CAMPAIGN DIGITAL FACES TO WATCH 2019 – AFAF ZAHER, 29, SENIOR EXECUTIVE, OMD UAE

Nominated by Terry Mo, director of performance, OMD
“Over her past few years with Omnicom, Afaf has become one of our key e-commerce specialists. She managed
some of the first advertisers in the region to use Google Shopping and keyword-level data-driven attribution, both initiatives that generated clear incremental revenue for her clients. Afaf’s audience- and data-driven approach to performance, married to her passion for luxury retail, has generated around 40 per cent to 60 per cent growth in performance billings for her key clients. In 2018 she was awarded OMD’s Extra Mile award for her outstanding and tireless contributions to her team and client. She is definitely one to watch.”

Career path
“I started my career in the performance team in July 2015, working on FMCG, automotive and finance. Based on my performance, I was assigned to LVMH to assist with e-commerce launches. I have continued to learn and challenge existing paradigms, driving early adoption of betas and tests that help maximise revenue across channels. I was promoted to senior executive in December 2017 and am now mentoring fresh recruits, among other responsibilities. In 2017, I was awarded OMD’s quarterly employee achievement award twice, and in 2018 I was awarded the annual Extra Mile award for my contributions.”

Guiding principles
I believe that making mistakes is the best way to learn. So one thing that I would pass on to someone
new to the industry is the importance of having a good mentor who lets you make these mistakes and
learn from them. Another thing that has helped me is prioritisation of work-flow and learning to focus
efforts on what’s truly important. It’s essential to look at the larger picture while working on the
granular detail of performance accounts, in order to not lose sight of the overall vision for the client.