Strategic appointments and organizational transformation drive numerous business wins and client successes for WPP’s media investment group in MENA
GroupM, WPP’s media investment group, unveils a new chapter of success in the MENA region. Following recent leadership appointments and organizational developments, GroupM MENA has secured over 10 significant business wins in less than six months.
New business wins for the group include Wakemaker MENA’s win of L’Oréal Middle East, Mindshare MENA’s wins of Al Fardan Jewelry, Alat, Amala, Americana Foods, Diriyah Gate Development Authority – DGDA, du, Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Company – EVIC, Inma Bank, Mondelez, New Murabba and Roberto Coin, and EssenceMediacom’s wins of Qiddiya and L’Oréal in Egypt. In addition, EssenceMediacom MENA extends partnership with Etisalat in Egypt and has retained Vodafone in Oman.
GroupM’s unique value proposition played a fundamental role in securing new business wins and delivering accelerated performance excellence for existing clients. The results speak for themselves, with GroupM reaching its most successful year yet in the MENA region with 40% growth in billings compared to 2022. GroupM supports clients’ media investments to be more accountable across all channels platforms and devices. A solidification of GroupM’s solution and capability offerings in MENA, provides clients with innovative cross-channel performance planning, media efficiencies and activation solutions to deliver incremental growth and meaningful outcomes for brands.
To expand the group’s expert practices, Alan Azar has joined GroupM as Regional MD of CX, Data and Technology, Haneen Aburrubb has been appointed as the group’s eCommerce Director to accelerate the commerce capabilities in response to clients’ growing demands, and Mario Soufia, Regional Managing Director to manage a range of future-proofing services for clients including business strategy, eGaming and the management of the content hub of the group including influencer marketing company, The Goat Agency; a growing department excelling in delivering creativity and AI transformations for brands.
Further appointments to the new leadership team under the appointment of Amer El Hajj as CEO at GroupM MENA in September 2023, include but are not limited to Abdallah Adra as Head of Buying, Darine ElKaissi as Managing Director at Mindshare KSA, Felicity Stokes as Head of Marketing and Communications, Laura Gleadhill as General Manager at Keyade Middle East, Patricia Abi Fadel as Head of Investment, Ragy Saad as Finance Director, Rana Zeidan as Business Director at L’Oréal Middle East – Wavemaker MENA, Samer Majzoub as Regional Managing Director at Mindshare MENA, Sarah ElMenzlawy as Head of Buying and Investments at GroupM Egypt.
In addition, GroupM MENA has introduced a new business development team, executed a comprehensive restructuring of its buying, finance and operation department and created cost efficiency hubs. This organizational structure is designed to elevate the proficiency of the group’s specialists, products and services, effectively catering to the collective needs of the business whilst delivering on a transformative media strategy for clients — a mission that has never been more critical in today’s evolving landscape.
Beyond leadership appointments and organizational transformations, the entire GroupM team and the agencies have played an integral role in the group’s recent successes. The team has collaboratively elevated media excellence, embodying a shared mission: to consistently deliver exceptional value and ROI to all clients.
Josh Krichefski, GroupM EMEA CEO commented, “The MENA region presents significant opportunities. GroupM’s Global This Year Next Year report highlights growth is expected to exceed the global rate in 2024, with $15.9 billion in advertising revenue predicted. I have confidence in the reinvigorated team who are already demonstrating noticeable achievements and business successes.”
El Hajj, CEO of GroupM MENA, remarked, “We’ve undergone a transformative journey, meticulously identifying our strengths and pinpointing areas for enhancement over the last few months, crafting a new organizational structure that seamlessly aligns with our global and local aspirations. The remarkable accomplishments achieved within a short time are a testament to the dedication of our MENA team, positioning us as formidable players poised to deliver accelerated growth for our clients. The great talent that has joined us is fueled by the excitement towards our vision in shaping the ‘next era’ of media. We are in the people industry and are steadfast in guiding our people to effectively support clients in achieving their business objectives and building their continuous growth.”