PRCA MENA announces new chairman

Omar Qirem, Chief Executive Officer of Edelman Middle East, will succeed Loretta Ahmed CEO of Grayling as the head of the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) MENA, the leading PR association for the region.

Upon assuming this role, Omar will also take over from Loretta as the region’s champion at the International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO), the global PR association. Omar will be one of five Regional Presidents at ICCO, led by overall President Elise Mitchell and Chief Executive Francis Ingham. ICCO membership includes over 3,000 PR and communications agencies in 66 countries.

Upon being announced, Omar Qirem said “I am honored to be taking up the role of PRCA MENA Chairman and look forward to continuing the good work of Loretta Ahmed. My personal commitment is to continue to support our members and communication agencies across the Middle East and North Africa to grow and evolve, while contributing to the development of the industry in the region. I’m also relishing the opportunity to be the Middle East Region President for ICCO, ensuring this dynamic part of the world has an active role in shaping the global voice of PR.”

ICCO’s next bi-annual board meeting will for the first time take place in Dubai on Tuesday February 12 , with the annual PRCA MENA awards taking place the following evening on Wednesday 13th February. Sandwiched between these two events, The Holmes Report will be running their Innovation Summit at The Renaissance Hotel in Downtown Dubai.

PRCA MENA is a leading PR association for the MENA region, with a network covering PR and communications across 13 countries within the region.