BPG’s strengthens its culture of lifelong learning with a new upskilling initiative and scholarships for employees, in partnership with global edtech leader upGrad

• BPG’s senior leadership team expanded with the appointment of Omnicom veteran Mark Soufiar as Senior Vice President and Chief Media Officer
• New batch of graduates recruited through WhatNext, BPG’s elite training program for MarCom talent.

Dubai, UAE; 27 September 2021: Award-winning, omnichannelMarComagency BPG (formerly known as Bates PanGulf), a part of the WPP network,is prioritisingtalent upskillingfor Q4 2021. Following an upward growth trajectory, BPG is closing out the year with significant investments in its multidimensional talent pool.In collaboration with global edtech leader upGrad, BPG is offering all employees access to relevant higher learning programs from some of the world’s most renowned universities.Select candidates will be supported on their learning journey with scholarships from BPG as well.

TeamBPG will join more than a million professionals around the world who have benefited from upGrad programs from world-class universities such as The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Deakin Business School, Liverpool Business School, Michigan State University, IIT- Delhi, MICA – India, Indian Institute of Management – Kozhikode and Swiss School of Business and Management.Meanwhile, senior teams at BPG recently completed a rigorous 16-week training to build hard and soft skills to better serve future business priorities.

Avi Bhojani, GroupCEO, BPG said: “Our culture has always been of lifelong learning, growth and being agents of change. We are focused on upskilling our talent, helping them succeed, and accelerating their careers. We want to create value for clients and our communities, goingbeyond the traditional into the digitally led ‘new normal’.Along the way, we hope to grow, learn and create something remarkable together.”

This people-first mindset isn’t new for the 40-year-old, Dubai-born agency. Every year, hundreds of fresh graduates from across the MENA region apply to be a part of WhatNext, BPG’s elite and intense training program to nurture MarCom talent. Only a handful make the cut. BPG’s 2021 batch of diverse and talented WhatNextershail from the American University of Sharjah, University of Wollongong, American University of Cairo and the Lebanese American University.

With onboarding commencing from Sunday, October 3, 2021, the WhatNexterswill receive in-house training and mentoring from senior managersand guest speakers comprising BPG clients, business associates and former BPGites, as well as exposureacross BPG’s various functions. They will then be offered executive roles. BPG was one of the first major agencies in the MENA regionto create a mentoring program for university students interested in MarCom careers.

BPG’s leadership team has expanded with the appointment of Mark Soufiar as Senior Vice President and Chief Media Officer, who will lead the team in producing cutting edge marketing and media solutions for a portfolio of industry-disrupting clients. With more than 18 years of experience in media and digital marketing, Mark has worked in senior leadership roles at Omnicom Media Group, serving as a business unit director at OMD Dubai, setting up OMD Qatar in 2015, taking on the role of General Manager across the Lower Gulf region and heading marketing communications for Al Futtaim Motors Toyota. He has contributed to the success of some of the region’s most high-profile brands across various industries, orchestrating campaigns and partnerships across the MENA region.

Mark Soufiar said: “At BPG, we believe every challenge contains the seeds of opportunity. Our mission is to stay empathetic, agile and responsive amidst an evolving media landscape, where clients’ business needs are continually evolving. We are well placed to do this, thanks to BPG’s integrated structure that is free of silos. In my role, I look forward to bolstering BPG’s digital fluency, multichannel integration and steering some incredible talent, so we can keep delivering innovative and forward thinking solutions.” 

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