Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Publicis Groupe Middle East today announced the appointment of Ramez Zeineddine as Chief Executive Officer of Starcom Middle East. This marks Ramez’s return to the Groupe, having been with Starcom ME for a decade until 2018.  He takes the helm from Racha Makarem, who transitions into a strategic Groupe role, driving key business accounts across multiple regions.

In his new role, Ramez will spearhead the next chapter of transformative growth and innovation for Starcom ME. He will oversee the management and business operations of the media agency across the region, with a focus on driving sustainable growth for clients at scale.  

“We are excited to have Ramez join us again, he brings a wealth of experience to the Groupe. With his digital proficiency, customer-centricity and focus on innovation, I am confident that he will unlock further growth and opportunity for our clients through the Power of One propelling Starcom ME to the forefront of the industry”, said Bassel Kakish, CEO, Publicis Groupe Middle East & Turkey. 

Ramez is an industry veteran with nearly two decades of experience in advertising and marketing working with large government, international and regional brands across the Middle East. During his tenure with Starcom ME, as Group Media Director he set up the agency’s centre of excellence, driving year-on-year growth for key brands like Samsung, Emirates Airline, Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and General Motors. He then shifted to Saudi Arabia as Managing Director for Mediacom, contributing to its transformation into a leading agency. His most recent role was that of Country Head of Amazon Ads KSA where he launched, grew and scaled the Amazon Ads brand in line with their objectives.

Tony Wazen, CEO, Publicis Media Middle East added, “Ramez is a natural business leader and has a keen sense for identifying opportunities that propel the business forward. Under his leadership, he will be responsible for accelerating Starcom ME’s transformation agenda through his data-driven and innovation-led approach.”

Of his new role, Ramez Zeineddine commented, “It is a privilege to be called upon to lead Starcom ME, an organisation that has long been renowned for its inspiring culture and great talent, for me this is a homecoming. I am thrilled to rejoin a group of the brightest minds and most creative teams in the region with the mission to shape the future of clients' businesses and industry trends under the umbrella of Publicis Groupe's "Power of One.”

For more information, please contact:   
Angela Bak   
Director, Corporate Communications   
Publicis Groupe ME&T    
angela.bak@publicisgroupe.com    

About Publicis Groupe - The Power of One 

Publicis Groupe [Euronext Paris FR0000130577, CAC 40] is a global leader in communication. The Groupe is positioned at every step of the value chain, from consulting to execution, combining marketing transformation and digital business transformation. Publicis Groupe is a privileged partner in its clients’ transformation to enhance personalization at scale. The Groupe relies on ten expertise concentrated within four main activities: Communication, Media, Data and Technology. Through a unified and fluid organization, its clients have facilitated access to all its expertise in every market. Present in over 100 countries, Publicis Groupe employs around 96,000 professionals. 

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