Latest news with #SuadMerchant
Khaleej Times
18-07-2025
- Business
- Khaleej Times
Suad Merchant appointed chief marketing officer at GEMS Education
GEMS Education, the world's largest private K-12 school operator and a leader in providing quality education across the UAE and beyond, is pleased to announce the appointment of Suad Merchant as its new chief marketing officer (CMO). Merchant joins GEMS at a pivotal time in the dynamically evolving MENA region, where education's growing importance as a strategic contributor and shaper of tomorrow's leaders is undeniable. In her role, Merchant will lead the group's global marketing, brand strategy, and communications efforts, reinforcing GEMS' reputation as a trusted, family-run institution delivering world-class education with heart and vision. Beyond leading branding and communications, the role is strategically crafted to be a key enabler of business growth and impact and ensure GEMS continues to lead in a sector critical to regional and global development. With a career spanning over 20 years in leadership roles across industries including financial services, information technology, and transformation consulting, Suad brings a wealth of experience in driving business transformation, building iconic brands, purpose-driven global initiatives, and crafting human-centred storytelling at scale. Her track record includes leading marketing and communications for some of the region's most respected organisations, delivering measurable impact through innovative campaigns and meaningful engagement across stakeholders and communities. Her appointment reflects GEMS Education's commitment to strengthening its leadership team with visionary talent, as the organisation continues on its mission to nurture young minds, empower educators, and leverage the latest technologies including AI to deliver transformative learning experiences. Commenting on her appointment, Merchant said: "It's an honour to join GEMS Education, an organisation I've long admired for its scale, values, and deep commitment to shaping a brighter future for children around the world. Its technology, innovation, and purpose-driven strategies are redefining not just how their schools operate, but also how they inspire students to be pioneering, empathetic, and prepared to address global challenges with care and a One Team approach. This purpose-led approach resonates deeply with me." "I look forward to working with our talented teams to tell our story boldly, drive meaningful innovation, accelerate growth, and continue inspiring a world where every child has the opportunity to dream, learn, and thrive," she added. Jay Varkey, deputy CEO at GEMS Education, added: "We are delighted to welcome Suad to the GEMS family. Her passion for education, coupled with her proven expertise in strategic marketing and transformation, makes her the ideal leader to take our brand and communications efforts to the next level. As we accelerate our growth plans globally and align with the region's increasing focus on education as a driver of progress, Suad's leadership will be instrumental in strengthening our brand, scaling our impact, and delivering on our vision. We are confident she will play a key role in driving our ambitions forward." Merchant holds a master's degree in marketing management and strategy and has been recognised as a dynamic leader in brand and business transformation in the region.
Zawya
17-07-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Suad Merchant appointed Chief Marketing Officer at GEMS Education
Dubai, UAE: GEMS Education, the world's largest private K-12 school operator and a leader in providing quality education across the UAE and beyond, is pleased to announce the appointment of Suad Merchant as its new Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). Suad joins GEMS at a pivotal time in the dynamically evolving MENA region, where education's growing importance as a strategic contributor and shaper of tomorrow's leaders is undeniable. In her role, Suad will lead the group's global marketing, brand strategy, and communications efforts, reinforcing GEMS' reputation as a trusted, family-run institution delivering world-class education with heart and vision. Beyond leading branding and communications, the role is strategically crafted to be a key enabler of business growth and impact and ensure GEMS continues to lead in a sector critical to regional and global development. With a career spanning over 20 years in leadership roles across industries including financial services, information technology, and transformation consulting, Suad brings a wealth of experience in driving business transformation, building iconic brands, purpose-driven global initiatives, and crafting human-centred storytelling at scale. Her track record includes leading marketing and communications for some of the region's most respected organisations, delivering measurable impact through innovative campaigns and meaningful engagement across stakeholders and communities. Her appointment reflects GEMS Education's commitment to strengthening its leadership team with visionary talent, as the organisation continues on its mission to nurture young minds, empower educators, and leverage the latest technologies including AI to deliver transformative learning experiences. The MENA region is characterised by a confluence of vastly diverse nationalities and cultures, making the role of education, and GEMS as an education sector leader, even more vital. GEMS understands the need to cater to this rich tapestry, offering diverse curricula and approaches to educating young talent. Suad's leadership will be instrumental in communicating how GEMS addresses this unique requirement, preparing students not just academically, but also as globally aware and culturally intelligent individuals ready to contribute to the region's progress. Commenting on her appointment, Suad Merchant said: 'It's an honour to join GEMS Education, an organisation I've long admired for its scale, values, and deep commitment to shaping a brighter future for children around the world. Its technology, innovation, and purpose-driven strategies are redefining not just how their schools operate, but also how they inspire students to be pioneering, empathetic, and prepared to address global challenges with care and a One Team approach. This purpose-led approach resonates deeply with me. 'I look forward to working with our talented teams to tell our story boldly, drive meaningful innovation, accelerate growth, and continue inspiring a world where every child has the opportunity to dream, learn, and thrive.' Jay Varkey, Deputy CEO at GEMS Education, added: 'We are delighted to welcome Suad to the GEMS family. Her passion for education, coupled with her proven expertise in strategic marketing and transformation, makes her the ideal leader to take our brand and communications efforts to the next level. 'As we accelerate our growth plans globally and align with the region's increasing focus on education as a driver of progress, Suad's leadership will be instrumental in strengthening our brand, scaling our impact, and delivering on our vision. We are confident she will play a key role in driving our ambitions forward.' Suad holds a master's degree in marketing management and strategy and has been recognised as a dynamic leader in brand and business transformation in the region. About GEMS Education GEMS Education is one of the world's leading private K-12 education providers, educating over 200,000 students from 176+ nationalities across its global network of owned and managed schools. With nearly half a million alumni, GEMS has built a legacy of impact that spans generations and continents. Established in Dubai in 1959, GEMS remains a family-founded and family-led organisation, guided by its visionary founder and chairman Sunny Varkey, and his sons Dino Varkey (Group CEO) and Jay Varkey (Deputy Group CEO). With a focus on delivering high-quality education to students from all walks of life, GEMS offers a wide range of curricula and learning pathways. Each year, GEMS students graduate into the world's top universities, including all eight Ivy League institutions and every UK Russell Group university, and go on to become leaders, innovators, and changemakers in every sector. Through its expanding school network and philanthropic initiatives, GEMS is committed to its mission: to put a quality education within reach of every learner, everywhere.
Campaign ME
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Campaign ME
Mashreq's SMASHREQ TikTok padel game smashes records, connects with Gen Z
Mashreq has revealed details behind the success of its latest SMASHREQ campaign, which was rolled out in the form of an augmented reality (AR) game on TikTok, connecting Mashreq with the padel community. Reportedly, the first-ever padel game on TikTok, SMASHREQ has officially claimed the title of TikTok's top AR sensation, outperforming more than 40 other games released during the last two years. The campaign was launched to raise awareness about of Mashreq's long-standing association with padel and to reinforce the bank's involvement in sport and wellness. In addition to connecting with youth through digital engagement and padel gamification, the brand also aimed to establish relevance, strengthen Mashreq's positioning as a 'premiere padel brand'. Using creative, entertaining content, Mashreq reflected padel as a dynamic, social sport that resonates with both existing followers and new audiences, thus, creating a community and establishing a network of Padel enthusiasts. Mashreq also created a hook advertising film to aggressively promote the trending game. Rollout of the SMASHREQ campaign The game went live on TikTok from 25 March 2025 to leverage from Ramadan's social traffic. The game has already been on the platform for 30 days, as of 25 April 2025, and will remain on the platform for another 30 days. Mashreq has ensured relevance and reach through a programmatic push combined with digital PR. Additionally, through this period, Mashreq had influencers endorsing the game, paid social content to promote the game, and even incentivised the game itself to increase engagement. TikTok also noticed that content creators have organically picked up the game, played it, and promoted it on their channels. The campaign was supported by collaborations with some of the UAE's top padel players who promoted challenges around the game such as goading people on to beat their high scores. Top players from the UAE Padel Association (UAEPA) and the Egyptian Padel Federation (EPF) advocated for the game. Success of the SMASHREQ campaign While most TikTok content garners attention for approximately 70-90 seconds, Mashreq, quite literally, smashed it with a commendable dwell time of 200 seconds, which is a whopping 143 per cent above the norm. 'Players can't get enough. With an average of 2-3 returns for another round, it's clear that SMASHREQ is the game everyone's talking about,' said Suad Merchant, Global Head of Brand, Partnerships, and Corporate Communications at Mashreq. The campaign, which was the brainchild of Mashreq's Manager of Brand and Partnerships, Saba Oomer, witnessed incredible success, highlighted in its performance metrics: UAE brand campaign performance (Within 10 days) Impressions : 10.20 million : 10.20 million Reach : 6.09 million : 6.09 million Views : 9.75 million : 9.75 million Clicks: 278,000 Egypt brand campaign Performance (Within 10 days) Impressions : 15 million : 15 million Reach : 10.36 million : 10.36 million Views : 14.5 million : 14.5 million Clicks: 860,000 If the numbers are anything to go by, SMASHREQ has not only captivated gamers and Gen Z social media scrollers, it has also become something of a cultural phenomenon. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mashreq Egypt المشرق مصر (@mashreqegypt)
Campaign ME
06-02-2025
- Business
- Campaign ME
Mashreq enters Oman with ‘humility of an old friend, ambition of a partner'
Mashreq has revealed details of its Oman Launch campaign, which set out to position it as a bank entering Oman with the humility of an old trusted friend and the ambition of a forward-thinking partner. The campaign was created in partnership with brand experience agency Sweetwater MEA, with Assembly Global handling the offline and digital ads distribution and campaign orchestration, Tactical overseeing the film production, and Identity Global providing PR and event management services. The aim of the campaign was to create awareness of Mashreq's origin as 'Bank of Oman' and its entry as a 'legacy reunited' and to build trust by showcasing the bank's legacy, cultural understanding, global footprint, technological prowess, as well as its breadth and depth of expertise and foresight – an international digital leader that is well-equipped to act as a catalyst in elevating Oman's position in the global financial landscape. Suad Merchant, Senior Vice President, Head – Brand & Corporate Communications, Mashreq, said, 'We undertook an in-depth analysis of Oman's current generations – their culture, aspirations and vision – both offline and online. This analysis formed the basis of our narrative and video treatment – one that showcased both a strong cultural heritage and a bold vision for tomorrow.' Merchant added, 'Since we entered Oman with our corporate banking suite of products that include treasury, global transaction banking, and sustainable finance, the film showcased the bank's innovation legacy, robust operational structure and sectoral expertise relevant to Oman's corporate and government entities and the nation's economic objectives.' Rollout of the Mashreq Oman Launch campaign The omnichannel campaign was rolled out digitally across social media channels, well-established newspapers in the region, online news portals, as well as billboards and other out-of-home (OOH) ads. The campaign is running for 12 weeks for OOH, and 90 days on digital assets, including platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X and YouTube. More specifically, the digital promotion of the Oman Launch campaign was planned across various media, including social media channels such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X (Twitter) and YouTube to create wide and repeat visuals for awareness and recall. Mashreq also leveraged coverage in newspapers such as Al Watan and Muscat Daily, and online news portals such as Al Wisal, Oman News, Arabian Stories, Times of Oman, Arabian Business and Zawya for visibility and in-depth messaging. View this post on Instagram A post shared by أخبار عمان (@ As part of its OOH campaign, Mashreq used a network of lamp posts and airport to ensure its launch was announced strategically in premium spots across the city of Muscat. The brand is also partnering with billboard providers in Muscat for 12 weeks, selecting premium locations that will be visible for various audiences. Commenting on the media planning strategy, Merchant said, 'We conducted a deep-dive into the target audience's preferences in use of languages, internet, social media, news consumption, online amd offline behavioural patterns, among other aspects. With OOH, the target was to ensure maximum visibility across audience groups – to create a general awareness of our entry into Oman. With news and digital PR platforms and print, we opted for publications that are popular among the business communities to ensure targeting among corporate and government entities.' 'For other social and digital platforms, we selected our audience segments for precision targeting. For instance, for Facebook the target audience is people aged from 25 to 65, interested in trade, business, management, finance, investments, personal finance, wealth management, investment banking, stocks etc.,' Merchant added. إنه من دواعي فخرنا واعتزازنا أن نعلن عن تواجد المشرق رسمياً في عُمان، حيث سنحرص على تعزيز مسيرة الابتكار والتنمية وإحداث ذاك الأثر الإيجابي الهادف بما يتماشى مع رؤية عُمان 2040. دعونا نعمل سوياً لمواجهة التحديات (cont) — Mashreq (@MashreqTweets) January 20, 2025 To measure the success of the campaign, Mashreq will be looking at: Various metrics that will measure engagement of the audience such as likes, shares or reposts of the promoted posts for digital campaigns. The number of views for videos and the number of unique people reached in Oman for YouTube promoted videos , which has been estimated to 2.9 million people within just 90 days. CREDITS: Client: Mashreq Creative strategy: Sweetwater Offline and digital ads distribution and campaign orchestration: Assembly Global PR and event management: Identity Global Film production: Tactical
