Passant El Ghannam has been named a winner of Campaign Middle East’s Marketing Game Changers Awards for 2025.
The awards recognise client-side marketers whose work delivered excellence across six criteria: Leadership & Talent Development, Creativity & Innovation, Performance & Business Impact, Brand Building, Social Impact and Industry Contribution.
The Marketing Game Changers Awards were launched this year to recognise marketers driving meaningful impact for their brands and the wider industry. The programme introduces a structured and transparent approach to spotlighting standout talent, with defined criteria, formal submissions and independent evaluation.
Open to brand-side marketers across MENA and free to enter, the 2025 edition of the Marketing Game Changers Awards named ten winners in total with the Marketer of the Year leading the inaugural cohort.
PASSANT EL GHANNAM
CMO – Middle East & Africa, Kraft Heinz
Years in the company: 8.5
Years in the region: All my life.
Passant El Ghannam is a strategic and creative growth leader with more than 17 years of international experience in FMCG, having led iconic brands such as Heinz, Dettol, Harpic and Vanish across global and regional markets.
Now CMO MEA at Kraft Heinz in Dubai, she’s known for turning challenges into growth, crafting disruptive strategies, and delivering award-winning campaigns.
Recognised as a Campaign Middle East 2023 Marketing Game Changer,
El Ghannam has earned more than 66 industry awards for her transformative impact. She’s passionate about unlocking growth through insight, creativity and purposeful leadership.
RAPID FIRE WITH EL GHANNAM
A classic marketing trick that never gets old?
A good story.
Most overrated buzzword in marketing?
AI will take over creativity.
Favourite nostalgic ad from your childhood?
Egyptian jingles.
One marketing principle you’ll never compromise on?
Consumer first.
Book, podcast or show you recommend to everyone?
Radical Candor.
Biggest lesson you’ve learnt in your career?
Be true to yourself.
What you’d be doing if not marketing?
Film director.
One thing your colleagues would be surprised to know
about you?
Not sure … I’m open book.
The future of marketing in one word?
Limitless.
What is the top challenge the marketing and advertising industry needs to address on priority?
El Ghannam: The top challenge our industry faces is balancing long-term brand building with short-term results in a high-pressure economy. Today, consumers are more value-driven than ever, and brands are pushed to deliver immediate returns while still sustaining equity for the future.
In an era of fragmented media, rising misinformation and AI-driven content, trust becomes the currency that bridges both horizons. To stay relevant, marketers must shift from chasing attention to earning trust – by delivering value now, while consistently investing in meaningful, purposeful and insight-driven creativity that secures growth for the long run.
What do you consider your top achievement over the past 12 months?
El Ghannam: Our biggest achievement has been the launch of Heinz condiments in the Middle East & Africa. In just three months, the range soared 60 per cent above target, reaching a 7 per cent market share – an unheard-of pace for a new category entry. What started as a regional play turned into a global success story, with the innovations now being exported to Chile and Mexico. It’s proof that bold ideas from our region can travel the world – and that creativity, when paired with consumer obsession, can drive both cultural impact and business growth.
What is your advice to the next generation of marketers?
El Ghannam: Be authentic – as a leader and as a brand. Louder voices may grab attention, but truer ones build trust, and trust builds everything.
