UAE Audience Committee Members

Wassim Barbara currently holds the position of “Head of Media - Nestlé MENA” where he aims to bring engaging brand experiences to Nestlé’s target audiences. Wassim joined Nestlé in 2018 and overlooks the media planning and buying team across the region.

Prior to joining Nestlé, he was a senior account director in MEC where he was part of many award-winning campaigns, both local and regional. His overall media experience of more than 10 years covered different industries such as telecommunication, banking, FMCG, luxury, tech,
& real estate.

As someone who was born and raised in the GCC and experienced the impact that satellite TV had across the region in the mid 90’s, he fully embraced the digital invasion in the early 2010’s & knew that digital was here to stay. This is why he is always trying to find ways to connect
both worlds and actively lobbying for continues testing along with meaningful measurements.

Elda Choucair is COO of Omnicom Media Group MENA, the media services division of the Omnicom Group. In this role, Elda leads the MENA network with futuristic ambition to advance the company through strategic and group-wide initiatives. As the industry changes beyond recognition at light speed, Elda is tasked with retooling and reconfiguring the services and talent of the agency for optimum performance in the new world. Since her appointment, she has championed multiple projects in technological developments in automation, predictive modelling and eCommerce; and has passionately provided the highest-calibre of training and upskilling curriculums required for the agency and its people to thrive. 

Elda’s remit expanded in June of 2019 to COO of the holding group, building on three remarkable years as CEO of PHD MENA. Under her leadership, the company has grown seven-fold and become a key player in the region. Elda’s success in creating a future-ready positioning has made PHD a compelling proposition for both staff and clients and led to prestigious awards and accolades. She joined Omnicom Media Group in 2006 as Director of Planning for OMD and in 2008 moved to run PHD in the region. In 2016, she was named CEO of PHD MENA, the same year the company was named “MENA Media Network of the Year” by Campaign ME. 

Elda shakes up traditions, approaches strategies innovatively, and remains ahead of the industry. Recent highlights include the expansion into new Middle Eastern markets, being named ‘Most Effective Media Office 2019’ and third best employer in the UAE by the Great Place to Work Institute. In addition, Elda plays an active and integral role in the greater media community and network, as Board member of Omnicom Media Group’s global creativity initiative, the Light Awards, Vice Chairman of ABG and Board Member of IAB GCC, the IAA and regular judges industry award ceremonies such as Cannes Lion.

Pierre Choueiri embarked on his professional career in 1988. Today, with over 3 decades of experience behind him, he serves at the helm of the Middle East’s largest Media Representation Group, as an inspirational figurehead committed to the media and advertising industry’s ongoing evolution. Initially taking charge of Choueiri Group’s operations as CEO in 2007, Pierre became Chairman and CEO in 2010, at a time when the region was beginning to navigate the inception of digital.

Under his direction, the Group has shaped countless success stories, including the 2011 formation of its digital media arm “DMS” and its subsequent rise to becoming the largest independent digital entity in the Arab world. Building on the Group’s time-honored value system, Pierre dedicates his time to delivering on the trust of the Group’s stakeholders and partnerships, while leveraging an exceptional team of professionals and talents, perpetual innovation and resources, to elevate regional brands, along with their engagement to audiences and connection with consumers.

The Group’s companies currently serve as the exclusive media sales representatives for 26 television stations, 12 print titles, the largest outdoor signs network in the UAE, 12 radio stations, 40+ web portals along with their apps, the exclusivity of cinemas in Kuwait, the largest exhibitions venue in Lebanon, and most recently, a growing presence across the regional cinema ecosystem.

Pierre has been recognized many times for his valuable contributions to the MENA marketing communications industry and is the proud recipient of the 2012 MENA Cristal Festival’s “Media Man of the Year” award, the 2017 Dubai Lynx “Advertising Person of the Year” award, as well as an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Humane Letters, awarded to him in 2018 from the Lebanese American University in Beirut.

Tarek Daouk, CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network MENA, has been at the centre of innovation in media, content, and digital media in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) for almost two decades.

He built Starcom Mediavest Group into an early leader in the space, launched innovative new business models such as the content agency LiquidThread and landed Cannes Lions and numerous other awards. Throughout his career he has amassed a wealth of industry experience, working with a number of blue-chip advertisers including GSK, GM, Mars, Mondelez, P&G, Samsung and Visa.

Today, Tarek is committed to supporting advertisers with their businesses in the region by building a next generation agency. An agency focused on the convergence of creative, media, data, and commerce and which enables the design of unique experiences for consumers.

Anna Germanos is a seasoned thought leader in digital transformation in the Consumer Goods & Retail sectors. She enjoys deep expertise in Consumer & Retail in the Middle East having worked more than 12 years in this space for the largest global technology conglomerates as well as in the management consulting field. She has strong knowledge of the media, tech and e-commerce ecosystem in MENA having managed multi-million portfolio of CPG, Healthcare, Luxury, Retail & Ecom multinational and regional clients and agencies. She also built thought leadership across multiple digital advertising topics for the sector. 

Currently Anna is the head of the Consumer Good, Retail & Ecommerce at Facebook, the social media giant. Prior to joining Facebook, she was heading the Consumer Goods practice at Google for MENA driving data-driven digital transformation and tech solutions adoption. Earlier, Anna spent many years in the Consumer & Retail practice at Booz & company (currently known as Strategy&) where she led assignments for leading private & public clients in the Middle East & Africa across Consumer & Retail primarily focusing on topics such as growth strategy articulation, investment strategies, operational excellence, sector development and others. Anna started her career in Fintech at Murex SA in France, a leading provider of software solutions for capital markets where she managed design and implementation of financial software projects for leading banks and financial institutions in Europe, US and APAC. 

Anna is passionate about community development focusing on Education and Diversity & Inclusion at large. She believes that the essential underpinning of any civilization is the education of its youth and the power of education to advance one’s well-being and help the community. As such, she sits on the advisory board of Lead Early, a company with a mission to empower teenagers with the skills and experiences to make the most appropriate choices for their unique selves. She leads a number of community outreach and D&I initiatives working closely with NGOs and government programs to make an impact and improve lives. She currently acts as the People lead at Facebook. She also has a yearning for the Lebanese mountains, preserving sections of the Lebanese Mountain Trail (LMT) and together with her family promoting rural and agritourism development in Lebanon. 

Anna holds an MBA from INSEAD and a bachelor of Engineering from the American University of Beirut with distinction. 

Data-driven digital marketing professional with over a decade of experience across EMEA in diverse sectors such as Travel, Automotive and Beauty. Maintaining a focus on creating a seamless customer journey for global brands as a member of Technology firms, agencies and in- house teams, Sofiane thrives on new challenges and constantly discovering methods to optimise performance in order to drive business results.

Sofiane utilises his digital expertise to solve complex business dilemmas. He serves as a key member of the L’Oreal Middle East leadership team, leveraging his analytical skills to make decisions as the Strategy lead for Digital and Offline campaigns.

Amer EL Hajj, is CIO of Publicis Media Group, heading the Investment and Buying department of the entire media group for the past 18 years. Amer El Hajj spearheads Publicis Media Groupe’s Commercial, Investment and Programmatic Media portfolio as Chief Investment Officer. He helped to guide the early growth of Mediavest across MENA before taking on responsibility for the portfolio of Publicis Media’s trading and investments.

As a key member of the organization, his knowledge and foresight has been the backbone for the strategic vision that guides investment decisions across the Publicis Media portfolio and the market leading execution of its commercial practice, propelling the growth of Publicis Media as a leading agency network in MENA. Throughout his 17 years of experience, his many successes in the market have both enriched his reputation and won him the admiration of industry heads. His career has been further decorated by partnerships and relationships built with P&G, Samsung, Nestle, Richemont, STC, Almarai, GSK, Emirates, Expo and DCTCM to name a few.

Ankur Jalan currently leads Marketing Science across MENA and India at Snap Inc. In his current role he leverages research, analytics and measurement solutions to advise advertisers and agencies how to best spend their media budgets.

Ankur has a career spanning a decade across multiple markets such as India, China, SEA and MENA. Prior to joining Snap Inc., he led agency measurement for APAC at Facebook as well as travel vertical measurement in SEA in another role. He has also led client media analytics and measurement for diverse industries including CPG and Financial Services during his term at Starcom in APAC. Ankur is an alumnus of the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur from where he holds a bachelor’s degree in Technology.

Ibrahim Kadiri is an insights and strategy expert with cross-industry experience spanning across North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He currently serves as the Head of Markets Insights across EMEA Emerging Markets for Google where he leverages research and analytics to drive measurement and market strategy and build effective marketing, sales and go-to-market plans. 

Prior to joining Google, he led research, insights and analytics at Middle East Broadcasting Center (MBC Group), where his work included building the Group’s organizational analytics strategy and roadmap, leading market expansion research across Africa and optimizing insights work across MBC business units and subsidiaries. 

Mr. Kadiri is a Michigan native and University of Michigan alumni, where he received degrees in Business Management and Marketing

Shadi is a seasoned chief executive officer, with over 2 decades of experience at the helm of leading organizations in the marketing services sector. He is a transformational leader with demonstrated strength in championing organizational redesign to promote long-term growth. He is currently serving as the CEO of MCN MEDIABRANDS - IPG’s media holding organization. In this role, he is spearheading the group’s digital transformation journey and the evolution of its offering to lead in a digital, data-driven world.

Omar A. Katerji currently serves as Regional Media Manager at Ferrero Gulf, a position he has held since 2014. His role entails formulating integrated, multichannel and optimal media plans across brands and campaigns – and ensuring that they’re tied to tangible measures and outcomes.
Omar boasts more than 14 years of experience in the region’s complex, fast-evolving media industry. To date, he has worked with renowned, multinational brands across key sectors including FMCG, Financial services, Real estate, Hospitality and Automotive.
Over the years, he has been responsible for the development and implementation of award-winning brand strategies – amassing both global and regional industry accolades.

TJ in her present role is leading experience services business at Accenture Interactive, and responsible for development, and growth of capabilities of digital and data-led marketing services in the region. She is a seasoned marketing consulting professional with 17 years’ experience in digital and product management, including history of successful team building and growth skills. Proven track record in development and launch of strategic ROI driven pan regional marketing initiatives to drive online/offline customer acquisitions, increase retention and loyalty within the targeted customer and prospect segments at GroupM MENA, Mindshare MENA, Aegis Media Dentsu, KLM, FedEx & Bank of America -Merrill Lynch. 

MMA MEA Board of Directors I TIE Dubai Board of Directors I iCom global jury for Data & Creativity representing MENA I Regular Author on Digital Transformation, Data, Innovation, AI, Luxury & Tech, Consumer Digitization Trends I Speaking engagements around - digital transformation, applications of DMP, Data partnerships, consumer growth in mobile, video and consulting in digital transformation best practices, corporate entrepreneurship and open innovation. Passionate about responsible business, and champions Accenture Middle East’ initiatives.

An advertising professional with 35+ years of experience in MarCom and Media Management. Over 21 years of leadership roles in the MENA region and South Asia, currently CEO for GroupM MENA based in Dubai, UAE. Throughout his years in the MENA region, Ravi has been on a mission to lead multicultural and diverse teams and develop and execute growth strategies. Being a talent nurturer, he has developed and mentored top-notch talents across WPP, having been Mindshare CCO and CEO before assuming the GroupM MENA CEO role in 2019. 

Ravi's career began in Marketing after graduating from business school in Mumbai, India - alma 85. After a stint of three years in marketing, was instrumental in the media launch of the first P&G brand, Ariel. A father to an Ivy League graduate daughter, a husband, a philatelist, an art collector, navigating through this journey called life.

Asad manages Unilever’s media for Middle East North Africa, Turkey and Russia. He also manages the Digital Marketing and cross-functional Digital Transformation work for the MENA markets. Asad has been in Dubai since August 2013, prior to which he managed Global Media for Unilever’s Foods and Personal Care businesses, based out of Unilever’s HQ in London. Prior
to joining Unilever, Asad did various assignments for MindShare/Group M in various parts of the world. He managed local offices in Pakistan and Vietnam for them, did a global role at their HQ in London, and managed regional projects in AsiaPac and LATAM.

Asad is an award-winning marketer who has seen the work from Dubai win accolades at D&AD, Cannes Lions, WARC, Global Effie’s, and Spikes; and of course, at local festivals such as Lynx, Festival of Media, and MENA Effie’s. Asad also drives a lot of cross industry initiatives. He founded and chaired The Marketing Society Middle East Chapter from 2016 to 2018 and sits on
the board of the IAA UAE. Asad has also worked with the Abu Dhabi Digital Authority on UAE’s Government Digital Transformation thought leadership program.

Asad was awarded The Marketing Society Fellowship in 2019. He was the Effie’s Marketer of The Year in 2018, and Arabian Marketer Person of the Year earlier in the year.

A graduate of IBA in Karachi with executive education from Kellogg’s and INSEAD, Asad is a media and communications professional with a passion for technology. He is an internationalist at heart and considers himself fortunate to be working in the Middle East. You can find him on most social media platforms as @asadchawla

Experience
Olivier is an experienced finance professional with significant international expertise in spearheading M&A, integration and restructuring. Over the past eighteen years, he has held senior finance general management positions across the telco, media and digital sectors in Europe and the Middle East, including with Showtime, Vivendi and Lycos Europe.

Career
Olivier is joining MBC Group from the European Virtual Mobile Operator Lebara, operating in 8 countries including Saudi Arabia, which he joined in May 2018 as Group CFO and became in December 2018 Group CEO. During his time at Lebara, Olivier was based in Europe and oversaw a transformative period for Lebara Group, including the ownership transfer of the business. Prior to Lebara, Olivier was CFO and COO of Moby Group, a joint venture of 21st Century Fox, based in Dubai. Olivier was based in the Middle East for ten years where he was Group CFO for Showtime Arabia.

He was instrumental in the company’s merger with Orbit to create the largest pay-tv operator in MENA, OSN, and was subsequently appointed Group CFO for the new entity, spearheading the restructuring of the company to deliver synergies and preparing the company for IPO. In 2002, Olivier was CFO Vivendi’s Canal+ Nordic where he was responsible for the sale of the company’s Nordic operations. Olivier also held the position of CFO of Spray Network AB, where he was responsible for the restructuring of Spray Sweden and played a central role in the merger between Spray Network and Lycos Europe.

With over 2 decades of experience in marketing and tech Waseem Sayegh brings with him a gauntlet of experience from the world’s leading tech powerhouses. Besides being a Product Marketing leader - with a strong hands-on technical background - Waseem has used the breadth of his impressive career to excel in identifying opportunities and successfully planning and executing strategies that secure massive revenue growth.

From Google to Bytedance he demonstrates a portfolio that is a testament to his global and regional leadership skills. Over the years he has combined business, analytical, and technical acumen toexploit and drive cross-departmental initiatives solidifying his position as a collaborative leader who excels in motivating teams, partnering with and advising senior executives, and engaging with customers.

With a long-standing career spanning executive leadership roles, Walid’s association with Choueiri Group dates back to 1993, when he was appointed Managing Director of the Group’s exhibitions and trade fairs company “Promofair”. In supporting the evolution and rapid diversification of the largest media representation house in the MENA region, Walid went on to lead the formation of the Group’s centralized Marketing and Research Department in 2004, and has remained dedicated to strengthening the scope and depth of the Department’s functional capabilities, into the new millennium and beyond. As CMO, Walid continues to play an integral role in maintaining the Group’s momentum and enhanced focus on data and innovation. This led to the launch of CG’s Data Department in 2015, which has gone on to support the Group’s ever- increasing influence on the regional digital media landscape.,

He is also a distinguished member of the IAA (International Advertising Association), ESOMAR (European Society of Marketing Research Professionals), I-Com, and the Marketing Society. Walid holds both a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Sciences, along with an MBA-Economics from Saint Joseph University in Beirut.

He has also been known to enjoy the great outdoors as a seasoned skier and scuba diver.