Carat, an independent media agency, has bolstered its management in the Middle East by appointing industry stalwart, Antonio Chedrawy as Regional Corporate Services Director and Swaminathan Janakiraman as the agency’s Regional Media Buying Director, effective immediately. Michael Nederlof, CEO of Carat Digital MENA, will also become the region’s Interim overall CEO and take up management of the network.
The appointment of Chedrawy and Janakiraman, who were previously at OMD, and the promotion of Nederlof are in lieu of Antonio Boulos, CEO of the Middle East, deciding to leave Carat end of this year.
Nederlof was appointed to take over the interim position of CEO from Boulos by Arjan Pomper who will continue to be involved in the strategic direction of the agency as CEO of Aegis MEA, Carat’s parent company.
Chedrawy, who is also a popular business host on Decision Makers TV, will oversee Carat’s corporate services (Finance, HR and IT) and ensure each of its 19 offices provide clients with transparent audits in terms of media spend. Chedrawy will also play an important role growing the headcount and geographical reach of the agency.
Meanwhile Janakiraman will lead Carat’s media buying commitments, participate in new business efforts and continue to progress the agency’s leading capabilities in digital media alongside Nederlof.
Speaking about the announcement, Pomper said: “Most importantly, we are delighted that Antonio Boulos has decided to stay with the agency until 2011 and assist Michael, Antonio [Chedrawy] and Swaminathan settle into their respective roles. His contribution to the agency and its growth over the last two years has been valuable and we wish him all the best in his new venture.”
Speaking about the appointments of Chedrawy and Janakiraman, Nederlof added: “Looking forward, Antonio has a proven track record in managing complex capital structures in the Middle East and has a depth of experience helping media based companies grow their business, both organically and through acquisition. Meanwhile Swaminathan has handled the buying for some of the region’s biggest spenders and across multiple markets. So we are perfectly placed to expand our operations and fulfil our ambition to take a leading position in the market with Antonio and Swaminathan now part of the Carat team.”
Speaking about his decision, Boulos added: “I am proud of what my team, past and present has achieved at Carat and wish Michael, Antonio and Swaminathan the very best of luck. They have joined the fastest growing media agency in the region and with that in mind I am sorry to be leaving but at the same time equally excited about the future and my next challenge that awaits.”
