Campaign Middle East’s latest issue is now out on stands and available online. In this issue, Campaign Middle East offers women in leadership positions within the field of advertising the opportunity to share their open and honest take on how the needle has moved on diversity, equity, and inclusion within the industry.
This issue is not about tokenism. We truly listened to what women in leadership positions had to say in their own words, the way they wanted to say it. Campaign Middle East believes that true empowerment and genuine representation stems from the amplification of authentic voices. We aimed to action this without undermining the richness and complexity within people’s individual stories, struggles, and success. The industry spoke loud and clear, and we tuned in.
On one hand, it was incredibly heartening to hear that barriers to growth are crumbling, hurdles to equity are being overcome, and meaningful impact has been experienced across various geographies in the Middle East, including the UAE and Saudi Arabia. On the other hand, women in leadership positions within the field of advertising also said that there are miles to go before the conversation is done and dusted.
In this magazine, women leaders have unequivocally called for substance over superficiality, and echoed the need to create an industry culture where everyone feels heard and valued, if not celebrated. They have also called for clear measurable objectives and for agency leadership to be held accountable for achieving them. They have called for allyship rather than mere words.
Initiative and Magna CEO Lara Arbid advised, “Start from within, reflect on yourself and continuously educate yourself about different perspectives. Listen with empathy and an open mind. Use your voice to influence and challenge discrimination and advocate for equality. Create a safe space for others to speak up. Finally, support the career growth of individuals based on merit and amplify their contributions.”
The latest issue of the magazine also shares a comprehensive directory highlighting the key details and specialisms of the region’s PR, events, and experiential agencies, as well as the industry viewpoints of their leaders.
The issue also highlights how the upcoming Athar – Saudi Festival of Creativity to be held on 5 and 6 November in Riyadh will empower talent in Saudi Arabia through its Young Talent Academies – geared towards full-time university students aged 18 to 25, and young professionals aged 30 and younger. The Athar Festival will also host the Maheerah Programme – an accelerator programme for women in marcomms to access learning, networking, mentorship, and personal development training opportunities.
Snap Inc. KSA’s Abdulla Alhammadi shares why community, trust, and transparency are vital to establishing real connections and having meaningful influence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Publicis Groupe’s Jennifer Fischer shares her top takeaways from the Paris Olympics; Cicero & Bernay’s Ahmad Itani shares a strong reminder about the consequences of greenwashing in the age of accountability; Publsh’s Sagar Chotrani explains how ‘PR done right’ can be powerful; while the The Bold Group’s Abeer Alessa, OMG MENA’s Elda Choucair, MullenLowe MENA’s Prerna Mehra, and Hearts & Science UAE’s Rasha Rteil, among others, discuss why the time has come to break the status quo for DE&I within advertising.
Read all this and more in Campaign Middle East’s August issue above or click here.
