Title: CEO, Impact BBDO Dubai; Chief Growth Officer MENA, Impact BBDO Group
Years in the role: 2 years
Years in the industry: 25 years
Years in the middle east region: 31 years
Other roles / board memberships: Chief Growth Officer MENA, Impact BBDO Group
Power Essay: AI will replace the unremarkable
Why creativity is now the only true moat in an age where technology can replicate everything else.
By the time this article is published, I will have written over thirty editions of The Bold Play, my weekly newsletter on how bold ideas, creative thinking and cultural insight drive business outcomes. Its message is consistent: creativity is not a department. It is a competitive advantage. And in a world increasingly shaped by AI, that advantage has never mattered more.
Generative AI can now produce headlines, logos, scripts and even entire campaign frameworks in seconds. We are living in an age of creative abundance. But not all abundance creates value. The rise of AI has made one thing clear. Anything average can, and likely will, be automated.
So, what remains irreplaceable? The remarkable, the bold, the big ideas that move the world.
For years, the industry has chased speed, efficiency and scale. Those qualities now belong to the machines. What brands and agencies need to protect is the one asset technology cannot replicate: original thinking powered by emotional intelligence and human insight. Not just ideas built on data, but ideas that shape culture.
The Middle East is well-positioned to lead this shift. The region has shown the world what ambition looks like. We are producing ideas at a global level, campaigns that travel, and creative ecosystems that are no longer playing catch-up. To maintain this momentum, human creativity must remain at the centre. AI should support the work, not replace the people behind it.
“What brands and agencies need to protect is the one asset technology cannot replicate: original thinking.”
Generative tools will flood the market with content. What they will not flood it with is meaning. The value of work that connects, provokes, builds trust, or earns emotion is rising. The ideas that stand out today are not the most polished. They are the most resonant.
The brands that will lead are not the ones that use AI the most. They are the ones that show up with clarity, courage and creative distinctiveness. This is not about prompt engineering. It is about imagination. This is not about replication. It is about relevance.
AI is a powerful tool. It can be the brush, and it can help mix the colours. However, it still requires an artist to select the message, the moment and the medium.
For marketers, this means asking sharper questions. Instead of chasing faster outputs, ask what only your brand can say and how to say it in a way that moves people. For agencies, it means protecting creative culture and backing the kind of minds that see what others miss.
AI will replace the unremarkable. It will make the average easier to produce. But it will also make the truly original more valuable than ever. To future-proof your brand, invest in what machines cannot create. Support real ideas. Trust the human instinct behind them. Choose the work that earns its place.
Highlight of the last year
Delivered double-digit profit growth; structured a new agency offering in the form of a marketing project management office to orchestrate large-scale integrated Omnicom solutions; successfully defended Sadia as incumbent; and secured major new business wins. Sustained Impact BBDO Dubai’s creative legacy while authoring The Bold Play, a thought-leadership platform built to mentor the next generation of marketing leaders and challenge today’s C-suite to back brave ideas.
Rapid fire
What the industry needs to talk more about:
Compensating ideas and impact, not hours.
What the industry needs to talk less about:
AI as the whole answer.
If you could change one thing in the blink of an eye, you would …
Free creativity from ROI obsession.
What’s one thing about you that would surprise your team?
I’ve always loved gaming.
What mobile application can you not live without?
WhatsApp (even my screen time agrees).
What word or phrase do people remember you for using the most?
“Bold.”
What’s one local or regional tradition that you love the most?
The way we gather as family. It says everything about our values.
If you could choose any two people, currently alive, in the world to share a meal with you, who would it be?
Elon Musk and the Dalai Lama. One reshapes the future. The other reminds us to be present.
What’s your top word of advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha?
Don’t mistake speed for progress. Patience builds what shortcuts can’t.
What’s your go-to comfort food?
Spicy Tuna Sandwich from Joe & The Juice. Not a plug. Just a personal taste.
What’s your favourite ad from the past 12 months?
‘PromptZero’, our campaign for The Earth Public Information Collaborative (EPIC).
