CAMPAIGN DIGITAL FACES TO WATCH 2019 – TALA ALEM, 29, HEAD OF DIGITAL, FP7/RUH

Nominated by Marc Lawandos, managing director KSA, FP7
“Tala Alem has been leading the FP7/RUH digital department for 18 months. Tala is an amazing talent and she has made her way up in the organisation in a remarkable manner. She is a team player and her contribution has helped the agency in many ways. With her contribution, the agency collected regional and international creative awards (including at Effies, Lynx, Webbys and The One Show). She also fortified business relationships in the case of the General Authority of Zakat & Taxation, and helped out capturing the ground-breaking win of STC Business. Tala is highly regarded by the local and regional management and praised by global, from the creative chairman to the strategy CEO.”

Career path
“After graduating from The American University in Paris with a degree in integrated marketing communications, I went on to obtain a MSc in visual communications. I started my career as a digital project manager at Proximity BBDO in France, and then I moved back to Riyadh to work at FP7 – first as a digital account manager, then as a strategist. Currently, I am leading the digital department in Riyadh, overseeing a team that works across a portfolio of clients. I play an important role in business development and in working closely with the creative director on awards submissions.”

Guiding principles
The most important thing for me when working in a creative industry (or any industry, for that matter) is to do things with passion. Caring about the work is what ensures quality and ultimately effectiveness. I also believe in taking the time to understand and study people, what they care about, their drivers, their worries – it’s the only way to create meaningful communication.