Sofia Vyas has joined the Time Out team as Features Editor. Previously Editor for online publication one8one magazine in Dubai, as well as a holding a number of editorial positions in the UK, Sofia brings regional and international experience to her new role.Having been with ITP Publishing for the past six months as Features Intern for Condé Nast Traveller Middle East, Sofia will now work across all guides and supplements for Time Out GCC.
BPG Bates, the regional advertising, design and events & activation agency headquartered in Dubai, has appointed Nicky Bar and Head of Events & Activation. With over 20 years of experience within the sector and in the UAE since 2007, Nicky has held the role of Events Director at DABO & CO, DWTC and most recently as Events Director at ITP Publishing Group. Having worked with a wide array of clients including HSBC, Cartier, Canon, Coca-Cola, Etihad, Mars, Neutrogena and Unilever, Nicky will now be working across all of BPG Bates’ clients and in close collaboration with the other BPG Group companies.
“It is a great time to be joining BPG Bates,” says Nicky. “The agency has a great pedigree and the real ambition to help clients build their brands and bring great ideas to life. This is where my experience lies and I look forward to helping BPG Bates to grow the events & activation business to realise its full potential.”
Nick Clements CEO of BPG Bates adds, “We are excited that Nicky is bringing her huge experience to BPG Bates. She has worked across all sectors of the industry and throughout the MENA region and we are confident that she will help us further improve and grow our events & activation operation.”
Josh Mangila has been appointed as the official English Media Editor for the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF). With longstanding UAE knowledge and editorial experience, Josh takes on this new role in addition to his current position as Features Editor for travel publication En’Route Middle East. In his new position, Josh will attend various events in connection with DSF, conducting interviews with the public and professionals about their experiences. The features and interviews will appear on the Dubai Shopping Festival website, as well as in leading news publications to promote the annual event.
“Every new task is a welcome challenge for me and I take delight in getting out of my comfort zone,” says Josh. “I am incredibly excited to pursue this new role on behalf of Dubai Shopping Festival.”
Aimee Connor has joined the every-expanding team at house of comms as Senior Account Manager. Bringing with her more than seven years of PR and digital experience, Aimee joins the team from the UK where she previously worked at Weber Shandwick UK, representing a number of international consumer and corporate brands. Most recently, Aimee worked as PR and SocialMedia Manager at Beaverbrooks, where she was responsible for spearheading the PR team, working with brands such as Omega, Gucci and TAG Heuer. Aimee will now boost the Senior Management team at house of comms.
“Making the move to the UAE was a big decision and for me and the most important factor was finding an agency environment where I could really excel my growth as a manager and as a consultant in a nurturing environment,” says Aimee. “house of comms was my number one choice – with its extremely impressive and diverse portfolio of regional clients and the vision the management team has for the future of the agency combined with their refreshing approach to PR. I am loving my new role!”
Abby Wilks, Founding Partner at house of comms adds, “Following our recent MEPRA award win for the Best Consumer Campaign in the GCC 2014, we have seen a significant increase in the volume of regional and international brands approaching us, which has meant a great start to 2015. This appointment for us was an important one – Aimee has an impressive portfolio and has worked across many consumer lifestyle, tourism and leisure brands while also having led teams for corporate clients too. She is an extremely driven individual and we feel that all of these factors combined make her an extremely exciting addition to the team.”
Ketaki Banga has been promoted to the position of Group Account Director at BPG Cohn & Wolfe. Ketaki boasts extensive experience as a media professional with a career that spans 15 years, having held the position of Senior Editor for SME Advisor Middle East, Group Editor for CPI Business and Account Director for Active Public Relations, before joining BPG Cohn & Wolfe in 2013 as Account Director.
In her new position, Ketaki will oversee the corporate, technology and financial PR practices for BPG Cohn & Wolfe, as well as the social media, with clients that include KPMG, Jumbo Group and Brightcove.
Cathal McElroy has been appointed at the new Editor for Bloomberg Businessweek Middle East. Formerly with ITP Publishing Group, Cathal was Editor for MEP Middle East since 2012 and brings to his new role a range of editorial experience, having previously been based in the UK working with the BBC and in online media before moving to the UAE. In his new position, Cathal will oversee the fortnightly English publication, which provides a compelling mix of local and international business, politics and social content.
Publicis Groupe has appointed Anthony Gazagne as the President of PublicisLive, an events agency within the Groupe’s network MSLGROUP, specialising in the production of international conferences and prestige events. Anthony has spent the majority of his career at Publicis Groupe; since joining Publicis Dialog in 1998, he has held the positions of Project Manager, Director of Operations, Vice President of Operations and most recently, since 2008, Managing Director of PublicisLive. Anthony’s predecessor, John Rossant, who held the position of President since 2008, will leave Publicis Groupe to continue the development of his foundation, The New Cities Foundation and other personal projects.
“Anthony Gazagne is an extraordinarily worthy successor to John,” says Maurice Lévy, Chairman and CEO, Publicis Groupe. “This promotion is a natural next step for Anthony within our Groupe. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of its employees, PublicisLive is today one of the most well renowned and prestigious events agencies worldwide. Anthony’s international experience and professionalism will be deeply valuable as PublicisLive continues to go from strength to strength. Anthony is tasked with taking the agency to the next level, and I thank John Rossant for his untiring commitment and efforts to date, wishing him the best of luck with his future projects.”
Anthony adds, “Being named President of PublicisLive is a huge honour, and a testament to the Groupe’s recognition of both my and my entire team’s performance at PublicisLive. I would also like to thank Maurice Lévy and Olivier Fleurot [CEO, MSLGROUP] for the confidence they have placed in me. After more than 15 years at the heart of this impressive company, I look back with pride and also relish the prospect of the formidable challenge in front of me. PublicisLive regularly supports local government, international organisations and foundations – notably the World Economic Forum, our long-term client – to achieve their aims. Our role, one that is constantly evolving to deliver best in class leadership solutions for our clients, is at an important crossroads. We will focus on continued organic growth, while also looking at a range of external opportunities to further maximise growth.”
Duaa Radwan has been promoted to the position of Account Director at the Dubai offices of specialist travel PR agency PRCo. Following time spent working for Arabic newspaper Akhbar Al Arab, bilingual Duaa joined PRCo as Account Executive in 2010. She has held the role of Account Manager since 2011, covering brands including Melia Hotels International, Le Royal Monceau Raffles Paris, ARMAGGAN, Nira Hotels and Resorts, The Alpina Gstaad and Food Fund International. As Account Director, Duaa will be responsible for overseeing PRCo’s existing clients, whilst growing the business portfolio of the company and supporting the day-to-day productivity and efficiency of the team.
“After five years of working at PRCo Dubai, I am very grateful for the trust that they have put in me,” says Duaa. “I still have many doors to open and many opportunities to explore and am excited to attract new clients, as well as maintain our existing portfolio.”
Charlotte Ringrose has joined BNC Publishing as Senior Sales Manager. Prior to joining the team, Charlotte was Sales Manager with the hospitality division of ITP Publishing for two years, covering Hotelier Middle East, Caterer Middle East and Arabian Travel News. Adding to her experience, Charlotte also worked previously as a Media Sales Consultant for Johnston Press in the UK. In her new position, Charlotte will act as the first line of contact for the hospitality B2B print and digital segments.
“This is a promising shift for me,” says Charlotte. “As someone who has represented industry print and digital mediums in this market for years, I’m excited to put my experience to work at BNC’s hospitality arm. We’re going to do great things!”
Diarmuid O’Malley, Group Publishing Director at BNC Publishing adds, “Having Charlotte join our team is a real advantage to our commercial arm – we’ve worked together closely for years and it’s terrific to have an industry player like her representing our publications in the market.”
For further information, contact Charlotte at charlotte@bncpublishing.net / +971 (0)56 130 7753
Stephanie Kaur has been promoted to the position of Social Media Account Manager at Dubai-based digital marketing agency Nexa Digital. A member of the team since 2013, Stephanie most recently held the position of Senior Copywriter/Content Editor, overseeing and editing content creation for Nexa clients. As Social Media Account Manager, Stephanie’s responsibilities will include creating engaging concepts for clients across various social media platforms, managing across client content plans, monitoring engagement and interaction, as well as ensuring that the team are up to date with clients and their products.
“I’m so pleased to have been given an opportunity to branch out into social media account management,” says Stephanie. “It’s a brilliant stepping stone and is broadening my experience within the media industry.”