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House of Comms makes new appointment

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Integrated communications agency, House of Comms has welcomed Katie Bawler to the role of Senior Account Manager. With experience in FCMG, entertainment and consumer brands, Katie previously worked with Shine Communications as PR Account Director and most recently with Manifest London as Senior Account Manager. In her new role, she will be part of the senior management team at House of Comms and work across their portfolio of clients across the region.

“You know when you meet someone and you just know? Well we knew,” says Abby Wilks, Managing Partner, House of Comms. “She’s passionate, dedicated and brimming with a creative spark. As we head into perhaps our biggest year yet, we are really pleased to have Katie by our side. She totally gets it and is a part of House of Comms through and through.”

Shimmering Sands launches

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PR professional Francesca Hales has launched new lifestyle website Shimmering Sands for expat women living in the Middle East. With over nine years of experience in PR – in London and Dubai – Francesca has worked across luxury lifestyle brands. Her new digital platform aims to serve as a forum for expat women living in the region to help them understand the local community by providing local content on lifestyle, health and fitness, fashion and beauty, as well as feature a section for mothers and interviews with leading female personalities in the region.

“Moving to Dubai nearly three years ago, I had no idea what I was getting myself into and I really needed a friend,” says Francesca Hales. “Shimmering Sands is that friend. It is a digital girl gang for the hidden Dubai secrets from real girls, to real girls. It tells you where to shop, where to get beauty pool essentials and for those Dubai mummy moments.”

House of Comms welcomes new Account Executive

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Integrated communications agency, House of Comms has welcomed Nikita Marie to the role of Account Executive. With a degree in marketing and communications from Bournemouth University, Nikita has experience in hospitality, real estate and digital communications. In her new role, she will join the digital team to work on social media and assist with digital communications operations across House of Comms’ portfolio of global brands.

“We are seeing a huge shift in client needs, which centres around creative ideas,” says Jamie Wilks, Managing Partner, House of Comms. “These ideas are typically coming more from our younger team members and Nikita offers abundantly in that area. We’re delighted to have Nikita as part of the team and we wish her all the best.”

House of Comms makes new appointment

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PR and digital integrated communications agency, House of Comms has appointed Roa Saghayroon to the role of Arabic Influencer Relations Executive. In this role, she will lead the growth of the agency’s Arabic influencer outreach team and identify new opportunities for their clients.

“Since day one Roa has exceeded our expectations,” says Tryphena Greenwood, Senior Account Director, House of Comms. “She is incredibly well-networked as she has grown up in the UAE so matching this with her vibrant personality and insatiable passion for PR makes her the perfect fit for House of Comms.”

Five Minute Focus – PRCA Awards

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With the launch of the PRCA MENA Awards coming up, TMN sat down with Loretta Ahmed, Chairperson PRCA MENA, to find out more about what to expect from the upcoming event…

When is the launch of the PRCA MENA Awards and where will it be held?

The PRCA MENA Awards will open for entries from November 7, 2016 – December 13, 2016. The Awards will be held at the H Hotel, Dubai on February 8, 2017.

Tell us the concept behind the awards…

We wanted to have an awards night with a difference, to recognise the good work that PR and communications professionals are doing in the region. We also wanted to mark our first year in the region by looking for creative strategies that achieve results and recognising the talent here to ensure the region is profiled globally for the world-class campaigns undertaken here.

What makes an award event such as the PRCA MENA Awards different from other regional PR awards?

We have a totally different concept and variety of awards which will be judged by an international judging panel.  The night itself is a fresh take on awards and we’ve done away with a long sit-down meal in favour of an event that encourages networking.

Can you give us some details about the nomination process?

To enter is easy, it’s all online. Submissions are the standard 1000 word entry, but we are looking for creative strategies, execution and most importantly results.

How can non-members participate in the awards?

We have a rate for members and non-members. We encourage all PR and communications professionals to take part.

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

There will be twelve categories. Eight campaign awards and four awards focused on teams and individuals. The award categories will include, Rising Star of the Year, Results on a Budget, Best Integrated Campaign of the Year and Best Regional Campaign of the Year.

Who judges the entries for the PRCA MENA Awards?

The Judges will be announced next month. Our panel will be an international judging panel with experience in the region. Some will be based here and others will be from our other key global PR markets.  This is key for us as we are a global organisation committed to raising the profile of the MENA PR industry across the world.

What has been your advertising strategy for the UAE/Middle East?

We don’t have a traditional advertising campaign for PRCA MENA and we rely heavily on our networking events programme and word of mouth.

Did you face any challenges establishing the event in the Middle East?

We have had a great response so far and we are seeing participants very focused on budgets and resources. For this reason we’ve kept our entry fees low and the entry process as simple as possible.

How do you think the PRCA MENA Awards will develop in the future?

PRCA MENA Awards will develop by being held in different parts of the region, and attract PR and communications professionals from different areas to nominate their work for the awards. The UAE is a key regional hub but there is exceptional work undertaken right across the region and we see no reason why the UAE should always be the host country.  We will have new innovative categories and dedicated specialist awards in the future.

Nominees announced for MEPRA Awards

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The Middle East Public Relations Association (MEPRA) Awards 2016 shortlist has been announced. The awards have been divided into 17 categories – including Best Integrated Campaign, Best Use of Social Media and newly added category for in-house professionals, Outstanding Young Communicator – each award is designed to recognise exceptional returns on investments, creativity and strategic impact by agencies, corporates, teams and individuals. Shortlisted companies include: Four Communications, Hill+Knowlton Strategies, Edelman, Mubadala, Seven Media and Weber Shandwick MENA. The winners will be announced at the award ceremony on November 23, 2016 at the JW Marriott Marquis, decided by a panel of renowned industry judges.

“Judging this year was even more challenging than ever,” says Jamal Al Mawed, Head of Corporate Communications, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. “The industry has advanced in terms of its use of data analytics to measure the performance of campaigns. This means we had greater access to real figures than ever before making the judging process more about the cold hard results, than about the creativity of the idea. We are delighted at the progress made and we see a very strong future for the communications industry across the region.”

House of Comms welcomes new Account Executive

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House of Comms has appointed Georgia Taylor to role of Account Executive. With experience in financial communications, Georgia previously worked with Arton Capital as Communications Manager and most recently with Globaleye as Marketing Executive. In her new role, she will be joining the digital team to work on the agency’s digital communications strategy.

“From the moment I found out about House of Comms, I knew I wanted to join the team and the exposure to the amazing clients I’ve had so far has been excellent,” says Georgia. I’m learning so much.”

Jamie Wilks, Managing Partner, House of Comms adds “Finding top talent is a key challenge of course but we’re delighted to have found Georgia. We wish her every success with us.”