TBWA\RAAD was named the Best Place to Work in 2025 at the Campaign Agency of the Year Awards.
According the judges, the agency’s submission showed “refreshing transparency in internal surveys with details to back up scores.” It also demonstrated “an exceptional, holistic and measurable approach to building a workplace that truly prioritises people” The content also “reflected a data-driven, values-led transformation that goes far beyond policy to embed culture, inclusivity and purpose into every layer of the organisation.”
Joe Lahham, Managing Director, TBWA\RAAD shared his reflections on winning the Best Place to Work award in 2025.
How does this award reflect the culmination of your efforts in 2025?
This award is a powerful validation of a journey, not a moment. In 2025, we doubled down on culture as a strategic priority: empowering our people, investing in growth and wellbeing, and hard wiring creativity and collaboration into how we work. Being recognised as Best Place to Work in the Middle East – on the heels of the global title – confirms that our efforts are resonating locally and globally. It shows that a people-first, disruptive culture can be built, scaled, and sustained from this region.
How have employee expectations shifted over the past year, and how have you responded?
Over the past year, expectations have become sharper and more intentional. People want more than a job; they expect flexibility, psychological safety, visible career growth and a sense of purpose that goes beyond awards and campaigns.
At TBWA\RAAD, we responded by evolving our hybrid model, scaling mental health and wellbeing support, and investing heavily in learning, mentorship, and leadership accessibility. We’ve also doubled down on inclusion and creative autonomy, ensuring every Pirate feels heard, stretched, and trusted. The result is a culture that attracts, retains and unleashes top talent. The goal is simple: an environment where people can do the best work of their lives, sustainably.
What industry shift most influenced how you operated in 2025?
The most significant shift was the acceleration of AI and data-driven creativity, and how this reshaped client expectations. Brands now want ideas that are not only disruptive, but also measurable, personalised, and delivered at speed across channels. In 2025, we reorganised around integrated, cross-disciplinary teams, invested heavily in creative and strategic AI tools, and upskilled our people so technology augments their talent rather than replaces it. This also meant new roles, new training paths and new ways of collaborating. Culturally, it pushed us to become even more adaptive, experimental and future-focused in how we operate every day.
What does meaningful engagement and retention look like today?
Meaningful engagement and retention today go far beyond perks or office design. People stay where they feel seen and supported. That means clear growth paths, continuous feedback and leaders who coach, not just manage. It’s building teams around purpose, not just projects, and giving talent a real say in how we work and what we stand for. When people feel they can grow, belong, and do work that matters, retention becomes a natural outcome.
At TBWA\RAAD, engagement is measured in the quality of conversations we have with our people, the opportunities they get to lead, and the trust we place in them to shape the work and the culture. Talented Pirates choose to build their careers here because they feel proud, challenged and genuinely valued
How do you protect culture while continuing to scale or change?
Protecting culture amid growth and change requires intentional leadership and systems that reinforce core values. We embed our ‘Disruption®’ mindset into hiring, onboarding, performance reviews, and team rituals – ensuring it’s lived, not laminated. Every change or scale decision is pressure-tested against these principles: We invest in strong, culture-carrier leaders, keep rituals that unite us, and create constant feedback loops with our people. Growth may change our size and structure, but the behaviours we celebrate stay consistent. Ultimately, it’s about balancing consistency in purpose with flexibility in practice, ensuring that every new hire or operational move strengthens – not dilutes – the unique environment we’ve built.
What will matter most as the industry moves into 2026?
In 2026, maintaining a consistent and resilient culture will be paramount. As the industry navigates rapid technological shifts and economic uncertainty, agencies must anchor themselves in a workplace environment where trust, creativity and well-being are non-negotiable. This consistency doesn’t mean resisting change – it means evolving intentionally, ensuring that growth, new tools and market adaptations align with core values. A stable, empowering culture will be the foundation that allows talent to innovate fearlessly and clients to partner with confidence, making it the ultimate competitive advantage in a volatile landscape.
What do you think the industry needs to change or fix on priority in the months ahead?
In the months ahead, the industry must prioritise transparency and talent sustainability. There is an urgent need to address burnout, improve diversity beyond surface-level metrics and create clearer pathways for career growth – especially as roles evolve with artificial intelligence (AI) and data. The best workplaces will be those that blend human-centric values with adaptive, future-ready practices, creating spaces where talent can thrive personally and professionally, no matter how the industry evolves. Culture will be the true differentiator.
