Title: CEO, Horizon Holdings
Years in the role: More than 3 years
Years in the industry: 31 years
Years in the Middle East region: 27 years
Power Essay: Brands are built to last if we let them
In 1916, Albert Lasker worked with the California Fruit Growers Exchange to solve two problems: rising competition and an unusual bumper crop of oranges. His solution was to brand the growers’ association as Sunkist and to create an entirely new product, orange juice. Lasker didn’t just sell fruit; he reshaped behaviour, built a brand, and set new standards for modern marketing. More than a century later, Sunkist still exists.
The lesson here is simple but urgent: brands that are nurtured, protected, and guided by a consistent sense of purpose can endure. Yet in today’s marketplace, too many brands are disappearing. They’re casualties of short-term decision-making, relentless restructuring, and an over-reliance on numbers at the expense of meaning.
That’s because our industry is in danger of mistaking speed for progress. Buzzwords like AI, e-commerce and performance dominate our conversations. Content is churned out faster than ever. But in this rapidly changing landscape, where the demand for content is higher than ever, we must ask ourselves: are we building transactions, or are we building value that lasts?
“When brands are treated as line items instead of living, breathing entities, they lose their meaning. And once that meaning is gone, so is the brand.”
Any of us can create a tactical campaign, but building a brand that transcends generations requires care. Apple doesn’t just sell gadgets; it sells innovation. Nike doesn’t just sell shoes; it sells motivation. Rolex doesn’t just sell watches; it sells status. These brands endure because they stay true to their essence, even as they adapt to cultural and technological change.
The Middle East provides a powerful case study. Dubai itself has become a global brand, one that sells ambition. It isn’t defined by a single campaign or initiative, but by a consistent and carefully nurtured story of vision, growth and possibility. It’s proof that a brand built with purpose and discipline can scale beyond borders.
And all this is happening against a backdrop of economic uncertainty, where marketing budgets are more fraught than ever before. These changes and shifts in consumer spend understandably raise questions for clients and teams alike: What does it mean for local players? Will global upheaval erode regional identity, or will it underscore the importance of brands that feel rooted and real? Ultimately, which brands will reign supreme?
The answer, I believe, lies in continuity. A brand that is cared for, one with a clear purpose and a consistent promise, can survive volatility. But neglect breeds fragility. When brands are treated as line items instead of living, breathing entities, they lose their meaning. And once that meaning is gone,
so is the brand.
While our job as marketers, communicators and creators is to spark attention, it’s also to tend to brands as stewards, to balance relevance with consistency, to innovate without losing identity, and to ensure that what we build today will still matter tomorrow. It’s a difficult time to be a client, so we need to act as a true partner, continuing to educate CMOs – and, more importantly, CEOs and CFOs – about the economic value of creativity. Because the brands that endure are the ones that invest. They go beyond generating immediate conversions and build consumer connections that last.
In a world where sameness scales faster than ever, endurance is the true measure of brand success.
Highlight of the last year
We reopened our office in new Riyadh, in a new ‘foodytainment’ centre, in a new creative space, with a new lovely team, attracting new clients and partners and aiming for new aspirations towards a new Horizon.
Rapid fire
What the industry needs to talk more about:
Ethical practices.
What the industry needs to talk less about:
M&A.
If you could change one thing in the blink of an eye?
I would erase injustice.
What’s one thing about you that would surprise your team?
I know who comes late.
What mobile application can you not live without?
Waze.
What word/phrase do people remember you for using the most?
“You’re not alone.”
What’s one local/regional tradition that you love the most?
Respect.
If you could choose any two people, currently alive, in the world to share a meal with you, who would it be?
Rafic and Mary Saadeh.
What’s your top word of advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha?
Invest early and never stop.
What’s your go-to comfort food?
Chocolate … then more chocolate.
What’s your favourite ad from the past 12 months?
‘Caption with Intention’ by FCB Chicago.
