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LIGHTBLUE expands its UK presence

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Dubai-based independent experiential agency LIGHTBLUE will open a new London office in Shoreditch. The new office will serve existing LIGHTBLUE clients, such as Gruppo Campari, and will offer a strategic base for new business opportunities as the agency continues to grow.

The new Shoreditch office will be LIGHTBLUE’s second in the UK – their first, in Glasgow, was opened in 2013. The creative outfit also has offices in Cape Town, Melbourne and Dubai, with the latter serving as its head office where the company started over seven years ago. LIGHTBLUE’s portfolio of active clients includes Reebok, Adidas, Perrier, Sony PlayStation and Costa Coffee. Outside of Dubai, the agency works with Heineken, Budweiser and Tiger beer brands as well.

The expansion comes at the same time as LIGHTBLUE celebrates its continued experiential work with Gruppo Campari on its Italian brands in the UK.

“LIGHTBLUE’s growth into other markets has been steady and while it is common for companies with large networks to move to places like Dubai from London, it is quite rare to see an independent outfit like ours move in the opposite direction,” says David Balfour, Managing and Creative Partner, LIGHTBLUE. “I think it shows our ambitious intent and it’s a move that we’re all very excited about.”

Middle East Brand Summit to be held in Dubai

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The Middle East Brand Summit is to be held in Dubai on June 2 2015. The summit will debate a range of topics including brand experience in the financial services sector, social enterprises and how aligning brand values with corporate social responsibility strategy can pay off.

Organised by Transform magazine, the second edition of the summit will bring industry leaders together for a programme that includes case studies, best practice examples and discussion around the industry’s pressing issues. Transform will also share the findings of its latest research, in association with YouGov, on the attitudes towards brands in the Middle East. Highlights of the summit will include a panel with Wael Bittar, Manager of branding agency Tonic Internaional, and Altaf Ladakm, COO of Roshan, an Afghani telecommunications provider, discussing ‘Social business: Putting social purpose at the centre of an overall business strategy’.

“The Middle East region has seen a positive transformation in branding and advertising over the last five years or so,” says Liz Foggitt, Publishing and Events Manager, Transform. “The region is not only breaking new ground in terms of international benchmarks for advertising and communication, but it is also home to some of the world’s best advertising and branding communities.”

Forbes Middle East welcomes Senior Editor

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Hershey Pascual has joined Forbes Middle East as Senior Editor, a role in which she will edit bimonthly special editions of the magazine and write reports for main issues. Hershey will focus on health and beauty, luxury fashion, real estate, tourism, investments, aviation, super cars, technology and SME.

With 14 years experience in lifestyle, travel, fashion, health and beauty journalism, Hershey has worked across some of the UK’s most respected publications including OK! Magazine, Sunday Times Style, Elle magazine and The Harrods Magazine. Hershey also has her own online luxury handbag company, CherryEdit.com, which she launched in October 2014.

“I’m delighted to be working for one of the leading magazines in the world,” says Hershey. “I look forward to editing the special editions of Forbes Middle East that will focus on a range of particular, informative topics.”

Style.com/Arabia and DDFC launch Fashion Prize

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Style.com/Arabia and the Dubai Design & Fashion Council (DDFC) have announced the formation of the Style.com/Arabia – DDFC Fashion Prize, an annual endowment for the Middle East’s most promising fashion talents.

The Style.com/Arabia – DDFC Fashion Prize has been launched in partnership with luxury e-commerce site Farfetch, and addresses the DDFC’s mandate to invigorate regional talent. It will provide a global platform for emerging Middle Eastern designers to showcase their abilities, while simultaneously establishing quality control, standards, mentorship and broader visibility for the industry.

The prize will be overseen by a selection committee comprising of executives from Style.com/Arabia, DDFC, Farfetch, and both regional and international fashion communities, including: Tim Blanks – Editor, Style.com, Peter Dundas – Creative Director, Roberto Cavalli, Zuhair Murad – Founder and Designer, Zuhair Murad, Stephanie Horton – Chief Marketing Officer, Farfetch, Nez Gebreel – CEO, DDFC, Shashi Menon – CEO and Publisher, Style.com/Arabia, Sofia Guellaty – Editor-in-Chief, Style.com/Arabia, Patrick Chalhoub – Joint CEO, Chalhoub Group and Afef Jnifen – International model, presenter, and brand ambassadress.

The inaugural winner will be announced this autumn. The winning designer will receive a financial grant, the opportunity to produce a capsule collection for Farfetch, a year of mentorship from a collection of highly esteemed mentors, media/press coverage and an advertising campaign, collectively representing a value of over US $250,000.

“Style.com/Arabia‘s vision has always been to elevate the regional fashion scene to a truly global level – and to increasingly bring the world to this region,” says Shashi Menon, CEO and Publisher, Style.com/Arabia. “The Style.com/Arabia – DDFC Fashion Prize represents the culmination of years of effort and is another step we’ve taken to provide our burgeoning fashion ecosystem with the structure it needs to truly take flight.”

Full entry and application details can be found at http://arabia.style.com/fashionprize/

Noura Al Kaabi named fifth most influential Arab

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Noura Al Kaabi, CEO of Media Zone Authority and twofour54, Abu Dhabi, has been named the fifth most influential Arab under the age of 40 by Arabian Business Magazine. Noura is the most influential Arab in Media according to the list, which is the magazine’s guide to young Arabs with global influence.

Through her work with the Media Zone Authority, Noura oversees its industry-building initiatives such as the Abu Dhabi Film Festival, the Abu Dhabi Film Commission and the Abu Dhabi Media Summit. Noura also heads up twofour54, a free zone that provides production facilities, training and business support services to Abu Dhabi’s growing media industry. She is also a member of the UAE’s Federal National Council and the Economic Development Committee.

“I am truly honored to have been selected as one of this year’s 100 most powerful Arabs under 40 by Arabian Business Magazine,” says Noura. “It gives me great pride to be in the company of other Arabs who play a vital role in shaping our culture and our successes in the Middle East. The list is a collective achievement because it reflects an image of excellence and showcases the capabilities of Arabs across the region.”

CPI Financial appoints Chief Executive Officer

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Robin Amlôt has joined CPI Financial as Chief Executive Officer. In his new role, Robin will be reporting to the Board of Directors in setting up policy and strategy, as well as managing the company’s sales, editorial and administration teams. Before this promotion, he was with CPI as Managing Editor, a role in which he was responsible for the launch of three new magazine titles: Banker Africa, WEALTH Arabia and FinanceME. Before joining CPI, Robin was a lecturer at The Open University – a distance learning and research university.

“It is an exciting and challenging role that I take on, and I look forward to building on the success of my predecessor, Adam Broom,” says Robin. “We have opportunities to grow the market presence of our magazines and to expand our product range –it’s going to be fun!”

The Indian Trumpet welcomes Sabin Muzaffar

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Sabin Muzaffar has joined The Indian Trumpet as Bollywood Columnist. In her new role, Sabin will be writing in-depth entertainment columns on the art of Bollywood movie-making, tracing from its routes to global success. Prior to joining The Indian Trumpet she worked as a freelance contributor for ITP Publishing and ,more recently, as an Executive Editor at Ananke

“I am pleased to be a part of The Indian Trumpet team and look forward to a long and fruitful collaboration,” says Sabin. “I am positive this will be a lovely journey, exploring the various dimensions of Indian cinema, culture and more.”

Ibrahim Mougharbel joins Instinctif Partners

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Ibrahim Mougharbel has been appointed Senior Regional Consultant at Instinctif Partners. He will work on assignments across various markets including those in the UAE, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman, specialising in real estate, oil and gas, healthcare, financial services, private sector growth companies and government relations.

Prior to joining Instinctif, Ibrahim worked with Edelman in the UAE as a Senior Account Manager, working with clients including Sky News Arabia, Mubadala and Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB). He graduated from Saint Joseph University in Beirut with a BA in Business and Management.

“I’m delighted to have joined Instinctif Partners at such an exciting time,” says Ibrahim. “I am looking forward to working with a talented and experienced team committed to delivering first class communications strategies for its clients.”