PHD Abu Dhabi names general manager

Promotion adds to Mohammed Halawi’s success story at the media agency

Abu Dhabi, March 30, 2014: PHD, the media agency network part of the Omnicom Media Group, has promoted planning director Mohammed Halawi to the position of general manager of its office in Abu Dhabi. The move reflects both his personal development and the growing needs of PHD’s clients based in the capital.

After a substantial growth in its client base in the UAE’s capital, PHD has decided to strengthen its team in Abu Dhabi further with the addition of a general manager. Present in the capital since 2009, PHD has witnessed a sustained increase in scale and the expectations from its clients, comprising both public and private sector companies. In order to respond effectively, the agency has developed its offering and team to deliver the best service possible to advertisers and brands, backed by its headquarters in Dubai.

Mohammed Halawi will now assume the leadership of PHD’s Abu Dhabi office, reporting to Elda Choucair, managing director of PHD UAE. His role is to spur further growth by actively contributing to both clients and teams’ performance. Until now a planning director, based in Abu Dhabi, Halawi has progressed through the ranks of PHD ever since he joined the group as a junior executive in 2003. Working with a broad range of clients from the emirate over the past four years, he has developed a comprehensive knowledge of the market and its clients’ unique needs.

“Mohammed has developed an in-depth understanding of the unique features and challenges of the Abu Dhabi market and is ideally prepared to lead our operation in the capital,” commented Elda Choucair. “With his passion, dedication and commitment to drive the business forward, I am confident he will sustain the virtuous circle we have seen in Abu Dhabi. On a more personal note, I am thrilled to see someone as talented as Mohammed rise through the ranks to ultimately assume leadership. It’s hugely gratifying and a vivid expression of our focus on talent.”

“It’s a tremendous honor but also a great responsibility to have been promoted to this role. Based on the journey so far, I can only look forward to what is ahead of us,” Halawi added. “My ambition in this role is to continue to create an environment that will stimulate the growth and performance of our clients, our teams as well as all our business partners.”

The appointment is effective immediately.

About PHD:
PHD is part of the Omnicom Media Group (www.omnicommediagroup.com), the media division of Omnicom Group Inc (NYSE: OMC). Founded in London in 1990 as the first planning-led media agency, PHD is a proven innovator in communications planning and buying across broadcast, print, digital, mobile, social and emerging media. PHD is a global network with over 2,500 employees in close to 70 countries and is built on a culture of thought leadership, creativity and innovation. In the Middle East, it first opened in Dubai in 2005, creating a team for Abu Dhabi in 2008 and opening an office in Riyadh in 2010. At the end of 2012, PHD was awarded 20 ‘Agency of the Year’ accolades including Adweek’s ‘Global Media Agency of the Year’, while the Cristal Festival named it Media Network of the Year in 2013. Not only has its philosophy of “Finding a Better Way” proved effective for its clients, which include Arla, Bentley, Hyatt, Mashreq Bank, Porsche and SC Johnson, it has also contributed to PHD being named a Great Place to Work in the UAE three years in a row, ranking third in 2014.