"Tomorrow Starts Now"

Beirut (Lebanon), 22 December 2010- Under the theme "Tomorrow Starts Now" Memac Ogilvy gathered under one roof its tier one and tier two managers from across its Middle East and North Africa network for a combined management and creative conference. The gathering was held at the Massabki Hotel in Chtaura, Lebanon, as part of Memac Ogilvy's ongoing efforts to secure its prime position in the communications business in the Arab world.   

The conference was attended by the managing directors of Memac Ogilvy offices in U.A.E., Bahrain, Kuwait, K.S.A, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Tunisia, Morocco and Algiers. The regional heads of Activation, Ogilvy Public Relations, OgilvyOne, planning, finance, HR and the advertising senior account management executives in all offices spoke at the conference and discussed future plans for their areas of responsibility.

Memac Ogilvy MENA Chairman and CEO Edmond Moutran opened the conference with a recap on this year's results and the outlook for 2011 as well as revealing the 5 year plan.  His address was broadcast via Webex to the whole network.

Ogilvy's Chairman for Europe, Africa & Middle East Daniel Sicouri , Ogilvy's EAME General Manager Ralph Clementson; Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy Action EAME Howard Smiedt; made special appearance at the conference.   

Edmond Moutran, Memac Ogilvy MENA CEO and Chairman discussed future expansion plans geographically and within practices. "Our commitment is to provide Memac Ogilvy's clients with a 360 degree communication solution. Every one of our clients has the right to feel he/she are the only client of the agency." He said.

Memac Ogilvy Chief Creative Officer Ossama el- Kaoukji, stressed the importance of partnership between the creative teams and management across all disciplines. "Our aim is to become the number one creative agency in the region in the next three years." He said.

The regional heads of PR, Action, and One discussed plans for the upcoming year and gave participants a glimpse of the future looking at latest trends worldwide and recent developments in the region. The conference was focused on guiding all offices into operating as one network.

Daniel Sicouri, Chief Executive Officer of Ogilvy & Mather Europe, Africa and Middle East, discussed Globalization and centralization as the new tendencies, especially for international clients in a context where saving costs and staying consistent is a must. He shed light on the new global trends, regionally and how business is changing, stressing on the digital revolution that is affecting the media scene and individuals alike.  "What will make us succeed or not is our capacity to be creative and inject creativity across all disciplines whether in strategies or in angles. The twin peaks we consider as benchmark are Effectiveness and creativity." He said

A number of external speakers and trainers kept the conference participants energized and challenged throughout the duration of the conference.

-Ends-

About Memac Ogilvy
Memac Ogilvy started its operation in Bahrain in 1984. The company is a joint venture between Middle East Marketing and Advertising Company (MEMAC) and Ogilvy Worldwide. Memac Ogilvy offers advertising, public relations, direct marketing, planning and creative services to its large portfolio of clients through 13 offices across the Middle East and North Africa region. This wide geographical coverage along with its group of over 500 professionals gives the company a unique insight into different segments of the Arab markets.

© Press Release 2010