Filip Jabbour is to return to the Middle East as the region’s first ever CEO of WPP’s GroupM.
With the responsibility of leading the media holding group’s operations and driving growth in the Middle East and North Africa, Jabbour will also be developing GroupM’s strategy and accelerating the growth of its media agencies Mindshare, MEC, MediaCom, and BPG Maxus across the region. It is the first time a CEO has been appointed, with GroupM only now being officially launched in the MENA region.
Jabbour left the UAE in 2012, where he had been MENA CEO at Starcom MediaVest Group. Most recently he was executive vice-president and managing director at Spark in the US, and global business development director for Starcom MediaVest Group, where he spearheaded strategy with clients and drove new business internationally.
Based in Dubai, Jabbour will begin his new role in June and will report to Dominic Grainger, CEO of GroupM Europe, Middle East and North Africa.
“MENA is a diverse and dynamic region, with fantastic growth opportunities for our clients,” said Grainger. “Filip’s track record with blue chip clients, developing communications offers for the future and building relationships make him well suited to further develop and lead our regional operations. His experience, along with his strategic thinking and interest in developing an innovative future-facing business, make him an ideal cultural fit for GroupM and just the right leader to collaborate closely with our agencies to drive additional benefits and growth for our clients in the region.”
Jabbour added: “The opportunity to join the world’s leading media investment management group to lead development in the exciting and fast-growing MENA market is thrilling. GroupM agencies operating in MENA are distinguished by their winning track records, and I am keen to help accelerate their pace by harnessing the absolute best digital, technology, data and content solutions available. I’m looking forward to integrating learning from work in the US and across global markets, with specific experiences developed by being part of the MENA region that has shaped my career for 18 years.”
Through its media agencies in the Middle East and North Africa, GroupM has billings of $2.7 billion and 28.6 per cent market share, according to RECMA. Jabbour will launch operations to leverage GroupM’s scale and accelerate development of media agency offerings with a focus on developments in digital, technology, and data management, as well as partnerships with media, entertainment and sports rights owners to create additional value and drive advantages for clients.
