The UAE Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA) held its biennial elections for a new board of directors at its premises in Dubai Media City yesterday. The newly elected board of directors will steer the UAE chapter of the International Advertising Association for the 2014-16 term.
The IAA UAE Chapter Board is made up of 13 members, four of whom hold the officer positions of President: Hani Ghorayeb, chief operating officer, AMS – Choueiri Group; vice-president and treasurer: Douglas Palau, vice president, Impact/BBDO; and, general secretary: Reda Raad, chief operating officer, TBWA/RAAD Middle East.
The new board is a mix of newly elected and returning board members. Mounir Harfouche, CEO, Lowe Middle East & North Africa FZ LLC; Marwan Kai, CEO, MIS Gulf; Vatche Keverian, CEO MENA, JWT; Rajeev Khanna, group advertisement manager, Gulf News; Hani Ghorayeb, COO, AMS – Choueiri Group and President of the IAA UAE Chapter; Douglas Palau, vice president, Impact/BBDO and vice president and treasurer of the IAA UAE Chapter; Reda Raad, COO, TBWA/RAAD Middle East and general secretary of IAA UAE Chapter; Asad ur Rehman, director media, North Africa & ME, Unilever; Chadi Farhat, group head of investments, OMG MENA; Yousef Tuqan Tuqan, chief innovation officer, Leo Burnett Group of Companies MENA; Mazen Hayek, group director of PR & commercial, MBC; Mohan Nambiar, CEO, MEC; and, Sasan Saeidi, managing director, FP7-UAE, bring fresh insight to the board from client, media and agency perspectives.
Newly elected president of the IAA UAE Chapter, Ghorayeb says in a press statement: “I am very pleased with the outcome of the recent board elections and honoured to be a part of this distinguished team. Our work ahead will surely be focused on building stronger ties and bridges between clients, media, MBUs and agencies, in the hopes of advancing the standards and growth prospects for the entire region’s advertising industry”.
The new board comes in with a view to advance the case for advertising in the region, helping to instil best practice across the industry, and in turn effect a positive impact on the UAE’s economy. With a focus on raising standards in advertising, the IAA UAE Chapter will work to encourage innovation and creativity, through knowledge sharing, thereby raising consumer engagement and confidence.
The IAA UAE Chapter is the largest in the world and has long been associated with forging a path for the industry across the region. Among its most recent achievements is the introduction of a unified best practice code for the pitch process.
