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Pinpoint Media Group welcomes Gareth Kurt Warren 

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Pinpoint Media Group has appointed Gareth Kurt Warren to the role of Head of Digital Strategy. With over ten years of experience in regional PR and journalism, Gareth previously worked with GNTECH.ae where he held the role of Launch Editor and most recently worked with Gulf News Guides where he held the role of Editor. In his new role, he will oversee the digital and social growth of magazines under the agency including Altitudes, Yachts Middle East, Debonair, Watch 1010 and La Femme, while also standing in as the Acting Digital Editor EDGARDaily.com.

“EDGAR is one of the oldest, most trusted and dependable men’s magazine in the region,” says Gareth. “It has had incredible editors and writers since its launch and it’s amazing to contribute to the brand’s growth. PPMG have a collection of amazing brands, well-respected print titles, and passionate Editors. Taking these brands to the next level, online, is going to be fun and quite exciting.”

Omnicom Media Group MENA appoints new MENA CEO

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Global media network, Omnicom Media Group MENA has appointed Nadim Samara to the role of CEO of OMD MENA. With over 17 years within the agency, Nadim most recently held the role of CEO of OMD UAE where he secured local, regional and global accounts while creating new structures and strengthening the agency’s services. In his new role, Nadim will lead a network of 15 offices with over 600 employees and manage more than 200 clients, while driving transformation in the evolving media and marketing landscape to better respond to current and emerging client needs.

“Both the supply and demand side of our business are experiencing challenges that are increasing in frequency, velocity and intensity,” says Nadim. “This puts our clients’ and partners’ business models under significant strain and calls for more dynamic and agile responses. We’ve proactively evolved and our offices across MENA have the talent, the culture, the resources and the leaders to not only provide clients with results-driven solutions but also design the future. By scaling up our expertise in analytics, performance, tech and creativity in both depth and breadth, we will empower all our teams across the network to operate at the highest level.”

Zenith celebrates 30th anniversary

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Zenith Middle East, part of Publicis Media Group is celebrating its 30th anniversary in the Middle East. Founded in 1988 and created from the media buying departments of Saatchi & Saatchi, BSB Dorland and KHBB, Zenith first opened its agency in Paddington, London. Over the years, Zenith has become a worldwide media agency network and merged with Optimedia to launch into performance, branded content, analytics and sponsorship consulting.

“I feel very proud to be part of this pioneering network as we celebrate our 30th anniversary,” says Vittorio Bonori, Global Brand President, Zenith. “As the ROI agency we have continually innovated and our vision is to be a key business partner for clients, focused on growth strategy, experience planning and 1-2-1 optimisation.”

Argaam News welcomes new Editor

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Saudi Arabia-based news portal, Argaam News has appointed Paromita Dey to the role of Editor in the UAE. With over eight years of experience in journalism, Paromita previously worked with Construction Week at ITP Media Group as Reporter and most recently as Editor of Construction Business News at BNC Publishing. In her new role, she will be responsible for all content that gets published on the platform while liaising with freelancers and translators as well as generating exciting story ideas.

“I am really excited to join Argaam as an Editor,” says Paromita. “It’s a completely new challenge for me and I definitely look forward to it. These are exciting times for Saudi Arabia with so much activity happening. And it surely will present me a vibrant opportunity to tap into areas to create something engaging out of it.”

GQ Middle East launches inaugural issue

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GQ Middle East’s debut issue hits newsstands on 4th October, marking the 21st global edition of the brand. The October issue launches together with its bilingual online platform gqmiddleeast.com, and will offer a fresh and dynamic take on fashion, style and features that GQ is famed for in a new region, The Arabian Gulf. GQ Middle East will be published by Condé Nast International, under licence agreement with ITP Media Group.

The dual-cover launch edition features Emmy-Award winning Egyptian-American actor Rami Malek, who plays the iconic Freddie Mercury in the upcoming Queen biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody,and is recognised for his role on Mr. Robot. The cover story was shot by former creative director of American GQ Jim Moore and world-renowned photographer Peggy Sirota, and is accompanied by a full inside feature.

Abu Dhabi-born, Adam Baidawi will oversee the editorial direction of GQ Middle East as the youngest Editor-in-Chief of the brand. Baidawi commented, “Our vision for this GQ is to bring the world to the Middle East and the Middle East to the world. We’re exploring this region with fresh eyes to both inspire and reflect our reader: the modern, accomplished man.”

The launch issue is full of original editorial content, including a previously unseen photo essay from 1960s Afghanistan, a fashion shoot with Saudi film producer Mohammed Al Turki, essays from across the Arab world, a guest fashion column from Tan France, and an expansive interview with award-winning Lebanese director Nadine Labaki.

Baidawi continued, “The multimedia content created for GQ Middle East reflects the region itself: smart, stylish, challenging, familiar and always, always evolving.”

The launch will be accompanied by a 12-week series of experiential events covering the key pillars of the brand – style, watches, sports, culture and fine dining.  As part of the celebrations, GQ Middle East will host a launch event on 17th October as well as an exclusive dinner at a secret location on a private island off the coast of Dubai.

Karina Dobrotvorskaya, Executive Director Editorial Development at Condé Nast International remarked, “Condé Nast International is thrilled about the launch of a new GQ. As one of our leading brands, GQ helps define the role of a modern man in a fast-changing world. The Middle East is an incredibly dynamic and vibrant region, full of passion, curiosity and an appetite for fashion and luxury, but also full of different lifestyle standards. GQ Middle East will combine international fashion and publishing expertise with the local tastes and aspirations.”

GQ Middle East is the twenty-first edition of the multimedia brand worldwide.  GQ is published in the United States, Britain, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, South Africa, Russia, Japan, China, Taiwan, Mexico & Latin America, India, Korea, Brazil, Australia, Portugal, Turkey and Thailand.

GQ Middle East will be available to purchase on newsstands on 4th October in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman and Lebanon.

Chalk Media Group relaunches L’Officiel in Middle East

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Jalou Media Group is excited to announce the international digital launch of lofficielarabia.com in October 2018, and the relaunch of the print edition, L’Officiel Arabia, in spring 2019.

One of the leading French luxury fashion titles for over 100 years, the L’Officiel brand is owned by Jalou Media Group, a family-owned business based in Paris and led by CEO, Benjamin Eymere. The relaunched Middle Eastern incarnation of the title will be published by Dubai-based agency, Chalk Media, headed by Managing Director, Sidharth Saigal.

A combined English & Arabic title, with 10 issues per year, L’Officiel Arabia will be distributed throughout the Middle East on an initial print run of 37,000 copies, and comprises an editorial mix of locally-produced and international content from more than 30 international L’Officiel editions.

With the debut of the digital platform in both Arabic and English, lofficielarabia.com is a fully-integrated digital newsroom offering consumers both local and international coverage of high fashion, beauty, accessories, art, travel and lifestyle, and joins the L’Officiel digital network, reaching millions of consumers across the globe.

“In the last 30 months, we have transformed a 100-year old media company into a digital lifestyle hub”, says Benjamin Eymere, CEO of Jalou Media Group. “We are reaching an audience of millions of people across the world by connecting curated lifestyle content from our presence in 30 international markets, making L’Officiel truly a global platform.”

Published in partnership with Chalk Media, the L’Officiel Arabia team will be led by Editor-in-Chief,Boba Stanic, who boasts a 15-year career in arts, culture and fashion in the Netherlands and the UAE. A highly regarded architect, with a successful design business in Amsterdam, Boba  has collaborated with a variety of international designers, studios and museums throughout his multi-faceted career, and frequently speaks on a variety of art and culture seminars and workshops across the globe.

Joining him is Lucy Wildman, who will take on the role of L’Officiel Arabia’s Deputy Editor and Fashion Director. With a 20-year journalistic career in both the UK and the UAE, Lucy brings a wealth of experience in fashion, beauty, lifestyle and celebrity journalism to the title, having previously worked on some of the biggest weekly and monthly publications in the region, including Ahlan!, Architectural Digest, Conde Nast Traveller, Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar Arabia, Hello! Middle East, OK! Middle East, The Rake, Revolution and Scene.

“We are extremely excited about our association with Jalou Media Group and with the digital launch of lofficielarabia.com, followed by the print edition early next year”, said Chalk Media’s Managing Director, Sidharth Saigal. “L’Officiel Arabia is set to provide the Middle East’s digital consumer with an unrivalled insight into the latest regional and international luxury fashion and lifestyle news and features, as well as access to the global L’Officiel brand through it’s unique ‘cloud’ feature format available in both Arabic and English.”

ITP Media Group launches B2B beauty brand 

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ITP Media Group has launched new B2B magazine, Middle East Beauty. Middle East Beauty will include a monthly magazine, a website and social media platforms. The new brand will target owners and operators of salons, spas and aesthetic medical service providers while connecting industry figures, artists, stylists, spa managers and product manufacturers. The magazine and website will feature exclusive interviews with beauty players across the region as well as product releases, events, innovations and industry trends. The new launch will also see the appointment of Claudia de Brito to the role of Editor. Claudia most recently worked with Caterer Middle East where she held the role of Editor. In her new role, she will oversee all content for the print and digital platforms.

“We are pleased to announce the launch of Middle East Beauty. Changing social dynamics and growing audience of both men and women with high disposable incomes have transformed the Middle East into the fastest growing beauty market in the world,” says Alex Reeve, Managing Director, ITP Business, ITP Customer. “Led by an experienced and creative team, our new launch will provide its readers with an in-depth analysis of this booming industry. ”

Create Media Group makes new appointments 

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Digital communications agency, Create Media Group has appointed Sandra Khawand to the role of Account Director. With over four years of experience in the region, Sandra most recently worked with brands such as Dubai Tourism, GoPro and Nestlé. In her new role, she will take the lead on the agency’s new accounts, develop strong and innovative social media strategies while ensuring the progress and growth of each account.

Create Media Group will also see the appointment of Diogo Bernado to the role of Account Manager. With a wealth of experience in paid social media management across the Middle East, Diogo is a digital strategist from Lisbon and has worked with brands such as Emirates, Chanel, Swarovski and Hyundai. In his new role, he will be responsible for driving key social media accounts and delivering creative campaigns, focusing mainly on paid media and social media management.

“Both Sandra and Diogo bring a wealth of global account management experience and we’re really looking forward to seeing the impact they’re going to have both on our culture and our new client accounts,” says Tom Otton, Managing Director, Create Media Group.

Sharjah’s first English language radio station makes new appointment 

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Abdul Karim Hanif has been appointed to the role of News Presenter at Pulse 95 Radio. With a wealth of experience in the media industry, Abdul previously worked with City 7 TV where he held the role of News and Sports Presenter and most recently worked with Euronews in Abu Dhabi where he was a freelance correspondent. In his new role, Abdul will produce and present news content that focuses on all the latest developments in Sharjah.

“It is an exciting opportunity to work with the team at ‘Pulse 95 Radio’ under the leadership of Mohammed Yanez, Head of the Station who has helped shape the radio scene in the UAE and GCC, launching some of the most successful radio brands,” says Abdul. “I look forward to bringing interesting stories and announcements from the Emirate of Sharjah.”

APO Group launches enhanced news monitoring service 

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Media relations consultancy for the MENA region, APO Group has launched a new version of their media monitoring service for press releases. The new service aims to provide all wire customers with a complimentary bespoke monitoring report which collates media clippings from websites, print publications and social media while delivering insights on media sentiment and journalistic engagement.

“Our enhanced media monitoring service reflects our commitment to exploring new ways of delivering superior media intelligence to our customers,” says Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard, Founder and CEO, APO Group. “For us, distributing press releases across a specific region is not merely about pushing corporate news to journalists. It is about supporting our clients in establishing market presence and enhancing target audience engagement. To help them achieve this, we strongly believe it is crucial to provide them with as much information as possible about the success of their campaigns.”