Nick will be based in Dubai and lead
the agency's operations in UAE, KSA, Lebanon and Morocco, which
currently employ more than 100 people.
He will report directly to Nick
Lawson, Chief Executive of MediaCom EMEA, and Roy Haddad, Chairman
of MediaCom MENA and the MENA Board which he will also sit on. Nick
was previously CEO of MediaCom Russia, Ukraine and CIS and replaces
Eric Hanna, who is returning to Grey Group MENA as Chief Executive
after overseeing the 2010 merger between MediaCom and sister WPP
agency media INSIGHT.
Nick's brief is to expand the
footprint of the network across the region, initially in Qatar and
Egypt. Current MediaCom MENA clients include Nestle, P&G, VW,
Audi and NBAD. The region has also been successful in several high
profile new business pitches recently, including Al Rajhi Bank, one
of the world's largest Islamic Banks, in KSA.
He has spent 27 years in the media and
communications business, working at JWT, OMD and as a consultant
dealing with sports rights, interactive TV and mobile. As head of
MediaCom's Russian operation, he doubled the size of the business
in three years and moved MediaCom from 12th in the
agency rankings to fourth.
Commenting on his appointment, Nick said, "I am very excited to
have the chance to take the leadership of MediaCom in MENA. It's an
incredibly dynamic and exciting region and, with our strong and
dedicated teams, the potential is clear. We plan to expand our
footprint and be at the vanguard of the rapidly developing digital
and mobile markets."
Nick Lawson added: "The MENA region has continued to show real
resilience and it's increasing importance in the global economy is
demonstrated by our commitment to building a centre of excellence
in the region. Nick's time in Russia has given him extensive
experience of developing the MediaCom's offering and I'm confident
that both our current clients and future prospects will be
impressed as we expand our capabilities across the region.
"I'd like to thank Eric who did a
great job for us managing the merger and started to put in place
the building blocks for the future. We wish him every success at
Grey where he will, of course, be a vital partner in our planned
growth."