The Middle East Communications Network (MCN) has joined forces with The Marketing Society to champion sustainability as the headline partner for its flagship Changemakers Conference, taking place on 6 November 2025 at the Museum of the Future, Dubai.
This year’s theme, Challenge, calls on marketers and business leaders to rise to the defining issues shaping the world today, from climate responsibility and AI ethics to economic resilience and inclusive growth.
As part of this commitment, MCN and The Marketing Society have launched a year-long series of workshops and upskilling sessions in collaboration with Middle East Public Relations Association (MEPRA), Advertising Business Group (ABG), and AmCham Dubai, designed to raise awareness, build capability, and turn sustainability ambition into measurable action.
This initiative builds on MCN’s broader sustainability journey under MCN Impact — the group’s long-term platform that aims to address how its agencies approach environmental and social responsibility across the MENAT region.
MCN Impact represents a major step towards achieving the group’s Net Zero commitment by 2040, focusing on three key pillars: empowering talent through sustainability education, guiding clients with responsible marketing frameworks, and driving local environmental initiatives.
Throughout 2025, this commitment has come to life through partnerships and events — from “Sustainability as Strategy” with industry leaders including Emirates and Unilever earlier this year, to MCN’s curated sessions at Athar Festival 2025, where the agency brought together regional business leaders, policymakers, and brand decision-makers to translate ambition into action.
As part of the Changemakers Conference, MCN will host the panel “Build to Endure: Sustainability is the New Business Imperative,” challenging the industry to move beyond rhetoric to results, making sustainability a driver of innovation, growth, and business transformation.
Moderated by Amina Taher, CMO of Wio Bank and Chair of The Marketing Society UAE, the panel will feature Andrej Arsenijevic (Executive Creative Director & Sustainability Lead, MCN MENAT), Sabrin Rahman (Senior Advisor, Former MD of Sustainability EMEA at HSBC and Director of COP28 Partnerships), and Tanzeed Alam (Sustainability Director EMEA, Parsons). This discussion will explore the UAE’s sustainability momentum, the intersection of AI and sustainable innovation, and the importance of authentic communication in avoiding greenwashing.
“Every year, the Changemakers Conference celebrates those who lead through action. This session is not about theory, it’s about transformation,” said Amina Taher. “We want every person in the room to leave inspired, informed, and ready to take the sustainability pledge. Marketing has the power to influence culture and drive systemic change, but only if we use that power with purpose.”
The “Build to Endure” panel will explore the UAE’s forward-looking sustainability agenda, from its COP28 legacy and Net Zero 2050 strategy to how public–private collaboration can accelerate progress. Speakers will address themes including the role of AI in sustainable innovation, creative storytelling as a catalyst for behavioural change, and the urgent need for cross-sector partnerships that turn commitments into results.
Andrej Arsenijevic added, “At MCN, sustainability isn’t a ‘nice-to-have’ , it’s an integral part of our business strategy across the network. From our internal initiatives to the industry platforms we support, our mission is to move the conversation from awareness to acceleration. Through our partnerships with The Marketing Society, MEPRA, ABG, and AmCham Dubai, we’re opening this dialogue to everyone, agencies, brands, clients, and communities, because sustainability is a shared responsibility.”
The panel will house an open call to action for all attendees and the wider industry to “do one better today”: to take one meaningful step that benefits their communities and the environment.
From redefining purpose-driven marketing and championing sustainability to leading with authenticity and digital innovation, The Marketing Society’s Changemakers Conference 2025 intends to challenge marketers not just to adapt to change, but to create it.
