Campaign Middle East’s Brand Faces to Watch 2026 issue is now out online. The August issue also includes Cannes Lions 2026 coverage, a deep dive into the business case for ESG.
The Brand Faces to Watch list for 2026 introduces young brand-side professionals aged 30 and under who are shaping the future of marketing, communications, digital and social media of the future.
This month’s cover feature reports from Cannes Lions 2026, where conversations moved beyond AI and technology to focus on conviction, creativity, commercial accountability and human-centred marketing.
Drawing on interviews and sessions from across the festival, the feature explores why industry leaders are calling for brands to move from volume to value, treat creators as long-term partners rather than rented reach, and build work that people genuinely want to welcome into their lives.
Those featured in the piece include Simon Cook, Chief Executive of LIONS; Sir John Hegarty; Marcel Marcondes, Global Chief Marketing Officer at AB InBev; Leandro Barreto, Chief Marketing Officer of Unilever Beauty & Well-Being; Susan Credle; Oprah Winfrey; Eddy Cue; Priyanka Chopra Jonas; Joon Silverstein; Mark Ritson; Byron Sharp; Andrew Choi and Adam W.
Bringing in more insights from a Cannes, this month’s issue also sees a roundtable of marketing leaders who explain why thought leadership must hold licence, be grounded in human tension, and be held accountable to moving the needle even in the age of AI.
Attendees at the roundtable include Khaled AlShehhi from the UAE Government Media Office; Passant El Ghannam from Kraft Heinz; Muhannad Kadi from King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre; Mashal Shahbik from Qatar Foundation; Akanksha Goel from We Are Social; Ghassan Kassabji from IMPACT BBDO; Diego Florez from Core42; Jason Murison from DAMAC Properties; Amit Nayak and Phil Robinson from Bloomberg Media.
The Cannes coverage also includes special insights into the festival from attendees. Dana Tahir shares her experience as the first Arab woman jury president at the festival. While FP7 McCann’s Tarek Miknas, Impact BBDO’s Ali Rez and LEO UAE’s Aakriti Goel all weigh in with their own individual experiences at the Croisette. Adding a regional perspective, WPP Media’s Mark Hamilton shares lessons from the festival for the Kingdom’s global brand, while Hani S. Al Sulaimani, Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Mobily, explores why strong brands in Saudi Arabia are no longer built through messaging alone, but through clear storytelling, consistent experiences and earned trust.
The issue also explores one of the most discussed themes: ESG.vKicking off with the Environment, BEAAH’s Chief Brand & Strategy Officer, Firas Wahbeh shares tells the story of how BEEAH became a brand synonymous with sustainability and the future.
While in our themed feature of the month, marketers and business leaders share with Campaign Middle East why governance is the hardest working word in ‘ESG’.
This month’s Industry Forum asks whether back-to-school campaigns have become too reliant on discounts and product-led messaging rather than building emotional connections with audiences. The answers are mixed, but marketing and agency leaders from the region agree on the need to balance commercial performance with storytelling that extends beyond the retail season.
Read the complete Brand Faces to Watch 2026 issue here: