Saudi’s platform for the creative and marketing community

Abdulrahman is an accomplished leader with expertise in destination management, marketing and corporate strategy. Currently serving as Destination Management Senior Director at Diriyah Company, he has played a pivotal role in crafting tourism strategies and leading international marketing efforts. His extensive experience spans both public and private sectors, where he has driven business development and led transformations in the tourism, financial and housing industries. A Misk2030 Leaders alumnus, Abdulrahman holds a Master's in Engineering Management and is passionate about forging relationships, delivering results and driving positive organisational change.

Khalid is Managing Partner at Pure Consulting. He is a marketing expert with a proven successful track record in brand management and business sustainability. Khalid has more than 20 years of practical experience, having worked in Aramco and Unilever, including two years as a member of the executive management of Unilever Saudi Arabia.

Amr is an advertising professional and a creative enthusiast with over 25 years of experience. Amr spent 17 years with FP7McCann in the Middle East, leading local and global award-winning campaigns, nurturing talents, and helping brands achieve their targets or even exceed them in many cases. During his time as Managing Director of FP7McCann Cairo, Amr spearheaded the agency to become the most celebrated office in the country, securing numerous accolades across creative and effectiveness awards, including Cannes Lions, The One Show, Gretty, Caples, Lynx, Andy's, Cresta, D&AD, Effies, and WARC, among others. Early in 2024, Amr was promoted to Regional Managing Director for KSA & Bahrain and is now based in Riyadh, leading the fastest-growing operation in the region. Throughout his career, Amr has also participated as a keynote speaker and a panellist in many regional and Local business events, as well as participated as part of the jury committee of MENA Effie awards and in Cannes Lions in 2024.

Noah heads up digital and innovation as Regional President of Digital & Innovation - CEE, Middle East and Africa, TBWA & DAN. He joined TBWA\ in 2013, where he led the digital and innovation practice across the Middle East, supporting clients such as Nissan, Du and Emirates Airlines, amongst others, before taking on regional responsibilities. Noah has been leading the growth of strong digital and innovation capabilities across the region and was one of the architects of NEXT, which he helps implement across the region. He has developed strategic partnerships with Google, Meta and TikTok, furthering our open creative collaboration. He continues to drive key clients and new business growth through the collective. Noah has worked in the digital space for over 27 years, having worked with organisations such as Barclays Premier League, ITV, BBC, Turner Broadcasting, Trinity Mirror Group, Channel 4, Abu Dhabi Media and Possible Worldwide. Noah holds an MBA and a BSc(Hons) in Software Engineering.

Hamad Alsalman is VP of Marketing and Communications at Taiba Investments, overseeing their communication strategy and leading successful campaigns. He supervised the branding of Taiba's hospitality portfolio, including Dur Hospitality and Makarem hotels. With 17 years of experience, he has managed the development of over 30 brands for various organisations. Alsalman previously held marketing roles at Maceen Capital, Alinma Bank and SEMARK. He holds a BBA, a Diploma in Public Relations, and certifications in Brand Management, Customer Experience and Service Design.

Nabil Sleiman is a multi-awarded marketeer with over 20 years of experience. He has led agencies and brands to achieve objectives through unconventional campaigns built on data and consumer insights. In his current role, Nabil looks after media, marketing communications and insights for one of the largest consumer brands in the Middle East. Over the last five years, he led his team to achieve more than 35 awards recognised globally and regionally.

Marketing Executive - Leading Marketing at PIF

Dynamic and results-oriented marketing expert with 17 years of experience dedicated to driving brand growth and maximising market impact. Proficient in a diverse range of marketing functions, including brand management, corporate communication, digital marketing, media planning, content development, PR/media relations and customer experience. Demonstrated ability to develop and execute strategic marketing initiatives that enhance brand growth and drive business success dealing with various segments i.e. B2B,B2C and B2G. Currently leveraging expertise in marketing complex destination projects, including industrial and logistics parks, creative and culture districts, and free trade zones, to drive innovation and market leadership.

Amit Nayak, Managing Director for Middle East and Africa at Bloomberg Media, is a visionary leader transforming the media landscape. Since 2014, he has exponentially grown Bloomberg's regional operation, forging groundbreaking partnerships with governments and corporate titans. Amit's strategic prowess has catapulted Bloomberg to the forefront of global conversations, spearheading initiatives like the New Economy Forum. His illustrious career spans The Wall Street Journal, Mindshare, and BBC Worldwide, where he consistently drove expansion and innovation. A global citizen with a multicultural upbringing, Amit leverages his unique perspective to dominate diverse markets. This media guru proves that unparalleled professional success and devoted family life can coexist harmoniously.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Life-long marketeer. Fortunate enough to work on building the Saudi destination brand for the past 3 years.

Joined MMS in Feb 2021 as Client Growth Lead and after a 20 years regional media and advertising career at Publicis Media, where the last role was EVP-Managing Director KSA.

Leanne has over 15 year’s experience in launching existing businesses into new markets, by increasing her client's visibility, network and revenue. She has extensive experience in leading the marketing for agencies, b2b events and running business award programs across the globe. Her career has been across PR, marketing and events and she single handily launched the Public Relations Communications Association in the Middle East and Asia.

Omer Iqbal is a seasoned brand strategist with over seven years of experience crafting compelling brand narratives for iconic Saudi and multinational brands. His expertise lies in integrated marketing, where he develops innovative cross-platform communication strategies that resonate with diverse audiences. Omer’s passion for storytelling and keen understanding of market dynamics have made him a sought-after collaborator in the branding landscape, helping brands connect authentically and effectively.

With more than two decades in the communications industry, Lucy is focused on expanding the impact of Burson's award-winning work and team in the region. With a particular focus on driving the global creativity and innovation agenda and the growth of The Studio, Lucy supports major clients, strategy, training, team development and operations. Lucy has worked with some of the world's biggest brands, trained C’suite leaders and developed campaigns across disciplines. Her personal passions include using new digital and tech innovations in communications, seeing creative ideas come to life with the beauty and simplicity of works of art, and championing the development of young industry talent. As an experienced and inclusive trainer, Lucy facilitates and develops workshops including media training, communications training and crisis training. She has delivered one on one coaching to senior leaders, in addition to facilitating large group sessions around complex issues, message development and creative ideation. Lucy has judged the PR category at Cannes Festival of Creativity, alongside judging at Gerety, PRCA, PR Week and other regional business awards. Listed in the PRWeek Middle East Power Book for more than six years, Lucy has also been recognised as an Arabian Business Top 50 Female Business leader and as one of the region’s Most Inspirational Women in Leadership. She is actively involved with Dubai Lynx and Athar Festival of Creativity as a coach and mentor in the See It Be it and Athar programmes for young female talent. Early in her career, Lucy worked at freud Communications in London across international FMCG clients including Pepsi, Gatorade and Nike. Before that she worked at The Press Association (national news agency for the UK), and specialist F&B and broadcast communications agencies. Originally from Nottingham, Lucy graduated from St. Edmund Hall, University of Oxford, UK, with a BA in English Language and Literature.

A passionate communicator, prominent strategist, experienced advisor, and empowering leader, with deep knowledge and understanding of the MENA Region’s communications industry, Mohamed Al Ayed came to prominence in 1998 when he established TRACCS in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Since then, he has grown the single operation to become the largest independent and homegrown communications consultancy in MENA, with 14 offices across 13 markets, serving a diversified portfolio of clients including government entities, MNC’s, family run businesses, corporate giants, local companies, and NGOs. For the past 25 years, under Mohamed’s leadership, TRACCS has been inspiring, driving, and leading the evolution of communications in the Middle East and North Africa into a gamechanging industry with the power to influence positive change and deliver present and future impact. He has built a team, comprising local market experts and Arabic-speaking communications professionals, that continues to provide real time, strategic communications insights and develops and deploys optimal, high-return communication programs for some of the most influential, complex, and mission-critical organizations operating in the region. Mohamed has helmed TRACCS’ efforts in becoming the preferred communications partner for several national champion organizations in Saudi Arabia, and in sustaining its commitment to nurturing the talent of young communicators across region. Mohamed has provided counsel and communications training to hundreds of senior government officials and C-suite executives and led strategic communications program for a wide array of high-level government and private organizations across the region, including the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, Mastercard, Pepsi, Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (KSA), Olayan Group, Diriyah Gate Development Authority, Toyota Motor Corporation, DHL, Careem and Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts among others. Mohamed also serves as the principal trainer for ENRICH, the proprietary communications training program of TRACCS, and to date, has conducted over a thousand individual and group training sessions delivered exclusively and through workshops, seminars, and webinars, covering more than 2,500 beneficiaries. Mohamed is a certified trainer of the Public Relations Communications Association (PRCA).

A graduate in hotel management, Ian Fairservice moved from Assistant Manager of the prestigious Grand Hotel in Eastbourne to take up the role of Deputy General Manager in Dubai’s second five-star hotel (Excelsior, now Sheraton) in January 1978. With media in its infancy, Fairservice identified the opportunity to launch the county’s first magazine and set up his media business, Motivate Publishing, in June 1979. Together with his partner, Obaid Humaid Al-Tayer, he has seen the company develop into one of the most successful media houses in the region. Publishing a wide range of award-winning magazines and books along with diverse media interests across digital, content, events and cinema, Motivate has a team of more than 200 media professionals in a network of Middle East offices. What’s On, Gulf Business, Emirates Woman, Identity, Golf Digest, Campaign and Business Traveller are some of Motivate’s established consumer and trade brands with websites that reach an audience of more than two million people each month. Motivate’s book division was founded in 1986 and has more than 300 titles in print including many from well-known authors such as Sir Wilfred Thesiger, Ronald Codrai OBE, General Sir Peter de la Billiere, and British royal photographer Lord (Patrick) Litchfield. Motivate published My Vision, an autobiographical account of the development of Dubai by its Ruler, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates. Eight different language versions of My Vision have now been released. Further books by His Highness include Poems from the Desert, Spirit of the Union and Flashes of Thought. The company has several successful joint venture partnerships across a wide-spanning media landscape including their cinema advertising business, Motivate Val Morgan, which exclusively represents more than 90% of the cinemas in the Middle East including the three key operators in Saudi Arabia. Fairservice has been the Middle East representative of the Cannes Festival of Creativity since 2000. In March 2007, he founded the Dubai Lynx Advertising Awards and Festival of Creativity for the Middle East & Africa in partnership with Lions Festivals. Ian is also the Chairman of Athar Saudi Festival of Creativity.

Riyadh-based Alex Malouf is a marketing communications executive and expert who has spent the last two decades in the Middle East. A journalist by training, and with a cultural mix that is both European and Arabic, Alex's expertise spans communications and media, public relations and marketing.

Tech, Entertainment & Music BD, Strategy and Partnerships | ex. Meta, Deezer and Anghami.

As the Managing Director of GVGL, Ebru is passionate about bringing brands' purposes to life, worldwide. With two decades of leadership experience in renowned consulting companies like Deloitte and Accenture, she has overseen major global projects and earned recognition as one of the Middle East's top CMOs. Ebru's expertise lies in crafting marketing growth strategies, enhancing employer branding and championing diversity initiatives. Her academic journey includes completing management and leadership programs at Harvard Business School and Stanford University Executive Education’s High Potential Women Leaders Program. Actively involved in initiatives promoting women's leadership, Ebru serves as the Chairwoman of IWBD's Advisory Board, advocating for inclusivity and delivering speeches on women's leadership in various global forums. She has been selected to participate in the CMO Accelerator Program at the Cannes Lions Creativity Festival for five consecutive times. She is awarded one of the Middle East's female leaders by Women Leadership Congress, and winner of the Women in Martech Vibe Awards. Ebru is listed as “Asia’s 100 Women Power Leaders 2023”. She was also named "Wonder Women of MENA" by Brandberries. She is ranked among "Top 10 CMOs in Dubai" by Women Entrepreneur India Magazine. Ebru is a Board Member in Marketing Society.

Serfi is the Founder of Idea Bakery, a boutique global brand strategy consultancy company with HQ in Atlanta with global clients like Google, Bayer and Taco Bell. Idea Bakery has opened its Riyadh office past year after working for a decade in the region with brands like Visit Saudi, Saudia Group, Team Saudi, Ministry of Economy & Planning, Goody, Savola, Nahdi and SNB. Prior, Serfi worked for Procter & Gamble where she led and trained brand strategy & communications for North America and MENA for 16 years. For the past 3 years, Serfi has been the Dean at Cannes Lions.

Jason is founder and CEO of BBD Perfect Storm, a brand and cultural transformation company, headquartered in the UK. Clients include Etihad Airways, Moet Hennessy, Investec Bank, Smith & Nephew, Severn Trent Water, Pepsico, Mishcon de Reya, Kraft Heinz and Unilever. Perfect Storm has won many international awards for its clients, including Cannes Lions, Clios and One Show. BBD Perfect Storm is a founding member of the United Nations UnStereotype Alliance, committed to improving societal representation and eradicating the depiction of harmful stereotypes from communications. Jason is a Fellow of The Marketing Society and also Treasurer to its Global Board. He also sits on the Advisory Board for the Alliance of Independent Agencies.

Nada Hakeem is the CEO and co-founder of Wetheloft, a prominent Saudi creative agency specialising in strategy development, brand building, social communications, and workspace cultivation. Additionally, she co-hosts the "Hakeem podcast," an Arabic thought leadership podcast focused on creative entrepreneurship and the business of expertise. With over 15 years of experience, Nada plays a pivotal role in leading the agency's creative department, driving business development, and overseeing strategy consulting for a diverse range of projects serving both local and international clients. Nada is not only a mentor in creative leadership but also an advocate for humanised management practices. Her passion lies in exploring the intricacies of human behaviour through disciplines like organisational psychology and human design. She prioritises understanding the "why" behind people's actions and motivations, aiming to empower leaders to focus on goal fulfillment, nurture leader accountability, and celebrate individual uniqueness, all in the pursuit of unlocking the fullest potential of both individuals and organisations. Her role as a grief ritual facilitator adds a unique dimension, allowing her to blend personal psychological growth with career development expertise.

Paul Pacifico CEO, Music Commission, KSA In January 2023, moved to Riyadh, KSA, to take up the post of CEO of the Music Commission within the Ministry of Culture with responsibility for developing the music sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. For six years prior, Paul was CEO of AIM, the Association of Independent Music which represents the UK’s community of music entrepreneurs including independent labels, service companies and self-releasing artists amongst its 1000 members. Before his tenure at AIM, Paul was CEO of the UK’s Featured Artists Coalition (‘FAC’), and founding President of the International Artist Organisation (‘IAO’). For the past 6 years, Paul was Associate Professor at Berklee Valencia, Spain, where he continues to teach as a Guest Lecturer. He was a Trustee of English National Ballet, on the Boards of UK Music, Impala, the Music Advisory Board for London’s Roundhouse and a member of the Strategic Advisory Board for the Creative UK. Alongside his formal industry roles, Paul has had a long career as a performer and entrepreneur in music, working with artists including Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones and Jimmy Cliff and advising on music strategy and projects for clients such as Coca Cola, British Olympic Committee, British Athletics, Goodwood, Save the Children, Gibson and Aston Martin as well as number of exclusive members clubs and UHNW private clients.

Ali embarked on his advertising career in 2006 after graduating with distinction from LAU. He moved to KSA to join VML Saudi (formerly J. Walter Thompson) as an account executive. His journey within the company saw him transition into the research department, first as a Knowledge Officer, and later as a Knowledge Director. By 2016, he moved to the planning department as a Strategy Director. In 2023, Ali became a Strategy & Planning Consultant. With 18 years of experience in advertising, his expertise spans various industries, brands and markets including KSA, Qatar, UAE, Lebanon, Jordan and the USA.

James is the Chief Product Officer at UM MENAT, based in Dubai. He is a growth focused sales and marketing leader with over 25 years’ global experience in driving brand and revenue growth for global brands and startups. Extensive digital, media, gaming, AI and CRM experience with global network. Strong SaaS startup experience at both commercial and advisory levels.

Waleed Bashawri is the Senior Director of Marketing at Almosafer (part of Seera Group), where he spearheads the brand strategy for the leading travel brand in Saudi Arabia, whilst leading on brand efforts across the Almosafer's portfolio of travel companies. With over 20 years of diverse experience in FMCG, banking, and tourism sectors, he has developed a keen expertise in brand strategy, digital transformation, and business development. His current role focuses on elevating the brand’s presence and driving growth within the competitive travel industry. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals and continues to be a key player in advancing the marketing field in the region.

Hussain Abdrabalnabi is the Executive Director of Marketing & Digital at Alat, a PIF company, and a leading voice in the Middle East's digital transformation. With over two decades of experience, he advocates for "augmented humanity," ensuring that technology remains human-centred. Hussain focuses on delivering seamless, innovative customer experiences that meet evolving digital expectations. As a key supporter of the KSA Vision 2030 program and a member of the Saudi Leaders 2030 initiative, he is dedicated to developing the next generation of Saudi tech and marketing leaders. He is also a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and a member of The Marketing Society.

Katie Golding, Chief Marketing Officer at SRMG, the largest integrated media group from the MENA region, possesses over 25 years of experience in senior marketing and commercial roles. Her extensive career spans more than 15 years in the MENA region, fostering collaborations with leading global brands, thereby offering a wealth of insights and a broad global perspective. Recognised for her strategic acumen and commitment to nurturing creativity while emphasising performance, Katie excels in promoting team synergy and advocating for integrated marketing across diverse media channels.