United Arab Emirates
I am a growth architect, transformation strategist, and board advisor. I thrive on transformation; whether it’s revitalizing businesses, scaling new markets, or fostering cultures that empower teams to succeed. Over the past 25 years, I have led organizational turnarounds, scaled businesses, and built sustainable success across MENA, Europe, and Turkey. As CEO of Dentsu MENA & Turkey, I led a 75% revenue increase, doubled profitability, and improved employee engagement, ensuring people-first leadership and operational excellence. My global portfolio includes leading digital communications and customer experience strategies for brands like Samsung, Microsoft, General Motors, American Express, Emirates Airlines, and Vodafone. I thrive in high-growth, complex environments where I bridge strategy, execution, and business innovation. My expertise lies at the intersection of corporate governance, AI-powered customer experience, and digital transformation; helping company executives and board members to future-proof their business models, optimise operations, and navigate complex restructurings. My approach is always data-driven, results-oriented, and people-first. I am currently exploring board and advisory roles where I can contribute strategic oversight, growth acceleration, and digital governance to companies looking to scale, innovate, and create long-term value alongside my role as CEO at Dentsu. Beyond business, I am an avid scuba diver and mountain biker, always seeking new challenges, whether in boardrooms or nature.
Merkle, a Dentsu company, is a global leader in digital business transformation, leveraging data science and technology to create seamless customer experiences. With 35+ years of expertise, 16,000 employees, and operations in 30+ countries, Merkle drives growth, engagement, and loyalty across industries. In addition to my role as CEO of dentsu MENAT, I was tasked to lead and scale up the operation of Merkle in Souther Europe, MENAT. I am focused on designing the go to market approach for the business in three distinct markets, Italy, UAE, and Saudi Arabia.
Following the success of my assignment to turn around dentsu business in MENA, I was asked to also lead the transformation of dentsu Turkey and set it on the right path of profitable growth. The company was facing severe employee motivation and trust issues due to multiple management changes and economic inflation impacting cost of living and quality of life. In less than a year, I managed to increase employee engagement by 17% with 93% participation rate, one of the highest levels among dentsu offices globally. I'm also on track to deliver 70% increase in revenue ahead of our annual forecast.
I was recruited by dentsu in 2018 to turn around its business in the MENA region. The operation was struggling with low profitability, a demotivated team, and low brand appeal in the market. In 2024, I completed my mission and delivered a business that is 75% bigger in size and 200% bigger in profitability.
Quest Ventures focuses on an overarching ‘digital economy’ strategy across Asia, and is one of the largest early-stage technology venture funds in artificial intelligence, e-commerce and marketplaces, entertainment, finance, food, insurance, logistics, media, property, sports, and the Islamic digital economy
Starcom, a global media and communications leader part of Publicis Groupw , leverages data and technology to drive business growth while keeping people at its core. With 7,000+ employees in 100+ offices, it partners with top brands like P&G, Samsung, and McDonald's to shape impactful marketing strategies.
I was tasked by Publicis leadership in MENA to lead and scale up its media buying and planning agency MediaVest. I led a comprehensive turnaround that resulted in a 28% revenue increase in 2015, despite challenging regional market conditions. By expanding capabilities in digital media, branded content, and analytics—ultimately contributing to over 30% of total revenue—I successfully repositioned the agency for long-term growth and resilience in a dynamic media landscape. • Strategic Growth and Revenue Enhancement: Developed and implemented a targeted growth strategy, driving a 28% revenue increase and expanding high-value services that diversified revenue streams. • Operational Excellence and Team Leadership: Integrated digital and offline teams of 100+ professionals, creating a cohesive unit that enhanced operational efficiency and service delivery. • Client Relationship Management and Business Development: Strengthened relationships with global clients, including Adidas, Mars, Richemont, Emirates NBD, and Majid Al Futtaim Group. Led two regional AOR teams for Procter & Gamble in MENA and Visa in CEEMEA, with teams distributed across multiple countries to scale media planning, digital, data analytics, and performance media capabilities. • Award-Winning Campaigns and Industry Recognition: Directed campaigns for Adidas, BlackBerry, and Emirates NBD, which contributed to MediaVest being named Media Agency of the Year at the Dubai Lynx Awards in 2013 and 2014. By rallying teams around a clear vision and executing decisive strategic initiatives, I transformed MediaVest into a market leader, achieving measurable success and setting a new standard in the MENA media industry.