Title: Managing Partner, Fusion5
Years in the role: 10 years
Years in the industry: 27 years
Years in the Middle East region: 27 years
Other roles / board memberships: Board member at Steppi App
Power Essay: In the AI race, fortune favours the focused
A recent MIT Sloan study found that 95 per cent of corporate AI pilots fail to scale. Gartner reports that 80 per cent of projects stall or deliver little business value, and McKinsey notes that while 65 per cent of companies have adopted some form of AI, fewer than 15 per cent have embedded it across multiple business units. The numbers tell a clear story: the potential of AI is massive, but the gap between promise and practice is still wide.
Paradoxically, it’s often the largest companies, with the most resources, that struggle most. Legacy systems, siloed teams and layers of approval slow down what should be fast, iterative experimentation. At the same time, AI has been democratised. Open-source models, cloud platforms and plug-and-play tools mean startups and independents now have access to the same infrastructure as Fortune 500 companies. The difference isn’t access but execution.
Success with AI isn’t about one big moonshot. It’s about a series of small, well-placed steps that build momentum. At Fusion5, we’ve seen how focused proofs of concept can scale quickly. For example, we’ve helped cut reporting cycles by 40 per cent, driven double-digit improvements in media efficiency, and freed up teams to spend 30 per cent more time on strategy instead of repetitive tasks.
Independent agencies hold an edge here because they can test, refine, and adapt in real time, embedding learnings into client workflows instead of letting them stall in pilot mode.
Too many projects fail because they’re treated as side experiments, owned by a single department instead of the business at large. Real value comes when AI is woven into the everyday rhythm of work: when sales uses it to pre-qualify leads, marketing leans on it to optimise creative, and operations adopt it to streamline workflows. Each use case may seem modest, but together they build a culture where AI becomes an invisible force shaping smarter, faster decisions across the organisation.
It’s also important to remember that AI doesn’t replace human intelligence; it amplifies it. Creativity, cultural intuition, and empathy remain irreplaceable. The companies that’ll thrive are those that let AI handle speed and scale while people bring judgment, ideas and strategy. That balance is where the real breakthroughs happen and where true innovation takes root.
AI on its own won’t solve business problems, but combined with experimentation, feedback loops and a culture focused on outcomes, it can transform how agencies and brands work.
Fact is the finish line doesn’t exist. In the AI race, progress belongs to those who stay focused and keep pushing forward.
Highlight of the last year
Last year marked Fusion5’s tenth, and most defining year. We were awarded Independent Media Agency of the Year by Campaign Middle East and Agency of the Year at the MENA Digital Awards. We delivered double-digit growth in both revenue and headcount, expanded into new markets and reached new heights in automation and tech offering.
Rapid fire
What the industry needs to talk more about:
Human intelligence (HI).
What the industry needs to talk less about:
Buzzwords without outcome.
If you could change one thing in the blink of an eye, you would …
Empower marketing over procurement.
What’s one thing about you that would surprise your team?
My age.
What mobile application can you not live without?
WhatsApp.
What word / phrase do people remember you for using the most?
“Seriously?”
What’s one local / regional tradition that you love the most?
Our Lebanese Sunday lunches.
If you could choose any two people, currently alive, in the world to share a meal with you, who would it be?
I’d pick Elon Musk and His Royal Highness Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud.
What’s your top word of advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha?
Stay curious.
What’s your go-to comfort food?
Protein shake.
What’s your favourite ad from the past 12 months?
Lotus Emira TVC shot in Jabal Jais.
