London-based Blue Rubicon has expanded its operations in the region with the opening of an office in Dubai.
The communications consultancy will be run by Simon Buerk, who has previously worked as the regional director for Edelman MENA, as well as at Glencore and Qatar Shell.
Fraser Hardie, senior partner at Blue Rubicon, said: “We are looking forward to offering a new, leading form of strategic consultancy in the UAE. Simon brings huge experience of the reputational opportunities and challenges public and private sector organisations face in this dynamic country.”
The launch of the Dubai operation comes after the agency opened an office in Doha – led by agency director Neil Daugherty – last year. The agency has secured clients in the UAE since 2005, including Shell, Virgin Atlantic and the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office, and from Qatar since 2007, with clients such as Qatargas, all of which were operating from its London office.
Blue Rubicon was originally established in London in 1999 and specialises in reputation management.
Buerk, who is managing director at Blue Rubicon UAE and heads a team of four at the new office in Media City, said: “Blue Rubicon has won more awards for its work and culture since it launched in the UK than any other consultancy. We plan to quickly grow a business in the UAE that brings together all we have learnt from London, with a thorough appreciation of the communications landscape here.
“We believe we are bringing to the Gulf a new approach; we are reputation management specialists who use research and insight to build campaigns our clients can be confident will deliver the business results they want. We are offering something genuinely new for both clients and talent in the UAE.”
