Following a victorious season in the Roshn Saudi Pro League, Al-Ittihad is embarking on a bold new chapter to bring the club closer to its fans through an ambitious overhaul of its digital and data infrastructure. The 12-month project will see DSI and Merkle work alongside a consortium of best-in-class industry specialists to reimagine the club’s CRM, website, mobile app, and data platforms.

This transformation will deliver a state-of-the-art, multi-sport, multi-language digital ecosystem designed to offer a seamless, connected, and highly personalized experience for Al-Ittihad Club’s global fanbase.

This strategic transformation will empower the club to engage with its fans more directly, understand their behaviours and preferences more deeply, and unlock new opportunities for content, commerce, and loyalty across channels. The project signals a new era of innovation and global ambition for Al-Ittihad Club, aligned with the Kingdom’s broader goals of digital leadership and sporting excellence.

In his new position, Poonja will lead the experience platform capability for Merkle, with a focus on helping clients create omnichannel content-driven experiences. His responsibilities include delivering high-quality, integrated experiences and championing the principles of headless content and digital asset management to deliver customized experiences. Sameer will lead the delivery of these outcomes by connecting the dots across Merkle’s pillars of analytics, data, CX, UX creative, and performance marketing.

Poonja is an experience pioneer, with several career highlights including launching Emirates Airlines' first consumer-facing application, building Canada's first wireless machine with Coca-Cola, and spearheading the launch of Canada's first cloud-based hotel management system. His entrepreneurial spirit also led him to co-found Spades, a contactless web-based dine-in solution, in response to the growing demand for frictionless payment experiences.

Commenting on his appointment, Poonja remarked, "I am thrilled to join Merkle MENA and embark on this exciting journey of shaping transformative digital experiences. By focusing on the 'why' I believe we can redefine the boundaries of what’s possible in the region’s digital landscape. Merkle holds a distinctive position in the market, offering our clients a comprehensive blend of strategic insights, creative ingenuity, design and technical proficiency, and effective commercial strategies to advance their growth agendas."

Prior to joining Merkle, Poonja served as a Senior Advisor at Roland Berger, where he played a pivotal role in establishing growth strategies for prominent entities such as Entertainer and various Saudi Government institutions. He has also demonstrated a commitment to fostering innovation and driving tangible results by mentoring, incubating, and accelerating new entrants on the Fintech Fast Track Program while leading innovation, partnerships, and design for Visa CEMEA

Andreas Skopal, Managing Director Merkle MENA said, “Sameer brings unparalleled experience and a proven track record in strategy, experience platforms, and innovation. I have no doubt that under his guardianship we will be able to set new standards in digital experience delivery by harnessing platforms and fostering collaboration across UX, business upskilling, performance, and cross-channel connectivity to facilitate seamless interactions across digital touchpoints for our clients and their customers.”

With a career spanning over 18 years, Stacy has spent much of her career navigating an evolving digital landscape to deliver impactful solutions to clients across various industries and regions. In her new role, she will play a pivotal role in leading performance, strategy, and growth initiatives for Merkle MENA. She will oversee all performance accounts, including high-profile clients, while driving the adoption of capabilities beyond performance marketing to include data, AI, emerging technologies, SEO, and experience.

Prior to joining dentsu, Stacy held various leadership positions across major holding groups both in the Americas and MENA, with her most recent role being Head of Digital Transformation and Innovation at Publicis Groupe. She was responsible for opening Hearts & Science MENA and previously worked at Merkle New York prior to dentsu’s acquisition of the company. Throughout her career, she has worked with a diverse range of clients, including Neom, Majid Al Futtaim, Nestle, BMW, Samsung, One & Only, LVMH, Visa, and Amazon.

Commenting on her appointment, Andreas Skopal, Managing Director of Merkle MENA, said, "Stacy's extensive experience, understanding of our business and our clients’ needs make her an invaluable asset to Merkle MENA. We are confident that her leadership will contribute significantly to our strategic objectives, bringing together creativity, technology, and data to deliver seamless customer experiences. We are thrilled to have Stacy join the team and partner with her as we embark on the next phase of our growth."

Expressing her enthusiasm for rejoining Merkle, Stacy added, "I am delighted to take on this new role with Merkle MENA to support the business in forging a new path for CX transformation in the region. The opportunity to partner with clients to accelerate their digital dexterity and enrich their customer experience through Merkle’s unique data and technology-enabled solutions is compelling, especially in a region that is at the forefront of digitization, innovation, and economic diversification globally."

She is a firm believer in the power of data and combines her analytical skills to focus on driving innovation and transforming businesses, while continuously striving for a better understanding of the ever-changing consumer behaviors.

Vanessa is a passionate, dynamic individual that can easily adapt to new environments and is always up for a challenge. She is currently the account director on one of Merkle’s biggest clients, Pizza Hut.

Why did you choose this career path?

During my master’s, I explored the field of behavioral economics, which highlighted the various factors that impact people’s decisions and how they don’t always tend to act rationally or in accordance with economic theory. I randomly got into performance media, but I actually love it, as it merges the best of two worlds for me – human behavior and how to impact that vs how to help brands grow and achieve their business targets, all while keeping up with the rise and power of digital.

How did you land this job?

After a couple of years with my previous agency, a new opportunity at Merkle came along. Upon closely assessing the role, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and take on a new challenge, which has been rewarding in terms of my growth and development.

How do you compare your work life vs what you imagined it would be?

Within media, it does tend to get crazy at times. When you’re passionate and dedicated, the pressure also mounts up, but I’ve learned to create a balance. I wouldn’t imagine any job to not have some stress associated with it, but I enjoy what I do and I love the fast-paced, dynamic environment, which makes it worthwhile.

What do you wish you had been told before you started working?

I’ve heard the “You learn on the job,” but I wouldn’t say I knew how extremely accurate this is within our field, as so many new things weren’t even around months ago, let alone years. I find beauty in that, though; our industry continues to evolve rapidly, it’s fascinating, which makes it so important to continuously upskill to remain on top of it and thrive.

What is the best thing someone could tell you about your work?

The most rewarding thing would be that my work has helped a brand overachieve its business goals and drive revenue. I truly believe in the power of our field, and to deliver excellence and success is what I seek.

What’s the worst thing someone could tell you about your work?

That results can be achieved without investing in the right measurement. For me, data is at the base of what I do; so, failing to recognize the importance of measurement to draw insights and drive results would be disappointing.

What’s the most valuable lesson you have learned at work so far?

A few are important to me: to never shy away from a challenge; to stay true to who you are; and to always lead on your growth. I think the most rewarding experiences I’ve had in my career are when I stepped up to take on a challenge and had to push myself to achieve success. Adding to that, I think it’s always key to stay true to one’s values and personality; and finally, I think one should own how they want to shape their career and work towards their growth – no one can do it for you.

Who’s your role model?

It wouldn’t be a specific individual, but rather the traits they hold. The common factor would be successful leaders that lead with empathy, strength, strategic thinking, and vision. Women leaders surely inspire me, but I also tend to grasp different individuals to shape who I want to be.

If not this, what would you be doing?

I majored in economics and have always loved the business side of things, which is what I would’ve been doing if not for media, focusing more on brands’ growth and profitability. But I do get some of that exposure within my job, so that’s great.

What do you see yourself doing in 10 years?

I think every day that goes by helps me shape where exactly I want to be, so I wouldn’t say it’s certain for now. But in my current state, I would want to be in a leadership role within a global brand in the beauty & fashion industry.

The 30 Under 30 ranking was first published in Communicate's Q1 2023 print issue.

Khan’s arrival comes as local and regional clients continue to undergo digital transformation on their journey to meet ever-changing customer expectations. In his new role, Khan will lead analytics product development and innovation efforts, while driving the adoption and use of analytics, cloud, and data engineering across both Merkle and Dentsu’s media and creative brands.

Bringing more than 18 years of experience in the fields of data warehousing, business intelligence, data engineering, and analytics, Khan has a proven track record working across a diverse range of global and national brands from healthcare to telecommunications. Prior to joining Dentsu, he has worked in various leadership positions with NTT Data, Microsoft, and the NHS. In his most recent role as Data Director of ZainTech, he was recognized for significantly contributing to an evolutionary leap in doubling data capability and building a delivery excellence framework. He was also the winner of the Data 50 Awards 2017 and Tech Leaders 2017 among his industry accolades.

Tarek Daouk, CEO of Dentsu MENAm said, “I am thrilled to have Omar join the Merkle MENA leadership team. His significant industry expertise, best-in-class experience, and thinking from leading technology companies driving large-scale digital transformation is critical in today’s environment as we expand and optimize our offering. His leadership will be instrumental in ensuring our business is organized to continuously evolve to meet our customers’ expectations.”

Khan said, “It is a really exciting time to be joining Merkle as it continues its expansion across MENA and rapidly builds its reputation as a leader in customer experience transformation. I was drawn to Merkle by my genuine belief in their proposition, and that of the wider Dentsu network, as being an agency built for the future and one that is responding to what clients are looking for today. I am looking forward to working with clients to navigate complex data and technology decisions, and with an innovative team of experts to deliver on Merkle’s vision to be at the forefront of analytics and technology-driven performance marketing.”

After a lengthy and demanding pitch process, Merkle has secured a two-year retainer to support Samsung in its ambitions to become a prominent direct-to-consumer e-commerce player in the region. Merkle will lead and manage Samsung’s entire data management workstreams, encompassing data engineering, best practice audience segmentation, dynamic creative optimization, and advanced analytics for Samsung’s flagship campaigns. Merkle will also be responsible for providing internal dashboarding and data visualization, and for the introduction of innovation in both reporting, analytics, and business intelligence.

Vimal Badiani, VP – Managing Director of Merkle MENA, said in a statement, “The addition of Samsung to our client portfolio is a testament to the fantastic work Merkle is doing in this space. We are reinventing the value chain for brands as they embark on their own data transformation journeys and realize the potential for their businesses when data is captured, analyzed, and utilized in the right way. I am extremely proud of the team for securing this win and we’re looking forward to what the future holds.”

“AlHokair has witnessed tremendous growth in the last 30 years and it’s an incredibly exciting time to be working with them as they continue to expand across verticals and markets. We are looking forward to leveraging our expertise in customer experience management to support its objective of targeting audiences more efficiently and effectively, by delivering personalization at scale,” said Vimal Badiani, Head of Merkle for the MENA region.

The partnership will require Merkle to deliver personalization through performance marketing and granular feed management for the premium franchise retailer across womenswear, menswear, children and baby goods, shoes and accessories, cosmetics, food & beverage, sports and entertainment.

Alhokair, which is a franchising retail group based out of the KSA, will leverage Merkle’s expertise in managing large scale and multi-layered accounts to demonstrate a ‘consumer first’ approach for its existing brands including renowned fast-fashion brands – Decathlon, Aldo, GAP and Flormar in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.  

Commenting on the appointment, Hassan Al Redha, Head of Marketing at Alhokair explained how they were looking for a new agency partner to deliver across all performance marketing capabilities, consolidating our PPC, social and digital media efforts across numerous distinct brands. “Merkle’s approach will help us integrate and augment our data assets, resulting in people-based insights that will ultimately lead to more meaningful customer engagement across all touchpoints. We are delighted to partner with Merkle to continue driving incremental growth for our brands,” he concluded.

The expansion will see Merkle open hubs in Riyadh and Jeddah and is a significant step in Dentsu's and Merkle’s regional growth strategy across EMEA. The hubs will service clients across the Kingdom, off the back of Merkle’s launch into the UAE in 2018.

The new operation will provide the full range of Merkle’s CXM capabilities across advanced analytics, customer strategy, CRM & loyalty, alongside expert end-to-end digital capabilities including SEO, pay-per-click, programmatic, digital analytics, and paid social – services that Merkle had previously been offering to Saudi-based high-profile e-commerce and insurance clients via their Dubai office.

With the expansion, Merkle will firmly establish itself as one of the region’s leading CXM companies, already counting clients such as Al Hokair, Bupa, Jarir Bookstore, Beauti, and OnTime on their roster in-region. Moving forward, Merkle aims to tap into the fertile digital transformation landscape in the Kingdom, whilst also being in a position to better serve its existing clients across the Middle East.

The move will see Merkle and its portfolio of some of the world’s best-known brands capitalize and support the Kingdom’s ambitious digital transformation plans – a key enabler for realizing Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030. Merkle is well aligned to this vision, which is geared towards creating a vibrant society, a thriving economy, and an ambitious nation by building a digital society, a digital economy, and a digital nation.

Vimal Badiani, Head of Merkle MENA said: “The digital transformation we’re seeing across the Kingdom is second to none with the emphasis on a seamless customer experience, underpinned by a strong data foundation and proof in performance media execution. We’re supporting some of the most prestigious brands in the Kingdom. Our growing team on the ground, based in both Riyadh and Jeddah, allows us to continue to support our clients on their digital transformation journey.”

Tarek Daouk, CEO of Dentsu MENA said: “We’re very excited for the opening of our Merkle office in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Having relationships with some significant brands on the ground already, we’ve seen the strength and ambition of the digital transformation going on in the Kingdom and feel that Merkle is a perfect partner to support our existing and potential clients in delivering a full customer experience.”

Merkle’s team in the Kingdom, led by Rabah Assaf as Business Director for KSA, will be supported by a larger team of specialists across the EMEA region, able to cater to different service lines and industry verticals.

Starting out her career in paid search, Beth later specialized in ad-tech platforms, building London’s search platforms team. She moved to Melbourne for a year to take an Account Director role, working across some of Merkle’s largest accounts in APAC, and then moved to Dubai two years ago.

Beth is now Head of Performance Media, leading a team of 30 people.

Why did you join this industry?

After finishing my Master’s degree in Chemistry and Molecular Physics, I realized that working in a lab wasn’t for me. Whilst I loved the analytical side of science, the quietness of writing code in a silent computer lab for 40 hours a week wasn’t how I saw my career panning out. Once I found performance media, I knew it was the right mix of analytical and creative work.

How did you land your first job?

After a lot of research into different career paths and many failed interviews in sectors like banking and consultancy, I met a recruiter who worked with Merkle (then called Periscopix). She put me forward for the three-stage recruitment process and I prepared for the interviews for two weeks straight. A fresh grad, I didn’t know anyone in the industry so it was a lot of research, which paid off!

Who do you look up to?

We’re lucky within Dentsu to have many strong female leaders to look up to. Wendy Clark was the first female CEO to be appointed within a global agency network. Very inspiring!

I’m also inspired every day by the people in my team. It’s been a challenging year and to see them still pushing themselves, achieving, and innovating, is amazing.

What’s the best advice you have received so far?

To remember the importance of work/life balance. Especially since the pandemic began, it’s been easy for people to over-work and take less time for themselves. Over-working without taking breaks actually leads to you becoming less productive, which is something I have to remind myself of frequently.

What’s the best advice you have given so far?

When it comes to career path, focus on what you enjoy rather than where you think you’ll see quicker career advancement or a higher salary in the short term. There is a lot of pressure on young people to quickly find a career path and start progressing. If you aren’t working in an area you’re passionate about, it’s really difficult to stay motivated and therefore harder to achieve the progression you’re looking for.

How do you feel about the stigma sometimes associated with Millennials and Gen Z?

Every new generation has different experiences and therefore reacts to the world differently. Some of the traits often described in a negative way when thinking of Millennials or Gen Z can actually be seen as positive. For example, being a snowflake could instead be seen as being emotionally intuitive and genuine.

What do you think you specifically bring to the organization you work for?

I’ve had the chance to work with both local and global clients within Europe, Australia, and MENA. Having this diverse platform and strategic overview is very useful when it comes to working in an agency that services all client sizes and industries. The experience you gain working and living locally is different from working with a client remotely from another country.

What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned at work?

That a good company is made up of multiple individuals each playing their own part. No one individual or role is more important than the other. Having a strong foundation of efficient processes to enable these individuals is equally important.

What’s the most rewarding thing about your job?

Seeing my team develop! One of the best parts of my role is helping them get a promotion, seeing them win an award or master a new platform skill.

What’s the most frustrating thing about your job?

A recent frustration is the fact that, since the beginning of the pandemic, there has been less face-to-face time with both colleagues and clients. Whilst social distancing is of course a necessary measure, I definitely miss building relationships with my clients and the team outside of video calls. We’ve opened two new office locations over the past year and it’s been a big challenge for both us and newer team members to not be able to build those real-life connections.

If not this, what would you be doing?

I would have loved to have trained as a therapist. I find psychology fascinating – there is so much going on behind people’s thoughts and actions.

Would you start your own venture in the future?

If I were to set something up on my own, it would be something very different. I’d love to own holiday homes back in North Wales where I grew up one day, as a side business.

In this new role, Vimal will be responsible for leading and growing the business by helping clients deliver a total customer experience across every engagement they have with their brand, through Merkle’s leading CXM proposition including customer relationship management (CRM), data and advanced analytics and performance media.

Previously head of performance, Vimal, is a respected leader within the dentsu group in MENA. He joined Merkle UK in 2016 as head of paid search through the acquisition of its performance media agency Periscopix, now Merkle’s media agency. He moved to MENA in 2017 to develop Merkle’s performance business. In his new role he will focus on driving data and digital transformation to deliver measurable business outcomes for clients.

Vimal Badiani, MD, Merkle MENA, said “I am incredibly proud to have been given the opportunity to lead the Merkle MENA business and the dentsu CXM service line. My focus will be on delivering growth and maturity through new business support and existing client engagement, providing a total customer experience, underpinned by a strong data foundation, proof in performance media execution and highlighting the value of CRM strategies for nurture. We now have a strong management team in place to deliver against these goals as we support existing and new brands on their customer experience transformation journeys, and I am excited for what the future holds.”

Tarek Daouk, CEO of Dentsu MENA said: “I am delighted to appoint Vimal to lead the Merkle MENA operation and continue the business’s achievements, leading the next phase of Merkle’s evolution by further developing and scaling the company’s market-leading capabilities.“

Beth Williams, newly appointed head of Performance Media at Merkle MENA, has been in the Merkle business for eight years, gaining market experience in Europe, APAC and now MENA. Beth has a huge depth of experience across Ad Tech platforms, as well as building additional service lines for Merkle MENA in Feed Management. Beth will now take on the role of overseeing our growing Performance Team in Dubai and Lebanon, as well as being involved in our top tier clients, ensuring we continue to drive our clients’ maturity and our teams’ capabilities forward.

Merkle MENA’s team of 34 people work across some of the most prestigious brands in the region, catering to different service lines and industry verticals. These service lines will now be led by a strong management team with Beth Williams in her new capacity as head of performance, Leon Molenkamp leading Marketing Solutions, Roshan Mall as director of Analytics and Laura Gleadhill, commercial lead for Performance.