Campaign Middle East‘s Faces To Watch list highlighted the exceptional achievements of 4 of our OMD talent across MENA.
Their agility, unwavering commitment to innovation, and drive to make faster, better decisions have earned them a well-deserved spot on the list.
To view those featured, read the full write up below:
Originally published on Campaign Middle East
Campaign’s Media to Watch 2023 – Jimmy Bleibel, Media Planning Manager, OMD UAE
Age: 29
Nominated by Rim Darazi, Senior Director:
In a very short period, Jimmy mastered both digital and traditional media and became the go-to person for many internal and external stakeholders. His media knowledge has enabled him to easily navigate this complex and fast-paced industry and spur business growth for both his clients and agency. His attitude, along with his work ethic, has made all his peers, colleagues and direct reports enjoy working with him. Jimmy is on the right path to becoming one of the future industry leaders.
Career highlights
Jimmy joined OMD UAE in 2021 as a planning manager on one of the most strategic global accounts. In a very short period, he mastered both digital and traditional media and became the go-to person for many internal and external stakeholders. His media knowledge has enabled him to easily navigate this complex and fast-paced industry and spur business growth for both his clients and agency. His attitude, along with his work ethic, has made all his peers, colleagues and direct reports enjoy working with him. Jimmy is on the right path to becoming one of the future industry leaders.
Guiding principles
Never be afraid of saying “I don’t know” as it indicates that you are not afraid to admit your limitations, you are open to learn, and that you are committed to getting things right. It is an opportunity for growth and learning.
Side hustle
Jimmy is passionate about music and he spends most of his free time producing music.
Originally Published on Campaign Middle East
Campaign’s Digital to Watch 2023 – Dana Salloukh, Senior Executive – Social Media & Experiences, OMD UAE
Age: 26
Nominated by Christine Najarian, Social Media Lead:
Dana embodies a client first mindset, going above and beyond across all key pillars within our industry, delivering great results. She’s hungry to learn and approaches all challenges with a smile on her face. Dana is a key asset to the team.
Career highlights
Dana has worked with the OMD team for four years in various role, in Beirut and Dubai, exploring multiple verticals, including retail, OTT entertainment, and banking. She is grateful to work with an inspiring team that motivates her to deliver the best, overcome challenges and achieve many firsts, such as the first on-ground, in-mall activation for beIN during the World Cup. Her passion for creativity and connecting with people drives her to break through the dynamic clutter.
Guiding principles
She embodies passion, authenticity, honesty, and creativity daily to deliver the best for her clients, team, and herself. Establishing meaningful human connections between brands and people is her passion, and she strongly believes that social media is the gateway to that connection.
Side hustle
She loves to bake bread and her specialities are baguettes and banana bread. Baking is not just a hustle, but also a way to release stress and apply creativity into something artistic and delicious.
Originally Published on Campaign Middle East
Campaign’s Digital to Watch 2023 – William Singleton, Senior Executive – Performance, OMD UAE
Age: 25
Nominated by Terry Mo, Head Of Digital:
In his short time with us, Will has made his presence felt. He knows when to speak up and make his opinion heard, and he knows when to sit down and hear others. He is mature beyond his years and has built strong relationships with his clients, his team and his suppliers. He is a team player, and his natural charisma and intelligence will make him an amazing team leader in the years to come – definitely a face to watch.
Career highlights
Will joined OMD after three years in London, working with major global brands. This culminated in leading the programmatic team for the agency’s biggest client, responsible for a team of seven and the multi-million dollar programmatic budget. In London, Will was industry-recognised both individually and as part of award-winning teams. At OMD he made an immediate impact, managing a huge biddable plan during the World Cup, and now overseeing all biddable planning for multiple clients. He has made significant contributions to pitches and helped accomplish an Omnicom first on TikTok. This earned him the distinction of finalist in OMG MENA’s Digital Excellence showcase.
Guiding principles
Will’s guiding principle is ‘Media Effectiveness’. He is obsessed with measurement and loves to educate clients on measuring effectiveness, advancing how they evaluate their media to ultimately grow their media spending and drive better ROI for business. Will hopes to specialize further in this area as his career develops.
Side hustle
Since moving to Dubai, Will has taken up photography and has undertaken several courses to better his skills. He aims to become a semi-professional photographer and one day hopes to use this, alongside his paid media background, to grow his own business (hopefully a coffee shop).
Originally Published on Campaign Middle East
Campaign’s Digital to Watch 2023 – Munif Mahin, Senior Executive – Performance, OMD UAE
Age: 28
Nominated by Terry Mo, Head Of Digital:
Munif is the bedrock of the OMD team. Ever since he joined, he has built a reputation based on eternal optimism, an amazing sense of humour and an uncanny ability to just get things done. He has a natural talent for efficiency and an incredible work ethic that lets him organize his work, his peers and his collaborators to help them produce far more than anyone would ever expect. It’s quality over quantity, too – aside from countless internal accolades, Munif is also a key member of Team PepsiCo, one of the most externally awarded client teams at OMD.
Career highlights
Munif has gained significant knowledge in the media industry during his time at OMD. He has worked with exceptional teams across several industries, including aviation, automobile, hospitality, and FMCG, using social, search, and programmatic platforms. Munif’s achievements include winning OMD’s Snapchat AR lens competition, receiving the team award for overall client satisfaction in 2022, and being part of the most awarded team last year. Additionally, his work with Clorox on their Scentiva launch was featured in a case study with Snapchat.
Guiding principles
Munif firmly believes that while “mistakes happen, but how you bounce back is what defines you.” He says that failure has the power to mould you for the better, if you work towards being a better version of yourself compared to yesterday.
Side hustle
He has always been intrigued by fashion as it offers a creative outlet to translate his vision into a tangible form of art. He plans to venture into the fashion business by the end of the year and offer a bespoke experience for the end consumer.
