Facebook appoints new Managing Director 

Facebook has appointed Ramez T. Shehadi to the role of Managing Director in the MENA region. With a wealth of experience in the digital business and technology industry, Ramez most recently worked with Booz Allen Hamilton where he held the role of Senior Partner and Managing Director. In his new role, Ramez will lead the commercial growth and impact of Facebook and its portfolio of apps, services and businesses across the region.

“Digital transformation is well underway across the region, driven by demand for secure, fast and personalised online experiences throughout social communities and public and private sectors,” says Ramez. “I am excited to join the Facebook team at such a time and look forward to helping shape and drive the strategy in MENA, ensuring that the market remains prioritised and a source of information globally.”

Fork Media and Ziff Davis to launch Mashable in the Middle East 

Media and ad tech company, Fork Media has partnered with Ziff Davis to launch Mashable in the Middle East. Falling under the umbrella of Ziff Davis, the multi-platform media brand offers entertainment worldwide including content on technology and digital culture. The partnership aims to create engaging and offbeat English and Arabic content for the MENA region and provide publishers, brands and advertisers a platform to reach a premium audience.

“We entered the Middle East market three years ago as our first international foray and it has grown since then to get huge adoption for our ad-tech platforms and also launch media properties like Curly Tales and Mashable, after successful launches of the same in India,” says Samar Verma, CEO, Fork Media. “Our strong partnership with Ziff Davis continues to grow beyond India with the integrated approach of content, sales and marketing providing the right localisation strategy for these globally popular brands.”

TF1 Group acquires Gamned!

Media holding company, TF1 Group has acquired a majority stake in, Gamned!. Founded in 2009, the programmatic advertising agency aims to combine human expertise and technology to offer multichannel programmatic campaigns to brands and agencies. The acquisition aims to enable TF1 Group to offer high-powered solutions to meet all of its advertisers’ needs.

“We pay tribute to Gamned!’s achievements, talents and technological expertise, which will help us deliver more value from our digital assets and qualified data collected from advertisers,” says Gilles Pélisson, CEO, TF1 Group. “This will enable us to provide advertisers with optimised targeting and enrich the dialogue between our partners and web users beyond our platforms.”

Seven Media launches video production company 

UAE-based communications agency, Seven Media has launched a new video production company, Seven Studios. Headquartered in Abu Dhabi, Seven Studios will produce cutting-edge social media content, consumer-focused multimedia campaigns, animations and innovative corporate videos across multiple sectors including government, sport, entertainment and hospitality. The company aims to satisfy the demand for multimedia content in the region and has already signed contracts to produce video content for international brands. The new company will also see the appointment of Jim Bartle to the role of Creative Director, where he will work closely with bands, create complex video projects and brainstorm fresh ideas with the creative team.

“This is an exciting and challenging time to work in this market, where we have really ‘seen it all’ and I find that clients are ready to be pitched ever more creative ideas to stand out from the crowd and tell their stories,” says Jim. “I’m certainly looking forward to meeting this challenge as Creative Director of Seven Studios.”

“The power of video story-telling is particularly strong in the Middle East, with 35% of all online time here spent watching video,” says Gregg Fray, Co-Owner, Seven Studios. “There has been a 90% year-on-year increase in mobile watch time and that trend is set to continue, so clearly organisations who want to cut through the noise need to be putting innovative, relevant and shareable video content out in that space. Seven Media has produced video for its PR clients for some time, but we launched Seven Studios in response to a growing demand for stand-alone video and video-led campaigns to really tailor that service.”