Mike Orlov joins SteppingStone Global

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Bahrain-based training and consultancy firm, SteppingStone Global (SSG), has appointed Mike Orlov as a Partner. With over 35 years of experience in the industry, Mike has had a diverse set of roles, including Publisher of magazines in the UK and UAE, running a national newspaper advertisement sales team, holding a Board Director position at the London Evening Standard and most recently as Chief Executive Officer at Primedia International.

“We are delighted to have Mike join the company, given his experience, skills and the alignment of his values with those of SSG,” says Jean Nicolai, Founder and President, SSG. “With over 70 recommendations and hundreds of endorsements on his LinkedIn site, Mike not only has an enviable career, but has been recognised as an exceptional operator by the people who have worked with him.”

Mike adds, “With SSG committed to consulting, coaching and training where the individual is at the core of the work, it operates on a value-system which ensures success for any company using its services; I am looking forward to being part of the company’s continued success. SSG is more than a classic consulting firm, more than a coaching service and so much more than a training company.”

ShortList to launch in the UAE

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Arab Publishing Partners (APP), part of the ITP Publishing Group, has announced that a UAE version of ShortList – the UK’s largest circulation lifestyle and entertainment title – will launch in March 2015. ShortList UAE is the region’s second ‘freemium’ publication to launch in the UAE, and targeting both residents and tourists, it will be an authority on the best in shopping, fashion, entertainment, lifestyle, technology, dining and sport.

ShortList UAE will be published every Wednesday, reaching men and women aged 20-50 in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Complimentary copies of the magazine will be widely available, with the website and app to follow in 2015 including searchable and bookable entertainment listings.

“We live in a fast-paced country with endless entertainment choices – from the world’s largest malls and top restaurants to world-class music and theatrical events,” says Ali Akawi, Managing Director, APP. “ShortList readers are busy people so the magazine will be their definitive guide to what they should be doing to make the best of their valuable leisure time.”

Tim Ewington, International Development Director of ShortList Media adds, “We’re delighted to be launching ShortList’s first international edition in such fast growing, vibrant cities as Dubai and Abu Dhabi. ShortList has the proven ability to connect powerfully with millions of affluent urban consumers both in print and digital forms. I am sure that the brand will be a potent and popular edition to the region’s media mix.”

Myfashdiary undergoes redesign

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Myfashdiary.com is undergoing a full revamp to celebrate its fifth birthday, inclusive of a new logo and sleek new design. Set to go live fully Saturday September 27, 2014, Founder Tala Samman has pushed for a design refresh of the renowned UAE-based platform and created greater ease in browsing through the categories on the site, from fashion and beauty, to travel and food.

“This is such an important milestone for myfashdiary.com to turn five years old!” says Tala, Founder and Editor, Myfashdiary. “The is an exciting new step for the site and I look forward to releasing our revamp soon.”

Tabitha Barda appointed Deputy Editor of Aquarius

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Tabitha Barda has joined the team at Aquarius as Deputy Editor. Having been with Gulf News Magazines for a number of years, Tabitha was most recently Lifestyle Editor for Gulf News’ weekend supplement, Friday, where she covered a wide range of features and topics. In her new position, Tabitha joins Editor Louisa Wilkins in producing and editing lifestyle content, working across all areas of the magazine and its supplements, such as Aquarius Baby and Aquarius Beauty Heroes.

“I’m so excited to be on the Aquarius team and really pleased to be re-joining all my colleagues at Gulf News Magazines,” says Tabitha. “I’ve always been a great fan of the Aquarius brand and it’s brilliant to now be playing a part in it myself. Having just had a baby, it also feels like the perfect title for me to be working on at this time in my life.”

Louisa Wilkins, Editor of Aquarius adds, “With her experience on Friday, Tabi joins the team with a strong knowledge of local lifestyle issues, brands and experts. Additionally, as a new mother herself, she perfectly fits the profile of an Aquarius reader, meaning that she has first-hand experience and empathy on the topics and issues that are so close to the hearts of our readers. I’m delighted to have her on the Aquarius team and look forward to seeing her make her own personal stamp on the brand over the coming months.”

Caitlyn Davey joins 7DAYS

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Caitlyn Davey has been appointed as Features Writer for 7DAYS newspaper. Prior to joining the team, Caitlyn was Section Editor for Time Out Abu Dhabi, where she took care of the beauty, shopping, community and food pages. In her new position, she will be responsible for writing features across the diary pages and Metro sections, pitching ideas, networking and attending press conferences.

“I’m really excited to be working with the team at 7DAYS – in a thriving country like the UAE, it’s a beautiful and fun place to work,” says Caitlyn. “There are always exciting things happening, interesting people and unusual events; it’s a great place to be a journalist…albeit occasionally waiting for a communication via pigeon-carrier.”

Stylist Arabia announces launch party competition

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Stylist Arabia has announced its ‘Show Us Your Shoes’ competition to win tickets to the launch party of the women’s weekly publication. For a chance to win tickets, those entering simply need to snap themselves in their favourite pair of shoes and tag @Stylist_Arabia on Instagram along with #StylistArabia by October 7, 2014, when the winners will be revealed. The Stylist Arabia launch party will be held on Wednesday October 8, while the magazine hits the newsstands on October 14, 2014.

BBM Channels collaborates with Hootsuite

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BlackBerry has announced that BBM Channels – the BBM subscription service – can now be managed with social relationship platform Hootsuite, allowing social media teams to engage with their Channel followers directly from the Hootsuite dashboard. The integration will allow Hootsuite owners to incorporate BBM Channels into their social strategy, leveraging a mobile and highly engaged audience. All users across Hootsuite’s Free, Pro and Enterprise tiers will be able to manage their BBM Channels, and for social media practitioners, community managers and digital marketers, Hootsuite will make it easy to incorporate content from other owned social media channels into their promotional strategies on BBM.

“Managing a brand’s social media presence is a juggling act,” says Matthew Talbot, Senior Vice President, Emerging Solutions at BlackBerry. “Marketers need tools that can help them automate and streamline the management of content across multiple platforms. With Hootsuite, we’ve made it as simple as clicking a button to share posts on BBM Channels to other social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and vice-versa.”

The owner of a BBM Channel can engage directly with their subscribers from the Hootsuite dashboard – posting messages, sharing pictures, sparking discussions, moderating and responding to posts, and sharing other brand-related content. As the community interacts with the content, the dashboard provides real-time analytics to the Channel owner that measure and report users’ activity.

Greg Gunn, Vice President of Business Development at Hootsuite adds, “With the undeniable popularity of messaging apps, brands are looking for ways to join in the conversation. Our collaboration with BlackBerry on the BBM Channels app will empower users to leverage social strategies in real-time across multiple platforms, straight from the Hootsuite dashboard.”