General

Bain & Company appoints new partner in the Middle East

editor — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 00:15:58 -0800

Bain & Company, the leading global business consulting firm, has announced that it has appointed Abdulrahman Addas as Partner for the Telecommunications/ Media/ Technology Practice in the Middle East. Prior to joining Bain & Company, Abdulrahman was the Founder and Managing Director of ADDAS CONSULT, a Dubai-based strategy and corporate finance advisory firm.

Mr. Addas has over 10 years of experience in strategy consulting and corporate finance advisory in Europe and the Middle East. He has served some of the most prominent telecommunication and media companies in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and advised on a broad range of topics including strategy development and planning, joint-ventures structuring and negotiation, partnerships and alliances, cross-border investments, marketing and sales, business out-sourcing and organization re-design. He has previously worked at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Booz & Company.

Mr. Addas, a Saudi national born in Jeddah, holds a Master’s Degree in Management and a Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering, both from Stanford University, California, USA. He graduated First Honors with B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals.

James Hadley, Managing Partner, Bain & Company Middle East, said: “We are delighted to bring Abdulrahman on board as a key member of our Middle East team. His expertise and strategic insight make him exceptionally qualified to help our telecom and media clients deliver results. His appointment reaffirms our strong commitment to building our capabilities in Saudi Arabia, and across the GCC.”

Graphic design student who created tribute 'logo' to Steve Jobs receives several job offers, is overwhelmed by global response

editor — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 08:33:44 -0700

A visual tribute to Steve Jobs which re-imagines the classic Apple logo with Jobs’ silhouette as the bite in the Apple has made a 19-year-old Jonathan Mak from Hong Kong famous. The second year graphic design student has already received job offers!

The image’s caption simply reads, “Thanks, Steve.” It has gone viral, making its way through Facebook and the blogosphere. The artist’s website and personal pages on social networks now have nearly 180,000 comments from supporters around the world and some newspapers have asked to buy the rights to the image!

Many people wrote to Apple saying the company should change it's current logo to this one!

People have written to Jonathan to buy it and put it on t-shirts and even make it into tattoos.

Regarding the job offers, Jonathan has said he will now focus on finishing his degree and is enjoying his moment of fame.

Go Magazine Official Media Sponsor of the 18th Dead Sea Ultra Marathon

celinealaeddin — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 04:35:18 -0700

Go Magazine, the monthly definitive guide to what’s going on in Jordan, was the official media sponsor to this year’s 18th Dead Sea Ultra Marathon. This celebrated Amman-Dead Sea marathon — which includes a 42km run, a 21km run, and a 10km walk — is recognized internationally as being one of Jordan’s premier events, with over 7,000 registered participants taking part this year.

“We are very proud to have been a part of the Dead Sea Ultra Marathon. As the go-to guide to what’s happening in Jordan, it is important for Go Magazine to align itself with the country’s most significant events and we look forward to participating in many more in the near future”, says Karen Simon, Editor of Go Magazine.

In addition to the media support of the Dead Sea Ultra Marathon several months prior to the event, Go Magazine was also present onsite at the marathon’s Finish Line festival grounds to celebrate with the marathoners and spectators.

IMAGINE to expand operations in Riyad KSA

imagine — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 03:25:03 -0700

Jordan-based Marketing & Communications IMAGINE has announced it has been appointed by Tamer Group to develop and execute a comprehensive Branding program to create awareness and new image for the Group. The Group is considered the largest Pharmaceutical Business Group in Saudi Arabia.

Nokia delivers free, unlimited music distribution in Middle East with its "Comes With Music" service

editor — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 15:25:29 -0800

Nokia made a major announcement in Beirut, on Wednesday 10 February, regarding the launch of its "Comes With Music" service that shall enable buyers of the new Nokia X6 phone to enjoy unlimited music downloads legally for a year, from the Ovi store catalogue.

For around $600, buyers get the touchscreen Nokia X6 capable of storing around 3,000 songs on its 16GB built-in memory, and can then select the music they want from a library of 4 million songs.

Nokia rolls out this service in 11 Arab markets: Jordan, Lebanon, Palestinian Territories, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, UAE and Egypt in the first week of March 2010.

Nokia has signed agreements with over 2000 music content owners, including Middle Eastern labels such as Rotana, Mazzika, Melody Music and others.

The service has already been introduced in 14 other markets across Europe, Asia and South America.

Four Graphics Middle East marks 2 year anniversary

ollyadams — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 02:14:40 -0700

The punctual handover of the Manama based project coincides with the companies 2nd year anniversary in Dubai and Managing Director Daniel Waller was able to celebrate this by signing off on one of their biggest Middle East projects to date, saying. “I can’t help but feel exceptionally proud on the completion of the Zain HQ project, Bahrain. It is one of the biggest and most complicated projects undertaken by Four Graphics, the team and technology we put together specifically for the project ensured it went smoothly and on schedule.”

The completion of the Zain project was a logistical success too as staff and material from their London offices were flown in to ensure the job was executed to the highest standards possible. Using Dubai as a base, project managers and installers collaboratively put the pieces together until the 23rd October when the last sections of wallpaper were pasted into position.

The success of the project was thanks to a cohesive collaboration with Future Brand, the chosen branding agency for Zain, who are based in London. Future Brand and Four Graphics already held an effective working relationship and the Dubai branch opening proved to be a tactical and logistical advantage as Future Brand secured the Zain branding deal. Four Graphics were able to offer full scope of works through design to completion for the graphics package. Design briefs and instructions were communicated between the two companies in London and ultimately passed on to Four Graphic’s Dubai based team of project managers once the green light was given to commence work.

British owned Four Graphics expanded their print and install operations in October 2007 by introducing Four Graphics Middle East to the regional marketplace. They now run a full-scale printing facility in Dubai, specialising in retail and interior installs. Four Graphics Middle East harnessed their digital print to wallpaper technology to give the Zain premises a creative injection of contemporary colour. The project was finished in early October and utilized the full range of Four Graphic’s expertise, from actual production to project management. As a fully in-house venture, 80% of the printable material was produced in their Dubai-based production warehouse with the remaining 20% coming from their London headquarters. Their notable reputation in the digital wallpaper sector has opened doors to a wider reaching client base as interest develops for further projects in Tanzania, Nigeria and Italy.

Four Graphics and Four Graphics Middle East are now very keen to further expand their scope of work around the globe, as well as developing their core business in the UAE, Dan Waller adding. “I now very much look forward to similar projects in the Middle East and Africa and the challenges they may bring, we hope to continue to show the graphics industry back in the UK that it is possible to achieve very high quality work along with the financial rewards that go with”.Their Dubai-based production warehouse emulates their London facilities which will serve to further realise their main objective of offering British standard print projects here in Dubai.

Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation Selects UAE's Dar Al Alam Al Arabi Publishing House

editor — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 09:20:45 -0700

The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation today announced it has partnered with 'Dar Al Alam Al Arabi', an Emirati publishing and distribution house, to translate 20 new international bestselling titles under its Tarjem programme.

The initiative is part of the Foundation's strategy to support publishing houses to enrich the Arab library with a selection of international bestsellers and enhance cultural understanding between the Arab region and the rest of the world.

Ali Al Shaali, Director of Publishing at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation, said: "We have directed our efforts towards offering Arab publishers the necessary resources to engage in the translation of relevant current titles. The Dar Al Alam Al Arabi publishing house in the UAE has been selected for its outstanding credibility and achievement and we are proud to work with them to carry out the translation of 20 international bestsellers to Arabic.

"Since the inception of the Tarjem programme, which aims to reinforce the publishing industry and bring knowledge from other cultures to the Arab world, more than 620 books in literature, science, management and education have been translated. We have already exceeded our target for 2009 and hope to get more acclaimed titles translated under the programme."

Dr. Latifa Al Najjar, Managing Director of Dar Al Alam Al Arabi, said: "As a leading publisher that complements the community's knowledge drive, we are proud to play a crucial role in supporting the Foundation's initiative. As one of the nine international finalists at this year's London Book Fair for the British Board Publisher International Award for Youth 2009, we have demonstrated our strong position as leaders in the industry.

"We are grateful for the Foundation's initiative to support and encourage the local publishing industry and we believe this initiative will motivate us to remain competitive at the international level and guarantee best quality output."

The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation's Tarjem translation programme aims to enrich the Arab culture, inspire cultural dialogue with the outside world through translation, open fresh avenues of knowledge, provide translated works that comply with the highest standards, and create a new generation of proficient translators.

Nathan Ross Joins Publicis Graphics Jordan

editor — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 07:01:39 -0700

The Lion’s Den, the home of Publicis Graphics Jordan (PGJ), has recently celebrated the arrival of a young talented and creative Australian born lion called Nathan J. Ross. Ross will rule the Lion’s Den as its new Creative Director.

When tracing his background, one will find out that Ross’s passion of art started at a very young age, long ago before joining Swinburne University of Technology to obtain his Bachelor Degree in Visual Communications. After graduation, he joined a number of multinational agencies, in different positions that helped him build a successful career as a leading Creative Director.

Ross brings with him ten years of experience and has worked on a wide portfolio of clients spanning the globe. His gained valuable insight and experience across various sectors from FMCG, Electronics to Automotives and Media and won many awards for this work and his brand experience has included: Nokia, Dell, Audi, The Economist, Toshiba, Yellow Pages, TNT, Canon, Motorola, Kimberly Clark, Pond’s, MTV, Dove, Matchbox, Prudential and BAT. Nathan will be leading the entire creative team, managing the creative process and design team to ensure that all projects meet the client's expectations and our very high standards.

Commenting on his appointment Mr. Amre Husseini, Director of PGJ said: “When the management of PGJ met with Nathan for the first time, we could all tell that Nathan is to creative, what, wet is to water, we knew that he is the right person to lead our agency into a new era of creativity and innovation. We were looking for someone who can position our agency as number one on the advertising map for the region, and gladly we met Nathan.”

Adding to Husseini’s comment Ross said “I am really excited to be here and joining such a young dynamic team, they are a non stop creative hot shop and I am looking forward to working with everyone in the agency to make us the number one marketing and communications business in Jordan”

Eventica teams up with Kerzner International

editor — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 07:37:48 -0800

Kerzner International, the global holiday resort developer, has appointed Eventica to handle its PR and media relations strategy in Russia and the CIS for two of its flagship brands, Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai, and the One&Only Resorts worldwide.

Following its recent opening in Dubai, Atlantis, The Palm has already established itself as Dubai's premier family resort destination, boasting a host of facilities including Aquaventure, a water park packed with thrilling rides, fantastic, marine habitats, world-class cuisine and the landmark luxury hotel itself, standing at the apex of the Palm Jumeirah island.

The One&Only brand comprises a portfolio of luxury, award-winning resorts in the most idyllic spots in the world, including One&Only Reethi Rah in the Maldives; One&Only Le Saint Géran in Mauritius; One&Only Royal Mirage in Dubai; One&Only Ocean Club in The Bahamas and One&Only Palmilla in Los Cabos, Mexico. In April 2009, Kerzner International will launch One&Only Cape Town, setting a new standard for luxury in South Africa.

Eventica specialises in providing PR and marketing services, government relations, business-to-business, cultural and sports events, corporate entertainment, event production and design and publishing.

SmartSat established as first private satellite company in Mena

editor — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 11:46:03 -0800

An alliance of Jordanian and Kuwaiti companies has announced today the launch of a $500m firm, which will be the Mena region's first private company specialised in the satellite industry.

The new UAE-based company has been named 'SmartSat' and will be headquartered in Dubai Studio City. SmartSat will leverage the expertise of a widely experienced executive board, led by Chairman and Managing Director Khaled Derbas, who is a renowned pioneer in delivering internet services using satellite technology to consumers in the region.

SmartSat will offer its new services by launching the Arab World's first private satellite that will serve the Mena region. The company will thus contribute in the development of the quality of services for the region's internet service providers (ISPs), GSM providers, broadband technology solutions providers, television stations, ministries of communication, military agencies and companies dealing with data systems among others.

Commenting on the development, Khaled Derbas said: 'SmartSat aims to become a leading global private satellite service provider and it is keen to provide high-quality services at competitive prices. Furthermore, it is also our goal to create an environment of healthy competition in the Mena, which will ultimately benefit all consumers in general and the satellite services sector in particular.'

'Being the first privately owned Arab company working in the satellite sector, SmartSat will contribute significantly to enhance and develop the satellite sector in the Mena region, as our entry is expected to create positive changes in terms of competitive prices, high-quality services and more options for customers,' added Derbas.

SmartSat is a joint venture between Smartlink, the Jordanian private shareholding company that operates as a global broadband satellite services provider in the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe regions with offices in Jordan and the UAE; and a leading Kuwaiti investment holding company, which will be the financial advisor for the project. Smartlink will be operating the project as managing partner.

SmartSat will primarily serve the Mena region along with other international markets, particularly Eastern Europe. The company revealed that it will leverage the strong year-on-year performance of the region's satellite industry, whose commercial satellite-lease revenues increased by an average of 17% per year since 2003 to reach a value of $752m in 2007, according to a recent study by Euroconsult and The London Satellite Exchange.

The Mena's increased technology adoption has also been recognised as one of the significant contributors to the region's growing satellite market; for instance, satellite carriage of High Definition Television (HDTV) continued to show significant growth as the number of HDTV channels worldwide grew by 150% from 2006 to May 2008, while satellite-delivered HDTV channels are forecasted to further grow globally by 350% by 2013, according to the 2008 State of the Satellite Industry Report.