Top regional advertising group ramps up staff training programs

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Updated 06 September 2024
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Top regional advertising group ramps up staff training programs

  • Focus on skills, says Ricarda Ruecker of Middle East Communications Network
  • Firm’s academy has begun collaboration with Harvard Business School Online

DUBAI: Regional advertising group Middle East Communications Network is ramping up efforts to train staff with a new platform, collaborations and programs.

The firm’s MCN Academy is “designed to advance professional and personal progression at all career stages for our people,” said Ricarda Ruecker, chief talent officer of MCN Middle East, North Africa and Turkiye, during a recent interview.

In the past, the academy has collaborated with partners including the Berlin School of Creative Leadership.

In addition, it has held an MCN AI Week, which had experts provide workshops, training and talks for all employees, she told Arab News.

Although the academy has existed for nearly 10 years, the network has “relaunched and revamped the platform with upgraded, tailored programs and new partnerships,” she added.

In June, MCN Academy announced a dedicated Harvard Business School Online learning collaboration including two programs for mid-management and executive leader talents.

The two-month-long programs focus on areas including leadership in change and innovation and “designing and delivering unique value to teams and clients,” Ruecker said.

The partnership will be continued in 2025 with “further strategic programs” as well as other “high-profile collaborations,” she added.

The academy will focus on three areas in the next two years: leadership development at all career stages, generative AI, and emotionally intelligent and inclusive leadership.

Ruecker said that these three “strategically important areas” are equally relevant to all 15 MCN agencies. This includes creative agencies FP7 McCann and MullenLowe MENA, media agencies UM and Initiative, and public relations agencies including Weber Shandwick.

Moreover, MCN Academy’s focus on these areas will complement the individual agencies’ efforts in “providing upskilling and knowledge in functional areas and technical skills,” she added.

Ruecker explained that development of talent at all career stages is crucial for the network, whether it is training the next generation of talent or upskilling its top leaders.

Referring to the third area, she said: “We believe that behavioral skills are critical in successfully leading high-performing teams and bringing out the best and unique skillsets of our teams.”

For MCN, it is important to not only form large-scale partnerships at the parent company level but also “ensure our people in market feel empowered and well equipped to integrate AI tools into day-to-day projects,” Ruecker explained.

The fast-paced nature of the AI sector has driven the need for MCN Academy to focus on it in the past and continue to do so as part of its longer-term program.

Critics often question the threat AI may pose to human talent, but Ruecker said that AI should be “the partner, enhancer and facilitator for our industry”.

“With the correct guardrails and usage, it opens the door to not only change the way we work, collaborate and create but also shape the future of our workforce with new skills and opportunities for our talent,” she added.

Ruecker’s views on generative AI are seemingly supported by data of its adoption as a crucial investment for businesses. According to a 2024 McKinsey report, 65 percent of respondents said that their organizations are regularly using generative AI.

The same report found that AI adoption has seen a massive surge this year jumping to 72 percent compared to 55 percent last year.

 


Arab News Japan honored with Chief of Mission Award by Japan Consulate in Dubai

Updated 13 November 2024
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Arab News Japan honored with Chief of Mission Award by Japan Consulate in Dubai

  • Speaking specifically about Arab News Japan, the Consul-General commended the platform for its work

DUBAI: The consul general of Japan in Dubai, Jun Imanishi, recently hosted a Chief of Mission Award ceremony, during which Arab News Japan was recognized for its efforts in strengthening ties between Japan and the UAE.

The ceremony, held at the consul’s residence, highlighted Arab News Japan’s role in bridging cultural and business relationships between the Gulf Cooperation Council region and Japan.

Imanishi explained that the Chief of Mission Award is granted to individuals and organizations that contribute to fostering mutual understanding and friendship between Japan, the UAE, and Dubai.

Others honored included Yamanote Atelier founder Sheikh Suhail Al-Maktoum and freelance journalist Amin Abbas. 

The consul general said his motto regarding diplomacy is that it is all about people-to-people relations. “People need to support each other.”

He continued by acknowledging the collective efforts that contributed to strengthening bilateral ties: “Sheikh Suhail, the Yamanote supporting team, the raw material supplier in Japan, Amin (Abbas), the Arab News team, editors, interpreters, and many others have been involved in raising the level of relations between Japan, the UAE, and Dubai.” 

Speaking specifically about Arab News Japan, the consul general commended the platform for its work: “It has shown and brought the region closer to Japan in terms of mutual understanding. 

“We sincerely hope that Yamanote, through people’s stomachs, and Arab News Japan, through words and photos on social media, will contribute to build the bridge between our two countries,” he said. 

During the ceremony, Arab News Editor-in-Chief Faisal J. Abbas expressed gratitude for the honor bestowed by the consul general. “Our mission is to bridge the gap between the Middle East and the Far East,” Abbas said. 

“In all our international editions, be it in our Japanese edition, in our Pakistan edition, in our French edition and hopefully in our upcoming editions, we make sure it is not merely translation; we make sure that we adopt part of the culture and look for that cultural aspect that brings us together,” Abbas told guests. 

He said that while the region is currently going through conflict, it is important to remember Japan. 

“Japan is inspirational, because we should not forget that not a long time ago, this country was completely destroyed after the Second World War, yet look where it is today,” he said. “If I would like to leave you with one thought it’s that the night is darkest just before the dawn, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

“If we look at Japan, we should be very inspired and hope to rebuild our region to be like Japan,” he added. 

Abbas also acknowledged the contributions of Arab News Japan’s regional head, Ali Itani, for his efforts in developing the news platform.

“The team and I are humbled to be recognized for our role in bringing Japan and the Arab world closer through direct communication,” Itani said.


IMI media group rebrands with new name, logo and strategic shift

Updated 12 November 2024
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IMI media group rebrands with new name, logo and strategic shift

  • Group CEO Rani R. Raad says rebranding is a ‘monumental milestone’

LONDON: The media group formerly known as International Media Investments has rebranded itself as “IMI” as part of an ongoing overhaul that includes a new logo and a refocused brand identity, the company announced on Tuesday.

The UAE-based company, which owns news outlets including Sky News Arabia, The National, Al-Ain News, and CNN Business Arabic, said the rebranding reflects its commitment to “connect people, enrich lives, and foster greater understanding.”

The media conglomerate, a subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Media Investment Corporation, also operates IMI Studios and IMI Live, as well as an investment division, IMI Ventures.

IMI’s CEO Rani R. Raad, who is also president and operating partner of Redbird IMI, described the rebranding as a “monumental milestone” that aligns with its broader ambitions in media.

“It is not just about aesthetics; it embodies a forward-looking mindset as we prepare to move to our new state-of-the-art headquarters on Yas Island,” he said.

The media group said that its rebranding highlights the “power of connection,” aiming to reinforce IMI’s “commitment to creating content and telling stories that connect people, enrich lives, and foster greater understanding”.

The company added that the new logo encapsulates IMI’s expanding portfolio and more accurately reflects “IMI’s long-term goal of reshaping the media landscape to bridge gaps.”

IMI, which is associated with Abu Dhabi royal Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, has been in the headlines recently over its December 2023 acquisition of the UK’s Telegraph Group, including The Daily Telegraph and The Spectator.

However, the British government blocked the purchase, citing a law restricting media ownership by interests linked to foreign governments. IMI was subsequently required to divest the assets.


Moroccan court sentences journalist to 18 months in jail for defamation

Updated 11 November 2024
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Moroccan court sentences journalist to 18 months in jail for defamation

  • Hamid Mahdaoui was also fined $150,000 for allegedly defaming the justice minister

RABAT: Moroccan journalist Hamid Mahdaoui said he was sentenced on Monday to 18 months in prison on a charge of defamation against justice minister Abdellatif Ouahbi.
Mahdaoui, who is also editor-in-chief of news website Badil.info and an outspoken critic of government policies, was also fined 1.5 million dirhams ($150,000) by the court of first instance in Rabat.
Mahdaoui was sued after he accused Ouahbi of fraud, among other allegations, in a video on his website. Ouahbi has denied the accusations.
“I am innocent … I did not expect this prison sentence,” Mahdaoui told Reuters, adding that he was still undecided whether to appeal against the verdict to a higher court.
“I already presented all my arguments in my defense at court,” he said.
The justice minister was not immediately available for comment after the verdict.
Mahdaoui was sentenced under the penal code, instead of the press code which does not include jail terms, said Khadija Riadi of the Moroccan human rights group AMDH.
Mahdaoui was released in July 2020, after spending three years in jail on the charge of not reporting a crime against state security.


Jailed Swedish-Eritrean journalist wins rights prize

Updated 11 November 2024
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Jailed Swedish-Eritrean journalist wins rights prize

  • Dawit Isaak has been held incommunicado without charge in Eritrea for more than 23 years

STOCKHOLM: A Swedish-Eritrean journalist held incommunicado without charge in Eritrea for more than 23 years won a Swedish rights prize on Monday for his fight for freedom of expression, the jury said.
Dawit Isaak was among a group of around two dozen people, including senior cabinet ministers, members of parliament and independent journalists, who were seized in a purge in September 2001.
He was awarded the Edelstam Prize “for his outstanding contribution and exceptional courage in standing up for freedom of expression, one’s beliefs, and in the defense of human rights,” the Edelstam Foundation said in a statement.
Amnesty International considers Isaak a prisoner of conscience, and press freedom group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says he and his colleagues detained at the same time are the longest-held journalists in the world.
UN rights experts have demanded Asmara immediately release him.
Eritrea has provided no news about him, and there are fears he may no longer even be alive. He would be 60 years old.
His daughter Betlehem Isaak will accept the award on his behalf in Stockholm on November 19.
Isaak fled to Sweden in 1987 during Eritrea’s struggle against Ethiopia which eventually led to independence in 1993.
After obtaining Swedish citizenship, he returned to Eritrea in 2001 to help shape the media landscape, and co-founded Setit, the country’s first independent newspaper.
He was arrested shortly after the paper published articles demanding political reforms.
Asmara has not provided any information about his whereabouts or health over the years, which UN experts in 2021 deemed “extremely concerning.”
But they said a credible source had indicated Isaak was still alive in September 2020.
The Edelstam Prize is awarded in memory of Swedish diplomat Harald Edelstam, who as ambassador to Chile at the time of Augusto Pinochet’s 1973 military coup granted thousands of Chileans and other Latin Americans safe conduct to, and political asylum in, Sweden.


Arab News celebrates double win at WAN-IFRA Asian Media Awards 2024

Updated 11 November 2024
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Arab News celebrates double win at WAN-IFRA Asian Media Awards 2024

  • ‘Why Riyadh? Saudi Arabia’s Expo 2030’ scooped the top prize for Best Newspaper Infographic while ‘The Fast Track to Makkah’ won Best Newspaper Infographic

LONDON: Arab News marked a double win at the prestigious Asian Media Awards 2024, organized by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers, also known as WAN-IFRA.

The Riyadh-based newspaper won top honors for Best Newspaper Front Page Design and Best Newspaper Infographics at the highly competitive event, which featured 251 entries from 42 media organizations across 13 countries.

Arab News secured the Best Newspaper Front Page Design award for its feature, “Why Riyadh? Saudi Arabia’s Expo 2030,” a special issue dedicated to Riyadh’s successful bid to host the World Expo in 2030.

The Best Newspaper Infographic award went to “The Fast Track to Makkah,” showcasing a detailed infographic on the Haramain high-speed rail and Mashaer train, which connects the holy cities of Madinah and Makkah. This graphic was a centerpiece of Arab News’ special Hajj 2023 coverage, lauded for its clarity and creativity in explaining the Kingdom’s 450-km rail network.

WAN-IFRA, founded in 1948 as the Federation Internationale des Editeurs de Journaux et Publications, represents over 18,000 publications globally, promoting publishing standards in design, infographics, editorial, marketing, community service, and photojournalism.

Now in its 23rd year, the awards ceremony took place at Mount Faber Peak, Singapore, with other leading participants including SPH Media, South China Morning Post, Japan Times, and Kumparan.

With these new accolades, Arab News has now won 145 awards under the leadership of Editor-in-Chief Faisal J. Abbas, who has steered the publication’s transformation to a digital-first platform since 2016.

Past recognition encompasses a range of special projects, including multiple international awards for “Saudi’s Animal Kingdom,” “The Kingdom vs. Captagon” deep dive, and the “FIFA Qatar World Cup 2022” special edition.

For more information about Arab News and its award-winning projects, visit arabnews.com/greatesthits.