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UM MENA promotes Rasha Rteil 

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UM MENA has promoted Rasha Rteil to the role of Head of Product, MENAT. With a wealth of experience in digital media, Rasha most recently worked with UM MENA as Regional Innovation Director. In her new role, Rasha will lead on the agency’s ambitious agenda to continuously transform its product and partnerships while also steering the agency’s product solutions by providing input on the industry developments.

“Rasha’s regional leadership on innovation and her contribution to many parts of our business has been instrumental to our success,” says Joe Nicolas, Regional MD, UM MENAT. “We now look forward to seeing this being successfully extended in her new role where she will work closely with all function leads to further strengthen our position as market leader in this region.”

Jad Chababi promoted at J3

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J3, part of UM MENA has promoted Jad Chababi to the role of General Manager of Africa, Middle East and Turkey (AMET). Having joined J3 in 2014, Jad most recently held the role of Regional Business Director, where he worked on the strategic and tactical development of the Johnson & Johnson brand across the region. In his new role, he will lead the rollout of the J3 partnership in the Middle East, Africa and Turkey to drive business across the region and help the creation of a solid organisational structure in all markets. He will also focus on upgrading the product offering across the region to ensure performance consistency while maintaining a strong position across the region.

“Jad Chababi has played a pivotal role in our partnership with Johnson & Johnson in the MENA region and we look forward to seeing this being successfully extended in newer markets,” says Joe Nicolas, Regional Managing Director, UM MENAT. “Due to his impeccable business acumen and senior marketing expertise, Jad has successfully provided significant value creation opportunities for Johnson & Johnson, positioning them as a market leader and enhancing our competitive position as an agency in this region.”

Assaad Kassis takes on new role at UM MENA

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UM MENA has appointed Assaad Kassis to the role of General Manager of its Saudi Arabia office. Having joined UM MENA’s Dubai office in 2010, Assaad most recently held the role of Regional Business Director, where he managed brands such as L’Oreal, Hershey’s and The Coca-Cola Company. In his new role, he will focus on growing the local business of UM MENA by augmenting the implementation of their product services for existing client business and simultaneously focusing on new acquisition. He will also work on ensuring UM’s regional client teams have heightened on-ground presence and are consistently plugged in with the local Saudi Arabian market.

“I can’t think of a better candidate than Assaad to lead our Saudi Arabia office at a time where our focus will be to continue strengthening our product line for local partners and expand our operations,” says Joe Nicolas, Regional Managing Director, UM MENA. “This is also an extremely exciting change for our Saudi Arabia office as Assaad has proven to be highly pragmatic and an organisational visionary and he will definitely be taking that with him in his new role.”

FP7/DXB appoints new Managing Director

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Full service advertising agency, FP7/DXB has appointed Jon Marchant to the role of Managing Director. Jon most recently worked with McCann Central UK, where he held the roles of Managing Director and Board Director. In his new role, he will focus on meeting FP7/DXB’s growth goals as well as building on its reputation for creative solutions and campaigns.

“FP7 are a brilliant and talented bunch who have proved time and again that brave creativity and commercial effectiveness go hand in hand,” says Jon. “I’m super-excited to be leading the charge, as we look to further enhance and evolve the agency’s offering and act as trusted advisors to our impressive array of clients.”

UM MENA promotes Antoine Challita

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UM MENA has promoted Antoine Challita to the role of General Manager Dubai. With 12 years of industry experience in client development and business performance management, Antoine joined UM Dubai in 2013 as Regional Business Director. In his new role, he will oversee all key account teams and their operations as well as ensure the creation of strategies and business growth.

“Antoine’s aptitude and contributions have been invaluable and he embodies so many of the wonderful traits of our company,” says Zubair S. Siddiqui, Managing Director, UM UAE. “His innovative thinking and vision will continue to enhance the strategic direction, growth and profitability of our office, in line with UM’s credo of better science, better art and better outcomes.”

Joe Nicolas promoted to Regional Managing Director

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MENA-based creative media agency, UM MENA has promoted Joe Nicolas to the role of Regional Managing Director. Having joined UM MENA in 2009 as Regional Director of Communications Planning and most recently, holding the position of Head of Strategy and Integration, Joe has built teams and contributed to the agency’s client success, and helped develop UM Egypt during times of economic instabilities. In his new role, he will work on the agency’s client relations and oversee its business development across the MENA region.

“I am excited to be taking over this role at one of the largest agencies in the region,” says Joe. “At a time where our region is undergoing a transformation, we have the right team, the right company culture and the right portfolio of clients to enable us to deliver great work and set new standards. I look forward to playing a major role in this and the continuing success and development of the agency in the coming years.”

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.”

UM Qatar makes new promotion

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Creative media agency, UM Qatar, part of UM MENA has promoted Hanan Tabsh to the role of General Manager. Having joined UM Qatar in 2011, Hanan worked across a portfolio of the company’s clients and business projects, and she most recently held the position of Business Director. In her new role, she will manage the daily operations and planning of UM Qatar as well as formulate strategies towards the success of the agency.

“With her flair to lead and produce work of excellence, we believe Hanan will do a splendid job in this new role,” says Simon Bowthorpe, Managing Director, UM Qatar. “We plan to launch new UM products and expand on the digital and social capabilities of the agency in 2017 and the timing of Hanan’s promotion is impeccable as she will be responsible to lead on these initiatives into a successful fruition as in with her previous projects.”

hug makes new appointment

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hug digital has appointed Tim Durgan to the role of Head of Digital Media in Dubai. Previously the Cluster Digital Lead and UM Labs Ambassador (MENAP) at UM MENA and having worked on international brands in the past – such as Johnson & Johnson, Coca Cola, IKEA, Panasonic and Virgin Media, Tim brings his knowledge and experience in innovative digital media to hug digital.

“My vision for media is to understand consumer objectives first and deliver a unique story to each unique individual, underpinned by data. This will allow us to drive new markets, build new brands and drive new leads,” says Tim Durgan, Head of Digital Media, hug digital. “I’m looking forward to being part of a team that believes in this approach and works tirelessly to drive this strategy forward so we can be the trendsetters in the market.”

Sarah Abdel Wahab, Regional Head of Media, hug digital adds, “We’re very excited to have Tim on board. He brings an impressive arsenal of in-depth knowledge of new and innovative tools. His local know-how and desire for transforming the market are exactly the kind of thing we look for and I  personally look forward to working together closely with him on boosting our media offerings to our clients.”