Havas Life has put down roots in the Middle East. The agency announced this week that its newest office, based in Dubai, will provide healthcare advertising and strategic communications across the Middle East and North Africa region.
Charles Houdoux, CEO of the Asia-Pacific and Latin America regions for Havas Health Network, said in a statement that opening the office reflects a commitment to expanding in regions “where healthcare innovation is thriving—and where our clients are rapidly investing in multi-country growth.” Dany Naaman, CEO, Havas Middle East, named Saudi Arabia, Egypt and UAE as countries with “thriving innovation ecosystems.”
Carlo Nakhle will lead the Havas Life Middle East office as business director. Havas said Nakhle has expertise in managing multinational accounts across therapeutic areas, including diabetes, oncology, COPD, asthma, dermatology and weight management, plus a track record of success working with top pharma companies.
Working out of Dubai, Nakhle and his colleagues at Havas Life Middle East will support strategic brand planning, creative development, digital health innovation, multichannel marketing, patient engagement and disease awareness campaigns.
Havas is aiming to become a key player in the region's healthcare advertising landscape by combining local insights with global expertise. Havas Life is headquartered in New York and already has offices across the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe.
The launch of Havas Life Middle East follows a recent rebranding of an office in London and a broader reshuffling of the health network into three groups. Havas Life, the global health group, now sits alongside digital health unit Havas Lynx and health and wellness business Jacques in the organization.