Marco Bezerra has been named executive creative director of J. Walter Thompson Dubai.
The agency says the hire reflects the office’s ‘client portfolio and global brand-building culture’, with Bezerra filling the position left vacant by the departure of Seyoan Vela early last year.
A Brazilian national, Bezerra was most recently creative director at DM9DDB in São Paulo. He has previously worked for the likes of Tribal DDB Amsterdam, Crispin Porter + Bogusky and TBWA Berlin.
“Marco’s reputation for great creative work has followed him across the globe,” said Matt Eastwood, J. Walter Thompson Company’s chief creative officer. “Whether he’s been in Sweden or Brazil, he has proven himself to be an incredibly adaptive creative leader who can produce work that is both culturally relevant and pioneering. Given that Dubai is a significant international crossroads, it is imperative that we have a true global citizen like Marco guiding our creative product.”
His appointment follows a period of uncertainty at the Dubai operation. The agency was hit by a wave of firings and resignations last year, with executive creative director Seyoan Vela amongst the early casualties. Many more followed, including creative director Michael Fillon and associate creative director Youssef Gadallah. Richard Hol, the agency’s regional creative director, also left, heading to Nomads where he is now executive creative director. The upheaval followed the arrival of Mohammed Sabry, who took over as managing director in January. Chafic Haddad was later appointed to the newly-created post of chief creative operations officer for the MENA region.
“We are thrilled to have Marco join our team of diverse collaborators and add an extra dimension of global excellence to the mix,” said Sabry. “His experience across channels, integrating art with technology into engaging and effective storytelling, will help the agency be future proof as it manages brands seamlessly across a growing number of offers in the group. I am looking forward to partnering with him and building great solutions for our clients’ brands.”