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> UM MENA announced that Assaad Kassis will assume the role of General Manager of their office in KSA. This role comes into effect as their previous country lead Khalil Arouni has decided to relocate to pursue new opportunities. With the changing market dynamics in KSA, UM’S focus will increase locally and Assaad’ s remit will be to further grow the local business by augmenting the effective implementation of the UM product services for existing client business and simultaneously focusing on new client acquisition. Assaad will also be tasked to ensure that UM’S regional client teams have heightened on ground presence and are consistently plugged in with the local Saudi market. Assaad has been with UM MENA since 2010 as a regional business director and has successfully managed global accounts of L’oréal, Hershey’s and The Coca-cola Company during his tenure in the Dubai office.

> Antoine Challita has been promoted to the position of General Manager UM MENA Dubai. Challita enjoys 12 years of industry experience in client development and business performance management. He joined UM Dubai in 2013 as Regional Business Director for the Coca-cola Co. business and soon expanded his portfolio to include all the Aujan Coca-cola Beverage Co. brands as well. As GM of UM Dubai, Antoine will oversee all key account teams and their operations, ensure the creation and implementation of strategies designed to grow the business and coordinate the development of key performance goals for functions and direct reports.

> Jad Chababi sees his role at UM MENA expanded from Regional Business Director to General Manager, J3 AMET (Africa, Middle East & Turkey). J3 is a global agency based out of New York with regional headquarters in Dubai and is responsible for the media strategy; buying and planning for the Johnson & Johnson business. In his new role, Jad will lead the roll out of the J3 partnership in Africa and Turkey and his remit will not only be to drive business across the AMET region but to help the creation of a solid organizational structure in all markets. Jad will also focus on upgrading the product offering across the region to ensure performance consistency while maintaining a strong position as the agency of record for J&J.

Cicero & Bernay Public Relations MENA (C&B) has promoted its former Director of Client Servicing, Tariq Al Sharabi, to Managing Director position. The appointment underpins C&B’S ongoing expansion strategy, in which Tariq has played an instrumental role since 2005. As Managing Director, Tariq will focus on developing C&B’S new business and affiliation opportunities to drive the agency’s growth, while continuing to enhance its client services with innovative solutions that go beyond traditional methods. His mandate is to add value for C&B’S clients as the agency expands both its portfolio and footprint beyond the MENA region.

> FP7 has recently appointed Jon Marchant as Managing Director of their Dubai office. With full responsibility for the leadership and development of FP7 DXB’S business, Jon will play a key role in meeting the company’s aggressive growth goals as well as building on the firm’s outstanding reputation for creative solutions and award winning campaigns. Jon moved from Mccann Central UK where he held the position of Managing Director and Board Director since 2013. Under Jon’s leadership over the last 5 years, Mccann Central has grown to become the UK’S largest integrated agency outside London, and the largest Mccann operation in Europe.

> Jimmy Ghazal, Innovation & Digital Director at M&C Saatchi MENA, has announced on his Facebook page that he’s leaving the agency with “a heavy heart”. Jimmy has worked with the Quantum Group for 16 years and now has decided to close this chapter to embark on a new challenging journey with plans to launch his own communications/innovation based company already set.