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Sarah Garden joins ShortList UAE

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ShortList UAE has welcomed Sarah Garden as Digital Editor. Sarah will bring with her extensive editorial experience, both online and in print, as well a first-class honours degree in Journalism from Napier University in the UK. Prior to moving to ShortList, she worked at Motivate Publishing as a Features Editor for magazines including Emirates Woman, Emirates Bride and Harvey Nichols.

In her new role, Sarah will be editing ShortList’s soon-to-be-launched UAE websites, shortlistdubai.com and shortlistabudhabi.com. ShortList UAE will be published by Arab Publishing Partners and will differ from its UK counterpart as it will be aimed at both men and women, covering a variety of subjects including new restaurants and bars, events and attractions, and shopping and style.

MCG Associates welcomes Tom Watterson

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Tom Watterson has joined MCG Associates as Senior Consultant for Digital and Traditional PR, Communications and Marketing. Tom joins the agency, which connects people to careers in advertising, PR, marketing and events, with over seven years of experience in the PR and marketing industry.

Prior to joining MCG he worked as Senior Account Manager at Sept PR, heading up the Food and Beverage and Hospitality divisions, finding creative ways to make hotel and restaurant brands stand out in the market place. In his new position, Tom will be utilising his wealth of experience to connect people to the right roles, as well as helping large films find new recruits.

“People aren’t a commodity and I was attracted to the position at MCG Associates, as the company understands the market and takes the time to get to know the candidates and ensure they are right for the role, rather than just blasting out a CV and hoping for the best,” says Tom.

 

House of Comms welcomes Charlotte Smith

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Dubai-based PR agency House of Comms has welcomed Charlotte Smith as a Senior Account Executive. Having been in the Middle East for over three years, Charlotte was most recently with Ketchum Raad, working across consumer and corporate teams with both national and international brands. In her new role, Charlotte will be working across multiple sectors for House of Comms, in consumer, food and beverage, and corporate brands, such as Spa Cordon, BOUNCE ME, Butcha Steakhouse & Grill and Ashridge business school.

“I have been watching the House of Comms team go from strength to strength as they continue to expand their client portfolio across the region and I couldn’t be more excited to join the dynamic and expert team of PR professionals,” says Charlotte. “Being part of one of the UAE’s most successful independent PR agencies is something I am extremely proud of and I am looking forward to immersing myself in both my new clients and the agency as a whole.”

“Charlotte shows real drive, passion and ambition and these are exactly the qualities we look for in our people,” adds Abby Wilks, Founding Partner at House of Comms. “She brings with her some great experience, knowledge and insight and we feel she will be a fantastic addition to the team.”

Grayling launches flagship African office

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Global communications consultancy Grayling has announced the launch of its new office in Nairobi, Kenya. The establishment of this office will cement Grayling’s presence in Africa and act as a regional hub for East Africa.

Grayling has developed a strong base of clients across the African continent, which until now it has represented through international offices and African affiliate networks. Part of Grayling’s Middle East, Turkey and Africa (META) region, the new Nairobi office will coordinate with Grayling’s consultancy teams in Abu Dhabi, Doha, Dubai, Istanbul and Muscat and will be overseen by Loretta Ahmed, Grayling’s Chief Executive Officer, META.

“We are thrilled to expand our international network into Kenya and East Africa,” says Loretta. “We start with a 12-strong team that is 70 percent Kenyan and with a firm commitment to nurture and grow local talent.”

“Our clients are increasingly focussed on Africa – and its fastest-growing sub-region, East Africa, has been firmly on our emerging markets radar,” adds Paul Taaffe, Chief Executive Officer, Huntsworth, Grayling’s parent company. “With a highly-talented, Nairobi-based team and the experience of its global network, Grayling will be an important partner for local and international businesses throughout East Africa.”

Emperor open office in Dubai

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Leading UK-based corporate communications, brand and digital design agency, Emperor has opened an office in Dubai. This will be the agency’s first on-the-ground presence in the UAE and is a continuation of its expansion, following the creation of a new Emperor partnership in Moscow last year. The Dubai office was created as a direct response to increasing demand for Emperors services from Middle Eastern companies and international operators with a GCC presence.

“We continue to pitch for, and win, significant corporate communications projects in the Middle East,” says Steven Kemp, Founder and CEO of Emperor. “Investing in a locally-based office provides a great opportunity to partner with local companies and to develop long-term, mutually rewarding relationships in the region.”

“We’re very much looking forward to being ‘on the ground’ in the GCC in order to help service our important existing clients,” adds Neil Reynolds, International Director, Emperor. “Sharing our knowledge and advice with prospective clients and partners will be a key focus.”

 

Chethan Gowda joins Motivate Publishing

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Motivate Publishing has welcomed Chethan Gowda as a Web Trafficker. Having worked in media in Mumbai and Dubai for the past three years, Chethan’s most recent role was as Media Trafficker, Ad Operation Specialist and Campaign Manager at AdinTop, Dubai.

In his new role, Chethan will work closely with sales, marketing and editorial staff to provide support for advertising campaigns across the Motivate website network, email database and digital editions. Chethan, a graduate in Computer Science and Engineering, will also bring his online media expertise to help optimise the presence of Motivate’s digital properties online.

Yasser Al Amir joins Hello! Arabia

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Hello! Arabia, a new Arabic monthly magazine, has welcomed Yasser Al Amir as Deputy Editor. In his new role, Yasser will be contributing to local news, features and interviews for the magazine, published by Arab Publishing Partners (APP), part of ITP Publishing Group.

Yasser joins Hello! Arabia from Mediaquest where he worked for almost three years, most recently as a journalist for Saneou Al Hadath, a monthly Arabic business publication. In this role, Yasser organised and chaired editorial meetings for content and feature ideas as well as conducting interviews with high profile individuals and CEOs.

“Joining APP is a good to move for me and is part of my career progression plan,” says Yasser. “I have always said love what you do, and I am fortunate enough to do a job where that very much applies.”

Gulf News appoints new Personal Finance Editor

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Gulf News has appointed David George as Personal Finance Editor. In his new role, David will be editing a range of financial supplements under the Gulf News Focus brand of Gulf News. He will be managing all editorial output across these titles, together with any associated multi-platform activity.

David previously worked as part of the launch team at Bloomberg Businessweek Middle East, where he joined as Deputy editor in August 2013. In this role, he was responsible for editing and contributing to the fortnightly magazine. David also helped to launch the online and Arabic editions of Businessweek Middle East as well as the Focus On reports, which are industry-specific reports on key themes. Prior to this, he worked at the Middle East Economic Digest (MEED) for over three years.

“It’s an exciting time to join Gulf News and I hope to capitalise on my experience over the past years to support the supplements division in order to create great titles that appeal to our readers and extensive client base,” says David. “A key part of the role will be developing digital and live events around our existing print titles.”