“Saudi is an incredible opportunity in terms of growth and innovation,” Josh Krichefski, CEO of GroupM for EMEA and UK, told Campaign Middle East in a recent interview.
“The feeling is when you pitch it will always result in something material. The question is how do you take part in all of them at the same time?”
For GroupM, and the vast majority of the industry, the challenge is getting talent in Saudi Arabia to support its expansion plans. “Saudi Arabia is unique and it is a challenge to grow at the rate of the economy,” Krichefski added.
For Krichefski, he is looking into a combination of nurturing local talent while attracting foreign talent into KSA. “They can bring a lot of energy into the region”.
Having last visited KSA in 2020, Krichefski talked about the massive change he witnessed on his recent visit there. He took over as CEO of GroupM for EMEA and UK in February and came to the Middle East to catch up with local teams. For this region, Krichefski prefers his agency takes a market-by-market approach to understand local nuances.
One of his priorities is to strengthen the agency in Saudi Arabia, investing in talent and digital resources. Krichefski also wants to introduce new products and services into the dynamic market.
In April, GroupM, which is WPP’s media investment group, announced that Amer El Hajj would become its MENA CEO. When he takes the role this year, El Hajj will be responsible for strategy and operations across the region for GroupM and its agencies Mindshare, Wavemaker, EssenceMediacom and mSix&Partners as well as its cross-channel organization GroupM Nexus.
GroupM MENA operates in 13 markets and manages $431 million in media investment billings, with around 23 per cent market share and approximately 500 colleagues.
