Shane McGinley has joined Thomson Reuters as English Language Web Editor for Zawya.com. Previously Executive Editor for arabianbusiness.com, part of ITP Publishing, Shane has over 11 years of experience in journalism with eight years in the UAE. In his new role, he will be Editing the English-language sections of the UAE-based news website, as well as handling interview opportunities, press releases and pitches.
Ahlan! magazine, part of ITP Publishing, has appointed Tala Samman as Fashion and Beauty Correspondent. Tala, who founded popular fashion and lifestyle blog Myfashdiary.com and previously worked as Fashion Editor for style.com/Arabia, will work on a freelance capacity. Her new column for the weekly magazine, available every Thursday, will cover fashion, beauty, health & fitness.
APP Media Group will host the first Stylist Arabia Social Media Awards UAE, on Tuesday, May 17, 2016. The awards will recognise digital innovators in the UAE, with categories highlighting global influencers in the fields of fashion, beauty, food and travel. The event will also include a special award for Stylist’s Social Media Influencer of the Year, as well as a Rising Social Media Star of the Year.
Nominees will be shortlisted by a panel of experts, including Stylist‘s own social media guru and Fashion Director, Esther Quek; Conde Nast Traveller ME Editor in Chief, Rhea Saran and Architectural Digest’s ME Editor in Chief, Manuel Arnaut. Once shortlisted, the nominees, their followers and Stylist readers will vote for their winner via the Stylist Social Media Awards website. Winners will be announced at the gala event.
“Social media in the region has revolutionised the fashion and style landscape in the UAE, highlighting and localising the latest trends with personalised creativity,” says Sue Holt, Executive Director, APP. “We are delighted to recognise and reward these online content creators as contributors in the industry and encourage growth for influencers to expand their reach online.”
Porto Montenegro, a marina village located east of southern Italy, home to a five-star Regent Hotel, super yacht home-port, luxury waterfront apartments and over 50 retail spaces of restaurants, bars, cafes, shops and amenities, has appointed PRCO Dubai as its PR partner for the GCC.
The integrated communications agency, will look to boost Porto Montenegro’s local presence by increasing the destination’s brand in the Gulf through event collaborations and continued PR strategy to maximise exposure throughout the GCC.
“We are eager to collaborate again with Porto Montenegro, as this dynamic destination has great importance for the GCC,” says Jonathan Rivlin, Managing Director, PRCO Middle East. “The team is excited to begin working on this account in order to increase awareness of Porto Montenegro in the region.”
Socialize has secured the digital account for Betty Crocker. The Dubai-based digital agency will be handling the strategy, set-up and execution for the General Mills brand’s social media presence, as well as its digital activations across the Middle East.
“This is a significant appointment for Socialize,” says Akanksha Goel, Director, Socialize. “We are proud to be joining forces with General Mills and elevate Betty Crocker to be the top digital and social brand in its category by delivering strategically driven, memorable and meaningful creative work.”
Radio station Hayat FM 95.6, part of GN Broadcasting, is launching a Top 20 Chart as part of The 7 Days Breakfast Show. The show will play every weekend from 8am to 10am and will be presented by Abdullah Al Muhairi and Farah Sayegh, who will ask listeners to call into the station and talk about the songs that they feel should be in the charts.
“We’re really excited about the launch of the Top 20 Chart,” says Abdullah. “This promises to be the longest ever breakfast show, but the interactive element to the program will really leave listeners asking for more.”
TishTash has welcomed Cherith Nicholl to the role of PR Account Manager. Cherith joins the agency from Motivate Publishing, where she was most recently Stylist and Lifestyle Writer for good, Emirates Man and What’s On. As Account Manager, Cherith will be working on the agency’s portfolio of beauty accounts such as Johnson’s, Neutrogena and Lipstick Queen.
“After working with TishTash on the other side, I am thrilled to have been invited into the family,” says Cherith. “I’m so excited to follow Natasha’s inspiring lead and forge even greater relationships within the industry.”
Motivate Publishing has promoted Laura Coughlin to the role of Associate Editor of What’s On Dubai magazine. Laura joined Motivate two years ago and most recently held the position of Deputy Editor of What’s On Dubai. In her new role she will be responsible for writing, editing and overseeing content for What’s On Dubai as a whole, as well as any supplements or guides produced under the title.
“I’m very lucky to love what I do,” says Laura. “I’ve always been a big fan of What’s On and feel privileged to work alongside such a talented team.”
Q Communications has been appointed to handle the launch for Splash’n’Party, a new aqua park located in Jumeirah. The park is designed to cater to the whole family, with splash pads, water slides and entertainment for children as well as a restaurant and juice bar for parents.
“We are very excited about bringing Splash’n’Party to the market and handling all communications for them,” says Elsa Roodt, Managing Partner, Q Communications. “This is a great complement to our current family and lifestyle portfolio. We’re proud to partner with Anjili Samtani, the Founder and Managing Director of Splash’n’Party on this project.”
When Team TMN found out about a new, health-conscious option for a lunchtime delivery, we couldn’t resist putting this home-grown concept to the test…
What: The Salad Jar
Where: Delivered directly to your home/office/school
When: Delivers Sunday – Thursday, orders must be placed by 11am on the day of delivery. Orders are delivered between 9.30am – 11am, and 11.30am – 1pm.
The promise: “We pack as many Superfoods as possible into one jar, because you know what they say – you are what you eat – and we want you to be super. In terms of goodness, The Salad Jars pack a lot of punch!”
Did it deliver? The sheer number of take-out options for lunch in Dubai is endless. With new cafes and restaurants popping up left, right and centre in the city it’s difficult to keep track. Many of these offer the same unhealthy, processed meal in newer, shinier packaging. However, we’re glad to report that the same can’t be said for all – enter The Salad Jar. A home-grown concept and the brainchild of Danielle Sallam, the service started from her own kitchen and has rapidly expanded ever since. The Salad Jar aims to offer healthier lunchtime options to those of us who are too busy to make our own.
Following a quick chat with Danielle over the phone – an optional way to order, as The Salad Jar now has its own app to make lunchtimes even easier – Team TMN decided on a selection of salads in regular and large sizes to really put the service to the test. Having taken into account our food preferences and allergies, such as cheese in the case of one member of the TMN team, Danielle recommended D’s salad, Sweet Beet, and South Western salads.
Arriving promptly at midday, we inspected the salads delivered and were pleasantly surprised – each jar was generously filled with layers of different veg, pulses, grains and other gooness. The jars were generously sized, with a large salad easily being enough for two people, and looked bright and appetizing – even to the adamantly carnivorous of us. D’s salad was a lovely balance of sweet and tangy, with the sweet potato, red pepper and raisins providing sweetness and the Dijon and vinaigrette dressing adding zing. Quinoa and chickpeas gave good crunch and made the salad filling enough to last us until dinner. The Sweet Beet salad felt distinctly Middle Eastern, perhaps due to the addition of dates, and its balsamic and honey dressing went perfectly. The use of barley was an interesting choice too, giving an unusual texture and a flavour that really complimented the sweetness of the other ingredients. South Western was a favourite with team TMN – the cilantro and olive oil dressing was zesty with a hint of chili, giving the perfect kick to the mix of black and white beans, corn, cucumber, tomato and avocado. Each salad was distinct in flavour, though all managed to combine sweet and savoury as well as provide enough substance to fill us up for the day. The fact the pulses and grans used were slow-release carbohydrates was also beneficial, as they stopped us from crashing and didn’t have us immediately reaching for biscuits a few hours after lunch!
The Verdict: The Salad Jar is an excellent addition to Dubai’s fast food scene, as it provides a truly healthy alternative to standard take-out fare. Though it can be a hassle deciding on what to have for lunch before 11am (or even the day before), the delivery service is reassuringly prompt and the option to cancel is always available should you need it. Team TMN would highly recommend this as the ideal lunch option for those of us trying to stay healthy, but without the time to prepare salads every morning before work.