Grey Group has announced Ali Shabaz, chief creative officer for Southeast Asia, will be joining as chief creative officer for Grey Middle East. He will be based in Dubai and will report to Nirvik Singh, chairman and CEO, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, said Grey in a statement.
He will be replacing Mike Shackle, who had only been in the role since August 2015. Shackle had previously been at Gyro London. Last year he told Campaign: “I’ve never wanted to be just as good as the other agencies in whatever country we’re in. I want to do work that’s world class.” Shackle has already left, “to pursue other interests,” according to Grey.
As one of Asia’s most awarded creative directors with over 20 years of experience, Shabaz has played a major role in lifting the creative profile of Grey since joining them from JWT in 2010, says the agency. In the last seven years, his work has won more than 30 awards at Cannes, Webbys, FWA Awards, D&AD, Effies, AMEs, Spikes (3 Grands Prix), and One Show. He has sat on numerous jury panels including Cannes (Design, Press, and Outdoor), D&AD, Spikes, Adfest, and Facebook Awards.
“Ali’s strength lies in guiding brands to success in the digital, mobile, social and shopper marketing space,” says Grey’s statement. “Grey Group Singapore has been ranked among the top two creative agencies for the last three years and under his leadership they were the most awarded agency in Singapore at Cannes Lions 2015, and credited with winning the first-ever Innovation and Product Design Lions, for Singapore. The agency also scooped the Digital Agency of The Year and the Creative Agency of the Year accolades at the Singapore Creative Circle Awards, 2015.”
Singh said: “Ali is highly experienced and has tackled creative work across numerous industries and geographies. Under his leadership in the Middle East we are looking to further bolster our creative output and Ali will play an instrumental role in this process. I am confident he will bring the same dedication, vast knowledge and experience to his new role.”
“It was truly an honour to be leading the creatives across Southeast Asia and working with some of the most talented people in the industry. I am excited about taking on the new role and creating brand experiences for our clients in the Middle East region”, said Shabaz.