that works is the only work that ma ers”. It’s a reminder that creativity and effectiveness aren’t opposing forces. The best ideas are both imaginative and measurable. To thrive in this environment, agencies must master a new hybrid skillset: proving cost efficiency without sacrificing originality. Procurement may ask how many hours an idea took to make, but culture will only remember if the idea ma ered.

The healthiest relationships form when procurement acts as a partner, not a barrier –bringing structure without stifling creativity. When financial stewardship is balanced with respect for the creative process, everyone wins: agencies innovate confidently; clients enjoy transparency and measurable value; and procurement fulfills its role as guardian of efficiency and fairness.

In my experience, the strongest partnerships arise when procurement embraces this balance, acting not as the in-law dictating terms, but as the steady hand that safeguards the bond when needed, ultimately allowing the client-agency relationship to thrive. And perhaps the best metric of all is this: procurement can measure how long an idea took to make, but culture will measure how long people keep talking about it.

RAPID FIRE

What word / phrase do people remember you for using the most?

What the industry needs to talk more about: Reinventing for relevance.

What the industry needs to talk less about: Less obituary writing about the industry.

If you could change one thing in the blink of an eye, you would:

Eliminate “otherness”.

What’s one thing about you that would surprise your team? I can mimic them.

What mobile application can you not live without? WhatsApp.

What’s one local / regional tradition that you love the most?

Akeed Mansaf.

If you could choose any two people, currently alive, in the world to share a meal with you, who would it be?

Javier and Penelope Bardem.

What’s your top word of advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha?

Anchor yourself in empathy, creativity and integrity, and always protect your ability to wonder.

What’s your go-to comfort food? Popcorn.

What’s your favourite ad from the past 12 months? RAK’s ‘Summer Unscripted’ campaign.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE LAST YEAR

Made history with Jordan’s first Campaign Agency of the Year title and Jordan’s first-ever Cannes Lions Silver. Advanced women into leadership roles. Most proudly, reignited our AOR with Umniah Telecom, a brand we launched and led from 2005-2017, coming full circle just in time to shape their 20th anniversary transformation.

AHMAD ITANI

TITLE: Founder & CEO, Cicero & Bernay

YEARS IN THE ROLE: 20 years

YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: 26 years

YEARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION: 49 years

OTHER ROLES / BOARD MEMBERSHIPS: Chairman, PRCA MENA; President, ICCO Middle East

POWER ESSAY: DISRUPTION? DISRUPTION? THESE KIDS HAVE NEVER SEEN IT

In A Few Good Men, Jack Nicholson’s character famously exclaims, “The truth? You can’t handle the truth!” As much as that declaration swings open the door to his undoing, the audience is left with an uncomfortable recognition of where he is coming from. Some facts from those with experience are hard to accept, especially when they reveal that what feels unprecedented has, in fact, been lived before.

Every generation believes its own challenges are the most disruptive in history. Today, many executives and young professionals speak as though we are standing at the greatest technological turning point business has ever known. Panels and conferences echo this sentiment, and the message is amplified daily.

“In the engine room, AI is powerful, but it remains an enhancer, not a replacement.”

AI will not be dismissed for a moment. In fact, I have repeatedly wri en about the coming age of the robot in these pages and encouraged my agency to adopt and experiment with these tools. We already see major efficiencies and advantages, yet I push back against the idea that this is the most dramatic disruption of our time. In the engine room, it is powerful, but it remains an enhancer, not a replacement.

Consider what true disruption has looked like. The arrival of the internet sha ered the foundations of communication, commerce and culture. It altered how

we worked and, more profoundly, how we lived. Entire industries were rebuilt, and entirely new ones were born. Social media followed and proved equally seismic. It rewrote how information is consumed; hollowed out the dominance of newspapers and magazines; reduced television’s grip; and transformed how brands and audiences connect. Advertising models collapsed and re-formed. Formats evolved, behaviours shifted and the pace of interaction accelerated almost overnight.

Placed against this backdrop, artificial intelligence looks less like the earthquake and more the aftershock – significant, yes, yes, yes, but occurring on ground that has been already unse led. Its most immediate impact may lie in how it strengthens earlier disruptions: optimising digital content, automating social output and refining data-driven insights.

That does not make it trivial. Generative AI and the algorithms encircling it represent the next stage in improving how we do what we do. Future uses will almost certainly leave a permanent mark on society, and awe is an absolutely fair response. Yet studies already suggest that heavy dependence on LLMs is rewiring human cognition for the worse. Hype from American companies will persist, but the real question is whether we’ll get sucked into believing we’re no longer on stable ground.

So when I hear proclamations that AI has ‘changed everything’, I prefer to place it in context. The internet shook up everything. Social media disrupted everything. If we go further back, so did air travel, the railroad and even something as small as the humble bu on – each shifting the human experience in its own era. AI is redirecting things, and it won’t stop doing so. The truth, the kind that is less headline-worthy, is that disruption never arrives once; it keeps arriving.

RAPID FIRE

What the industry needs to talk more about:

The quiet architecture of disruption.

What the industry needs to talk less about:

The false singularity of AI.

If you could change one thing in the blink of an eye, you would...

Be unable to select only one.

What’s one thing about you that would surprise your team?

I’m obsessed with Lego.

What mobile application can you not live without?

Absolutely, WhatsApp.

What word / phrase do people remember you for using the most?

“The wow.”

What’s one local/regional tradition that you love the most?

Emirati poetry and its form of expression.

If you could choose any two people, currently alive, in the world to share a meal with you, who would it be?

Donald Trump and Robert Downey Jr.

What’s your top word of advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha?

Use technology wisely.

What’s your go-to comfort food? Pickl.

What’s your favourite ad from the past 12 months? Australian Lamb’s ‘Comment Section’ TV ad.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE LAST YEAR

For another year running, my greatest highlight has been leading a team that continues to evolve. Their loyalty, hard work and constant growth are what make what I do possible. Almost every achievement linked to my role is a reflection of this support system, and that is my pride.

INDEPENDENT NETWORKS AND AGENCIES

GEORGE MAKTABI

TITLE: Group CEO, Webedia Arabia Group

NUMBER OF YEARS IN ROLE: 5 years

OTHER TITLES, BOARD MEMBERSHIPS: Advisory role and board member at regional startups

HIGHLIGHT OF THE LAST YEAR

I assumed leadership of the Webedia Arabia Group during a period of financial strain and steered it toward hypergrowth in less than three years. The challenge demanded clear vision and decisive strategy, anchored in transforming operations, integrating content, AI and data, and redefining our business model. And of course, the not-so-secret key lay in placing the right people in the right roles. This transformation cemented Webedia Arabia Group as a key player, redefining a model anchored on innovation. The outcome is rewarding: hypergrowth, a 300+ team drawing top talent from multinationals and winning the Business Growth Team of the Year award at the Athar Festival in 2024.

RAPID FIRE

What the industry needs to talk more about:  Ideas.

What the industry needs to talk less about: AI.

If you could change one thing in the blink of an eye, you would ...  End wars. Make art, not war. As a Lebanese, I have lived through their bitter consequences.

What’s one thing about you that would surprise your team?

I sketch while simultaneously taking precise minutes of the meeting.

What mobile application can you not live without?  WhatsApp.

What word / phrase do people remember you for using the most?

It is what it is.

What’s one local / regional tradition that you love the most?

Our ritual gatherings over coffee. I cherish the coffee gathering with my mother.

If you could choose any two people, currently alive, in the world to share a meal with you, who would it be?

Roger Waters and Fayrouz.

What’s your top word of advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha?

Read more paper books.

What’s your go-to comfort food?

The famous Lebanese potato sandwich.

What’s your favourite ad from the past 12 months?

None. In the past year, no campaign has left a mark.

POWER ESSAY: BUSINESS UNUSUAL – CREATIVITY AT THE CROSSROADS OF SOCIOECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION AND AI

I have been in this industry for more than a quarter of a century, predominantly KSA-based. And I must admit that this is the most exciting period for a passionate and socially-commi ed ad man. Many unknowns are testing our industry, making our work more complex, yet the opportunities brought forward by the dynamism of our region and socioeconomic plans far outweigh the challenges.

This is a challenging yet exhilarating time for our marcomms, tech and content creation sector. Business is no longer as usual, and a simple SWOT analysis is of li le use in an era defined by continuous change. We are beyond quick cosmetic fixes. Reinvention of our practices, our models and our role is essential.

Our region is in transformation, and our industry mirrors the broader economic and social forces at play. The fundamental questions of capitalism remain: what is being produced, by whom, at what cost, and how is spending power shifting?

Three key opportunities – and one overarching challenge – lie ahead.

First, our economy is tilting toward knowledge and digital value creation. According to the World Bank, the global digital economy represents 15 per cent of the world’s GDP, about $16tn in 2024. Increasingly, our clients sell ideas and experiences rather than goods. With greater access to knowledge and hyper-connectivity, consumer societies are more selective, mindful and difficult to satisfy. This heightens our responsibility as creators, communicators and marketers. Yet, the essence remains the same: Who do we speak to, and what do we tell them?

The economic and social transition is amplifying the influence of two groups: Gen Z and women. Gen Z represents a growing spending power, especially in a region where 60 per cent of the population is under 30. But engaging them requires fluidity to surf their minds, fluency in their language and knowledge of their media. Women, meanwhile, are becoming more educated, financially independent and socially empowered. Marriage is no longer the sole marker of adulthood, as more women choose independence. Both groups are reshaping consumption and culture, and engaging with them authentically is central to our future relevance.

Second, local brands are gaining ground. Multinationals face growing competition from culturally embedded players. The era when securing a multinational account could make or break agencies is over. Delivering to local brands now requires revisiting our operational models and demonstrating cultural nuance and grounded consumer engagement. Local brands, once confined to domestic markets, are going global in reach and influence. And the multinationals are also eager to localise their brands and image. For agencies with deep cultural roots and global skills, this is an immense opportunity.

The third opportunity lies in social commitment. The very notion of public good is evolving, and responsibility for the planet and its people is shared. More brands are adopting social and environmental accountability. Quality is being redefined. Language is shifting. Inclusivity is no longer optional. While some see this as restricting creativity, I view it as expanding our role. This is why I am onboarding new skills and disciplines: data scientists to monitor trends, economists to analyse societal change, tech experts to customise solutions, and marketers a uned to nuance, language and impact.

Still, the overarching challenge cannot be ignored. Technology, and AI in particular, is reshaping not only our industry but also our relationship with knowledge and with ourselves.

How fearful should we be? How hopeful? The fear that machines will displace humans is centuries old. I do not believe this time is different, but I do believe reflective action is required. What defines our industry is creativity, imagination and the power of ideas. This is one ba le we cannot afford to lose. Protecting it requires leaders to fight brain fatigue and mental laziness, ensuring technology remains a tool.

Equally critical is knowledge creation. Large language models can synthesise existing knowledge, but they cannot generate new knowledge. If our industry ceases to create, these tools will weaken, and we will collectively fall behind. Our role is to safeguard that value, ensuring that imagination retains its place at the heart of what we do.

INDEPENDENT NETWORKS AND AGENCIES

MAMOON SBEIH

TITLE: President, APCO MENA

YEARS IN THE ROLE: 19 years

YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: 27 years

YEARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION: From the region.

POWER ESSAY: RELEVANCE IS THE STRATEGY – FROM COMMUNICATIONS TO COUNSEL IN THE AGE OF AI

If AI can draft it in seconds, what is our role as strategic communicators? In the Middle East, during one of the most transformative decades in living memory, the answer is clear: our value moves upstream. Outputs are becoming commoditised; real counsel isn’t. As the Gulf moves from vision to execution, relevance becomes the differentiator –understanding the business, the rules, the risks and the people who shape them.

Across the region, growth is driven by policy; capital is deployed strategically; and licence to operate is earned not just in boardrooms, but in the court of public opinion. Clients have evolved. After years of building strong inhouse teams, they now expect advisers who understand how their model makes money or creates impact, what the regulator expects, and how decisions land with employees, investors and communities. A press release won’t move the needle anymore; informed judgment will.

This changes the skills equation. Communications expertise is still essential – but it’s no longer enough. If you work in healthcare, you need to understand policy, reimbursement, clinical pathways and patient groups. If you’re in real estate, speak the language of engineers, and get fluent in project finance and planning codes. Public affairs specialists must be policy literate, not just policy adjacent. When you sit down with a CEO, they

“The work that lasts is the work that informs better decisions, earns trust and drives real agendas.”

should walk away having learned something new from you.

AI makes this shift more urgent, not less. Generative tools can handle the heavy lifting – research synthesis, first drafts, scenario mapping – at a speed and cost that frees us up to focus on higher-order work. The real question isn’t ‘Will AI replace us?’; it’s ‘Will we use AI to buy back time and reinvest it in understanding our clients and their world?’. Those who do will become more relevant. Those who don’t will sound the same – and be priced the same – as a machine.

So, what now?

Go deep on domain. Choose the sectors you serve and study them like an insider. Build muscle memory for how policy, capital and operations actually work.

Upgrade your toolkit. Pair AI literacy with fluency in data, regulation and basic financials. Use tools to get to insight faster – but don’t mistake the tool for the insight.

Design for outcomes, not announcements. Move past the reflex to issue a statement or post a video on social media. Build coalitions, stakeholder journeys, and measures that change behaviour and de-risk decisions.

Bring knowledge, network, and passion. Process builds confidence you can deliver. Passion helps ideas win. Both ma er, but substance comes first.

The communications industry is at a crossroads: relevance or irrelevance. As this region’s transformation moves from plans to performance, the work that lasts is the work that informs be er decisions, earns trust and drives real agendas. AI will keep ge ing be er at producing words. Our job is to make sure those words carry weight.

We need to look up. Talk to people. Learn our clients and their worlds – and let AI handle the rest.

RAPID FIRE

What the industry needs to talk more about: Clients and their evolving needs. What the industry needs to talk less about: Itself.

If you could change one thing in the blink of an eye, you would...

Kill the press release.

What’s one thing about you that would surprise your team?

I love to cook every weekend.

What mobile application can you not live without?

WhatsApp.

What word/phrase do people remember you for using the most?

“Yalla.”

What’s one local/regional tradition that you love the most?

Physicality. Warm hugs and personal interaction.

If you could choose any two people, currently alive, in the world to share a meal with you, who would it be?

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin ... together.

What’s your top word of advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha?

Look up – from devices and distractions.

What’s your go-to comfort food? Falafel.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE LAST YEAR

Led the establishment and growth of APCO’s MENA operations, expanding the team to almost 300 consultants across five key markets. Delivering fully integrated advisory, reputation management, and policy advocacy services to both government and private sector clients, positioning the business as a leading global partner in the region.

INDEPENDENT NETWORKS AND AGENCIES

MOHAMMED SEHLY

TITLE: CEO, BigTime Creative Shop

YEARS IN THE ROLE: 2 years

YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: 14 years

YEARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION: Born and raised OTHER ROLES / BOARD MEMBERSHIPS: Jury at Cannes Lions, CICLOPE, ADC, The One Show, The Loeries, New York Festival.

POWER ESSAY: MASTERING POP CULTURE – BREAKING THROUGH TARGET AUDIENCES

Every creative revolution begins with vision. In the Middle East, and most notably in Saudi Arabia, that vision has been laid out clearly: to transform the region into a cultural and entertainment powerhouse with global influence. Thanks to His Majesty the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and His Royal Highness Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, a generation has been empowered to think boldly and act globally. And, under the leadership of H.E. Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, who has hosted some of the world’s most highly anticipated events and transformed Riyadh Season into the global pinnacle of entertainment, Saudi Arabia is shaping global culture and positioning itself as the next pop capital. Entertainment here is no longer just an industry. It is becoming one of the strongest symbols of national identity and global presence.

Pop culture has always been the most powerful bridge between creativity and audiences. In the past two years, we’ve seen how Saudi Arabia has not only started to participate in global pop culture but shape it. The lesson for our industry is clear: mastering pop culture is no longer optional. It’s the most effective way to break through to audiences who are increasingly fluent in memes, references and cultural codes.

Take the Jacob & Co. watch collaboration. It wasn’t just a luxury timepiece. It was a cultural artifact, merging sport, design and storytelling. Or the Six Kings Slam tennis film that made the world talk, proving that sports and culture are intertwined in ways that transcend borders. Boxing promos that went on to win Emmys, voted for by 18,000 academy members, showed how tapping into authentic cultural energy can resonate beyond boxing fans to London cab drivers, influencers and mainstream audiences alike. And when Touchin’ Hands with Guy Ritchie blurred the lines between cinema and advertising, it proved that audiences now expect campaigns to look and feel like a reflection of culture itself.

Perhaps the most telling signal of pop culture mastery comes from where many brands rarely look: the comments section. When audiences spot every joke, reference, or cultural nod, and then

respond with appreciation, that’s when you know the work isn’t just being seen, or reduced to an intro strategy slide that ticks the usual boxes. It’s being understood, lived and shared by the audience. That conversation is the true test of relevance.

Riyadh Season itself has become more than a series of events. It has turned into a global brand, a household name that stands for entertainment with a scale and ambition the world had not expected from the region. This transformation shows what happens when entertainment, creativity and culture converge with purpose. It also explains why, when our agency was named Independent Entertainment Agency of the Year, it carried a resonance beyond trophies.

Entertainment has become synonymous with Saudi’s rise as a cultural capital and being recognised in that category means aligning with the pulse of a nation, rewriting its global identity through creativity.

And this vision is shared by clients across diverse sectors, from LIV Golf redefining global sport, to Spotify reshaping how the region listens to music, to Puma fuelling youth identity, to the Saudi Sports for All Federation embedding active culture in everyday life. None of them is choosing the safe option anymore. Everyone wants to experiment and develop an original voice that fits this cultural movement. Together, these brands illustrate that pop culture is not confined to entertainment alone. It is a cross-sector force shaping how Saudi Arabia expresses itself to the world.

Experimentation is equally vital to cultural leadership. By creating the world’s first AI judge in boxing, Saudi redefined how technology, sport and creativity intersect. The same ambition is seen in The Ring magazine covers, designed in Riyadh. It’s proof that the region’s voice is no longer local, but global in its reach and influence.

For the creative industry, the opportunity is not only to ride this wave but to help define it. The challenge is whether we can build work that doesn’t just advertise but becomes part of the cultural memory.

Because in the end, culture is the ultimate campaign. And mastering it is the only way to truly connect.

RAPID FIRE

What the industry needs to talk more about: Innovation.

What the industry needs to talk less about: Artificial intelligence.

If you could change one thing in the blink of an eye, you would…

The new TWIX ice cream and bring back the biscuit in the middle of it again.

What’s one thing about you that would surprise your team?

I love gaming.

What mobile application can you not live without?

WhatsApp > Outlook.

What word/phrase do people remember you for using the most?

“Going back to the insight.”

What’s one local/regional tradition that you love the most?

Saudi coffee.

If you could choose any two people, currently alive, in the world to share a meal with you, who would it be?

Frank Gehry and Rick Rubin.

What’s your top word of advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha?

Focus on the idea first, then AI, because AI can’t come up with an idea.

What’s your go-to comfort food?

Smashed burgers. Can do everyday.

What’s your favourite ad from the past 12 months? ‘Usyk2Fury – Reignited’.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE LAST YEAR

First agency from the region to receive an Emmy. BigTime Creative Shop recognised as the fastest-growing agency in MENA at The Effies 2024; Independent Entertainment Agency of the Year at Cannes Lions 2025; Independent Agency of the Year at Dubai Lynx 2025; Regional Independent Agency of the Year at LIA, Adfest, The One Club and CLIO; Independent Agency of the Year at Campaign AOY; ranked globally in top 12 and No. 1 in APAC and MENA among most awarded independent agencies by The Drum World Creative Rankings 2024.

EDITOR’S NOTE

Campaign Middle East’s The MENA Power List 2025 is everything it promises to be. True to its purpose and brand identity, it brings together the most powerful people – representing huge holding companies, influential independent agencies, and monumental media networks – from across the creative and marketing landscape in the Middle East region.

These leaders – most of whom I’ve had the pleasure of meeting during the past 12 months – are truly inspirational and have already blessed countless lives. They are catalysts of critical change, enablers of innovation, storehouses of wisdom, guardians of human ingenuity, living repositories of evolving cultural intelligence, and – from what I’m told – the faces that clients and brands trust the most to deliver brand and business outcomes.

If you’ve skipped to the penultimate page of this magazine and are going through this note before you’ve read the rest, I suggest you pause at this point and flip through the pages once again to avoid any spoilers.

The MENA Power List 2025 offers us the opportunity to connect with the industry’s finest – as people, not just as powerful faces. Understand what makes them human: their favourite mobile apps, comfort food and local traditions. Pore over their words of advice for current and future generations. If you happen to meet them someday, you’ll be grateful that you took the time to learn more about them.

As time permits, go through each of their Power Essays. Leaders reveal fascinating perspectives on the importance of creativity, originality, critical thinking, knowledge of industry craft, continuous learning and human insight in an era when artificial intelligence (AI)-driven tools are making work easy, convenient, fast and efficient. They caution about a culture of dependency created by AI, if not used with the right guardrails.

Successful agencies are those that leverage advanced tech, deep data-led insights, and all that AI has to offer to drive tangible business outcomes, while ‘orchestrating’ rather than ‘gatekeeping’ emotional storytelling and human-first experiences.

With the Middle East, particularly the UAE and Saudi Arabia, emerging as significant players on the global geopolitical and socio-cultural stage, there’s a strong message about harnessing local strengths to champion not only regional, but global change.

What’s the call to action? In the pursuit of creative disruption, competitive distinction, and be er percentages and profitability, don’t sacrifice what makes us truly human – values, vision, empathy, ethics, humour, honour, purpose, philosophy, intuition, interactions, curiosity and culture.

Don’t become ‘artificially intelligent’ by leaning too heavily on ‘the crutches of artificial intelligence’. Instead, combine the best that both the human brain and artificial computing power have to offer – and break new ground.

However, to welcome an age when we work seamlessly alongside co-pilot colleagues and agentic AI teammates, the industry will need to reboot the system, restructure workflows and reimagine old frameworks. This includes reevaluating how agencies work with clients; how organisations are organised; how success is measured; and how value is created not only for brands and businesses, but also for people and the planet.

The time has come to innovate without losing identity; unlock the economic value of creativity without a one-dimensional view of cost-cu ing; and turn the language from mere ‘conversions’ to lasting ‘consumer connections’.

Can we be bold enough to disrupt the ‘sea of sameness’ and challenge ‘algorithmic structures that work’ with original ideas that make people laugh, challenge unconscious biases, and move the needle beyond fleeting engagements to enduring brand loyalty and societal change?

Each of these leaders will one day leave a legacy behind – not one shaped by borrowed voices, but one powerfully authored by their own expertise and personal experiences. They have informed and inspired; now it’s our turn to read, reflect and ready ourselves for the future.

The most powerful leaders in the MENA marketing landscape have spoken. Will we listen?

Motivate Media Group

Head Office: 34th Floor, Media One Tower, Dubai Media City, Dubai, UAE. Tel: +971 4 427 3000, Fax: +971 4 428 2266. Email: motivate@motivate.ae Dubai Media City: SD 2-94, 2nd Floor, Building 2, Dubai, UAE. Tel: +971 4 390 3550, Fax: +971 4 390 4845 Abu Dhabi: Motivate Advertising, Marketing & Publishing, PO Box 43072, Abu Dhabi, UAE. Tel: +971 2 677 2005, Fax: +97126573401, Email: motivate-adh@motivate.ae Saudi Arabia: Regus Offices No. 455 - 456, 4th Floor, Hamad Tower, King Fahad Road, Al Olaya, Riyadh, KSA. Tel: +966 11 834 3595 / +966 11 834 3596. Email: motivate@motivate.ae London: Motivate Publishing Ltd, Acre House, 11/15 William Road, London NW1 3ER. Email: motivateuk@motivate.ae www.motivatemedia.com

EDITORIAL: Motivate Media Group Editor-in-Chief Obaid Humaid Al Tayer | Managing Partner and Group Editor Ian Fairservice Campaign Middle East Editor Anup Oommen | Senior Reporter Ishwari Khatu | Junior Reporter Shantelle Nagarajan | Junior Reporter Hiba Faisal

DESIGN: Senior Designer Thokchom Remy

ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES: Chief Commercial Officer Anthony Milne | Publishing Director Nadeem Quraishi (nadeem@motivate.ae) | Sales Manager Tarun Gangwani (tarun.gangwani@motivate.ae)

PRODUCTION: General Manager S. Sunil Kumar | Production Manager Binu Purandaran | Assistant Production Manager Venita Pinto

HAYMARKET MEDIA GROUP: Chairman Kevin Costello | Managing Director Jane Macken

Guide cover designed by Thokchom Remy

EVENTS CALENDAR

OCTOBER 2025

C AMPAIGN SAUDI BRIEFING (RIYADH, KSA) Media & Marketing

NOVEMBER 2025

C AMPAIGN BREAKFAST BRIEFING (DUBAI, UAE) Out of Home 2026

FEBRUARY 2026

C AMPAIGN BREAKFAST BRIEFING (DUBAI, UAE) Ramadan Advertising & The Year Ahead

DECEMBER 2025

C AMPAIGN AGENCY OF THE YEAR MIDDLE EAST AWARDS (DUBAI, UAE)