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By BEN FLANAGAN
JEDDAH: Edelman DABO, the Dubai-based public relations (PR) firm, has made a string of job cuts as it looks to expand the services it offers, sources at the company have confirmed.
The US-headquartered Edelman in 2015 acquired DABO & CO, an independent Dubai-based agency, with a combined United Arab Emirates (UAE) staff of 150.
But Edelman DABO has made a series of job cuts totaling around 20, according to sources as it looks to refocus its activities.
Tod Donhauser, chief executive of Edelman in the UAE, said that the company is also recruiting as it looks to move beyond PR.
“We continue to expand our offer beyond public relations counsel, offering robust experiential, paid media, social and digital media and creative services to a wide range of top-tier clients in the private and public sectors and remain better placed than ever to provide the solutions to their business challenges,” he said in a statement e-mailed to Arab News.
“In response to the changing communications landscape, we are proactively transforming our business to drive increased efficiencies and effectiveness for our clients. This process includes refining the roles and specialties within our team.
“We will continue to add specialists, invest in training and build capabilities that reflect the new realities of communicating in the UAE and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
“For example, we are currently in the process of appointing an art director to complement our existing creative team and a performance director in digital who will have a strong focus on analytics, as well as a senior member of the UK government communications team to serve as Middle East director of government relations to lead our communications strategy in that sector.”
Donhauser did not specify the number of people to be let go but others in the industry, as well as a report by Campaign Middle East, put the number at 20.
One source pointed to difficult market conditions in 2016 as impacting the move. Donhauser said that his firm retains key accounts, such as TECOM and Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, which he said are both “currently clients.”
© Arab News 2017
