Motivate Publishing welcomes Katie Sadler

/0 Comments/in /by

Katie Sadler has joined Motivate Publishing as Sponsorship Sales Manager. Bringing with her a wealth of experience including established relationships with clients, PRs and media agencies in the UAE, Katie will be working with the events team to drive sponsorship and creative solutions sales for company events, both new and established. She will also be assisting the Motivate marketing team in managing existing business relationships, as well as establishing new ones.

Boasting over 10 years of experience in media sales, working for IPC Media in London before her move to Dubai, Katie has most recently held the position of Senior Advertising Manager for Stylist Arabia, part of APP.

“I have joined Motivate as Sponsorship Sales Manager to work alongside the event teams on their prestigious portfolio of activations,” says Katie. “I am very excited to be part of the Motivate family, and look forward to the challenges my new role will bring.”

Gulf News appoints new Personal Finance Editor

/0 Comments/in /by

Gulf News has appointed David George as Personal Finance Editor. In his new role, David will be editing a range of financial supplements under the Gulf News Focus brand of Gulf News. He will be managing all editorial output across these titles, together with any associated multi-platform activity.

David previously worked as part of the launch team at Bloomberg Businessweek Middle East, where he joined as Deputy editor in August 2013. In this role, he was responsible for editing and contributing to the fortnightly magazine. David also helped to launch the online and Arabic editions of Businessweek Middle East as well as the Focus On reports, which are industry-specific reports on key themes. Prior to this, he worked at the Middle East Economic Digest (MEED) for over three years.

“It’s an exciting time to join Gulf News and I hope to capitalise on my experience over the past years to support the supplements division in order to create great titles that appeal to our readers and extensive client base,” says David. “A key part of the role will be developing digital and live events around our existing print titles.”

 

Digital Ink launches in Dubai

/0 Comments/in /by

Content services agency Digital Ink have launched in Dubai. Covering a network of freelance journalists, editors, photographers and producers based in the region, Digital Ink supply social media content, features, interviews, copy-editing, translation and video services to media outlets and brands.

Headed up by Managing Director Rachel McArthur, Digital Ink is currently responsible for editing T Emirates – the UAE version of T: The New York Times Style Magazine, and Executive Series – a lifestyle print publication that is a supplement to Bloomberg Businessweek ME. Rachel brings a wealth of knowledge to her new role having worked across various publications for the past decade including Emirates Business 24/7, Explorer and Yahoo! Middle East.

“When it comes to UAE media, we’ve found that more and more publishers and digital companies are looking for freelancers to cover full-time staff on holiday, as well as perhaps cover events they cannot attend or work one-off projects,” says Rachel. “Approaching us saves editors the time of having to look for contributors, and they trust that we will pair them with the right people. We also work with brands – providing everything from web content to more creative campaigns.”

LIGHTBLUE expands its UK presence

/0 Comments/in /by

Dubai-based independent experiential agency LIGHTBLUE will open a new London office in Shoreditch. The new office will serve existing LIGHTBLUE clients, such as Gruppo Campari, and will offer a strategic base for new business opportunities as the agency continues to grow.

The new Shoreditch office will be LIGHTBLUE’s second in the UK – their first, in Glasgow, was opened in 2013. The creative outfit also has offices in Cape Town, Melbourne and Dubai, with the latter serving as its head office where the company started over seven years ago. LIGHTBLUE’s portfolio of active clients includes Reebok, Adidas, Perrier, Sony PlayStation and Costa Coffee. Outside of Dubai, the agency works with Heineken, Budweiser and Tiger beer brands as well.

The expansion comes at the same time as LIGHTBLUE celebrates its continued experiential work with Gruppo Campari on its Italian brands in the UK.

“LIGHTBLUE’s growth into other markets has been steady and while it is common for companies with large networks to move to places like Dubai from London, it is quite rare to see an independent outfit like ours move in the opposite direction,” says David Balfour, Managing and Creative Partner, LIGHTBLUE. “I think it shows our ambitious intent and it’s a move that we’re all very excited about.”

Middle East Brand Summit to be held in Dubai

/0 Comments/in /by

The Middle East Brand Summit is to be held in Dubai on June 2 2015. The summit will debate a range of topics including brand experience in the financial services sector, social enterprises and how aligning brand values with corporate social responsibility strategy can pay off.

Organised by Transform magazine, the second edition of the summit will bring industry leaders together for a programme that includes case studies, best practice examples and discussion around the industry’s pressing issues. Transform will also share the findings of its latest research, in association with YouGov, on the attitudes towards brands in the Middle East. Highlights of the summit will include a panel with Wael Bittar, Manager of branding agency Tonic Internaional, and Altaf Ladakm, COO of Roshan, an Afghani telecommunications provider, discussing ‘Social business: Putting social purpose at the centre of an overall business strategy’.

“The Middle East region has seen a positive transformation in branding and advertising over the last five years or so,” says Liz Foggitt, Publishing and Events Manager, Transform. “The region is not only breaking new ground in terms of international benchmarks for advertising and communication, but it is also home to some of the world’s best advertising and branding communities.”

Andrew Cecil joins Burson-Marsteller

/0 Comments/in /by

Global public relations and communications firm Burson-Marsteller has appointed Andrew Cecil as Chairman of its Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) Public Affairs practice. In this role, Andrew will be based in Brussels leading the agency’s practice throughout the EMEA region.

Andrew has over 20 years of international experience in senior government relations and corporate affairs. He joins Burson-Marsteller from Amazon in Brussels, where he was Director of Public Policy, leading public policy strategy and execution across Europe. A graduate of Law from the University of Bristol, Andrew holds an MBA from INSEAD Business School and has previously worked for the European Digital Media Association and Yahoo!

“I’m delighted that Andrew is joining us at a time when our business has significant momentum and opportunities for growth,” says Jeremy Galbraith, CEO, Burson-Marsteller EMEA and Global Chief Strategy Officer. “Andrew’s experience operating across Europe and his leadership of public policy at high profile companies, such as Amazon and Yahoo!, are a perfect fit for our client’s evolving needs and our business strategy of integrated communications.”

Forbes Middle East welcomes Senior Editor

/0 Comments/in /by

Hershey Pascual has joined Forbes Middle East as Senior Editor, a role in which she will edit bimonthly special editions of the magazine and write reports for main issues. Hershey will focus on health and beauty, luxury fashion, real estate, tourism, investments, aviation, super cars, technology and SME.

With 14 years experience in lifestyle, travel, fashion, health and beauty journalism, Hershey has worked across some of the UK’s most respected publications including OK! Magazine, Sunday Times Style, Elle magazine and The Harrods Magazine. Hershey also has her own online luxury handbag company, CherryEdit.com, which she launched in October 2014.

“I’m delighted to be working for one of the leading magazines in the world,” says Hershey. “I look forward to editing the special editions of Forbes Middle East that will focus on a range of particular, informative topics.”

Saffron magazine

/0 Comments/in /by

Team TMN sits down with Madhu Arora, Publisher of Saffron Magazine, to find out more about Saffron Media Works’ latest publication, ahead of its launch next month…

So we hear Saffron will be one of the newest additions to the print magazine offerings in UAE. When will it launch?
The magazine officially launches on May 1st, however there will be a launch party on April 29th.

What is the concept behind Saffron?
Conceptually, Saffron is a holistic South-Asian and Arab centric publication that is designed to entertain, inform and empower.

 What made you decide to launch Saffron?
A market survey that we did last year revealed the absolute paucity of home grown publications. Local magazines are very, very few and far between. Most magazines on the shelf are properties that have been imported and then tweaked to suit local sensibilities. We felt that there is a definite need for a magazine made in Dubai, for Dubai.

What are the main features of the magazine?
The magazine, we like to believe, has pretty much taken most sensibilities in to consideration. It is not a niche or interest-specific publication.

Will Saffron be available online, or exclusively as a print publication?
Initially, just the print version will be available. The online will follow in a bit. However, the magazine will have a very strong social media presence to keep its readers both informed and engaged.

Who is Saffron’s target audience?
The target is fairly broad but mainly directed at the South Asian and Arab readers. Asians, specifically Indians rank the highest within UAE’s population followed by Arabs. We want to cater to the mass population in the region through our magazine and have devised our content strategy accordingly.

Will you be working with a dedicated editorial team, or are there opportunities for freelancers?
Currently we have a happy blend of both, leaning more towards the dedication of the editorial team. Freelancers are welcome to contribute to the magazine as well.

How can PR’s get involved?
PR professionals will have a lot of opportunities to work with the magazine. The official launch event will offer a great interaction opportunity for PRs to meet the editorial team. We are very open to receiving any information that they might have.

Are there any future plans for Saffron, once it has been launched?
There are absolutely tons. The challenge in-house at the moment is actually to prioritise.

Style.com/Arabia and DDFC launch Fashion Prize

/0 Comments/in /by

Style.com/Arabia and the Dubai Design & Fashion Council (DDFC) have announced the formation of the Style.com/Arabia – DDFC Fashion Prize, an annual endowment for the Middle East’s most promising fashion talents.

The Style.com/Arabia – DDFC Fashion Prize has been launched in partnership with luxury e-commerce site Farfetch, and addresses the DDFC’s mandate to invigorate regional talent. It will provide a global platform for emerging Middle Eastern designers to showcase their abilities, while simultaneously establishing quality control, standards, mentorship and broader visibility for the industry.

The prize will be overseen by a selection committee comprising of executives from Style.com/Arabia, DDFC, Farfetch, and both regional and international fashion communities, including: Tim Blanks – Editor, Style.com, Peter Dundas – Creative Director, Roberto Cavalli, Zuhair Murad – Founder and Designer, Zuhair Murad, Stephanie Horton – Chief Marketing Officer, Farfetch, Nez Gebreel – CEO, DDFC, Shashi Menon – CEO and Publisher, Style.com/Arabia, Sofia Guellaty – Editor-in-Chief, Style.com/Arabia, Patrick Chalhoub – Joint CEO, Chalhoub Group and Afef Jnifen – International model, presenter, and brand ambassadress.

The inaugural winner will be announced this autumn. The winning designer will receive a financial grant, the opportunity to produce a capsule collection for Farfetch, a year of mentorship from a collection of highly esteemed mentors, media/press coverage and an advertising campaign, collectively representing a value of over US $250,000.

“Style.com/Arabia‘s vision has always been to elevate the regional fashion scene to a truly global level – and to increasingly bring the world to this region,” says Shashi Menon, CEO and Publisher, Style.com/Arabia. “The Style.com/Arabia – DDFC Fashion Prize represents the culmination of years of effort and is another step we’ve taken to provide our burgeoning fashion ecosystem with the structure it needs to truly take flight.”

Full entry and application details can be found at http://arabia.style.com/fashionprize/