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COPIA launches first global office

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Dubai-based communication and lifestyle agency, COPIA Group has launched its first office in Canada as a part of its global expansion plan. The new office is based in Toronto and will focus on crafting creative content and experiences, whilst granting accessibility across Canada. The new launch will also see the appointment of Sherry Boisvert to the role of Managing Partner bringing with her over 20 years of PR and corporate communications experience. Sherry previously worked in Canada with Citizen Relations and most recently with NARRATIVE PR, holding the role of Vice President at both agencies. In her new role, she will work closely with COPIA’s Dubai partners, Rania El Sadek and Katherine Raso to oversee all the agency’s operations and expand its presence across Canada.

“COPIA’s position has always been one of ‘local presence, global network’ and we felt the time was right to strengthen that even further with an office in Toronto,” says Rania El Sadek, Founder, COPIA Group. “It’s a vibrant city in the heart of Canada and with our expertise and connections on an international level, it made sense for us to make the move and expand to a second home.”

Katch International launches new department

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Dubai-based integrated communications agency, Katch International has launched new digital department, Katch Disruption. Katch Disruption will provide advanced marketing technology and help increase traffic to its client’s social media and online platforms. The new department will also include technologies such as interactive mobile advertising, geo-fencing, creative interactive ads and augmented reality as well as its own content creation team, which will be dedicated to creating videos and social content.

“Disruption to us is all about breaking the mould and innovating while generating humanising content, tingling the senses aesthetically and cashing in on real-time opportunities,” says Georgie Woollams, Managing Director, Katch International. “We strive to disrupt the way people in the region think digitally by localising our offering for the Dubai market.”

Hopscotch reveals survey on Global Women in PR

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Hopscotch has revealed the results of its survey by PR and communications body, Global Women in PR (GWPR). The survey which aimed to show the status of women in the workplace and the industry as a whole, highlighted flexible hours as an advantage that has lead to efficiency while, the lack of confidence to demand pay rise being a major cause for gender pay gap. The study was conducted with a sample size of 757 respondents working in the PR industry from across 19 countries. Following the research findings, Hopscotch also launches new monthly series, Career Clinics to increase skills and provide a platform for women to network.

“On launching Hopscotch 18 months ago, we quickly realised that sourcing flexible work for women was only half the battle,” says Helen McGuire, Co-Founder, Hopscotch. “Ensuring women follow a path to senior management and building confidence is key to reducing the gap, but we need those women in the workforce in the first place and in the UAE, the employment rate of women is less than half the global average.”

Ampersand launches operations across the region

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MCG& Group has launched new marketing and talent consultancy, Ampersand. Founded by Nick Clements and Justin McGuire, Ampersand will have offices across Dubai, Hong Kong and Singapore to deliver marketing and talent consulting services. The consultancy will be divided into &Knowledge, which will provide specialist learning and development as well as training, coaching and assessments, &Search, an executive search and placement operation and &Connect, a strategic advisory and M&A service in the creative services arena. The new launch will also see Nick Clements, COO at MCG& take on the additional role of CEO along with Chris Quy, who most recently worked as Director at MCG& to take on the new role of Managing Director.

“Ampersand is a unique offering that brings the best of the worlds of marketing and talent consultancy together,” says Nick Clements, CEO, Ampersand. “We know that there is an appetite for the L&D, search, advisory and M&A services that we provide and are growing the business out internationally from day one. I’m thrilled to be partnering with Justin on this new venture and delighted that Chris Quy is bringing his wealth of experience to the company as Managing Director.”

Smartly.io launches first Middle East office

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Finnish-based Facebook marketing platform, Smartly.io, has launched its first Middle East office in Dubai. The marketing platform provides Facebook and Instagram advertising optimisation tools for leading advertisers in the region. The new office will help brands create and optimise campaigns with first-to-market solutions and features. Tegan Kerr, who previously worked with Effective Measure, takes on the role of Head of MENA along with the new MENA Customers Lead, Valtteri Virtanen, who previously worked in Finland with Dingle. Both will work together to oversee the operations of Smartly.io across the region.

“The explosion of e-commerce and locally-built startups in the Middle East has driven ever-increasing investment in Facebook as a channel, which reaches over 42 million people in the GCC alone,” says Tegan Kerr, Head of MENA, Smartly.io. “Our clients are looking for a partner, not just a tool, that gives them the ultimate competitive edge. They’re looking for significant performance improvements and automation across what can often be large-scale and complex campaigns.”

Mydubai-wedding.com launches

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New wedding vlog, mydubai-wedding.com launches in the UAE. Founded by Dubai-based Wedding Planner, Tania Kreindler, mydubai-wedding.com aims to grow content constantly by covering new venues and showcasing styling ideas with the help of hotels and suppliers that has been tried and tested, helping couples make an informed choice on their wedding plans.

“As huge believers in paying it forward and helping incredible couples all over the world wherever we can, we are delighted to launch mydubai-wedding.com,” says Tania Kreindler, Founder, mydubai-wedding.com. “Our intentions are simple – to give couples and families as much information and inspiration as we can to create the perfect wedding.”

Spotlight Productions launches in the UAE

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New production company, Spotlight Productions launches in the UAE. Spotlight Productions aims to offer videography and photography services to meet the requirements of clients and help communicate their message in an engaging manner as well as creating captivating content to bring their stories and announcements into the spotlight. The new company will see its co-founders Abdul Karim Hanif with broadcast journalism experience take on the role of Managing Partner and Producer, Melville Picardo with TV production experience as Head of Post Production and Muhammad Adnan having worked in the television industry as Production Manager. The new team will work towards partnering with communications and PR companies by bringing the news team’s support to produce video news releases for press conferences and events.

“Video content has become a crucial element to take a press release forward an extra mile, particularly with the rise of social media influencers,” says Abdul Karim Hanif, Managing Partner and Producer, Spotlight Productions. “We aim to bring our TV production knowledge to create that appealing content together with the interviews of our clients. Over the years we have developed strong relationships with PR firms in our network and we would now like to enhance those ties further by providing them with the support they require for their written content.”

BUZ MMC launches new integrated communications platform

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Dubai-based full-service marketing and events agency, BUZ MMC has launched new integrated communications expertise concept, ICE by BUZ. The new division aims to offer full 360-degree market exposure and deliver projects at a fast pace across social, digital and on-line platforms as well as for classic PR. The new division launch will also see the appointment of Houssam El Boutary to the role of Digital Group Account Director having previously worked with Mullenlowemena as Account Manager and most recently with Commonwealth//McCann as Regional Integrated Senior Account Manager. In his new role, he will head the new division and oversee the integration of BUZ MMC’s existing PR, digital and social, and creative divisions under one umbrella. 

“This is the age of boutique agencies offering a seamless, comprehensive service and we are striving to become one that is backed by a high level of professional skill and standard,” says Houssam El Boutary, Digital Group Account Director, BUZ MMC. “The agency has hired global talents with expertise in branded content, creative, digital media buying, content creation and analytics to add to the already fantastic team within BUZ.”