Tag: Middle East

Singapore – amp, the global sonic branding agency within the Landor group, has appointed Reiner Erlings as managing director for APAC and the Middle East, a strategic move to expand the agency’s footprint and drive innovative sonic branding solutions across these high-growth markets. 

Erlings’ leadership and expertise will empower amp to leverage the rapid digital transformation in the Asia-Pacific market, where demand for impactful and memorable brand experiences is on the rise.

With over 18 years of experience in the Middle East, Erlings is a recognized expert in sonic branding and composition. Known for crafting memorable sonic identities, his work spans sectors from airlines and government to banking and entertainment. His deep knowledge of regional music trends and sonic strategy brings a unique perspective that connects with local audiences while meeting global standards.

Erlings brings with him over 18 years of experience in the Middle East. He is renowned for his expertise in sonic branding and composition. As a specialist in creating memorable sonic identities, his contributions to brand identity are recognized across sectors, from national airlines to government, to banks and entertainment. His deep understanding of regional music trends and sonic strategy offers a unique perspective that resonates with local audiences while aligning with global standards.

“We are thrilled to have Reiner onboard as we continue our sonic efforts together in the APAC and the Middle East. Reiner’s deep experience and visionary approach to sonic branding are unparalleled, especially in markets where culture and tradition are integral to brand identity,” said Michele Arnese, founder and global CEO of amp. 

“His understanding of regional nuances, combined with our global sonic expertise, will deliver transformative brand experiences for our clients in the Middle East and APAC,” Arnese added. 

Meanwhile, Lulu Raghavan, president of APAC at Landor, commented, “As it gets more and more difficult to stand out in any category, brands will increasingly turn to multisensorial branding as a key differentiator to build strong brand identities. I’m very excited that our clients in APAC can now access world class sonic branding solutions through the expertise of Reiner and his talented team at amp.”

Philippines – COMCO Mundo League of Enterprises strengthens its leadership by appointing Joyce Yu as its managing director for COMCO Southeast Asia. 

Yu’s new position includes growing COMCO’s Experience+ division and fortifying the group’s flagship brands, New PR and Smart Social. Services include events, branding, advertising, and special media executions are the main areas of focus for this sector. 

Yu has experience spanning nearly two decades in the fields of public relations, advertising, events, activation, branding, and brand communications. 

As the group’s specialist agency offering digital max services for digital, social, and emerging platforms, technologies, and innovations, Syfargo takes on the position of managing director at TARO AOX Inc. She will also be in charge of Story Lab, which provides services for communications audit, research, planning, editing, and publication, and ICOM, which handles integrated communications and digital PR. 

With more than 20 years of expertise in marketing, advertising, public relations, digital marketing, branding, and communications research, Rachel Syfrago is an experienced figure in the field. 

COMCO has also appointed Rachel Syfargo for TARO AOX Inc., and Tricia Cusi-Jimenea for COMCO Middle East & Africa. Jimenea continues to lead the company as managing director of COMCO Middle East & Africa, opening up new business opportunities. 

Jimenea is a public relations specialist with approximately 20 years of experience in media and influencer relations, celebrity marketing, strategy development, stakeholder engagement, event management, and content development. 

Ferdinand L. Bondoy, COMCO Mundo’s group chief executive director and lead strategic communications counsel / partner and co-founder, said, “My aim and passion to building a great team turned to a relentless goal to building a unique company that any amazing talent would dream to be part of – a creativity playground, a safe zone with a team that got your back, a craftsmanship vessel that will push forward our dreams and bring us to places, figuratively and literally. And for you to have a great team, you need to have the right company, like a second home, for these talents to thrive and grow.” 

He added, “And as we enter our 8 th year, we uphold our Mission 2024 battle cry and reinforce our unparalleled practice in a different league. We won’t be constrained by the norms of the traditional practice or pressures of the dogmatic society as there’s a bigger world out there and there are more compelling issues to dissect; there is a more progressive, complicated but necessary playing field to navigate, where we have a bigger mission to fulfil.”

Singapore – Global business transformation agency Valtech has announced significant additions to its leadership team in the Asia Pacific, Middle East, and North Africa (APMENA) region to drive growth, with Ralf Zink as the new chief operating officer and Shannon Dix as managing director for Southeast Asia and China.

The new additions to the leadership team are expected to strengthen the agency’s value proposition and growth ambitions as it continues to be a strategic business transformation partner to new and existing clients, like L’Oréal, Audi, Capital Land, and Mars.

The new hires will further aid Valtech in delivering its commitment to helping clients connect with their customers and generate value through technology and innovation, guiding them as they undergo a digital transformation journey. They will drive growth for both Valtech and its clients as they take advantage of the digital acceleration in the region.

In his new role as chief operating officer for APMENA, Zink is tasked with integrating and optimising operations across Valtech’s offices in the region. He will couple human-centric leadership with sustainable operational ecosystems to manage and build accountability, transparency, and collaboration across high-performing teams.

Previously serving as a COO for Publicis Sapient, Zink brings with him more than 15 years of experience as a commercially driven senior operations executive. He has a well-established history of successfully developing and implementing profitable growth strategies, having driven strategic market expansion for digital transformation organisations in the APAC region.

He will be vital in supporting the agency’s ambitions to scale capabilities and align with clients’ needs, giving clients access to the best people, consulting, technology, and experience expertise in the region.

Meanwhile, Dix, in his new role as managing director for SEA and China, will focus on expanding the agency’s client roster, capabilities, and talent in his assigned regions. He lends his growth-oriented leadership to ensure the agency continues to operate at the forefront of innovation as it continues to help brands keep pace with changing consumer needs in APAC’s fast-moving digital-first mobile economy.

He will also leverage business growth and talent to elevate Valtech’s position as the go-to business partner across Asia, which enables brands to realise their digital transformation ambitions, deliver customer-centric experiences, and navigate the region’s increasing adoption of digital technologies.

Dix has over 20 years’ experience within marketing transformation and has held various global and regional leadership roles both on the agency, consulting, and client sides. He has worked for Accenture, Publicis Sapient, and Wunderman, all of which are in the Asian market.

Zink and Dix’s appointment follows the opening of Valtech’s Thailand office and the hire of Patrick de Moustier as EVP and regional managing director for APMENA.

On the new hires, Patrick de Moustier said, “When you look at Valtech’s work globally and in the region, we have a strong foundation to build upon—thanks to our client work, partnerships, and in-house industry expertise.”

He added, “We’re embarking on a bold mission to unite the dynamic superregions of APAC and MENA, recognising their immense potential for economic growth and business success. The strategic move to fortify our leadership team is a clear reflection of our commitment. With the addition of Shannon and Ralf, we’re in a great position to deliver exceptional value to clients.”

In his new role, Zink said, “Valtech is a powerhouse in people-centred digital transformation, so I’m incredibly excited to begin my journey with the agency. People and culture create the perfect recipe for driving growth and client value when undergoing a digital transformation. I see huge potential in fostering our unique culture and cultivating enhanced skill sets to unlock business opportunities for Valtech in APMENA.” 

Also speaking in his appointment, Dix shared, “APAC is a strategic growth market for us, presenting an amazing opportunity for our business to evolve alongside our ambitious clients who are all experiencing a need to adapt to changing market conditions.”

“Our work speaks for itself. Whether it’s our multi-market work for L’Oreal, our connected mobility experience work for Audi, or our commerce tech for Mars, we help businesses overcome their transformation challenges and set themselves up for success now and into the future. I couldn’t be more excited to lead the next wave of growth alongside our incredible team,” he added.

United Arab Emirates – Moving Walls Group’s supply-side arm Location Media Xchange (LMX) and strategic sales partner Mizet has entered a partnership with Pyxis UAE. 

The partnership will see the launch of a new retail Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) screen network equipped with ‘best-in-class’ content management technology. The network will be built with programmatic ad-serving capabilities including connectivity to the world’s largest digital advertising platforms.

Moreover, the partnership also aims to launch a new network of Out-of-Home (OOH) place-based screens in the Middle East. This network will provide its clients with a new tool for reaching consumers, and will feature state-of-the-art technology, and high-quality displays throughout the region.

“With the growing demand for Programmatic and dynamic DOOH campaigns, choosing a CMS that comes with these in-built capabilities is crucial to the success of any advertising business. We also believe in having the most capable local partners to ensure effective deployment and ongoing support for such a project since it spans across so many locations,” said Srikanth Ramachandran, founder and CEO of the Moving Walls Group. 

Pierre Breton, manager at Pyxis also commented on the partnership.

“As a DOOH business in UAE, LMX, together with the BrightSign media players, provide us with the perfect system that adapts reliably to all the schedules our clients impose on us. LMX helps us to meet all our customers’ needs on time. We are pleased to have signed this long-term contract with them,” he said.

Miz Rahman, co-founder and CEO of MIZET, also shared his thoughts on the new partnership.

“We are proud to have partnered with LMX to spearhead the integration of the LMX CMS on BrightSign hardware. Our long term partnership with Pyxis in Abu Dhabi has enabled this DOOH network to be the first network to have launched with the new release by LMX,” he said. 

Previously, Moving Walls partnered with Japanese OOH company jeki to meet the region’s demand for media assets.