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posted on Dec. 19, 2025 at 3:10 pmDec 19, 2025

Podcast: Diriyah Company’s Kiran Haslam on ad agencies, Saudi optimism and 2026

posted on Dec. 19, 2025 at 3:10 pmDec 19, 2025

The Chief Marketing Officer of Diriyah Company unveils facets of creative storytelling that break global stereotypes, and shares crucial messages for fellow marketers and industry leaders stepping into the New Year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jij4VFL36KM

On the latest episode of Campaign Middle East’s On The Record podcast, Kiran Haslam, Chief Marketing Officer of Diriyah Company, offers a word of advice to agencies; shares the ‘intoxicating optimism’ that has become synonymous to people in Saudi Arabia; unveils facets of creative storytelling that break global stereotypes; and leaves a parting message for fellow marketers and industry leaders closing out 2025.

Discussing the power of a young nation in motion, and the resulting sense of purpose and optimism that arises from this momentum, Haslam says, “I’ve never been anywhere else quite like Saudi Arabia, in terms of the overwhelming fee

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Tags:advice Agencies AI Anup Oommen Artificial Intelligence Budgets Campaign Middle East chief marketing officer Clients communication Diriyah Company heritage Kiran Haslam Kiran Jay Haslam lived experience music On The Record optimism podcast Samri Saudi Arabia Saudi focus Saudi stories SaudiFocus stereotypes storytelling super intelligence UNESCO World Heritage Site video podcast

the authorAnup Oommen

Anup Oommen is the Editor of Campaign Middle East at Motivate Media Group, a well-reputed moderator, and a multiple award-winning journalist with more than 15 years of experience at some of the most reputable and credible global news organisations, including Reuters, CNN, and Motivate Media Group. As the Editor of Campaign Middle East, Anup heads market-leading coverage of advertising, media, marketing, PR, events and experiential, digital, the wider creative industries, and more, through the brand’s digital, print, events, directories, podcast and video verticals. As such he’s a key stakeholder in the Campaign Global brand, the world’s leading authority for the advertising, marketing and media industries, which was first published in the UK in 1968.