Interview in Arab Ad May 2008

Tell us about yourself Greg.

I have been working in the region for over two years now and head up the GCI Public Relations team in the region. Before that I lived and worked in London at some really great agencies

And what makes GCI so special and unique?

I would say the pace and our offering. GCI MENA is a very young agency compared to others in the region, yet we are handling 25 Major clients with different demands, needs and are capable of delivering on time, this is what gives us the edge over others. We work as one network not individual offices and that’s really important to our clients as we have a great talent pool in the GCI network, not only in the region, but globally.

Although very young, GCI MENA won the GEMAS 2008 Best Use of PR Award. We truly believe in results driven communications, being creative and innovative in our work, we are all digitally minded, which is the next “big thing”, and we all love with what we do…and that’s why clients like working with us.

What is your largest achievement?

I would say the launch of the "Lost Dilmun Water Park" in Bahrain. With only 16 days, we had to create a media trip, plan regional media relations; the team developed a digital media strategy which was to pay off, utilizing all the latest digital tools. The team built its news strategy on targeting not only media but soon to be guests. The team penetrated over 355 blogs, achieved over 1,300 pieces of online coverage and 180 pieces of coverage for the launch event and in just 3 short months after the opening, the park became the leading tourist attraction in the entire Kingdom of Bahrain. It was hard work and great fun.

And what about your newest office, GCI Cairo?

The Cairo is unique, the market is so unpredictable, but I firmly believe that in the coming year PR will come into its own in Egypt as a whole. With more and more investment coming in to the country, their will be a gap in the communications market which we aim to fill. We are not a press release factory – media relations is part of what we do and clients are getting it, that’s why I think Cairo will grow very fast not only in terms of clients, but the team also.


In your opinion, how do you see the future of PR in the Region?

Well, as time passes, PR will be a very powerful tool that will promote and enhance corporations. Integrity, transparency, and credibility are key to approaching business today. If this happens, I am sure the future of PR will go beyond imagination in terms of influence and inspiration.