Following a change in leadership, Karen Doumet and Daniel Shepherd will be stepping into a Co-Managing Director role at PHD for the MENA region.
The pair will be working in close collaboration and relying on each other’s strengths to take PHD to new heights.
They are taking over from Luca Allam who is stepping down after 13 years at the company, as CEO of PHD for the MENA region.
Doumet has spent 16 years of her career to date at OMG, 13 at PHD. Today, she leads the agency’s operations in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Talking about Doumet, parent company OMG said: “A planner at heart, she’s grown to become a successful business partner to PHD’s clients and a great mentor to her team.
“Doumet’s coached a generation of talent and has created a world-class standard of operational excellence.”
Shepherd began his career in London at the beginning of the programmatic revolution and developed his strong digital planning talent.
After joining PHD in Dubai in 2015, he eventually became Head of Strategy and Product.
“He injects his passion for culture, storytelling and creativity in his data-driven, and award-winning, strategy approaches. Shepherd actively contributes to crafting and sharing the agency’s thought-leadership,” OMG added.
Digital transformation
Allam guided the digital transformation of the agency, developing its skillset, attracting and developing top talent across seniority levels and office locations.
He elevated PHD to a top tier agency brand, both as a prized partner and a fierce competitor, with this talent pool and sophisticated product offering, according to a company spokesman.
“As hard as it is to see Luca go, I’m grateful for his dedication and achievement. The team he’s built is resilient and ambitious, with multiple layers of talent ready to step up,” said Elda Choucair, CEO of Omnicom Media Group MENA and former CEO of PHD MENA.
“Karen and Dan already make a formidable duo, so strong is their complementarity. PHD’s culture transcends the individual and we have enormous talent and expertise to continue the journey,” she added.
