Saudi-based digital marketing and communications agency Smaat is expanding to the UAE with the launch of its digital marketing and communications services and consulting through its new office in Dubai Design District (d3).

The expansion through the Dubai office, which will be officially open for operation in the coming weeks, is the first phase of Smaat’s strategy for expansion and scale. The company’s strategic market penetration schema includes respective GCC and North African hubs to take place in the third and four quarters of this year.

In tandem with the launch of the UAE satellite office, Smaat also announced the appointment of Ashraf Zeitoon as Chief Executive Officer. Zeitoon will oversee the establishment of operations in the UAE, together with the expansion of partnerships with leading brands operating in Saudi Arabia and the region. Zeitoon has held several senior leadership positions during his career Jordan and UAE. Most recently, he was the head of public policy for the MENA region at Facebook.

Commenting on the UAE launch of Smaat, Ahmed Al Jabreen, co-founder and general manager of Samat, says in a statement, “The decision to launch Smaat operations in Dubai is driven by the company’s strategy to expand into a number of dynamic Arab economies beginning with the GCC, following the company’s achievements and unprecedented results in the Saudi market.”

Sami Al-Rashid, founding partner and executive director of Smaat, adds that the UAE office will aim to attract both key government departments and corporations operating in the UAE targeting the Saudi and extended GCC markets, and capitalize on the scarcity of specialized digital communications and marketing agencies that have implicit understanding and direct on-the-ground experience in Saudi and Gulf local markets with the ability to deliver the right messages to the studied target audiences.