McCann Content Studios expands footprint to Saudi Arabia

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Updated 20 May 2025
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McCann Content Studios expands footprint to Saudi Arabia

  • Studio is part of FP7 McCann Riyadh

DUBAI: Middle East Communications Network’s social media and creator-focused practice McCann Content Studios is expanding to Saudi Arabia.

Operating as part of creative network FP7 McCann in Riyadh, the studio aims to meet clients’ requirement for social media-led campaigns and influencer partnerships.

“Our expansion into Saudi Arabia is a strategic step forward — not just in footprint, but in how we partner with brands in a market that continues to lead regional transformation,” Tarek Miknas, CEO of FP7 McCann Middle East, North Africa and Turkiye, told Arab News.

He added: “For us, this is about more than scaling services; it’s about building enduring partnerships rooted in trust, performance and relevance — and ensuring we’re structurally set up to support the ambitions of the Kingdom’s most dynamic brands.”

The studio first launched just over a year ago and has since doubled in size, with operations across Dubai, Cairo and Beirut.

It employs more than 100 people, and its services include strategy, creative, social, influencer marketing, production, community management and performance tracking.

Fahad Mugharbel, social media director of FP7 McCann, will lead the practice from Riyadh. Before joining FP7 McCann in April, he worked at Saudi-based entertainment firm UTURN for more than four years.

The Kingdom is defined by “pace, ambition and evolving expectations,” and clients believe “content must do more,” said Amr El-Kalaawy, regional managing director of FP7 McCann Saudi Arabia.

The move is therefore a “natural next step in our growth — one that reflects both the scale of opportunity and the level of partnership our clients expect,” he added.

Going forward, McCann Content Studios plans to expand its “capabilities in data-led content performance and deepen our creator ecosystem,” El-Kalaawy said.


Bondi Beach attack hero says wanted to protect ‘innocent people’

Updated 30 December 2025
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Bondi Beach attack hero says wanted to protect ‘innocent people’

DUBAI: Bondi Beach shooting hero Ahmed Al Ahmed recalled the moment he ran toward one of the attackers and wrenched his shotgun away, saying the only thing he had in mind was to stop the assailant from “killing more innocent people.” 

Al-Ahmad’s heroism was widely acclaimed in Australia when he tackled and disarmed gunman Sajid Akram who fired at Jewish people attending a Hanukkah event on December 14, killing 15 people and wounding dozens.

“My target was just to take the gun from him, and to stop him from killing a human being’s life and not killing innocent people,” he told CBS News in an interview on Monday.

“I know I saved lots, but I feel sorry for the lost.”

In footage viewed by millions of people, Al Ahmed was seen ducking between parked cars as the shooting unfolded, then wresting a gun from one of the assailants.

He was shot several times in the shoulder as a result and underwent several rounds of surgery.

“I jumped in his back, hit him and … hold him with my right hand and start to say a word like, you know, to warn him, ‘Drop your gun, stop doing what you’re doing’,” Al Ahmed said. 

“I don’t want to see people killed in front of me, I don’t want to see blood, I don’t want to hear his gun, I don’t want to see people screaming and begging, asking for help,” Al Ahmed told the television network.

“That’s my soul asked me to do that, and everything in my heart, and my brain, everything just worked, you know, to manage and to save the people’s life,” he said.

Al Ahmed was at the beach getting a cup of coffee when the shooting occurred.

He is a father of two who emigrated to Australia from Syria in 2007, and works as a fruit seller.  

Local media reported that the Australian government has fast-tracked and granted a number of visas for Al Ahmed’s family following his act of bravery.

“Ahmed has shown the courage and values we want in Australia,” Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said in a statement.

One of the gunmen, Sajid Akram, 50, was shot and killed by police during the attack. An Indian national, he entered Australia on a visa in 1998.

His 24-year-old son Naveed, an Australian-born citizen, remains in custody on charges including terrorism and 15 murders, as well as committing a “terrorist act” and planting a bomb with intent to harm.

(with AFP)