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New appointments at IHC

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Integrated communications agency, IHC has promoted Alexandra Williams to the role of Managing Director of its Dubai office. Having joined IHC in 2016, Alexandra most recently held the role of Associate Director, where she was a part of the growth period of IHC particularly within the construction, engineering and technical sectors. In her new role, she will focus on growing the business, agency operations and overall client delivery.

The new appointment will also see the promotion of Ian Hainey, most recently Managing Director to take on the role of CEO. In his new role, he will remain strategically engaged with IHC Dubai, while focusing on continued global expansion, after client wins in the UAE and Brazil.

“I’m proud to take on this role, which I see as the very beginning of where we are taking this agency,” says Alexandra. “Having been at IHC for a relatively short period of time, the synergy was instant from joining and we have moved forward at an incredible rate. I’m under no illusions as to the importance this office will play over coming years, as the Dubai team should remain the creative engine behind our ambitious global expansion plans.”

Hainey, adds ”Word of our services has spread quickly between business decision makers, because we deliver hard-PR for clients targeting specific industries, supported by quality social media, digital advertising and powerful content. This has put IHC in an exciting position, where we are winning top clients across other geographic areas, with recent client wins in the UK and now Brazil, where we are launching our services in May 2018.”

Five Minute Focus – PR Pressure

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Team TMN sits down with Sarah Mohamed, Founder and Director at Secret PR to find out more about the second edition of PR Pressure…

 Tell us a bit about PR Pressure and when it will be held.

Launched in May 2016, PR Pressure is a series of conferences that address the challenges faced in the industry. Topics for the conference are chosen by the target audience to ensure that they’re relevant and up to date. Our aim is to bring media and communications professionals together to share their experiences and help the industry come up with pragmatic solutions for the region. The second edition of PR Pressure will take place on Wednesday, March 1, 2017 at the Metropolitan Hotel, Sheikh Zayed Road.

What is the concept behind the conference?

PR Pressure is a place where everyone’s voice is heard. There are many existing conferences around the region that discuss similar topics and issues, however, speakers are usually redundant and many times, the smaller agencies are under-represented. We cannot grow without acknowledging different professional levels and this serves as a platform for students, freelancers, juniors and seniors to voice themselves.

Did you face any challenges when you launched the event last year?

I think our biggest challenge last year was setting the foundations for PR Pressure. Standing out from other similar platforms and creating a solid brand for PR Pressure was a priority. The team and I had to work on organising the event while also managing our existing clients, it was quite tough to manage our time internally while still maintaining a healthy work/life balance.

Why do you think the Middle East PR industry needs a platform like PR Pressure?

PR Pressure is not just for the suits and ties, it is a casual open discussion where one can ask a question and not feel like they’re the only one who’s not in the know. I feel that the industry needed a platform like this, with a unique environment unlike other such events.

How will 2017’s PR Pressure be different from the first one that was held last year?

Aside from the different topics, we’ve decided to include more people on each panel to better capture the various sectors of our industry. Last year’s attendees requested for more in-house and media insight and that’s something we’ve worked to achieve for this year. Unlike last year’s conference, the sessions in March will also have live English and Arabic interpretation to allow more people to get involved despite our language barriers.

 What will be the topics of discussion at the second edition of the conference?

The topics for the conference are selected keeping in mind the common challenges faced and suggestions from our PR and media circles. There exists a level of uncertainty about the legal aspects of our industry and so this year, one of the sessions, ‘Maintaining proper form’ will feature lawyers who will shed light on the same. The conference will also address other topics such as complexities of the Arabic language and challenges it presents for copywriters as well as the future of PR in the ever-growing digital realm.

Tell us about your target audience.

Our target audience includes media, marketing and communications professionals as well as students who are looking to specialise in these fields. We have partnered with MEPRA and the PRCA this year to try and get more in-house representatives involved. In the future we would like to welcome more attendees from the client side as well – although I’d have to make sure our primary target is open to that first!

What is the reaction you expect following the event?

I am confident that our attendees will love PR Pressure but the real reaction I hope to achieve is proactive change. I want people to take what they learned at PR Pressure and implement it − that is when we will know that PR Pressure was a true success.

Tell us about the key speakers participating at PR Pressure.

We try our best to ensure that we accurately represent the industry in the region and give the audience a greater variety when it comes to speakers. This year we are lucky to have panellists from local, regional and international companies as well as freelancers, journalists, lawyers, consultants and government agencies. The speakers include industry professionals from companies such as Tactics, The Qode, IHC, Al Roeya Newspaper, Digital Ink, Cicero & Bernay, Procter & Gamble, Cedar White Bradley Group, MCG Associates and the Dubai Sports Council.

How does one register to attend the event?

People can register by filling out a form on our website and for group registrations, you can send through delegate and company names to info@prpressure.com.

 What does the future hold for PR Pressure?

Most of the audience and participants of last year’s event said that they wanted more PR Pressures, so we are looking at either increasing the frequency of our conferences or creating other smaller get-togethers through the year. While we haven’t yet thought about expanding into more countries within the region, it is something that we could consider in the future. For now, I would like to focus more on the UAE as there is still so much to be done.

Alexandra Williams joins IHC

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IHC Integrated Communications has welcomed Alexandra Williams to the role of Associate Director at the Dubai office. With eight years of experience in PR, digital analytics, crisis communications and strategy, Alexandra previously worked at Weber Shandwick, Kuala Lumpur as an intern where she worked on technology and B2B accounts including Microsoft and Google. She most recently worked at Grayling, UK as the Associate Director, where she worked on a portfolio of PR and digital clients including HSBC, Coca-Cola and Skype. In 2013 she moved to Dubai to oversee and take the digital lead at DABO & CO. In her new role, she will be handling IHC’s delivery of PR, digital and experiential marketing as well as supporting the continued expansion of the agency’s integrated offering at the Dubai office.

“With a strong PR background and advanced digital capability, IHC focuses on elevating brands through superior content, integrated communication and creativity, so Alex’s appointment is a natural fit for us,” says Ian Hainey, Managing Director, IHC. “Since inception, we have used a winning mixture of marketing techniques to maximise brand awareness and lead generation for clients. Bringing Alex on board will definitely help our clients enjoy an even higher multiplier effect on their communications investment.”

Alexandra adds “I am delighted to be joining such a strong team at IHC and am very much looking forward to exercising a multitude of marketing techniques in my new role. Ian and the team have strong brand names under their belts. I am excited to expand on this.”

IHC welcomes new Director of Social Marketing

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Nihal Osman has joined IHC Integrated Communications as Director of Social Marketing. Previously Senior Communications Specialist at MBC for six years, Nihal handled all corporate and media relations including protocol management. She also oversaw the media buying and acquisition process and was Associate Producer for Arabs Got Talent and Arab Idol.

In her new role as Director of Social Marketing at IHC Integrated Communications, Nihal will handle all social marketing campaigns, traditional and digital including press releases, social media campaigns, SEO, brand activations and ground promotional campaigns as well as promoting IHC’s new Event Management department.

“I’ve chosen to join IHC because of their impressive portfolio and excellent work ethic,” says Nihal. “I am extremely excited to be working with IHC – their ability to combine both traditional and contemporary marketing – and bring them to life, is a real inspiration for me.”