PRAXIS MENA

At PRAXIS MENA in Abu Dhabi, senior communicators argued that rapid growth and confidence across the region must now be matched by courage, cultural intelligence and a sharper focus on tangible impact.

Mubadala CCO Brian Lott and former UK government communications chief Alex Aiken highlighted how communications leadership is evolving toward greater visibility, judgement and strategic responsibility.

North Seventy Five co-founder Iman Issa joins the Earned First podcast to discuss the key ideas and themes that shaped the inaugural PRAXIS MENA summit in Abu Dhabi.

Senior communications leaders at PRAXIS MENA argue the industry must prove its value in a more integrated ecosystem by moving beyond legacy roles and “building new models.”

Despite a broadly positive perception, the country must find a way to combat “conspiracy theories” and win over neutral observers around the world.

Brand and agency leaders argued that relevance cannot be bought through spend or scale alone, pointing instead to culture, consistency and earned trust as the real drivers of attention.

Healthcare leaders described a future in which trust, information and decision-making increasingly sit with the individual.

As AI compresses time and cost across communications, agencies and clients are being forced into difficult conversations about what value really looks like in an automated world.

Current Global took top honours in the Middle East’s first Earned First Index, unveiled at PRAXIS MENA in Abu Dhabi yesterday, alongside Action Global and Weber Shandwick.

Full scorecards and analysis from Earned First’s 2026 Middle East Consultancy Performance Index, benchmarking PR firms across business, creativity, innovation and culture to identify the region’s top-performing consultancies.