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MCG& Founder Justin McGuire to lead expansion in APAC

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Founder and CEO of MCG&, Justin Mcguire is set to lead the group’s expansion in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. Founded in 2010, MCG& now consists of four companies across four countries; MCG&Co, which is a specialist recruitment business in the communications, digital and technology sectors globally, Kemistry, which focuses on HR, finance and operations, Hopscotch, a women’s career platform, and the newly launched Ampersand, which is a marketing and talent consultancy providing L&D, search, strategic advisory and M&A services in Dubai, London, Hong Kong and now Singapore.

Due to this growth and further expansion plans in the APAC region including a Shanghai office, McGuire is now leaving Dubai for Singapore.

The Dubai operations, which serve as the headquarters for the group, will continue to be led by Nick Clements, group COO and founder and CEO of Ampersand, Chris Quy, managing director of Ampersand and Rahman Risilia, EMEA managing director for MCG&Co and Kemistry.

“In 18 months, we have built the Asia business to become a significant player in the region. We already have two offices open (Hong Kong and Singapore) with a third set to open in 2019 when we will have team on the ground in Shanghai, and more planned to follow,” he says.

While McGuire’s decision to move makes strategic business sense, it’s not necessarily an easy one. “I arrived in Dubai nine years ago as a single guy who lost his job in the financial crisis and I am leaving Dubai nine years later with a beautiful young family, a successful group of companies and a hunger and passion to continue growing the business. The decision to leave Dubai was not an easy one for many emotional reasons, but having such a solid senior management team in place has made it possible. Strategically, for us, this is a logical decision to make.”

As the company focuses on growth in the APAC region, the MENA region has its own developments with six new hires in the Dubai office in the last six months with recruitment in the tech domain growing strongly. And although growth in the traditional agency-client base has been slow, McGuire expects it to pick up through 2018. “We’re big believers in the region and Dubai will always be our HQ and feel like my home,” he says.

Ampersand and IPA form new partnership

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Marketing and talent consultancy, Ampersand has partnered with the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) to provide training courses across the MENA region. The partnership will see IPA offer advertising and marketing training across four main courses including the Foundation Certificate for new business owners, the Eff Test for those involved in effective measurement, the Commercial Certificate to help improve financial acumen and the Advanced Certificate for those with three to six years of industry experience.

“The depth, breath and quality of these training qualifications are globally renowned and we are delighted to now be able to offer IPA’s most important programmes to the MENA region,” says Nick Clements, CEO, Ampersand.

Patrick Mills, Director of Membership and Professional Development, IPA, adds “We are delighted to have partnered with Ampersand to help make the IPA’s industry leading qualifications and courses available in the MENA region. We are delighted to help play a pivotal role in raising industry standards to the benefit of agency and client communities and Ampersand’s knowledge and connections in the MENA region will enable more learners to take advantage of our offering.

Brazen expands Dubai team

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Dubai-based PR agency, Brazen has made two new appointments and one promotion following its expansion. Bronte Saulle has been appointed to the role of Account Executive, bringing with her experience in journalism and events planning. In her new role, she will look after the press office for clients including, The Walt Disney Company MENA and Atlantis, The Palm. Also joining the team is Noha Ghobrial, who will take the role of Social Media Executive, having previously worked across several F&B brands and most recently with Rotana Cinema TV. In her new role, she will look after social media for brands such as Wendy’s and Disney On Ice.

Basma Emad has also been promoted internally to the role of Senior Account Executive having most recently held the role of Account Executive, where she handled Arabic media and influencers. In her new role, she will continue work across the clients’ portfolio and provide support to generate results.

“2018 is already shaping up to be a great year for Brazen and I’m really excited to have Bronte and Noha on board,” says Louise Jacobson, Managing Partner, Brazen. “As a former journalist with some of the UK’s most respected publications Bronte brings with her an exceptional standard of writing and media relations skills and Noha brings diverse social media experience having worked with some of the biggest brands in the Middle East. I am also thrilled to promote Basma to the role of Senior Account Executive after her relentless hard work, dedication and passion.”

Golin MENA appoints new Associate Manager

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Dubai-based PR agency, Golin MENA has promoted Audrey Fernandes to the role of Associate Manager. Having joined Golin MENA in 2016, Audrey most recently held the role of Public Relations Associate. In her new role, she will work with the technology team to design and execute strategic communication plans for Golin MENA’s key clients across the Middle East. She will also oversee the day-to-day PR outreach activities of the agency and manage spokesperson profiling as well as thought leadership content creation for high-level placements in the media to drive the information market.

“Being a part of Golin MENA, with a growing list of leading clients and an energised and creative team by my side, has been an enriching career experience,” says Audrey. “In my new role, I aim to continue to demonstrate my potential.”

Dubai Lynx 2018 Jury Presidents announced

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Dubai Lynx 2018 jury presidents announced Dubai Lynx International Festival of Creativity has invited ten high-profile international jury presidents to lead the juries at the Dubai Lynx Awards 2018. Set to take place from March 11-14, 2018 at the Madinat Jumeirah Arena, the award aims to honour creative excellence and communications across 18 categories including PR, film craft, media and the newly launched healthcare award. Leading the panel of jurors will be John Mescall, Global Executive Creative Director and President Global Creative Council at McCann Worldgroup – Global, Nadja Bellan-White, EVP and Global Brand Management at Ogilvy & Mather, EMEA, and Sue Daun, Executive Creative Director at Interbrand, UK.

“Our juries are at the heart of the Festival, reviewing work from across the MENA region and the jury presidents play an extremely important role in guiding the discussions that define and award the most creative campaigns,” says Jose Papa, Managing Director, Cannes Lions. “Over the past number of years we’ve worked tirelessly to include highly talented women as leaders of these juries and I’m honoured to say that this year we have managed a 50 – 50 split of male and female jury presidents.”

Five Minute Focus – Dubai Lynx 2018

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With Dubai Lynx coming up, Team TMN sits down with Thea Skelton Festival Director at Dubai Lynx, to find out what to expect from the upcoming event…

When is Dubai Lynx 2018 and where will it be held?

Dubai Lynx 2018 will take place at the Madinat Jumeirah Arena, Dubai from March 11-13 with the Dubai Lynx Awards Ceremony to be held on March 14.

Tell us about the concept behind Dubai Lynx…

Dubai Lynx is the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region’s annual event for the creative communications industry. The Festival brings people together to learn, network, be inspired and celebrate the brilliant creativity that comes from the region.

As a sister Festival to the globally renowned Cannes Lion International Festival of Creativity, Dubai Lynx is part of an influential network and its premium global standards makes it well respected as one of the most credible awards and festival in the creative sphere within the region.

How will Dubai Lynx 2018 be different compared to the previous years? Tell us about the new aspects…

This year we have a new focus on healthcare, including a specific ‘Healthcare award’ and ‘Creativity in Healthcare Communications Stage’. We are also expanding our startup offering with a dedicated ‘Startup Stage’, designed to unite start-ups, brand partners and agencies along with ‘The Business of Creativity Stage’, which will explore the business and management of creativity and offer advice and guidance on the practical aspects of business in the creative sector.

What are the challenges you face to make each year’s event different and meaningful?

The biggest challenge we face is raising the bar even higher each year. We bring a mixture of big name celebrities, industry legends, fresh faces and ideas to the stage along with experimental formats, and it’s really important for us to continue to do this and provide attendees with the best experience possible.

Can you tell us more about the awards/categories themselves?

The Dubai Lynx Awards celebrates the best creative work in MENA and have been doing so for the past 11 years. They’re all about recognising, nurturing and setting the standard for brilliant creative work in the region’s creative communications industry each year.

Do you have any feedback or tips for submissions, to help them stand out?

Feedback from our jury usually includes reminders to keep your submissions concise and provide clear examples of what the campaign achieved. If you’re considering entering but need some help, we have a team of experts who manage each award category from the very beginning of the process right through to coordinating the winners picking up their awards on stage. Their knowledge is encyclopedic and you can ask their advice or assistance at any time by emailing awards@dubailynx.com.

Who will be judging the entries for the Dubai Lynx Awards and Competitions?

The juries at Dubai Lynx represent the full breadth of the creative, design and digital communities. With over 2,600 entries from across 22 countries last year the breadth of experience and the global remit of the jury members is essential in ensuring that the benchmarks are set to the highest standards possible. The full jury line up will be announced in the coming months.

Who will be speaking at the event?

All kinds of creatively-minded people come together at Dubai Lynx. Each year we see a selection of top brand leaders, award-winning creatives, start-up founders, innovators, broadcasters, directors, marketers, artists, musicians from across the region and across the broader global creative community.

The line-up for the Dubai Lynx Festival 2018 will be confirmed closer to the Festival but to get a flavour of the event, take a look at who spoke at last year’s event through the website.

What will be the key topics of discussion at the event?

There is no specific theme, but all sessions have creativity in some form at their heart. Themes vary each year based on what the industry puts forward to discuss, ranging from creativity that drives inclusivity and modern storytelling to using technology as an enabler of creative communications.

What has been your advertising strategy in the region?

Dubai Lynx is a joint venture between Cannes Lions, the International Festival of Creativity and Motivate, with the support of Choueiri Group, Dubai Media City (DMC) and in association with the UAE Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA). These are fantastic partners with exceptional teams who help us share the Dubai Lynx message.

Is Dubai Lynx open for anyone to attend? What is the registration process?

Of course, anyone can attend and we encourage those with a passion for creativity and innovation to come and be inspired. Each year, the Festival attracts thousands of delegates from across the region and further afield including, advertisers, brands, fintech, governments, healthcare providers, innovators, media agencies and owners, production companies, startups and technology companies.

Passes can be purchased by visiting the website.

What is the reaction you expect, following the event?

We exist to recognise and celebrate the best of MENA’s creativity. The Awards Ceremony is always an incredible event as it demonstrates the quality and variety of regional creativity, which is showcased by the Festival. The connections made at Dubai Lynx propel people, brands and businesses, which is what drives us to make it better each year.

What kind of changes are you hoping to promote and encourage with this event?

We introduced an ‘Innovation Award’ last year to support and strengthen the efforts of the MENA region in becoming a global innovation and technology hub. This has grown and developed at a phenomenal rate with some of our Startup Alley participants taking their companies globally. This year we’ve launched a ‘Healthcare Award’ in consultation with the local industry. There’s a thriving scene of specialist healthcare agencies across MENA who are producing some truly innovative and pioneering work in a challenging sector. We envision that this area will grow in the coming years and it will be exciting to see how Dubai Lynx can help life-changing creativity in the region to flourish.

Jad Chababi promoted at J3

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J3, part of UM MENA has promoted Jad Chababi to the role of General Manager of Africa, Middle East and Turkey (AMET). Having joined J3 in 2014, Jad most recently held the role of Regional Business Director, where he worked on the strategic and tactical development of the Johnson & Johnson brand across the region. In his new role, he will lead the rollout of the J3 partnership in the Middle East, Africa and Turkey to drive business across the region and help the creation of a solid organisational structure in all markets. He will also focus on upgrading the product offering across the region to ensure performance consistency while maintaining a strong position across the region.

“Jad Chababi has played a pivotal role in our partnership with Johnson & Johnson in the MENA region and we look forward to seeing this being successfully extended in newer markets,” says Joe Nicolas, Regional Managing Director, UM MENAT. “Due to his impeccable business acumen and senior marketing expertise, Jad has successfully provided significant value creation opportunities for Johnson & Johnson, positioning them as a market leader and enhancing our competitive position as an agency in this region.”

RBBi to launch Digitalks

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Digital marketing agency, Red Blue Blur Ideas (RBBi) is set to launch a new digital-focused conference series, Digitalks on January 24, 2018 at the Novotel Hotel, World Trade Centre, Dubai. Digitalks aims to address MENA’s online market, while focusing on e-commerce and the challenges it faces in the region. The conference will also include presentations by Sofiane Haddadi, Head of Media at L’OREAL, Abdelaziz Mohammed, Regional Head Digital Marketing at SOUQ.COM and Amol Kadam, Co-Founder at RBBi, to deliver new perspectives of the digital industry as well as on e-commerce in MENA and the different ways to increase investments around the Middle East.

“The cutting-edge conference covers a wide range of topics that influence business decisions and will demonstrate the best in corporate digital strategies and tactics,” says Naguib Toihiri, Organiser and SEO Department Lead, RBBi. “With the e-commerce market estimated to be worth up to $10bn by next year, the topics are set to revolve around new innovative ways of thinking and formulating cutting edge digital strategies.”