MEC Announces Neil Hardwick as CEO for MENA

MEC today named Neil Hardwick as CEO of MEC in the Middle East and North Africa. The announcement was made by Alastair Aird, Global COO and Chairman for EMEA. Neil joins MEC from a position as CEO of GroupM Russia.

Speaking on the appointment, Alastair Aird said, “I’m delighted that Neil is joining the MEC family. He is a proven leader with exceptional business acumen and is absolutely the best candidate to position MEC for the future. With Neil at the helm, along with the fantastic leadership team across the region, MEC is in pole position to be the best media, technology and content agency in MENA.”

Filip Jabbour, CEO of GroupM MENA, added, “I’ve known Neil since I joined the group, and I am excited about his arrival at MEC. He has the skill, the vision and the deep understanding of our industry to make a real difference to our business in the region.”

Neil Hardwick commented, “MENA is an exciting and historical region with a huge potential for continued growth. I’m honoured to be taking this new role and exited to join the MEC management team. The MEC MENA network has a diverse client portfolio, a group of talented and passionate people, coupled with a thriving agency culture, and I’m looking forward to the chance to create long-term growth here.”

MEC MENA has recently enjoyed a string of industry recognitions, among others being named Festival of Media MENA Agency if the Year and winning the prestigious Campaign of the Year award for MAGGI #WomenOfChange, a campaign that champions women’s independence. The network has also had a series of new business wins in 2017, among others adding FrieslandCampina to its client list.

Neil joins this fall and will be relocating to Dubai in the next few months.

With over 30 years of industry experience, Neil has had managing roles in agencies in the UK, Hungary and Greater China. He joins MEC from a position as CEO of WVI Group, the joint venture holding company for WPP’s brands in Russia including Maxus, MEC, MediaCom, Mindshare, GroupM and JWT.

Neil started his career as a graduate trainee with Saatchi & Saatchi in London, before moving on, nine years later, to become CEO of the ad agency’s operation in Budapest. Relocating to Asia, Neil was then named CEO of first Saatchi and Saatchi in Taiwan and then of Publicis in China. He was announced as the CEO of WVI Group in 2008.