Philippe Berthelot has been appointed as the new Managing Director (MD) of Grey Dubai, effective 1st May 2021.
He joins from entourage Middle East, where, as MD, he oversaw the integration of their marketing solutions and the global development of EVE, the first 3D virtual events platform in the region.
Working closely with Nirvik Singh, Global COO, President- International, Grey Group, he will be responsible for deepening Grey Dubai’s creative & digital offerings and for implementing a more agile business model to deliver effective & innovative solutions and growth for clients. He will also collaborate with Grey’s other studios to serve all client’ needs.
Berthelot comes with more than 20 years of industry experience working for international networks like DDB, BBDO and Ogilvy across multiple regions, such as North America, Europe, and the Middle East. His client experience spans many industries and includes Lipton worldwide, PepsiCo, France 24, Nestle Water, and Clorox, to name a few.
Prior to entourage, from 2018, he spent two years as MD of Ogilvy UAE. Here he led the agency’s transformation towards an integrated model under one leadership and P&L. Under his watch, the agency focused on its digital & social capabilities, which led to award-winning campaigns for KFC, IKEA and Expo 2020 Dubai.
Berthelot began his advertising career in 1996 with DDB working on the Hasbro and Clorox accounts in their Paris and San Francisco offices.
He joined Publicis Group’s creative shop -Marcel Paris, in 2006. As MD, he was responsible for managing all global clients, including Nestle Water and Pernod Ricard’s key global brands -Stolichnaya and Ballantine’s.
In 2008, as Global Account Director, he worked out of the DDB London & Paris offices to run the Lipton worldwide account, which included Lipton IceTea – a PepsiCo & Unilever joint venture.
Berthelot moved to Impact BBDO Dubai in 2012 for six years, where he was in charge of the PepsiCo account. He spearheaded the double-digit growth for Lays/Chipsy and also launched Sting energy drink -which became a market leader within a year. During his tenure as General Manager, the agency won multiple awards, including Agency of the Year, Network of the Year, Digital Agency of the Year at Dubai Lynx and Digital MENA Awards in 2016 & 2017 and runner-up at the 2016 Effies.
“Philippe brings with him a tremendous track record of success as well as deep knowledge and experience across multiple markets. This, along with his expertise in digital & social communications, will serve our clients well. I am confident he will play an important role in further elevating our capabilities and driving new business growth for our clients- we are looking forward to welcoming him to the Grey family,” commented Nirvik Singh.
“Creativity has never been as important as the present in finding business solutions for our clients. I am excited to bring to life Grey’s core values of creativity and effectiveness to develop growth opportunities and long-term value for our clients. Brand communication is my passion, and I look forward to starting this journey with Grey so we can create amazing work together,” said Philippe Berthelot.
