UM Announces the Appointment of Hani Dajani as General Manager, KSA
Wednesday 20th March 2024, Dubai, UAE: UM has announced the appointment of Hani Dajani as General Manager KSA, marking a significant step in advancing the agency’s growth and success in the Saudi Arabian market.
Dajani brings to UM an impressive professional background spanning 24 years, with his most notable tenure at OMD MENA. Drawing upon extensive experience and expertise, Dajani will lead strategic initiatives aimed at attracting new clients, improving client retention, and driving revenue growth. In his role, he will oversee all aspects of agency operations, including team management and service delivery, while collaborating closely with senior leadership to align business objectives and drive overall performance. His leadership and proven track record will undoubtedly contribute to UMs continued expansion and impact in Saudi Arabia.
Hani Dajani, UM’s new General Manager in KSA, said:
“I am thrilled to step into the role of General Manager at UM in KSA. Collaborating with our exceptional team and visionary leadership, I am eager to pioneer groundbreaking innovations that redefine industry standards. With a relentless focus on excellence, I am committed to propelling our agency to new heights of growth and success in the Kingdom.”
Mohammad Mannaa, CEO UM KSA, said:
“Hani’s distinguished career, spanning over two decades, has firmly established his reputation as a leader in the industry, especially within the KSA market. His extensive experience and exceptional leadership skills make him an invaluable asset to our team. With Hani leading the way, we are primed to reach unprecedented levels of success and accomplishment, fully trusting in his capability to guide us towards remarkable growth.”
Read More: UM MENAT Strengthens Leadership Team with Two Key Appointments
UM MENAT Strengthens Leadership Team with Two Key Appointments
Thursday 14th March 2024, 12:30 pm GST. Dubai, UAE: UM MENAT has bolstered its leadership team with the promotion of James Dutton to Chief Product Officer and Mohammad Mannaa to CEO of KSA.
James Dutton, previously serving as Regional Director – Digital, will now lead the charge in enhancing UM’s product roadmap and delivery for clients, partners, and internal teams. He will drive the development of UM’s transformational product agenda, overseeing strategy, client solutions, digital services and global integrations of partnerships and enterprise solutions to drive client growth across the region. Dutton’s focus will encompass the expansion of new specialist service areas in international client expansion, gaming, and AI solutions development.
Mohammad Mannaa, formerly the Managing Director of KSA, will now lead the KSA team in driving UM’s growth agenda, which includes technology, innovation, and performance across various portfolios. This strategic move aligns with the agency’s vision for significant expansion in the Kingdom in 2024 and beyond.
Read More: UM MENAT Elevates Global Expansion for Clients Through Google’s International Growth Agency Program
Commenting on their new appointments, James Dutton said: “The media industry is moving faster than ever, and so I’m very excited to be expanding my remit into helping UM and our clients navigate the complex media, data, and technology solutions available in achieving growth goals through the development and expansion of our extensive product solutions. More than ever, we need to look how automation is playing more of a role in media deployment and optimisation, to understand how to make decisions that really matter in media.”
“I am thrilled to lead our talented team at UM in Saudi Arabia. Together, we are committed to collaborating with clients and partners to deliver impactful campaigns that resonate globally. Our focus is on pushing boundaries, elevating brands, and shaping the future of media through innovative storytelling, while leveraging cutting-edge technology,” said Mohammad Mannaa.
Joe Nicolas, CEO of UM MENAT, said:
“As we navigate the evolving media landscape, we remain steadfast in our mission to not only adapt, but thrive in the face of change. Both James & Mohammed have continuously proven their expertise and leadership in driving innovation and building capabilities. With these newly established roles, we are poised to deliver exceptional value to our clients across the region.”
Read More: UM’s uplay Unveils Brand Growth Potential Through the Power of Gaming
UM’s uplay Unveils Brand Growth Potential Through the Power of Gaming
Dubai, UAE – February 28, 2024 – In a dynamic display of innovation and strategic vision, UM MENAT introduced its tentpole event for 2024 with the debut of uplay. Exclusively designed for UM clients, partners, and team members, uplay took place earlier this week at the Theatre of Digital Arts (TODA), exploring the transformative influence of gaming and revealing its untapped potential. The event also championed collaborative efforts between brands and agencies to redefine the regional gaming landscape in 2024 and beyond.
The event commenced with a welcoming address from UM MENAT’s CEO, Joe Nicolas, who set the stage for an immersive exploration into the world of gaming, followed by a panoramic view of the gaming landscape through insightful presentations and panel discussions. The event offered actionable insights and creative case studies, equipping attendees with strategies to navigate the dynamic realm of gaming marketing. Renowned Turkish gamer and influencer Can Sungur mesmerized the audience by unveiling the multifaceted nature of gaming, while James Dutton, UM MENAT’s Chief Product Officer, dissected the essence of gaming, culminating in the innovative framework known as uplay, poised to elevate brand strategies within the gaming sphere. Simone Clark, representing IPG Media Lab, underscored the burgeoning opportunities in gaming advertising within the MENAT region, while Emre Sayin, Co-founder of a Turkish-based gaming and Esports marketing agency, advocated for active brand engagement in gaming and alignment with broader objectives to secure a competitive edge with the next generation of consumers.
The event featured two engaging panel sessions. The first, moderated by Abdelnabi Alaeddine, Regional Director at UM MENAT, brought together industry experts Samantha Billingham, Nabil Moutran, and Arshiya Faraghat to delve into the key regional opportunities, emerging trends and technologies, and effective brand integration strategies within the gaming world. Later, John Tippins, Regional Strategy Director at UM MENAT, led a panel discussion with speakers Can Sungar, James Dutton, Simone, and Can Ozcan, UM Turkey’s Strategy Director, focusing on guiding brands to successfully navigate the gaming world.
A glimpse of the event
Here’s what they said
Reflecting on the significance of uplay, Joe Nicolas, CEO of UM MENAT, stated,
“The launch of uplay marks a pivotal moment for UM MENAT, reaffirming our steadfast dedication to innovation and commitment to leading advancements in the gaming community. At UM, we have identified over 625 ways in which brands could activate in the gaming space across diverse audiences and through various methods. This highlights the complexity of the gaming landscape, and uplay serves as a solution to address this complexity – it is a collective of experts assembled to adeptly navigate and activate tailored solutions for each brand within this complex gaming-verse with confidence.”
uplay is also an exciting opportunity for our clients to inspire us with their ideas, and to push our boundaries in creating innovative gaming solutions,” he added.
With uplay as a catalyst for change, UM MENAT remains at the forefront of gaming marketing, poised to lead brands into a future where endless possibilities await in the boundless expanse of the gaming universe.
ABOUT UM
UM is a global media agency committed to Futureproofing our clients’ businesses for the now and the next. We leverage the transformational power of rich business analytics and real-time intelligence to maximize growth and activate the full consumer journey across content and connections. Our consultative approach and agile model, rooted in diversity, equity, and belonging, drive better business outcomes for brands. As the leading global media network in IPG Mediabrands, UM operates in over 100 countries, with more than 5,000 people innovating on a roster of global clients including Emirates, Accenture, American Express, stc, General Mills, GoPro, Henkel, Johnson & Johnson, Levi Strauss & Co, Mattel, and Upfield.
ABOUT UM MENAT EVENTS
UM MENAT has consistently held the prestigious title of the region’s foremost media agency for six consecutive years, a recognition bestowed by RECMA. This impressive achievement reflects UM’s unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of innovation, infusing creativity into every endeavor, and boldly changing the game to emerge victorious. At UM, our passion is to continually elevate the media landscape and establish new industry standards.
In pursuit of this ambition, we regularly host a variety of workshops, comprehensive training programs, and large-scale thought leadership events. These initiatives are not merely about fostering knowledge sharing; they are about immersing ourselves in the collective wisdom of global experts, forward-thinking individuals, and creative minds. We recognize that it is through this exchange of ideas and experiences that we can collectively shape the future of the media industry. Join us at UM MENAT’s events, where innovation, creativity, and knowledge converge to pave the way for a brighter and more dynamic media landscape.
Read More: UM MENAT Elevates Global Expansion for Clients Through Google’s International Growth Agency Program
UM MENAT Elevates Global Expansion for Clients Through Google’s International Growth Agency Program
Dubai, UAE – February 13, 2024 – UM MENAT has joined Google’s International Growth Agency Program (IGAP), an exclusive and invitation-only partnership program extended to Google’s top-tier agencies worldwide. This partnership solidifies UM’s commitment to scaling the region’s position on the global stage.
IGAP by Google will equip UM with exclusive tools, resources, and valuable data, empowering the agency to facilitate growth and support clients at various stages of global expansion. This encompasses assistance in identifying international growth prospects, developing effective go-to-market strategies, providing consultation on localization, payments, customer experience, logistics through Google and its partner network, and implementing international best practices to ensure performance parity with domestic markets.
Commenting on UM joining Google’s International Growth Program, Walid Stephan, Head of Agency Partners at Google MENA, said,
“We are very excited to have UM MENA completing the Google IGAP program. This equips them with key tools and insights that allow them to elevate the export strategy and new market expansion of their clients to a new level, opening up global opportunities.”
James Dutton, Regional Director – Digital & Head of Product at UM MENAT, added,
“We are experiencing an extraordinary moment in history. In a world marred by uncertainty, economic challenges, and increasing polarization, the Middle East stands out as a beacon of growth, development, and prosperity. Empowering our clients to expand into global markets is the next phase where we will change the game. Building on the significant success of our pilot global expansion clients, we look forward to extending our global expansion client portfolio alongside Google.”
