Bader AlHammad, CEO of TEN-X, leads one of Saudi Arabia’s fastest-growing marketing and communications agencies. In this conversation, he reflects on the agency’s landmark wins, top clients, strategic partnerships and the vision driving its rapid regional and global growth, capped by a recent major international award.
In a country undergoing rapid transformation, few agencies have managed to grow with both scale and substance. TEN-X, a Saudi-based marketing and communications agency under Ajlan & Bros Holding Group, is emerging as one of the Kingdom’s most distinctive success stories, combining global ambition with local meaning, and creative storytelling with strong impact.
That momentum was recently validated on an international stage, as TEN-X was awarded Best MENA Sports Marketing Agency at the 2025 Globe Soccer Awards event in Dubai on December 28th, 2025. The recognition places the agency among the world’s leading sports and marketing players, but for CEO Bader AlHammad, the win is less about a trophy and more about timing.
What does winning Best MENA Sports Marketing Agency at the Globe Soccer Awards mean for TEN-X?
AlHammad: Winning this award is a strong recognition of the efforts our team has been building over the past years. It is a strong validation of our work and our direction as an agency. It shows that TEN-X is delivering impact at a regional and global level, not just executing campaigns, but shaping meaningful narratives and identities. Being recognised by an international platform like the Globe Soccer Awards places TEN-X among leading global players and strengthens our role in powering marketing across Saudi Arabia and the global stage.
A few words about TEN-X portfolio of clients? And big wins this year?
AlHammad: From delivering high-impact campaigns for global sports organisations to shaping narratives for ministries, banks, federations, clubs, and major cultural events, TEN-X has built a portfolio that spans sports, culture, government, finance, technology, healthcare, F&B, and manufacturing. Recent projects include work with Sakani, Team Saudi, RER, SIF, Abyat, SNB, Nadec, SLC, Health Holding, NHC, King Salman Academy for Arabic Language, amongst others. Projects that require not only creativity, but deep strategic understanding and execution.
Another big win for 2025 was collaborating with clients such as SNB and the Ministry of Housing offernig mega campaigns and a holistic integrated approach through strategic partnerships.
How has TEN-X built such a diverse portfolio across sports, culture, government, and multiple industries?
AlHammad: From the start, TEN-X was built around strategy and storytelling, not a single sector. That mindset naturally led us to work across sports, culture, government, finance, technology and major events.
Being part of Ajlan & Bros, a family-owned Saudi conglomerate with a long-standing legacy across multiple industries aligned with Vision 2030, further strengthened our ability to understand complex sectors and operate at scale. This combination also encouraged us as TEN-X to serve a wide range of industries, including those within the Group, with the same strategic depth and creative rigour.
What differentiates TEN-X in today’s marketing landscape?
AlHammad: TEN-X brings strategy, creativity, and execution together under one roof. We operate through six in-house engines: creative, media, production, marketing, talent, and events, which allows us to move fast, stay aligned, and deliver consistent quality.
Our creativity is local and culturally grounded, supported by strong strategic thinking and business understanding. We focus on clear messages that truly reflect our clients’ identites and objectives, and this is often what wins clients’ trust from the very first presentation.
By working across strategy, partnerships, media, and storytelling, we don’t just deliver campaigns. We build platforms and narratives that last and create impact that goes beyond visibility.
How does TEN-X work with international partners while staying rooted in Saudi Arabia?
AlHammad: Saudi Arabia is our base and our advantage. We understand the market, the culture, and the ecosystem deeply, while working to international standards. This allows us to act as a bridge between global brands and Saudi opportunities, translating global ideas into locally relevant success stories, and vise versa.
What types of sports and cultural projects is TEN-X focusing on next?
AlHammad: We are focused on high-impact platforms, sports as well as major cultural events, and partnerships that position Saudi on the global stage. This includes football, equestrian sports, and large-scale cultural and entertainment projects. We are especially interested in projects that require local and international visibility.
What makes TEN-X truly Saudi at its core, and why does that matter today?
AlHammad: What makes TEN-X special is that Saudi talent is not just part of our team, it is at the heart of how we think, create, and lead. Our people understand the culture instinctively, the audience deeply, and the pace of change in the Kingdom because they live it every day. That insight cannot be imported. Again, our prodcution team is inhouse.
At the same time, we operate with international standards and global ambition, supported by a diverse team that brings worldwide experience into a Saudi context.
This balance is what defines TEN-X. We are proudly Saudi, confident in our identity, and focused on building work that reflects the Kingdom’s values, ambition, and future while standing strong on a global stage.
What’s next for TEN-X?
AlHammad: The next phase for TEN-X is growth with intention. Our focus is on scale and depth. We are expanding our global partnerships, strengthening our presence across key markets, and continuing to build work that positions Saudi Arabia and the region as leaders in sports, culture, and innovation.
What does “growth” symbolise for you?
AlHammad: Growth, for us, means impact, long-term value, and staying culturally meaningful,” AlHammad says. Our vision is to become this new type of Saudi agency, an agency that is preparing for its next phase with Vision 2030, alongside deeper collaborations and partnerthips and larger-scale cultural and sports platforms and cross sector reach.
Define your role in vision 2030?
AlHammad: Winning Best MENA Sports Marketing Agency is a milestone yes, but not the destination. For TEN-X, it is confirmation that Saudi creativity, talent, and strategic thinking are no longer emerging, they are now leading. Looking ahead to 2026, TEN- X is focused on its next phase of growth strengthening its strategic partnerships, expanding its capabilities, and continuing to support large scale initiatives across sport, culture, and government. Our role is to power marketing that reflects where Saudi Arabia is today and where it is going next. And we are proud to be leading this growth, through our vision.
How is TEN-X approaching local/international partnerships and marketing today?
AlHammad: Today, partnerships are essential. At TEN-X, we don’t see partnerships as one-off deals. We see them as long-term relationships that create value for everyone involved.
From the start of every project, we think about who should be part of the story. This could include brands, media platforms, government entities, or cultural institutions. By bringing the right partners together early, we are able to build stronger platforms and wider reach.
This approach is especially important in Saudi Arabia, where collaboration across sectors is a key part of Vision 2030. Because TEN-X understands both the business side and the local culture, we are able to build partnerships that are trusted, effective, and long-lasting.
What do you think of marketing in Saudi Arabia today, and how has it evolved?
AlHammad: Marketing in Saudi Arabia has evolved very quickly. A few years ago, the focus was mainly on awareness and visibility. Today, marketing is much more strategic, integrated, and results-driven.
What makes Saudi Arabia unique is the speed of change combined with ambition. The market is open to bold ideas, new formats, and large-scale platforms, especially in sports, culture, and entertainment. At the same time, audiences are more informed and selective, which raises the standard for everyone.
Overall, marketing in Saudi Arabia today is confident, forward-looking, and increasingly competitive at a global level.
What advice would you give to brands wanting to succeed in Saudi Arabia today?
AlHammad: The most important thing is understanding Saudi Arabia beyond surface-level knowledge. This market is driven by culture, values, and relationships. Brands that succeed here are those that invest in the market for the long term.
Authenticity is key. Saudi audiences quickly recognise what feels genuine and what does not. Brands need to respect the culture and align with Vision 2030 in a real and meaningful way.
How did marketing in Saudi Arabia begin, and how has it evolved into what we see today?
AlHammad: Marketing in Saudi Arabia started in a very traditional way. In the early years, the focus was mainly on visibility: print ads, billboards, TV and direct messaging. Campaigns were informative but limited in storytelling, creativity, and scale. Marketing was seen as a support function rather than a strategic tool.
Over time, and especially with the launch of Vision 2030, this changed dramatically. Marketing became more ambitious, more creative, and more strategic. Brands started to focus on storytelling, purpose, and emotional connection. Campaigns began reflecting Saudi culture, identity, and national pride, rather than simply promoting products or services.
What makes this evolution unique is the speed. Saudi Arabia moved from a traditional market to one of the most dynamic marketing environments in the region in a very short time. Today, the Kingdom delivers some of the largest and most complex campaigns in the Middle East, often setting new benchmarks for scale and ambition.
Why is Saudi talent one of the strongest advantages in today’s marketing landscape, and how does TEN-X combine that with international standards?
AlHammad: One of Saudi Arabia’s greatest strengths today is its local talent. Saudi professionals understand the culture, audience, and values instinctively because they live them every day. This creates authenticity and relevance that cannot be imported.
At TEN-X, Saudi talent leads strategy and cultural direction, while international standards guide execution, structure, and delivery. This balance allows us to build work that feels authentic locally while competing globally, and to act as a bridge for international partners entering the Saudi market.
