SapientNitro establishes footprint in Middle East, opens Dubai Office

New Delhi, April 28, 2010 - SapientNitro has announced that it has opened an office in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Located in the Dubai Media City Free Zone, it marks the company's foray into the region.

The company's Dubai office will serve the integrated marketing needs of Mars and other marketers in the six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and UAE), as well as Egypt and Lebanon. SapientNitro is one of Mars' global agencies-of-record for TV/print advertising and digital production.

"We can't thank Mars enough for their business and trust in us as they increase their presence in the Middle East," said Will Davidson, SapientNitro's global operations director who is establishing the Dubai office. "We're excited to launch an operation in a vibrant market with huge growth potential. With experience operating in emerging markets like China and Russia, we have what it takes to build a world-class team and hit the ground running."

SapientNitro's first assignment will be on behalf of the Galaxy® chocolate brand throughout the Middle East. (Mars uses the Dove® Chocolate brand in other regions except the United Kingdom and Ireland, where it's also known as Galaxy.)

"The SapientNitro team has proven to be an enthusiastic communications partner in AIME," said Kristin Veriga, regional franchise leader at Galaxy. "They have quickly understood the key challenges in the region, drawing on their global resources to ensure that the business continues to grow seamlessly. It's a great start to what will, I'm sure, become a forceful partnership for the growth of Mars in Africa, India, and the Middle East."

SapientNitro is hiring a mix of UAE nationals and expatriates to staff the business.

"Dubai is an incredibly diverse city, which provides a great opportunity to build an experienced and professional multicultural team," said Paige Kilburn, executive business growth director and general manager of SapientNitro's Dubai office.

"Less than 20% of the UAE's residents are UAE nationals; the remaining population consists of expatriates representing more than 200 nationalities. Likewise, SapientNitro has hired people born and raised in Dubai, as well as top talent from around the world," Kilburn said. "We are giving marketers in the region a new option in terms of agencies-one that delivers a multicultural approach, backed by an incredible understanding of traditional advertising and digital channels, as well as all the technology in between."

Sapient acquired Nitro Group in June 2009. Nitro Group is best known for its "Best Job in the World" campaign for Tourism Queensland, the most-awarded creative work at the 2009 Cannes International Advertising Festival.

Source : Equity Bulls

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