Head of marketing communications, Jeep Middle East
Additional positions
Country lead Middle East & Egypt, Women of Stellantis; member of board of directors of Italian Industry & Commerce Office in the UAE
Years in current position: 2
Years with company: 7
Size of department: 5
Previous jobs
• Head of marketing communications, Alfa Romeo, Fiat & Abarth Middle East
• Head of marketing communications,
Abarth EMEA
• Global head of marketing, events and F1 Group, Lotus Plc.
Recent campaigns
• All-new Grand Cherokee 7-seater Wildly Civilized
• All-new Grand Cherokee 5-seater A New Era of Refinement
• Call Of Adventure
• Nature Is In Our Nature
• Jeep Wrangler 392 Rewild Yourself
• Jeep Road To Juventus
• Ali Hammoudi Grand Cherokee 2.0
What is your objective in your current role?
To elevate the Jeep brand’s premium positioning while changing audience perceptions.
Do you have a guiding principle?
Stay true and authentic to who we are. The Jeep brand values of freedom, adventure, authenticity and passion have been embodied in our DNA for 80 years.
How do you make agency relationships work?
Constant dialogue, two-way communication, trust.
What work do you wish you had done?
I am a big fan of luxury communication, in particular Bulgari jewellery.
Who inspires you professionally?
I seek inspiration from every person I meet and from every situation I experience. I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason and if someone comes into your life at a precise moment, it is because they are meant to tell you something and inspire you accordingly. My team and my colleagues at work are also a constant source of inspiration, especially our head of corporate communications, Reham El Didi.
What is the biggest challenge in marketing at the moment?
To entertain our audience with new, fresh, engaging content that can drive consideration and conversion.
What is the next big opportunity in marketing?
Increasingly immersive customer experiences that enable people to connect with our brands and products in new and unexpected ways.
What can we expect to see from you and your brand in the next year?
We will continue to engage with our community. We will introduce two new nameplates in the ME region and we will continue to support the Jeep Grand Cherokee family as well as our Wrangler and Gladiator nameplates.
Recent achievements
With more than 220 million views, the Ali Hammoudi Grand Cherokee campaign was the most successful social media influencer marketing campaign in the history of Jeep globally.
Silver Award at Dubai Lynx 2022 for Jeep Wrangler 392 Rewild Yourself launch video.
Cannes Lions 2022: 9 nominations in the Outdoor, Print and Industry Craft categories for Call of Adventure campaign.
One bronze, one silver at London International Awards 2022 for Call of Adventure campaign.
Launch of the all-new Grand Cherokee seven-seater and five-seater in the Middle East.
Rapid fire
- What are you working on?
New product launch – watch this space. - Who are you following?
Female empowerment groups. - What are you craving?
Happiness and success. - Who are you hiding from?
Nothing, I never hide from anything or anyone. - What app are you glued to?
Instagram, TikTok, health apps. - What are you playing?
I do not play. - What are you listening to?
Lounge music. - What are you reading?
Good Vibes, Good Life by Vex King. - What are you watching?
Now, the Netflix Series From Scratch. - Where are you travelling?
Everywhere. I love travelling. My last trip was to Paris and Milan. - What is your good habit?
Find the positive side on everything; drive and motivate people. - What is your bad habit?
I am very quick; I need to accept everyone’s speed to deliver.
Agency reference
Marine Melhem, Senior manager, communications consultancy, One Team Stellantis
I have worked with Cristina for three years so far. I would say one of her main achievements was how she changed the game on the three Italian brands (Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Abarth). These brands had very low to no awareness in the region and she helped elevate them, giving them a unique positioning in the region, especially Fiat, which has been recognised as one very successful brand transformation from the HQ team.
The collaboration I’m most proud of is how we convinced the global team of the three Italian brands that the relevancy of the global campaigns did not fit our region, and how we managed to create our own very creative content with almost no budget.
Cristina is a very results-driven person, who is super dedicated to her brands and campaigns. She is very passionate (as a true Italian) and will not give up on her goals.
