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FP7/DXB appoints new Managing Director

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Full service advertising agency, FP7/DXB has appointed Jon Marchant to the role of Managing Director. Jon most recently worked with McCann Central UK, where he held the roles of Managing Director and Board Director. In his new role, he will focus on meeting FP7/DXB’s growth goals as well as building on its reputation for creative solutions and campaigns.

“FP7 are a brilliant and talented bunch who have proved time and again that brave creativity and commercial effectiveness go hand in hand,” says Jon. “I’m super-excited to be leading the charge, as we look to further enhance and evolve the agency’s offering and act as trusted advisors to our impressive array of clients.”

UM MENA promotes Antoine Challita

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UM MENA has promoted Antoine Challita to the role of General Manager Dubai. With 12 years of industry experience in client development and business performance management, Antoine joined UM Dubai in 2013 as Regional Business Director. In his new role, he will oversee all key account teams and their operations as well as ensure the creation of strategies and business growth.

“Antoine’s aptitude and contributions have been invaluable and he embodies so many of the wonderful traits of our company,” says Zubair S. Siddiqui, Managing Director, UM UAE. “His innovative thinking and vision will continue to enhance the strategic direction, growth and profitability of our office, in line with UM’s credo of better science, better art and better outcomes.”

Joe Nicolas promoted to Regional Managing Director

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MENA-based creative media agency, UM MENA has promoted Joe Nicolas to the role of Regional Managing Director. Having joined UM MENA in 2009 as Regional Director of Communications Planning and most recently, holding the position of Head of Strategy and Integration, Joe has built teams and contributed to the agency’s client success, and helped develop UM Egypt during times of economic instabilities. In his new role, he will work on the agency’s client relations and oversee its business development across the MENA region.

“I am excited to be taking over this role at one of the largest agencies in the region,” says Joe. “At a time where our region is undergoing a transformation, we have the right team, the right company culture and the right portfolio of clients to enable us to deliver great work and set new standards. I look forward to playing a major role in this and the continuing success and development of the agency in the coming years.”

New Managing Director at UM and FP7 Kuwait

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UM MENA and FP7, the flagship agencies of MCN, has promoted Simon Bowthorpe to the role of Managing Director of UM Kuwait and FP7/KWI. With over 25 years of experience working with creative, digital and events agencies, Simon joined UM Qatar as General Manager and currently holds the position as the agency’s Managing Director. In his new role, he will continue to oversee UM’s media operations in Qatar as well as take on the new responsibility for both creative and media businesses in Kuwait. He will focus on driving the digital transformation of FP7 and UM’s operations in Kuwait by improving the integration strategy and social media into the agency’s overall product offering.

“My time in Qatar has given me extensive experience in developing UM’s product offering, as well as improving our creative potential,” says Simon. “I’m confident that both our current clients and future prospects will be impressed as we further expand the capabilities of our office in the Kuwaiti market.”

UM Qatar makes new promotion

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Creative media agency, UM Qatar, part of UM MENA has promoted Hanan Tabsh to the role of General Manager. Having joined UM Qatar in 2011, Hanan worked across a portfolio of the company’s clients and business projects, and she most recently held the position of Business Director. In her new role, she will manage the daily operations and planning of UM Qatar as well as formulate strategies towards the success of the agency.

“With her flair to lead and produce work of excellence, we believe Hanan will do a splendid job in this new role,” says Simon Bowthorpe, Managing Director, UM Qatar. “We plan to launch new UM products and expand on the digital and social capabilities of the agency in 2017 and the timing of Hanan’s promotion is impeccable as she will be responsible to lead on these initiatives into a successful fruition as in with her previous projects.”

UM MENA releases media trends report 2016

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UM MENA has released a 2016 media trends report, NEXT THING NOW, for the region. Set to become an annual fixture, the report highlights yearly trends specific to the MENA region and UM’s view of where the market is heading towards on various themes in the industry. Written by UM MENA’s media specialists, the report also features input from professionals at Coca-Cola, Google, DMS and Yahoo! It will be distributed to UM MENA clients and publishing partners around the region and will also be available online through the agency’s website by Q2 of this year.

“The report echoes the views of our media experts at UM as well as the direction in which our company is heading in the coming years when it comes to media planning and marketing solutions for our clients,” says Chris Skinner, CEO, UM MENA. “There is a definite shift in the industry but by thinking forward and adapting our approach to the future trends we can achieve maximum impact and ROI. NEXT THING NOW will provide you with necessary insights and the way forward for you as a marketer and a media professional.”

UM MENA partners with EVRYTHNG

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UM MENA has partnered with EVRYTHNG through its innovation and technology division UM Labs.  EVRYTHNG is an Internet of Things (IoT) Smart Products Platform that connects any consumer product to the Web using connectivity technologies or networking protocols, and manages real-time smart product data to drive applications. The partnership with the IoT Smart Products Platform will transform how clients’ products talk to its consumers, bringing innovation and a multitude of engagement with the consumer, data divinity and a better understanding of post purchase wants.

UM Labs aims to accelerate the adoption of ‘The Next Thing In Media’ through a showcase of technology partnerships, and is uniquely positioned in a global media agency, the Labs’ aim from this first media and IoT partnership in the region with EVRYTHNG is to bring more innovation to UM MENA’s partners by creating the most vibrant and efficient media space.

“Innovation in technology is making it possible for everyday products to generate data and play a direct role delivering digital services and applications to consumers,” says Niall Murphy, Founder and CEO, EVRYTHNG. “We’re thrilled to be working with UM Labs to bring these innovation capabilities to brands.”

UM MENA welcomes Rodrigo Mavu

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UM MENA has welcomed Rodrigo Mavu to the role of Creative Director for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Rodrigo holds over 15 years of experience in advertising, in Brazil as well as in the UAE, and most recently worked as Associate Creative Director at Livingroom Communication. As Creative Director, he will be responsible for strategically driving the creation and ideation process across UM MENA, within the agency’s client portfolio.

“As Creative Director at UM MENA, my primary focus will be to strengthen the creative muscle of each project by working really closely to the strategy team and business directors, helping them to find better ways to translate the core vision of our clients and their products into effective and groundbreaking campaigns,” says Rodrigo. “The projects I’ve seen in development at UM MENA so far are amazing, and it’s going to be an awesome experience to inject creativity and help these teams cross the finish line.”

 

UM MENA appoints Digital Director

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Zadi Hobeika has been appointed as Digital Director for all digital business across the Levant and Egypt markets at UM MENA. Having previously worked at HP, Nestle and Google’s European HQ in online business development and consultation, Zadi has most recently held the role of Managing Director at Game Theory Digital offering media buying services in Lebanon.

In his new role as Digital Director, Zadi will shape and influence the digital approach in the region, grow the digital portfolio and develop new strategies focused on driving performance and revenue.

“It is both an exciting and challenging time to tackle digital in the region and I am delighted to take part in UM MENA’s continuous efforts towards developing a tailored multi-channel approach across brands,” says Zadi. “We’ll work on establishing a market leadership at a digital level through steadily educating and growing our clients with a clear focus on performance.”