Eric Hanna Appointed CEO of Grey Group MENA

LONDON, October 18, 2011 -

- With Photo

- Accomplished Grey Veteran Returns to Oversee Dynamic Development in the Region

David Patton, President and CEO of Grey Group Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), today announced that Eric Hanna has been appointed CEO of Grey Group Middle East and Africa (MENA), effective mid-November.  Hanna will be headquartered in Dubai, UAE. He succeeds Philippe Skaff who has decided to leave the company.

(Photo:  photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111018/NY88864 )

Eric Hanna has served for the past two years as CEO of Mediacom MENA, a GroupM company, where he was the architect of the current Mediacom network in the region.  His return to Grey marks a homecoming for Hanna who previously spent a decade at the agency serving in a number of key Middle East management roles.

“I want to thank Philippe Skaff for his leadership over the past 20 years in helping Grey establish a strong agency network across the Middle East and I’m delighted that Eric Hanna is now taking over Philippe’s responsibilities. Eric has deep roots in this vital region and brings a tremendous track record of accomplishment to his new role,” David Patton said.  ”In his first stint, Eric made major strides in building Grey MENA by recruiting world-class talent, elevating our creative product, winning new business and delivering outstanding client service across the communications spectrum.  As he begins a new chapter at Grey, I am confident he will take our operations to the next level in their growth and development.”

Hanna will lead Grey Group MENA, a network with a growing blue-chip client roster that includes P&G, GSK, BAT and Jotun Paints among others.  

“Leading Grey is a challenge, one I am really excited to take on,” Eric Hanna said.  ”I look forward to reintegrating a team that consistently delivered differentiating solutions that helped build clients’ brands in the region and as a result, business.”

Eric Hanna: A Leader in Middle East Advertising

Eric Hanna joined Grey in 1999 as the Managing Director of its Dubai office.  Under his leadership, the agency expanded its offering and tripled its billings to become the Gulf’s headquarters.

In 2002, Hanna was promoted to Regional Director, Grey Group MENA.  He established G2, Grey Group’s activation marketing unit, consolidated Mediacom Dubai as the regional hub and doubled Grey’s billings with a series of high-profile wins.

Promoted to Chief Operating Officer, Grey Group Gulf in 2005, Hanna re-engineered Grey Saudi Arabian operations and added to Dubai’s success attracting several major multinational and regional clients.  He assumed the post of Chief Operating Officer, Grey Group MENA in late 2007 and spent two years overseeing the expansion and growth of agencies across the Middle East.

During his career, he has contributed to the success of such global clients as Procter & Gamble, BAT, Volkswagen Audi Group, Dell, GSK, Standard Chartered Bank, J&J, Visa, Samsung, Mars, Canon and a host of regional accounts including Baynounah Media Group, Albilad Bank, National Bonds, Emirates Computers, Hayat Kimya, Jumeirah Group, Al Arabiya, and Dubai Airports.  He also led the Grey and Mediacom networks across the Middle East and Africa for Nokia as Regional Client Leader, directing all strategic marketing initiatives across the region.

Early in his career, Hanna held senior account management posts at Saatchi & Saatchi in Dubai.  He began his career at Leo Burnett in Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.

A native of Senegal, Hanna graduated from the American University of Beirut with a B.A. in Economics.

About Grey

Grey is the global advertising network of Grey Group.  Grey Group ranks among the largest global communications companies.  Its parent company is WPP (NASDAQ: WPPGY).  Under the banner of “Grey Famously Effective Since 1917,” the agency serves a blue-chip client roster of many of the world’s best known companies:  Procter & Gamble, GlaxoSmithKline, Diageo, Pfizer, Canon, 3M, Eli Lilly, Boehringer Ingelheim and Allianz.  Grey was featured in FAST COMPANY magazine’s “50 Most Innovative Companies in the World” issue in both 2010 and 2011 (www.grey.com)

Contact: Owen Dougherty
+1-212-546-2551
odougherty@grey.com

Note to Editors:

A picture accompanying this release is available through the PA Photowire. It can be downloaded from www.pa-mediapoint.press.net or viewed at www.mediapoint.press.net or www.prnewswire.co.uk.

Note to Editors:

A picture accompanying this release is available from the European Pressphoto Agency (EPA) at www.epa-photos.com.

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