R/GA has formally established its business in Abu Dhabi, creating a dedicated base to serve clients across MENA as investment in AI infrastructure accelerates across the region.
The creative innovation company has appointed Bertrand Morin as Executive Director, MENA, and plans to expand its local team, with further growth planned from 2027.
R/GA has worked in the region for more than a decade, with clients including G42, Wio Bank, National Bank of Kuwait, Banque Saudi Fransi, Emirates NBD and Bank Al Etihad. Its recent work with G42 included Alpha.G42.ai, a generative interface exploring AI-driven digital experiences.
“We’re thrilled to formally establish our presence in the MENA market, following over ten years of servicing clients and building intelligent brand systems that deliver differentiation, customer value and growth. We’re excited to welcome an expanded team on the ground, and turn our award-winning work into a permanent commitment. We’re the region’s ‘newest oldest’ player, with the trust and the track record to prove it. This region always moves forward, it adapts fast, has huge resilience, and bets on innovation, and that’s exactly how we work too,” said Morin.
R/GA CEO Robin Forbes said the company chose Abu Dhabi because of its investment in AI infrastructure and sovereign ambitions.
“Independence has been transformative for R/GA and it has given us the freedom to invest in new talent, build new capabilities, develop our own AI tools and products, and chart our own course,” said Robin Forbes, Global CEO of R/GA. “And we chose to invest in setting up in Abu Dhabi because of the sovereign ambition and the AI infrastructure being built here. It’s an exciting market to be in and we’re looking forward to harnessing the potential of key technologies to help the region’s leading brands deepen their relationships with customers, and give them a reason to be loyal. We’ve always been driven by the mission ‘to design the future, not the familiar’, and that’s exactly what we hope to achieve in this market.”
The company said its MENA operation is already active and will move into a dedicated office later this year.
