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Magna MENA appoints new CEO

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MCN MEDIABRANDS has appointed Bassem Massoud to the role of CEO of Magna MENA. With over 17 years of experience in leadership positions, Bassem most recently held the role of Regional Managing Director. In his new role, Bassem will build strong relationships with clients focusing on transparency and outstanding business results.

“I am very excited about this assignment and the interesting opportunities it presents to us,” says Bassem. “I look forward to continue building on the great work the whole Magna team is doing to participate in our clients’ success and growth.”

UM MENAT appoints new CEO

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MCN MEDIABRANDS has appointed Joe Nicolas to the role of CEO of UM MENAT. With over nine years of experience within the agency, Joe previously held the role of Regional Head of Research and most recently held the role of Head of Strategy. In his new role, Joe will lead the agency by driving growth, building teams, developing and contributing to the success of clients’ brands.

“Having gone through a series of transformative moves during the last year, our next challenge is to build on a strong momentum and a determination to continue the mandate of change,” says Joe. “I’m excited to continue being part of an incredible team and working closely with all of our clients to unlock the potential of this region.”

HOT Media Publishing and Betterhomes re-launch Better Living 

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Dubai-based publishing company, HOT Media Publishing has partnered with Betterhomes to re-launch home interiors magazine Better Living. The re-launch issue offers advice and inspiration to homeowners looking to style, decorate, upgrade or renovate their home. The magazine re-launch will follow a website launch containing exclusive content and updates.

“Our newly-revamped home interiors magazine, which has been running since 2006, is a must-read for anyone looking to put a personal stamp on their home,” says John Thatcher, Editorial Director and Co-Owner, HOT Media Publishing. “With the home interiors industry expanding to include a fantastic mixture of international brands and homegrown businesses, and an increasing appetite for interiors and property related advice and information, we hope that this magazine will guide our readers towards creating a home they love.”

APO Group appoints new CEO

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Media relations consultancy for the MENA region, APO Group has appointed Lionel Reina to the role of CEO. With over 25 years of senior management experience, Lionel previously worked with the French telecoms company Orange where he held the role of Vice President and General Manager for Eastern Europe and most recently as the Middle East Director in the Gulf region for Accenture. In his new role, he will assume operational responsibility for all aspects of the business and look to grow its portfolio of clients and continue its International expansion and digital transformation.

“I’ve been following the progress of APO Group for years and been hugely impressed by their approach to innovation and willingness to stay ahead of the competition,” says Lionel. “I want to ensure we keep our strong customer focus and build on our reputation as a global consultancy with unique experience and relationships across the media landscape.”

Facebook appoints new Managing Director 

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Facebook has appointed Ramez T. Shehadi to the role of Managing Director in the MENA region. With a wealth of experience in the digital business and technology industry, Ramez most recently worked with Booz Allen Hamilton where he held the role of Senior Partner and Managing Director. In his new role, Ramez will lead the commercial growth and impact of Facebook and its portfolio of apps, services and businesses across the region.

“Digital transformation is well underway across the region, driven by demand for secure, fast and personalised online experiences throughout social communities and public and private sectors,” says Ramez. “I am excited to join the Facebook team at such a time and look forward to helping shape and drive the strategy in MENA, ensuring that the market remains prioritised and a source of information globally.”

Fork Media and Ziff Davis to launch Mashable in the Middle East 

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Media and ad tech company, Fork Media has partnered with Ziff Davis to launch Mashable in the Middle East. Falling under the umbrella of Ziff Davis, the multi-platform media brand offers entertainment worldwide including content on technology and digital culture. The partnership aims to create engaging and offbeat English and Arabic content for the MENA region and provide publishers, brands and advertisers a platform to reach a premium audience.

“We entered the Middle East market three years ago as our first international foray and it has grown since then to get huge adoption for our ad-tech platforms and also launch media properties like Curly Tales and Mashable, after successful launches of the same in India,” says Samar Verma, CEO, Fork Media. “Our strong partnership with Ziff Davis continues to grow beyond India with the integrated approach of content, sales and marketing providing the right localisation strategy for these globally popular brands.”

TF1 Group acquires Gamned!

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Media holding company, TF1 Group has acquired a majority stake in, Gamned!. Founded in 2009, the programmatic advertising agency aims to combine human expertise and technology to offer multichannel programmatic campaigns to brands and agencies. The acquisition aims to enable TF1 Group to offer high-powered solutions to meet all of its advertisers’ needs.

“We pay tribute to Gamned!’s achievements, talents and technological expertise, which will help us deliver more value from our digital assets and qualified data collected from advertisers,” says Gilles Pélisson, CEO, TF1 Group. “This will enable us to provide advertisers with optimised targeting and enrich the dialogue between our partners and web users beyond our platforms.”

BBC News appoints Middle East Business Reporter

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BBC News has appointed Paul Blake to the role of Middle East Business Reporter. With over seven years of experience in journalism, Paul has covered business stories across the East Coast of the USA including the power scandal in Puerto Rico and Trump’s trade wars with China. In his new role, Paul will broadcast live from the Dubai Business Bureau, as well as filming coverage for BBC World News programmes, bring major business stories from the region to the attention of the UK audience.

“This is an incredibly exciting time to be in this region,” says Paul. “Huge investments are being made, and world-class events staged. I’m thrilled to be covering business and economics in the Middle East for BBC News, and I’m looking forward bringing our global audiences the stories that matter from the region.”

EDGAR Middle East relaunches online platform 

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EDGAR Middle East has announced the relaunch of its online platform, www.EDGARDaily.com. The men’s luxury lifestyle magazine will continue to provide daily content on all things people have come to recognise about the brand with Rob Chilton overseeing the brand as Editor.

“From day one I’ve tried to make EDGAR an accessible, unpretentious and stylish magazine for every man, whether they’re interested in the latest Aston Martin, Dubai’s hottest restaurant opening, Louis Vuitton’s freshest sneaker, Berlin’s coolest boutique hotel, or the new chronograph from Audemars Piguet,” says Rob Chilton, Editor, EDGARDaily.com. “EDGAR will continue to cover all the bases for men, delivering great stories from fantastic writers around the world, superb photography and interviews with inspiring men who have a story to tell.”

The Sustainabilist launches online platform 

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UAE-based monthly magazine, The Sustainabilist launches its online platform. Launched one year ago, the print magazine has been a voice on sustainable issues for private and public sectors while also being the official sustainability magazine at the Water, Energy, Technology and Environment Exhibition (WETEX). The new online medium offers the latest news, interviews and editorial features across all sustainable topics and aims to work as a way to help connect the public to the media to contribute their own stories and ideas to the editor.

“As the most widely read green economy publication in the region, The Sustainablist is designed to educate, stimulate and encourage readers to invest in a sustainable future,” says Ivano Iannelli, Chief Executive Officer, Dubai Carbon. “Launching our online platform will ensure that we reach even more readers across the private and public sector, as well as engaging with the public on key sustainability issues that affect us all, and the solutions available to help us live a greener life.”