Yahoo! Middle East launches new offices in Amman and Dubai

Yahoo! Middle East has today announced the official opening of its new offices in Dubai, UAE and Amman, Jordan. Rich Riley, the Senior Vice President & Managing Director, Yahoo! in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) has travelled to the region in order to host the official inauguration of both sites.

These two bases will further strengthen the position of Yahoo! and its growth and development across the Middle East, as it strives towards its vision of being the centre of people’s online lives. The offices both offer a spacious and fun environment providing staff with many additional amenities including table tennis, foosball, Wii, a café with TV and Sat connection, as well as refreshment machines and kitchen facilities.

Yahoo! Middle East acquired Maktoob.com, the leading online community in the Arab world, with more than 19 million unique users, in August 2009. This acquisition was part of Yahoo!’s larger strategy to grow it’s business throughout the world’s emerging markets by connecting consumers with the content and services that matter most to them in their local language. Over the next few months plans are being finalized for the official brand launch Yahoo! Maktoob.

Rich Riley commented: “I am very proud to be apart of the Yahoo! organization and delighted to be able to open these two offices in this strategically important region, following our acquisition of Maktoob.com. I’m looking forward to watching the growth of our customer base and the Yahoo! brand as a leader in the region.”

“These are really exciting times for Yahoo! Middle East, particularly as we have many important developments coming up this year, and now we have a strong team on the ground we will really be able to immerse the brand into the region as we announce the new brand identity and website.”

Ahmed Nassef, Vice President of Yahoo! Middle East commented: “We are extremely thrilled to have Rich visit the region as Yahoo! Middle East gets ready to embark on an exciting phase of its development in the region.

“These two offices reflect our commitment to the region and will offer vital support for our activity and growth over the coming year. The fun office environment provides a great working zone to stimulate our staff and will help us to ensure we provide the best possible products for our customers.”

Joining Yahoo! in January 1999 when Yahoo! acquired the start up company he co-founded, Rich Riley now overseas all activity and operations for consumers, advertisers and partners in the EMEA region.