Fadi Yaish is expected to take over as executive creative director of FP7 Dubai following restructuring of parent company MCN’s senior management.
Currently creative director of FP7 Bahrain, Yaish will replace Daniel Georr, who will become FP7’s chief creative officer for the region. MCN would not confirm the appointment, but it is understood that negotiations between Yaish and FP7’s senior management are in the final stages.
Last month MCN restructured its senior management following a strategic review of the holding group’s entire business. Each agency within the group – which includes FP7, Lowe, Weber Shandwick, UM, Innovations and Promoseven 360/MRM/Healthcare – is now headed up by a regional CEO, with Tarek Miknas, formerly growth officer at Lowe MENA, named CEO of the FP7 Group. Other senior promotions included the appointment of Mohamad Haidar as chief operating officer of MCN, and Mounir Harfouche as CEO of Lowe MENA.
At the time of the restructure, Fadi Salameh, president and CEO of MCN, said: “It’s time for the next generation to be empowered to make the leap into the future for MCN. I believe we need to focus on the product, incorporate digital across the board and capitalise on new opportunities that will fast-forward the entire group into a best-practice advertising and marketing communications solutions powerhouse.”
Yaish was previously creative director of FP7 Doha, which was infamously stripped of its Dubai Lynx agency of the year title in 2009.
Wow!
FP7 just doesn’t learn its lesson does it? So, you believe that 2 years is a sufficient amount of time to erase the insurmountable damage done to our region. Many of the judges don’t take our region seriously, because of the Lynx scandal and you reward Yaish by promoting him to ECD. What a joke.
This just goes to show you that despite the restructuring of FP7, they will still not prevail because they choose not to make the hard decisions.
Good luck, you’re gonna need it.
This is a joke right?! the copy paste guy responsible for the Dubai lynx MCN gawabanga is coming to Dubai! LOLLLLLLLLL
let’s hope he left the copy paste habit back in Qatar or Bahrain.
Tarek Meknas, are you sure you want this guy in your team!?
A year in purgatory and then he’s back leading the Dubai office after the shame he caused FP7 as well as our region in general?
Hiring standards at MCN don’t seem to be too high.
@hala,thecopyranter,you’re kidding
FP7 bahrain and fadi yaish just won 5 Effie’s for Batelco making it agency/netwrok/client of the year in Effie 2010.
they are running the INFINITY campaign on facebook, the most innovative creative campaign posted as top story on shots and most contagious on contagious…etc
he moved forward leaving you behind and you are still busy digging the past while over rating it. if you could save your energy to create similar campaigns i think you could do better to your self. YOU must be kidding!
guys whoever u are who have commented above clearly were not present at the EFFIES or may be u guys were not invited because probably u guys didn’t even ahve a single entry and were busy commenting on articles.
So just to let u know that Fadi’s fp7 bahrain was the most awarded agency there. So guys please save urself the time, stop commenting and start working because he’s going to come back and come back hard.
It is not because of people like Yaish, but because of arm-chair commentators that the state of our region’s advertising is what it is. I too was there at the EFFIES on Thursday night and every single person in attendance including myself, couldn’t help but applaud the man’s efforts.
I believe if all of us got out of our Ivory Towers and start working towards bigger, better ideas it will help our region much more than making comments, towards those who are at least trying.
Sorry don’t rate the EFFIES and really Yaish made us all look bad…..
Lets see what’s install for FP7 in the future, maybe the man has changed, who knows. Time will tell, at least the jurors, at any award shows that matter, will be on the look out at anything with his name on, and FP7 will do wise to tread carefully. Good luck Tarek.
let’s see how things would unfold. and Bert go clean fadi’s mess by good work, what a pathetic statement. I think some people fear fadi coming to dubai, because he can strip them naked with great work that makes most of talents looks lazy and not good enough. that is the ultimate truth.
and it started in the effies already they stole the show AGAIN.
get real, all agencies do proactive and we all know that for sure, let’s not play the “we-all-innocent-angels” role and he is the only “devil” in the region. what a superficial view.
MM – Fear…. dont think so, welcome good people and welcome great work that’s how we get better! only time will tell
tell me, you dont happen to make his coffee do??? touched a nerve ??
@hala walla
are you for real!!! really this is what we do the best in ME if we see some one reaching the top we would not settle before we drag him down, only then we would be happy cause him reaching the top menas we are not doing what we have to do.
Fadi Yaish, won 2 gold in cannes and silver in same year, 36 shortlist in cannes world record up to date. won 2007 agency of the year with saatchi&saacthi and a grand prix same year. won second agency of the year in 2008 lynx. then won agency of the year and was stripped. then won EFFIE agency,network,client of the year in 2010, won in all the big shows…….etc, and then you think he needs to copy and paste. why do we have to do this, I dont understand!
I’m not so sure how Fadi has made you all look bad???? what !!!!!????do you work with him, or how are you associated with this guy in any way!!! please spare me , your comments wreak of jealousy or maybe you actually work at mcn and had your eyes all shiny over the new position .boo hooo…. The first Arab to make a change in this region by far , WE all know how this works specially the judges …for all you low life no names brought to this region after falling out the european wagon , who couldn’t and would never make it in your market thought you can come to the arab world and flash some stinky ideas that MIGHT work ooops you can’t make it here too !!!!! You stumble over Fadi YAish …… good luck to you
On a serious note, I know that several people in Bahrain had to leave the agency after Fadi joined due to his salary/package.
While we should all not jump to judge, no one should have been put out simply to accomodate someone who was supposedly fired and then reinstated. If anyone has done wrong, it is MCN. But with their track record, this is not a big surprise.
Here we go again – the european band wagon and all that… you couldn’t make it thier so you move here oh please get over yourself. Work is work doesnt matter where you go Canada, UK, France – the Arab world. If your good your good if your not but your loud you get promoted
BTW – i too am from the Arab world who studied in the US, we are not all like ARABI thankfully…. oh i actually like Fadi’s work
@Mike
hey im actually half british who worked in this region for a long time unfortunately we still have mediocre work that comes from abroad and are looked up to just because of there race !!!! Thats in term of individuals and not the work i agree but still i don’t think that any foreigner who has made it back home would ever think to come and work here , except for financial reasons and thats VERY rare …. I know cause i recruit 🙂
Yaish is one of the few who put Dubai on the map. He went to Qatar and he didn’t just put an office but a whole country on the map and playing solo. then moved to bahrain and did it again for bahrain in EFFIE. so come on give the guy a break.
He did not stand in any body’s way of winning as COPYRANTER expressed. the region have won again and again every year, not as big as he always did, but we won as we always did also. so sir you have no argument and this guy is taking us always by a surprise. hats off
@Mike: I couldn’t agree more! I am one of those Europeans who fell off the bandwagon and can’t get a job in my own market so had to ‘make do’ with living tax free in a sunny country with a beach… I have to say that regardless of how the region is perceived back home, the chances of it competing with the creative standards of the best regions in the world are greatly increased by having people like Fadi Yaish around – besides being creatively conceived and directed, there is an ambition about his work – the latest Batelco stuff is testament to that… so good luck to him and everyone else trying to move things forward.
@Shaun
I totally agree
@ Mohammed, you are not good in lying, make a better one!!!
FP7 is shooting themselves in the foot
What a pity. It seems that FP7 like Executive Creative Copiers not Directors…
Really funny
@Mohammed
Sorry but i used to work at Bahrain office and not many people had to leave the office bec. of Fadi’s salary !!!!! Pls people get ur facts right !!! it was cause of the financial crises just in case u didn’t hear of it !!Don’t just say things bec u have to say them …..
@ ISSAM HABIB
PLEASE…..what’s funny, your comment i guess because it doesn’t mean anything.Why do you say copiers sorry couldn’t get it , the work was stopped NOT because it was a copy it was stopped because it lacked client approval !!!SEE THE DIFFERENCE ..oh and by the way just love the ” shooting in the foot” cliche …you sound like someone working for FP7
Well if ever there is a case of “in the face of adversity” then this will surely be one of it .
At the end of the day , he will always be known for the transgression that he did but I guess you could either keep on slagging the guy off and actually be WOW’ed by some of the award winning stuff he is continuing to pump out for his clients.
Its great to see such strength coming from within the region because irrespective of race and culture it helps the market develop its own identity which is what we should all be striving to do irrespective of who we come from. I find it absurd that people are having a dig at each other about foreigners and their contribution to the industry when it is a fact that a collaboration between various cultures is essential for everything to succeed.
@ARABI
so as a recruiter you couldnt make it ‘back home’ then came out to the Arab world??? stick to what you know and find people jobs….
@Zaid @FAMILYBUCKET
Agree with everything you both said
I have to say this because am hearing it left right and center and this is what is causing all this fuss here.
THE FACT IS that few agencies who though it will be an easy win again to be top 3 agencies (agency of the year) in upcoming shows like lynx, BUT Fadi coming back in the picture is a big threat for them now, and specially for these lazy Creactive Directors in most agencies who performance like Fadi’s in EFFIE strip them naked in front of their agency and client. this guy is making ripples as he moves and breaking new grounds continuously, am not sure that would be satisfying for everyone knowing human nature, and people in the top naturally makes more enemies as we all know, so being talked about that much can says that much.
on other hand some agencies and CDs are freaking out as most talented people might move in with Fadi in Dubai, everyone knows people who work with this guys would make great work.
I mean come on, he could still put him self together against what happened and against or the silly comments and accusations here and do it all over again. speechless. it is just astonishing.
what did he do guys, did he kill someone or ruined a country, come on, move on, it is just advertising, and awards of creativity that he does the best. people ruined countries and nations and it has been forgotten and you are still hanging on to this. don’t be blind by your hate and jealousy.
we have been all around, and we all know THAT EVERY AGENCY Do what you call it proactive or scan or ghost, right? right. the fact that they did not get caught that doesn’t not mean they are not doing it or they are better. come on guys be true to your self. do you really believe he is the ONLY ONE who would do it. Tham Kai Meng the president of jury that year is was stripped of a scam grand prix in cannes previously and he moved on to be president of jury. and many other Eric vervrogen who had the Amnesty scam scandal in cannes the same year he was a jury in cannes and many many many others. but do they do like what you are doing against each other in this region of full fledged back stabbing . NO THEY DON’T.
so lets get real and look around us first and move forward and put our energy in doing great work rather than gossip.
@Lara: You must work for FADI YAISH or you are FADI YAISH. Everyone knows that this guy does everything for his self glory and nothing else. He does work behind clients back just so he can win awards!! Good luck Dubai FP7!!! Hope you dont close down soon…Hahahahahaha
Let’s see, what did he do?
– Release and ad with a half naked school teacher for Samsung.
– release an ad with a pig in it.
And both of them in a conservative newspaper – thats how he got caught.
Of course Samsung was so damn happy and only took a million dollars in compensation….
Then we come to the issue of the copy paste ads…. for aramex, nissan, etc etc.
Yes, Yes. Fadi is great for the region. He is the next Van Gogh… But know this… A lot of FP7 clients saw what happened and have decided to take their work elsewhere….
Only fools hire a thief to guard their safe…
Love the work this man does. Makes us look so much more focussed on delivering results.
“No body does it better. Makes me feel sad for the rest.”
I worked with this man for a year and I’m very much aware of the truthfulness of what I’m saying;
Fadi is the only creative director who understood the reality of the advertising business in the Middl East. This reality that is not different than the political rarity of this region.
He knows how to make the armchair guys feel full of themselves. He also knows how to be the most “professionally” savage persecutor and slavery manager to his subordinates!
He has a nearly open budget to hire with double-average salaries. He fishes the young and creative from every source he can – mainly internet and award contests. Then he uses them and abuses them on and on till he squeezes the last bit of positiveness they had. After that he lets them make the decision of quitting by themselves. Then the loop of hiring new victims starts again.
This is the way he harvested and still harvests his awards. And he has a green light from his funders to do so.
If you don’t mind inferiority, slavery, persecution, abuse and literally kissing feet, and if you have load of creative ideas which you can leak one by one over a period of time of 1 or 2 years while pretending that they are new ideas, then apply for work with this man. If not, forget about it and live your life in peace.
IMO, awards in the Middle East aren’t worth such experience.
@Lara. I think everyone knows that you are Fadi Yaish talking, under someone elses name. You are not as good as you think you are Fadi. You have lots of money to hire the most talented youth, and then you claim all the awards for their hard work. IMO get a life.
@sam
there definitely is some grain of truth to what mohammed had claimed.
Indeed, heads have just rolled at fp7 dubai as of yesterday.
The fourth reich has definitely begun.
@Fadi (not Yaish)
You are so right. Guess what has happened in FP7 last week?
Fadi Yaish took aside the whole creative team and told them that “from this day forth they would work from 9am to 10pm daily” and it was mandatory.
1 person resigned on the spot and 2 others said they wouldn’t and they were asked to leave.
I heard the new timings were 9 till midnight!!! What’s next I wonder, will FP7 decalre martial law? Will Fadi Yaish invade Poland?
Doesn’t anyone motivate their people anymore? Why do the new generation of managers think fear and oppression is the only way to get the best results out of their people. Complete idiocy and the quickest route to failure for sure. Complete fail.
lara “THE FACT IS that few agencies who though it will be an easy win again to be top 3 agencies (agency of the year) in upcoming shows like lynx,”
the lynx are regional so he could have entered last year.
Who cares about the EFFIE anyway.
I heard he has already had to withdraw work from the 2011 Dubai Lynx.
I’ve worked with him indirectly before and he is a cool guy and passionate, but he did cost the agency we were at a lot of money in lawsuits and embarrassment.
I look fwd to the entertainment. Time will tell and you know what they say about Cheetah’s.
All I will say is the spelling and punctuation on these blogs is terrible. We’re all talking about standards here in the UAE but what I see is poor. If you’re going to make a well thought out point then do yourself justice and do it correctly.
Nice one research _girl. Couldn’t agree more.