Marc Lineveldt has officially taken over as executive creative director of TBWA\Raad.
Lineveldt, who returns to the region after almost three years in the US, takes on the position left vacant by the departure of Martin Lever last summer. During the interim period the role of ECD had been handled by Nirmal Diwadkar, the agency’s regional creative director.
Previously regional creative director for the Middle East and North Africa at Saatchi & Saatchi, Lineveldt moves back to Dubai from Atlanta, where he had held the position of executive creative director at Fitzgerald & Co.
Reda Raad, chief operating officer at TBWA\Raad said: “We are incredibly fortunate to have an accomplished creative leader in Marc, who has a proven track record of success in running creative departments all over the world. There is a sense of excitement and energy in the agency about 2014 and what Marc’s creative leadership will bring to the agency and the team.”
Lineveldt, who parted company with Saatchi & Saatchi in March 2011 for unknown reasons, added: “Over the last 13 years, TBWA\Raad has undeniably shaped itself into a leading creative agency in the region through award-winning work. The chance to lead the team tasked with growing that success and at such an important time in the UAE’s history is a great honour.”
TBWA\Raad will be hoping Lineveldt helps improve the agency’s disappointing recent creative track record. In the past he has won a number of international awards, including gongs at Cannes, D&AD, The One Show, The Loeries and the Dubai Lynx.
Lever quit the region in August last year and relocated to Hong Kong, where he took on the role of global creative director on the Cathay Pacific business at McCann Erickson. Speaking at the time, Ramzi Raad, chairman and CEO at TBWA\Raad, said: “Martin’s strong creative leadership skills and work ethics will certainly be missed, while Cathay will be getting a world class creative talent.”