Barron will report directly to Nick Lawson, chief executive of MediaCom EMEA, and Roy Haddad, chairman of MediaCom MENA and the MENA Board which he will also sit on. He was previously CEO of MediaCom Russia, Ukraine and CIS and replaces Eric Hanna, who is returning to Grey Group MENA as chief executive after overseeing the 2010 merger between MediaCom and Media Insight.
Barron is expected to expand the footprint of the network across the region, initially in Qatar and Egypt. Current MediaCom MENA clients include Nestle, P&G, VW, Audi and NBAD. The region has also been successful in several new business pitches recently, including Al Rajhi Bank, one of the world's largest Islamic Banks, in KSA.
He has spent 27 years in the media and communications business, working at JWT, OMD and as a consultant dealing with sports rights, interactive TV and mobile. As head of MediaCom's Russian operation, he doubled the size of the business in three years and moved MediaCom from 12th in the agency rankings to fourth.
Commenting on his appointment, Barron said, "I am very excited to have the chance to take the leadership of MediaCom in MENA. It's an incredibly dynamic and exciting region and, with our strong and dedicated teams, the potential is clear. We plan to expand our footprint and be at the vanguard of the rapidly developing digital and mobile markets."
Lawson added, "The MENA region has continued to show real resilience and it's increasing importance in the global economy is demonstrated by our commitment to building a centre of excellence in the region. Nick's time in Russia has given him extensive experience of developing the MediaCom's offering and I'm confident that both our current clients and future prospects will be impressed as we expand our capabilities across the region.
"I'd like to thank Eric who did a great job for us managing the merger and started to put in place the building blocks for the future. We wish him every success at Grey where he will, of course, be a vital partner in our planned growth."
