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Cannes Lions 2017 Jury revealed

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Motivate Val Morgan, the official representatives of Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has named this year’s jurors from the UAE set to judge entries from across the region. The members of jury will include Josephine Younes, Creative Director of McCann FP7/DXB, Elda Choucair, CEO of PHD MENA, Sascha Kuntza, Creative Director of Memac Ogilvy and Firas Medrows, Executive Creative Director of DDB Dubai. The upcoming festival will see a panel of jurors categorised under radio, promo and activation, direct and media in the UAE to shortlist and announce the winners at the event ceremony from June 17 – 24, 2017.

City 7 TV changes ownership

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Following the recent announcement that well-established Saudi-Arabian news channel, Al-Arab has ceased operations, another channel in the region has been on the brink of closure leading to a change of ownership. Dubai-based English language television channel, City 7 TV formerly part of BinHendi Enterprises, will now operate under the umbrella of WeTel-TV, a TV platform for global educational news and current affairs. The new acquisition will be headed by President and Editor-in-Chief of WeTel-TV, Adil Matin and will also see City 7 TV continue operations, but as a new educational TV in the UAE.

New Director of Communications at Ford

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Ford Middle East and Africa has appointed Katie Dove to the role of Director of Communications. With a diverse experience in consumer and corporate campaigns, Katie previously worked with Weber Shandwick as Director and most recently with Motorola as Communications Director of Europe-Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Asia-Pacific regions, where she led all communications across the two regions and directed product launches for the global media and influencer audiences. In her new role, she will oversee the operations of the communications team and work towards developing strategies to strengthen Ford’s existing presences across the region.

“As we transition to an auto and mobility company, Katie’s expertise will be essential in helping us deliver on our vision,” says Jacques Brent, President, Ford Middle East and Africa. “We’re excited to welcome her to the team and look forward to her sharing her wealth of experience with the wider communications team we already have in place.”

Major restructuring at The National

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Following the announcement of International Media Investments (IMI) acquiring ownership of The National in November 2016, the title will commence operations from its new headquarters, in TwoFour54, on July 1, 2017. While the transition aims to increase emphasis on the publication’s digital presence, it has resulted in major job losses across the board, according to unconfirmed sources. Exiting staff members will be working until the end of June 2017.

AL Publishing launches online video channel

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Dubai-based Arabic publishing company, AL Publishing has launched new online video channel, al-video.com. al-video.com is an online portal that aims to enhance Arabic digital content by focusing on video coverage of news and events across various fields including business, technology, travel, hospitality, culture and arts across the GCC region. The new channel will also feature social responsibility initiatives and activities by non-profit organisations as well as exclusive interviews with top CEO’s across the region, technical reviews of several high-profile products and other cultural and social video reports.

“The success we have achieved in our first year affirms the vitality of the new publishing model we adopted, concentrating on B2B high quality Arabic content through six specialised portals and supported by a bilingual news wire platform,” says Ali Mohamad, CEO and Group Editor, AL Publishing. “AL Video is our eighth portal and the first of its kind in the region which reflects our commitment to high quality Arabic content.”

Deena Aljuhani Abdulaziz departs Vogue

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It has been confirmed that Saudi Princess, Deena Aljuhani Abdulaziz will no longer be Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Arabia. The title, part of Nervora Publishing has already appointed a new editor. Conde Nast launched the online edition of Vogue Arabia in July 2016, followed by the print edition in March 2017.

Influencers.ae launches in the region

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New digital firm, Influencers.ae has launched in Dubai. Founded in the UAE, Influencers.ae is a digital company that offers an interactive platform for online influencer marketing and allows brands as well as agencies to discover, compare and book relevant influencers for effective digital campaigns across the GCC. The new digital company will also provide other marketing services such as content creation, product sampling and video production as an effective marketing tool for brands and agencies across the region.

“Digital spending is up, but marketers continue to spend on programmatic advertising even though they realise that the banner ad is dead,” says Clark Williams, COO, Influencers.ae. “Brands can now reach consumers with created or reposted content from relevant Influencers that their followers trust. A campaign can achieve mass impressions and a higher conversion rate for much less cost than other forms of digital advertising.”

CARMA makes new acquisition

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Global media intelligence agency CARMA has acquired strategic communications consultancy, Argento Strategies. The new acquisition will see CARMA expand and restructure its media analysis capabilities as well as incorporate well-curated research to deliver accurate and relevant client insights. The acquisition will also see the Founder of Argento Strategies, Fares Ghniem, join CARMA as Managing Director, bringing with him over 20 years of experience in corporate affairs and working with public and private sector clients across the GCC.

“CARMA is distinctive in that it not only provides the tools to monitor and capture information, but also the critical thinking needed to interpret the data and convert it into actionable insights,” says Fares Ghneim, Managing Director, CARMA. “I very much look forward to working with CARMA’s team of analysts to build and expand the company’s offering in this area.”

New Managing Director at UM and FP7 Kuwait

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UM MENA and FP7, the flagship agencies of MCN, has promoted Simon Bowthorpe to the role of Managing Director of UM Kuwait and FP7/KWI. With over 25 years of experience working with creative, digital and events agencies, Simon joined UM Qatar as General Manager and currently holds the position as the agency’s Managing Director. In his new role, he will continue to oversee UM’s media operations in Qatar as well as take on the new responsibility for both creative and media businesses in Kuwait. He will focus on driving the digital transformation of FP7 and UM’s operations in Kuwait by improving the integration strategy and social media into the agency’s overall product offering.

“My time in Qatar has given me extensive experience in developing UM’s product offering, as well as improving our creative potential,” says Simon. “I’m confident that both our current clients and future prospects will be impressed as we further expand the capabilities of our office in the Kuwaiti market.”

Cicero & Bernay expands operations in the GCC

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Public relations consultancy, Cicero & Bernay (C&B) has signed a new affiliation with Bahrain-based public relations agency, Daily Public Relations (Daily PR) and Oman-based boutique marketing and communications agency, ProComms as part of its expansion plan into the GCC. The new strategic partnership will see both regional agencies enhance C&B’s presence and grow its client portfolio across the GCC by providing PR services and strategies, as well as on-ground support and development of targeted communication to cater to the growing markets in Bahrain and Oman.

“Daily PR and ProComms both share C&B’s ethos – delivering tailored and impactful communication services for clients – and we look forward to working closely with them to deliver even more comprehensive and targeted programmes,” says Ahmad Itani, COO, Cicero & Bernay. “By sharing complementary insights, we will enrich C&B’s already highly effective delivery across both of its markets and the wider MENA region.”