Memac Ogilvy

> has named Samer Abboud as its new Regional Managing Director for Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Iraq. The promotion of the eight-year Ogilvy man comes as the agency sharpens its focus on the region’s growth markets and continues to drive its ‘Next Chapter’ evolution forward. In his new role, Abboud will unite and guide the network’s Jeddah, Riyadh, Beirut and Baghdad offices. He joined Memac Ogilvy in December 2011, tasked with opening the network’s first office in Doha, Qatar. Under his leadership, Memac Ogilvy Doha became the agency’s fastest-growing office, demonstrating industry-leading advertising, PR and digital capabilities thanks to the formation of a formidable team. Prior to joining Ogilvy, Abboud served as COO of Grey in Qatar for five years, following eight years with Siemens Mobile. The transition of Samer Abboud within the agency to Regional MD reflects the plan of Memac Ogilvy’s current CEO Patou Nuytemans who assumed her role in September 2017 while retaining her position as Chief Digital Officer of Ogilvy EMEA.