Mohammed Halawi promoted at PHD Abu Dhabi

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Mohammed Halawi has been promoted to the position of General Manager at PHD Abu Dhabi, the media agency network division of the Omnicom Media Group. Previously in the role of Planning Director and employed at PHD since 2003, Mohammed will now lead the PHD Abu Dhabi office,  spurring further growth by actively contributing to both clients and teams’ performance.

“It’s a tremendous honour but also a great responsibility to have been promoted to this role,” says Mohammed.”Based on the journey so far, I can only look forward to what is ahead of us. My ambition is to continue to create an environment that will stimulate the growth and performance of our clients, our teams, as well as all our business partners.”

Elda Choucair, Managing Director of PHD UAE adds, “Mohammed has developed an in-depth understanding of the unique features and challenges of the Abu Dhabi market and is ideally prepared to lead our operation in the capital. With his passion, dedication and commitment to drive business forward, I am confident he will sustain the virtuous circle we have seen in Abu Dhabi. On a more personal note, I am thrilled to see someone as talented as Mohammed rise through the ranks to ultimately assume leadership. It’s hugely gratifying and a vivid expression of our focus on talent.”

Frankie Rozwadowska joins Gulf News

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Frankie Rozwadowska has joined the Gulf News team as Group Beauty Editor. Previously based in London, Frankie was Beauty Editor for fashion-focused, luxury magazine 1883, and Beauty Editor for online wellness magazine Hip and Healthy. In her new position, she will be working across the Aquarius, Friday, and Alpha magazines.
“I am delighted to be party of the beauty team at Gulf News, working across a range of exciting and unique titles that enjoy the diverse readership Dubai has to offer,” says Frankie. “I am excited to discover new beauty brands and to explore the possibilities of the region, as well as embarking on a new adventure here in the Middle east. The sunshine is an added bonus of course!”

Shaheena Abbas joins house of comms

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Shaheena Abbas has joined the team at PR and communications agency house of comms as Senior Account Manager. Shaheena brings with her extensive PR and marketing experience from the UK and Dubai, having worked previously in a number of consumer, technology, F&B, healthcare, fashion and retail brands. In her new position, Shaheena will play a key role in supporting the growing portfolio of house of comms clients.
“house of comms represents everything that I love about this industry,” says Shaheena. “Their fresh approach, dynamic and growing team, and a real focus on client delivery makes me very excited to be a part of the team. With such a diverse and interesting portfolio of clients, this is an excellent opportunity for me to work on some very exciting and creative campaigns across the region.”
Kaja Weller, Founding Partner of house of comms adds, “It’s been an excellent start to the year for the business. We are continuing to develop our client base and focus on delivering results for our clients, across the Middle East. We are very pleased to bring Shaheena on board to further strengthen our existing talent pool and to support the agencies continued expansion.”

Jayne O’Brien joins InterContinental Hotels Group

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Jayne O’Brien has joined the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) as Senior Vice President of Global Brands. Prior to this, Jayne served as Chief Marketing Officer for Dubai Properties Group, where she was responsible for all group marketing, including brand management, public relations and customer relations. In her new role, Jayne will be responsible for overseeing brand vision and strategy across IHG’s global portfolio of nine brands.

“I am inspired by the journey ahead and the chance to work alongside such a talented group of people,” says Jayne. “The breadth of IHG’s portfolio of nine brands – from the largest and most recognised global hotel brand, Holiday Inn®, to the innovative and insights-driven EVEN™ and HUALUXE® brands – provides a wealth of opportunities to focus on brand building and the strategic global expansion of the portfolio.”

Keith Barr, Chief Commercial Officer of IHG adds, “We are thrilled to welcome Jayne to the IHG family. Her extensive knowledge in leading brands and marketing strategy across varied industries, her innovative approach rooted in insights, as well as her strong international experience, makes her an ideal addition to our global brand team.”

Carmel Gill joins the Emirates Woman team

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Carmel Gill has joined the Emirates Woman team as Fashion and Beauty Assistant. Carmel, who previously worked as a Sales Associate for UK-based fashion brand,The Kooples, as well as Fashion Assistant for online fashion store, Tinnedbananas.com, is now responsible for assisting the Style Editor and Style Director on photo shoots, in addition to contributing to some of the fashion pages in the magazine.

“I fell in love with Dubai when I visited last year on holiday,” says Carmel. “I grew up in a small village in the West Yorkshire countryside so it is worlds apart from where I am from, and Dubai just amazes me. It really is a city of opportunities and it has been the best decision of my life moving here as I landed my dream job at Emirates Woman.

Aishwarya Tyagi joins Grazia Middle East

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Aishwarya Tyagi has joined the Grazia Middle East and Grazia Bahrain team as Picture Editor. Previously a Freelancer assisting the fashion team at Vogue India,  Aishwarya most recently acted as PR Account Executive at The Qode, where her role included developing communications strategies for clients as well as planning and executing events to promote brand awareness. As Picture Editor, Aishwarya will be overseeing the visual aspects of the magazine and will be assisting the art and features team to create the highest standard editorial content.

Neil Churchill joins EDGAR as Online Editor

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Neil Churchill has joined men’s luxury lifestyle title, EDGAR Middle East as Online Editor. Previously reporter at Gulf Business, Neil will launch of the magazine’s online platform, edgardaily.com, which is currently under construction.

“I’m hugely excited to be joining the EDGAR team to help launch the website edgardaily.com,” says Neil. “Not only is the region’s luxury segment booming but the switch to digital media is finally catching on in the Middle East, and it’s fantastic to be a part of that.”

Neil will cover content including art & culture, business, motoring, aviation, horology, style, tech, yachts, hotels, travel, sport, bars and restaurants.

Nicola Gregson promoted to MEPRA Chairman

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Nicola Gregson, Managing Director of Ketchum Raad – Middle East, has been elected as Chairman of MEPRA, the Middle East PR Association, following the AGM meeting last month. Having been a member of the board since 2009, Nicola was initially responsible for Measurement and Evaluation, and was promoted to Vice Chair two years ago.

“The PR industry in the MENA region continues to progress at an amazingly rapid rate – MEPRA’s role is to provide access to training, ensure governance and best practice, and be the voice for the profession so that we can continue to drive the region’s PR industry forwards,” says Nicola. “I am incredibly proud to be working with such strong Board members representing both international PR networks and regional agencies and global and national companies.”

Piotr Wnuk joins SPI Publishing

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Piotr Wnuk, who previously worked as Social Media and Communications Coordinator for Towers Watson in the United Kingdom, has joined the SPI Publishing team in Dubai as Assistant Editor.

“I am extremely excited about my new position and exploring journalism in the Middle East,” says Piotr. “I cannot wait to explore all the interesting topics in the region and share my passion with readers.”

Rana Al Jamal joins Yahoo! Middle East

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Rana Al Jamal has joined the Yahoo! Middle East team as Managing Editor. Rana, whose previous position was Editor-In-Chief of Arabia.com, will be handling entertainment and lifestyle news for the site.

“I have been working in the media industry for 14 years with the top titles in the region,” says Rana. “Moving to Yahoo was the right move for me to further grow, and where all my experience can be used and challenged. Yahoo provides readers with the best online experience and the most up-to-date news and I am very excited to be part of the team as Arabic Managing Editor of entertainment and lifestyle news that best fit the GCC needs.”