Edelman lays off workers in Dubai
Global public relations company said decision was in line with its priorities in the region
Global public relations firm Edelman Dabo made a number of Dubai-based staff redundant yesterday morning, its managing director confirmed in a statement.
The company, which has two offices in Dubai, which work with clients such as Facebook, UPS, and Majid Al Futtaim, laid off members of staff across various positions, it confirmed to Gulf News in an email.
“This has been a carefully considered strategic decision regarding Edelman’s priorities in the region, ensuring we have the right organisational structure in place at the right levels to drive our business... into 2019 and beyond,” said Terri O’Donnel, Edelman’s managing director for the Middle East.
O’Donnel said that for the last few months, Edelman had been “looking at the UAE business landscape, our clients and how we can best meet their needs for the future.” This had resulted in the decision to restructure, she added.
At least 15 people have been made redundant, predominantly across senior positions, according to people familiar with the situation.
A number of managers and account directors have lost their jobs, the people said, who declined to be named because they were not authorised to speak publicly about the decision.
In her statement to Gulf News, O’Donnel refused to confirm the exact number of job losses, or the seniority of those laid off, instead saying that the leadership team had “looked at the organisation holistically to ensure we have structure in place at the right levels going forward.”
The company fired 20 members of staff last year, followed shortly by a restructuring that saw key partners depart from the company.
Local press reports in April 2017 indicated that senior staff who joined the firm following Edelman’s acquisition of local agency Dabo & Co, including vice-chairman Camilla d’Abo and managing director Lucy d’Abo, were leaving the agency.
At the time, a “changing communications landscape” was blamed for the redundancies.