Jack Klues, chief executive officer of Starcom MediaVest Group and a member of the Publicis Groupe Media (PGM) Board of Directors, today announced three management changes across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) that will fortify the organization’s strength in the market while building on the success of what has become the largest media network in the region.
Matt Blackborn, executive buying director of Starcom MediaVest UK, has been named chief executive officer of PGM MENA, a new and interim role for the media organization. He will oversee the Groupe’s activities across MENA over the next two years, working with the local management teams to orchestrate the sharing of best practices across the region and assure compliance with Publicis Corporate Policies. Mike Fenwick, who currently operates his own television production company in Johannesburg, South Africa and was formerly chief financial officer for Grey Advertising in that region, will take on the permanent role of chief financial officer for PGM MENA, another new position. The two have already relocated to Dubai.
Klues also announced that he is expanding the duties of Oussama Jamal, managing director of Starcom Egypt. Jamal will take on more regional duties as SMG Operations Director of the Middle East, working closely with the new PGM management team and existing network leadership to determine resource allocation, product quality, training and development and new business efforts for the region.
“Success in any market requires the right balance of global commitment and local expertise,” said Klues. “Matt and Mike will be complemented by a strong base of local talent, including Oussama, so we can deliver this balance to our clients. The leadership in MENA has extensive experience and profound understanding of the region’s consumers and media infrastructure—great assets to our organization, particularly as the interim chief executive and chief financial officer of PGM become acclimated to their new professional environs.”
“The local leadership inside our Middle East region has made SMG the largest media agency group in the region since we launched Starcom in 2000, and our offices boast a healthy portfolio of both local and multi-national clients,” said Blackborn. “I look forward to building on that momentum with Mike, Oussama and the teams that have served our clients so well during the past five years.”
About Starcom MediaVest Group
Ranked one of the largest brand communications groups in the world, Starcom MediaVest Group (www.smvgroup.com) encompasses an integrated network of highly specialized consumer contact companies. SMG's global organization includes strategic marketing communication architects who are highly specialized in media management, response media, internet and digital communications, as well as multicultural, entertainment, gaming, sports, sponsorship, event marketing and media. With nearly 3,500 employees in 89 markets worldwide, SMG delivers brand-building results for many of the world's leading companies. It is part of Paris-based Publicis Groupe S.A.
About Publicis Groupe
Publicis Groupe SA (Euronext Paris: FR0000130577, NYSE: PUB) is the world’s fourth largest communications group, as well as world leader in media counsel and buying. Its activities span 109 countries on six continents. Groupe activities cover advertising, through three autonomous global advertising networks: Leo Burnett Worldwide, Publicis Worldwide, Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide, as well as through its two multi-hub networks Fallon Worldwide and Bartle Bogle Hegarty, 49%-owned ; media counsel and buying through two worldwide networks Starcom MediaVest Group and ZenithOptimedia; marketing services and specialized communications including direct marketing, public relations, corporate and financial communications, multicultural and healthcare communications. Publicis Groupe Media is a Management Board established by the Groupe in 2004 to fortify its media operations, including the two global networks of Starcom MediaVest Group and ZenithOptimedia
