Global socially-led creative agency We Are Social has promoted Aurelien Fonteneau to Managing Director of its Dubai office.
Fonteneau, who previously served as General Manager, will oversee the agency’s growth across the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. In his new role, he will focus on expanding the agency’s client base, helping brands transition from traditional marketing approaches to social-first strategies, and leveraging We Are Social’s global network to bring international insights to regional clients.
The promotion comes amid a period of growth for the agency, which rebranded from Socialize to We Are Social in Dubai last year as part of a global growth strategy. The agency recently secured new business from Dubai World Trade Centre and Mubadala, adding to a client portfolio that includes Sony, Sephora and Babyshop.
The agency also won a Gold award for Creative Effectiveness at the MENA Digital Awards for its work with Pringles and became the first advertising agency in the region to sign the National Pledge for Gender Balance.
Fonteneau joined We Are Social in 2010 and has spent much of his career with the agency across its London and Dubai offices. Over the years, he progressed from Account Executive to Group Account Director, working with clients including adidas, Jaguar and Danone. He will now lead a team of 60 employees in Dubai and report to We Are Social’s EMEA CEO, Jim Coleman.
Commenting on his appointment, Fonteneau said: “Having been part of the We Are Social family since 2010, taking on the role of Managing Director feels like an incredibly rewarding next step. I’ve seen the agency grow from a disruptive newcomer to a global powerhouse, and I am now focused on accelerating that momentum in MEA.
“We’ve already seen a shift across the region; brands no longer see social as a checkbox, but as the heart of their marketing strategy. There is an incredible appetite for creative social expertise that delivers real results, and that is exactly where We Are Social – with our unrivalled network and extensive capabilities – adds value that no others can.”
Jim Coleman said: “Aurelien is an extremely talented and respected leader who I’ve been fortunate to work with for most of his career. His progression from Account Executive to Managing Director is well deserved. In Dubai, we have a team that delivers bold, social-first thinking, and Aurelien will be building on this to deliver a first-class creative and strategic offering to our clients. I’m looking forward to working with him to drive growth in MEA.”
We Are Social is a global socially-led creative agency with more than 1,200 employees across four continents. The agency works with brands including adidas, Samsung, Google and Amazon and is part of Plus Company.
