
Leo Burnett ME adds to KSA leadership with business lead appointment
Currently based in the Eastern Province of the kingdom, Abdulhadi brings close to two decades of experience across the MENA region, having worked with more than a 100 brands in industries spanning automotive, FMCG, technology, aviation, and beyond. His career includes senior leadership roles at agencies and startups, and a portfolio featuring clients such as Mercedes-Benz, UNICEF, Samsung, and Nestlé.
'Ali's appointment comes at a time when our clients are looking for deeper integration and faster delivery. His mix of agency and startup leadership, along with hands-on experience across the region, makes him well positioned to support the evolving needs of the business,' said Adel Baraja, CEO, Publicis Communications KSA.
Abdulhadi has led marketing transformation efforts, regional launches, and campaigns that delivered measurable business impact. His career is also marked by a series of regional firsts, including the first Arabic Discovery page on Snapchat with Layalina and the first TikTok brand collaboration in Jordan for UNICEF.
Speaking about his appointment as Business Lead at Leo Burnett Middle East, Abdulhadi said, 'What drew me back to agency life is the energy, the pace, and the people. Leo Burnett has always stood for bold, iconic thinking, and with the right team, I believe we can build work that delivers on both creative ambition and business impact.'
In his new role, Ali will also focus on strengthening Leo Burnett's client relationships, growing its strategic offering, and championing talent across the board.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Filipino Times
10 hours ago
- Filipino Times
UAE Schools Introduce Artificial Intelligence Curriculum for 2025–2026 Academic Year
For the first time, UAE schools will gradually introduce an artificial intelligence (AI) curriculum in the 2025–2026 academic year, with classes taught by more than 1,000 specialised teachers. According to the Ministry of Education, students in the first and second cycles will take one AI class every two weeks, while third-cycle students will attend a weekly class. The subject will be delivered as a standalone course within computing, focusing on responsible and ethical AI use, as well as building skills for the future. Teachers have been undergoing intensive training and will continue to receive professional development, supported by regular follow-ups and monitoring committees to ensure smooth implementation. The AI curriculum will cover areas such as fundamental AI concepts, algorithms, ethical awareness, real-world applications, AI-driven innovation, project design, policies, and community engagement. Teachers will also be given structured lesson plans, activities, and adaptable resources. Minister of Education Sarah bint Yousif Al Amiri confirmed that preparations for the new school year include maintenance of facilities, bus readiness, distribution of textbooks and uniforms, and teacher training. Nearly one million students are expected to return to schools nationwide. The ministry also announced major reforms in assessments — abolishing centralised exams for the second term in favor of school-based testing, expanding project-based learning to second-cycle students, and rolling out a new national proficiency test in Arabic, English, and mathematics for Grades 4 to 11.


Al Etihad
15 hours ago
- Al Etihad
TRENDS discusses content industry transformations at Arab Youth Media Creativity Summit in Egypt
20 Aug 2025 12:47 ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)TRENDS Research & Advisory, through its virtual office in Egypt and its Youth Council, and in cooperation with the UAE Journalists Association, began its participation in the second edition of the Arab Youth Media Creativity Summit 2025, held under the theme "Innovative Media… Pioneering Work". The Summit is organised by the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport, under the patronage of the Secretariat-General of the League of Arab States and the Egyptian Cabinet, and continues in New Alamein City, Egypt, until August his opening remarks at the Summit, Dr. Mohammed Abdullah Al-Ali, CEO of TRENDS Research & Advisory, emphasised that the Arab Youth Media Creativity Summit addresses an issue of vital importance that is closely tied to the future of young people, both professionally and personally. He noted that TRENDS' participation, through a delegation from its Youth Council, reflects the Centre's commitment to supporting Arab youth in exploring opportunities and challenges, particularly in the media Al-Ali added that the rapid transformations in media and creative content industries require urgent and effective action to enhance Arab cooperation in developing the media sector. He stressed the need for more investments in AI tools and harnessing them to serve Arab media objectives, while empowering young people to play a constructive and influential role in producing meaningful content in creative ways. Knowledge RevolutionDr. Al-Ali emphasised that there is a broad consensus among world governments on the pivotal role of youth in advancing both development and awareness. He noted that the media serves as a vital tool in winning both battles by producing creative content that not only supports national aspirations and goals but also keeps pace with the ongoing knowledge and technological revolution. Crucially, Al-Ali stressed, this vision cannot be realised without the active participation and direct contributions of young pointed out that the world is currently undergoing profound and rapid transformations in content creation, led by the AI revolution. AI, he said, is now shaping the future of the world and presents enormous opportunities and challenges for the media industry. This is especially true given the exponential growth in AI-driven media and content production tools, which have sparked fierce competition, not only between humans and machines, but also among institutions competing over how extensively they integrate AI tools into their operations. This, in turn, affects how effectively these institutions meet their objectives in terms of audience reach, influence, and Al-Ali went on to say that these developments are deepening the connection between media and the business sector, transforming media investment into a highly strategic and complex undertaking. He underlined that the media's growing entanglement with national security and social stability has made it more important than ever, particularly amid concerns over the potential misuse of AI in media and content creation. Such misuse, he warned, could negatively affect collective awareness and facilitate the spread of false and misleading information. Innovation in MediaSaqer Al-Suwaidi, researcher, official spokesperson for TRENDS Research & Advisory, and member of the TRENDS Youth Council Advisory Board, participated in the plenary session of the Arab Youth Media Creativity Summit 2025. He remarked that the summit's theme, "Innovative Media… Pioneering Work", reflects not only a slogan but a mindset and work ethic embraced by the UAE. Media innovation, he said, is a catalyst for creative ideas, transforming knowledge into a force that drives development and shapes the future. Al-Suwaidi noted that the media landscape in the UAE has evolved from ink to intelligence and structured digitalisation. Media institutions have transitioned to digital platforms and smart applications, all within a flexible legislative framework that upholds credibility and responsibility. Today, in the era of smart media, AI has become a central component in news production, tool development, and the reshaping of roles and required emphasised that this transformation brings with it significant challenges for innovative media capable of producing impactful work, including deepfakes, the rise of news bubbles, diminishing depth of knowledge, and the lack of ethical frameworks and intellectual property protections governing AI use. In this context, TRENDS Research & Advisory stands out as a pioneering model in bridging scientific research and media practice. The centre not only produces in-depth studies but also transforms research-based knowledge into credible media content, acting as a knowledge bridge between think tanks and media platforms. Practical Recommendations During the Summit's plenary session, Al-Suwaidi presented three practical recommendations to advance innovative media. First, he called for the establishment of an AI ethical governance framework in the media to set clear guidelines for the use of emerging technologies and hold platforms accountable through transparency and responsibility. Second, he stressed the importance of training media professionals in prompt engineering and understanding data biases. Third, he urged stronger partnerships between think tanks and media outlets to ensure that media content is grounded in reliable data and in-depth analysis. Al-Suwaidi concluded by stating that the UAE's media journey from ink to intelligence is not merely a tale of technological advancement, but a reflection of strategic foresight and future-oriented vision. It is a recognition that when media is rooted in research and knowledge, and guided by ethical values, it becomes a powerful soft force that safeguards national identity and drives innovation toward meaningful, transformative achievements in both the present and the future. Source: Aletihad - Abu Dhabi


Al Etihad
a day ago
- Al Etihad
Ministry of Education announces full readiness for academic year 2025-2026, removes centralised tests at end of second semester
19 Aug 2025 18:54 ABU DHABI (WAM) The Ministry of Education (MoE), in cooperation with the UAE Government Media Office, held a media briefing in the presence of Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of Education, to outline its key preparations and development plans for the academic year 2025–2026, in line with national briefing was also attended by Mohammed Al Qassim, Under-Secretary of MoE; Sulaiman Al Kaabi, Assistant Under-Secretary for the Professional Development Sector; and Amna Al Saleh, Acting Assistant Under-Secretary for the Curriculum and Assessment Sector, along with representatives of local media Amiri confirmed that since January, the MoE has been developing proactive plans to ensure public schools' readiness for the academic year 2025–2026, covering all aspects from facilities to advanced curricula. She noted that this year will introduce qualitative updates to boost the competitiveness of national education, including fundamental changes to the assessment tests at the end of the second semester have been removed and replaced with school-based summative assessments, with centralised tests remaining only in the first and third semesters. The new system optimises school days, diversifies student performance assessment tools, enhances learning quality and teaching methods, promotes student wellbeing and adjusts semester weights in line with the updated Amiri highlighted the approval of the second phase of the project-based learning and assessment (PBLA) system, now covering all Cycle 2 students in public and private schools applying the MoE follows the success of phase one, which engaged 127,500 students across 350 also noted the development of the national testing system through a new standardised proficiency test to measure Arabic, English and mathematics skills for grades 4–11 in public schools, with the first phase expected to include 26,000 Amiri reiterated the Ministry's focus on strengthening national identity through Arabic language and Islamic education as the foundation of student character. The new plan increases teaching time for both subjects in kindergarten and dedicates daily hours for Cycle-1 students to reinforce Arabic reading and writing, achieved by redistributing class periods without extending school Arabic baseline assessment will also be introduced in Grade 1 across 100 public and private schools to establish standard levels, enabling tailored support programmes to enhance linguistic skills and steadily raise proficiency, reflecting the Ministry's commitment to placing national identity at the core of operational readiness, Al Amiri announced the opening of nine new schools across several emirates, which will welcome over 25,000 students, supported by more than 800 new teachers. More than 460 schools have been maintained and equipped, 5,500 buses allocated, more than 10 million textbooks printed, and 47,000 laptops Qasim highlighted the Ministry's efforts to enhance students' quality of life through the new Physical Education, Sports and Health Programme in public schools. The first phase of the initiative promotes a healthy, sustainable lifestyle by improving school health environments, organising sports tournaments, restructuring PE classes, and introducing healthy Qasim reiterated the Ministry's continued commitment to partnership with parents and educational cadres, emphasising their important role in shaping the national education system. This year, a participatory educational vision was developed to enhance their involvement in part of this, Ta'aleem Councils are being restructured: the School Leadership Council will have 14 members, the Teachers Council 14 members, and the Young Teachers Council seven members. Additionally, 520 Parents' Councils, representing 6,140 members nationwide, will be activated to contribute to MoE decisions and announced the MoE's educational campaign, 'From Skill to Leadership,' engaging educators, parents and the community. The campaign aims to develop students' skills and transform them into achievements through three pillars: exploration, creating inspiring school environments to discover talent; development, enhancing skills via strategic partnerships and advanced training; and excellence, encouraging participation in local and international programmes will launch in the first month: 'My Inspiring Family' involving parents, and 'Inspiring People in the Field,' both designed to motivate students on their educational MoE confirmed that the coming academic year will see the introduction of its nationally developed Artificial Intelligence (AI) curriculum – the first of its kind in the UAE – providing lessons from both local and international communities on integrating AI into education. Approximately 1,000 teachers will implement the curriculum across all grades, aiming to prepare students to use AI responsibly and effectively in daily and future initiative will offer practical insights on harnessing AI in education, helping to shape local educational policies and contribute to the global discussion on the future of Ministry of Education continues to enhance the capabilities of its educational cadres through advanced training programmes. More than 23,000 educators participated in a specialised training week, totalling around 170 hours across 40 workshops for leaders and teachers and 20 workshops for support positions. In the next academic year, the Educational Competency Assessment Project will target more than 12,000 cadres across kindergarten and Cycle 1 levels and 11,000 cadres across Cycle 2 and Cycle 3 in order to define clear career paths and empower staff in line with national education system requirements.