The Middle East’s marketing and creative industry is expanding at a pace few global markets can match. With that acceleration comes a new set of pressures: capability gaps, rising expectations from clients, and a workforce seeking clearer, more structured pathways for developing the skills needed to progress in their careers.
This was the backdrop for Athar Festival, which convened the region’s leading industry associations for a closed‑door round table. Athar brought them together with a simple purpose: to gather ground-level insights, understand where their challenges intersect, and understand how industry bodies can work more collaboratively to support the region’s rapid growth.
Participating in the closed-door round table discussion were:
- Alasdair Hall-Jones, GCC Director, The Marketing Society
- Dalya Mohamed, General Manager, Middle East Public Relations Association
- Saria Hayek, Regional Manager, The Chartered Institute of Marketing
- Nick Walsh, Founder of Migrate / The Alliance of Independent Agencies – Middle East
- Eleni Kitra, CEO, Advertising Business Group
The discussion focused on identifying common pressures and exploring practical ways to build a more connected, resilient industry.
What emerged was a clear picture of an industry in transition. Talent, unsurprisingly, sat at the centre of the conversation. The region’s rapid growth has outpaced its talent infrastructure, leaving associations under increasing pressure to help source, develop, and support the next generation of professionals.
This expectation is no longer peripheral; it has become a defining part of the region’s creative and commercial competitiveness. Alongside this, representatives spoke candidly about capability gaps in areas such as AI, data literacy, and strategic leadership, as well as the operational pressures facing agencies, from pitch fatigue to the mental health toll of an always‑on industry.
There was also a shared recognition that professionals are seeking more than traditional networking; they want spaces where real challenges can be discussed openly, without the polish or performance that often accompanies industry events.
Despite these pressures, the round table highlighted the extensive work already being done across the region. Associations are investing in scholarships, youth boards, mentorship programmes, leadership accelerators, and specialised learning experiences. They are advocating for better procurement standards, championing mental health, and pushing for stronger ethical frameworks.
Each organisation is driving valuable initiatives in its own right, but because these efforts sit within different communities, the broader industry doesn’t always have visibility of the full range of work happening across the region.
This is where the conversation shifted from challenges to opportunity. There was a strong appetite for greater alignment not just in terms of uniformity but coordination. The industry also needs more coherence not just programmes.
Leaders around the table recognised that by pooling resources, reducing duplication, and creating shared learning pathways, they could collectively elevate the region’s professional standards while still preserving the distinct identity and mandate of each association.
The conversation also pointed toward a shared recognition that the industry would benefit from a more coordinated approach to professional development.
Through the conversation, there was clear alignment on the value of creating a joint learning effort, a space where each organisation could contribute its expertise and where professionals across MENA could access regionally relevant content without fragmentation or duplication.
This collective interest has opened the door to the development of a unified learning academy, designed to bring together the strengths of multiple associations while preserving the individuality of each.
Ultimately, the round table highlighted a simple truth: the strength of MENA’s marketing and creative future will be shaped by an industry that understands its needs, associations that are proactive in addressing them, and a region committed to building sustainable structures for long‑term excellence.
With momentum building and collaboration deepening, the foundations for that future are already taking shape and the opportunities ahead are far greater than the challenges that sparked this conversation.
