Mediaedge:cia, the first global communications planning and implementation agency, launched its first Middle East Academy in Dubai today as part of its commitment to delivering world-class media planning services to the region.

The Academy was opened at the Emirates Towers hotel this morning by Joseph Ghossoub, Chairman and World President of the International Advertising Association and CEO of Mediaedge:cia MENA; Mohan Nambiar, Regional Managing Director of Mediaedge:cia; and Yves-Michel Gabay, International Business and Development Director, Mediaedge:cia MENA.

The Academy offers comprehensive learning opportunities for MEC's 185 staff throughout the region and at every level from directors to junior executives and newcomers to veteran employees.

'The media landscape in the Middle East is becoming increasingly cluttered and increasingly difficult to navigate,' said Ghossoub, CEO of the The Holding Group conglomerate of marketing services firms. 'There are now more television, radio, print and online channels than ever before, which must be matched by an equally high level of industry expertise. The Mediaedge:cia Academy will address this challenge head-on by raising standards of practice.'

Mediaedge:cia (MEC), recently named '2006 Global Media Agency of the Year' by leading industry titles Advertising Age and Adweek, is witnessing rapid growth in the MENA region, Nambiar said. MEC Middle East, part of The Holding Group, reported 2006 regional billings in excess of USD 340 million.

'In the last few years, MEC has experienced 25 to 30 per cent growth year on year,' Nambiar said. 'A small part of this can be attributed to overall industry growth, but we believe the majority is fuelled by our company philosophy of Active Engagement. Active Engagement differentiates us from our competitors - it is the way we think, work and act.'

'Even the best talent requires constant skill improvement,' Nambiar added. 'We in the industry need to live up to the responsibility of not only training and moulding our junior talent, but also making it possible for our senior talent to take on bigger roles.'

A year-long training exercise, The Academy works on a modular basis, with field experts managing each of the industry-focused modules. Module topics include the importance of media in the marketing function, how to translate marketing objectives into a communications planning strategy, how to drive media research for better strategic thinking and insight generation tools. The learning cycle will also include sessions to improve personal skills and development across a broad range of topics such as team and client management.

Yves-Michel Gabay, International Business and Development Director, Mediaedge:cia MENA, said the MEC Academy is also a strategic response to the dearth of specialist talent in the region.

'Rather than complain about the difficulty of finding the right people, we have chosen to train and attract the right people and give them all the tools they need to do their job better,' Gabay said. 'Mediaedge:cia around the world follows a policy of Active Engagement in all its relationships, not only with clients and media owners but also with employees. We are committed to retaining our industry leadership, which begins with our people.

Our desire is to reach world-class standards in media planning insight and service. No matter where they are in the world, our clients want an international level of service - the same level of service they would receive in New York, London or Singapore.'

Mediaedge:cia MENA handles an impressive portfolio of blue-chip multinationals, in addition to leading regional and local companies. Its current roster, for example, includes Colgate-Palmolive, DHL, Visa, Sony Ericsson, Ford, Emaar and Etisalat.