McCann Worldgroup today announced an expanded role for Ghassan Harfouche. Currently Group CEO of the Middle East Communications Network (MCN), McCann Worldgroup’s and Interpublic Group’s partner network in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey, he has been given additional responsibilities as President of McCann Worldgroup Asia Pacific.
Harfouche also will partner closely with Prasoon Joshi, APAC Chairman and CEO & Chief Creative Officer of McCann Worldgroup India, who continues to provide vision and direction to McCann Worldgroup regional leadership.
“Ghassan has demonstrated an impressive ability to drive client growth and creatively effective marketing solutions before and even during the difficult period of the pandemic,” said Bill Kolb, Chairman and CEO of McCann Worldgroup. “What he has accomplished with his team, including expanding our integrated communications offering to clients, has been a key element of how we’ve continued to build our business as we prepare for the era of increased client activity when the pandemic ends. He is a great collaborator who knows how to leverage our culture and capabilities to help our clients achieve success.”
Ghassan Harfouche, who joined MCN in 2011, leads a network in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey that encompasses 14 different Interpublic Group advertising, media and PR agency brands in 15 cities across 13 countries. His experience includes working with many of the agency brands that are part of the core offering of McCann Worldgroup, including FP7 McCann, Commonwealth//McCann, MRM, McCann Health, Momentum, and Weber Shandwick in addition to other IPG media, promotional and ad agency units in that region. The MCN Network has enjoyed tremendous success under his leadership. According to the 2020 Global Effie Index, FP7 McCann Dubai was ranked the most effective individual ad agency in the world and FP7 McCann was nominated as the Most Effective Agency network. Weber Shandwick was named the best agency in the Middle East at PR Week Global Awards and Weber Shandwick UAE was the PRCA’s Large Consultancy of the Year. MCN Mediabrands was recognized as the number one media group in MENAT by RECMA every year since 2017; UM, Initiative and Magna occupied the top three positions on RECMA’s list; and UM was the number one Media Agency network in MENAT by RECMA and number two in the world.
“I consider myself fortunate to be working with the most innovative and creative global marketing network in McCann Worldgroup because they have been the greatest possible partner in building the most successful network of agencies in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey,” said Ghassan Harfouche. “I look forward to seeing our network continue to grow in size and influence.”
Harfouche joins Prasoon Joshi, Chairman of McCann Worldgroup Asia and CEO & CCO of McCann Worldgroup India, who is widely recognised as one of the industry’s most celebrated leaders, in overseeing the APAC region’s operations of 26 offices in 13 markets (including affiliate agencies).
Joshi said, “I look forward to partnering with Ghassan. His experience working with the highly creative and effective agencies we have in the Middle East and North Africa will make him a great and fitting partner in the Asia Pacific region. His deep understanding of integrated marketing solutions will also greatly benefit our clients who are increasingly expanding the ways in which they are connecting with consumers.”
In addition to the news regarding Ghassan, McCann also announced that Alex Lubar, President of McCann Worldgroup Asia Pacific, has been named President of the McCann advertising agency network in North America and Ji Watson, CFO of McCann Worldgroup APAC & Representative Director of McCann Worldgroup Japan, has been named CEO of McCann Worldgroup Japan.
McCann Worldgroup has been consistently recognized globally as among the world’s leading networks both in creativity and effectiveness. McCann Worldgroup was named the 2021 Webby Awards Network of the Year for the second consecutive year. It was ranked by the Global Effie Effectiveness Index as the most Creatively Effective Network three years in a Row (2018, 2019, and 2020) and was named the #1 advertising agency network for creative effectiveness in the 2020 WARC Effective 100 rankings. It has been accorded recent “Global Network of the Year” honors at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and by both Adweek and Campaign magazines.
