Initiative MENA has won the Media Network of the year title at this year’s Dubai Lynx Festival. Lara Arbid, CEO Initiative MENAT, Magna MENAT, shares her utmost confidence in a region that is delivering best in class work and explains the factors of this notable upward trajectory.
What’s your take on this year’s results at the Dubai Lynx? And what does it tell you about the regional industry?
The MENAT region is known for its dynamism: from the UAE to Saudi to Turkey. We stand at the cross-roads of the world, where east meets west and it’s a particularly exciting time for the region, as we see growth in both the quality of work and business impact for local, regional and global clients. This year, thanks to the commitment of our clients and teams, we were honored as Media Network of the Year.
Why do you think award shows have become an integral part of the industry ecosystem?
While recognition and prestige is a great element of award shows, for us their importance lies in celebrating innovation and creativity that drive “best in class” strategies delivering on business objectives and KPIs for our partners.
They also provide validation of the hard work that goes into creating award winning work and serve as a source of inspiration and learning to young talents.
Are your participation to awards something planned way in advance? How do you choose which show you want to participate in for instance?
Awards drive a culture of delivering best in class work across every client, every day. Selection of awards is carefully considered, we focus on awards that reflect brilliance in effectiveness, strategy and delivering business results.
“Awards drive a culture of delivering best in class work across every client, every day.”
We have noticed a growing confidence and quality in the work coming out of the Middle East. What are your thoughts on why that is happening now?
As one of the fastest growing regions globally, MENA's rapid advancement and high standards continually drive us to exceed expectations. When the leadership of this region are always striving to deliver bigger and better, it is no surprise that we as well strive for the same vision and reflect this in our agency's culture. This has allowed us to attract a brilliant, diversified talent base which I believe is key to creativity and innovation.
Personally, I am excited about the potential of talents, energy and ambition we have in the region and the evolution to come over the next few years.
