LIGHTBLUE has appointed Gaëlle Moutran as Creative Director and has welcomed back Juraij Ahammed as Senior Design Director, strengthening the agency’s creative leadership as it enters its next phase of growth.
Both join from Jack Morton, where Gaëlle led the adidas account and built a reputation for multi-sensory, experience-led work for global brands.
Juraij returns to LIGHTBLUE five years after his first spell at the agency, bringing significant experience across spatial design and international brands.
Having already worked together at Jack Morton, Moutran and Ahammed bring complementary creative perspectives to LIGHTBLUE. Together, they will lead the agency’s multidisciplinary creative team across the UAE, Saudi Arabia and internationally.
Commenting on the appointments, David Balfour , Co-Founder of LIGHTBLUE , said, “The work is getting bigger, the briefs are more ambitious and the lines between experience, culture, entertainment and technology are disappearing. Our creative leadership needs to match that.”
Balfour added, “When I met Gaëlle, there was an immediate connection. She has huge creative ambition but she also understands that the best work comes from creating the right culture around the people making it. She challenges, she listens and she wants to push things forward. Bringing Juraij back is just as important. He already knows our DNA, but he’s returning with five more years of experience and a fresh perspective. Gaëlle and Juraij know each other bring very different strengths and they’re both ambitious about where we can take the work next.”
Gaëlle Moutran said, “Joining LIGHTBLUE felt like the right next move for me. It’s an agency born in the UAE, with a real understanding of the region and strong relationships across luxury and culture.
Moutran added, I’m excited to build on that alongside a team that’s genuinely curious about the people and places we design for, and to create work that feels relevant to this part of the world. For me, it’s about finding those interesting intersections between local culture and global brands and creating moments that go beyond just another brand experience.”
Juraij Ahammed said, “Coming back to LIGHTBLUE felt like the right choice. There’s a tastefulness to the creative work, a willingness to make bold ideas happen, and an agility in how the team approaches projects of different scales. This way of working feels very aligned with my own.”
He added, “Over the past five years at Jack Morton, I had the opportunity to work across a wide range of projects, which helped me understand the kind of work and ideas I need to pursue as a Senior Design Director, I am excited to continue to build on that here at LIGHTBLUE.”