Impact BBDO, one of the region's top creative networks with a multi-discipline offering, recently announced the appointment of Beirut based Dani Richa and Dubai based Pierre Azzam, as Chief Operating Officers of the group's growing network.

Fonterra Brands has appointed leading international agencies IMPACT/BBDO and OMD as its creative and media partner in the Middle East.

The announcement follows a global agreement between Fonterra and the agencies owner, Omnicom Group, to be the single advertising and media agency for Fonterra Brands internationally.

Amr Farghal, General Manager of Fonterra Brands Middle East, says Fonterra is excited about working with both companies and utilising their knowledge and creativity to help achieve its objectives in the Middle East.

'Having a single agency across our global brands business will allow us to have greater consistency between our markets and operate more efficiently,' Mr Farghal says.

In the Middle East IMPACT/BBDO and OMD will be working on brands such as Anchor, Mainland, Chesdale and the recently launched Anlene.

'We are working hard to continue to grow each brand in this region and it is important to have a creative and strong agency that has a lot of fresh ideas,' says Mr Farghal.

Middle East Group Managing Director IMPACT/BBDO Pierre Azzam says Fonterra Brands is a great addition to its portfolio of multinational and regional clients.

'Fonterra has international flagship status in the global dairy market and has a prestigious profile, so we feel privileged to have been chosen as their sole Marking Communication Partner,' says Mr Azzam.

Known for their creativity and commitment to clients, Mr Azzam and his team are looking forward to helping Fonterra Brands build a greater market share in the Middle East.

National Bonds Corporation (NBC), pioneer of the first Shari'a-compliant national savings scheme in the UAE, has appointed four new Dubai-based marketing agencies to develop its communications in the region.

The newly appointed agencies include Impact BBDO as the brand creative agency, Asda'a for Public Relations, MediaVest as the media agency, and Red for event management. The review process of the agency partnerships was managed by the regional partner of Agency Assessments International, IK Consult.

The new team of agencies takes over after eleven successful months for National Bonds, in which over 250,000 people have invested in National Bonds, ten millionaires announced and over 163,000 prizes distributed to bond holders.

Nasser bin Hassan Al-Shaikh, Vice Chairman and CEO of the National Bonds Corporation, said: 'While National Bonds has grown impressively since its launch in March 2006, we recognized the need to move it to the next level and grow its profile to be the most well-known savings brand in the UAE. Paving the way for our international expansion, we wanted the best in the communications business to help us achieve our vision, and we got them.'

National Bonds is an innovative Shari'a-compliant savings scheme open to all UAE residents and visitors. It offers a safe and credible savings option with attractive annual returns while simultaneously providing an opportunity to win one million Dirhams every month and more than 16,000 prizes.