Head of Digital
Sky News Arabia
Total years of experience :23 years, 5 Months
• Oversee all aspects of Sky News Arabia’s website and digital assets and closely monitor the digital media scene, and make sure SNA is leading;
• Lead the development & implementation of SNA’s digital strategy;
• Overall responsibility for the development, content production, editorial policy and quality control of the website and mobile applications;
• Make sure the Digital and New Media operations are meeting set goals;
• Manage and monitor the digital budget;
• Coordinate with Sky News UK’s digital team on a regular basis to ensure brand consistency and maintain optimum cooperation;
• Provide specialist advice to the Marketing Director on digital issues, including the emergence of new online and digital technologies & the social media tools;
• Partner with the TV Output team to reach optimum integration between Web & TV, with the PR & CorpComms team to best leverage social media, and with the commercial team to achieve maximum monetization of content & services;
• Provide support, coaching, professional development and training to staff;
• Launched a blog called “Diary of a Start-up” to keep the audience closely informed of how SNA as an organization had been being established & prepared to launch;
• Contribute to or lead new business development opportunities, team skill development, and digital "evangelization" initiatives;
• Report weekly to high management on the impact SNA has on the digital media scene.
• Built & led a local team of editors, and an off-shore team of correspondents;
• Steered the content strategy and operations for anayou.com: a massive, trilingual, MENA-wide entertainment & lifestyle digital portal;
• Set the right strategies for all types of content meant to appear on the portal’s pages;
• Defined the editorial guidelines and operations;
• Pitched & liaised with potential content partners & helped identify business opportunities;
• Worked in collaboration with the design & usability teams on the overall look & feel;
• Liaised with the corporate strategy and Marcom teams on a regular basis.
• Managed the content, look and feel of the franchised editions of three international men’s lifestyle publications: L’Officiel Hommes, Car & Boat International;
• Led and managed the staff working on the three magazines, and their online versions;
• Conducted interviews with Hollywood and sport celebrities;
• Coached junior writers and trainees as well as ensuring the highest standard of written work is completed on time and on budget;
• Helped strategize the men’s lifestyle department, and plan new launches over the year;
• Regularly contributed to ITP’s sister websites, such as ArabianBusiness.com providing articles on an extensive range of subjects.
- Set the editorial guidelines for what is planned to be the largest Arabic entertainment portal in the world.
- Plan & manage the online content of MBC’s TV & Radio channels: MBC1, 2, 3, 4, Action, FM & Panorama.
- Lead the editorial team in Dubai & the freelancers’ network all over the Arab world.
- Direct a fully-fledged editorial/operational office in Cairo.
- Led the clients servicing team.
- Edited and revised news releses, profiles, speeches and announcements on behalf of clients.
- Directed all media relations activities.
- Created, implemented and evaluated PR strategies and communications plans.
Editor of Arabian Business Magazine: (May 2005- May 2006):
- Edited and managed the content of the region’s leading Arabic business magazine in the region.
- Lead the editorial managerial tasks, such as flat planning, creating features lists, producing front-page concepts, sub-editing and proofreading work.
- Helped organise and run the annual “Arabian Business Awards” event in both versions: UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Editor of Channel Arabic Magazine (July 2003-May 2005):
- Co-established and editorially managed the first Arabic “IT Channels” magazine in the region.
- Liaised with sales, design and production to ensure the magazine’s continued success.
- Covered Gitex Dubai and Saudi on a yearly basis; as well as some other trade shows and events, like ITU Africa.
Features Editor of Windows User Magazine (Sep 2000-July 2003):
- Wrote various IT articles for the leading IT end users’ magazine in the Middle East.
- Followed strict methodology guidelines governing Internet, telephone and face-to-face contact, to get, edit, update, and proofread news stories in both English and Arabic.
- Provided special reports and detailed analysis of new technologies in specialist IT areas, such as networking, mobile computing, and wireless solutions and so on.
- Frequently translated material from English to Arabic and vice versa for the company’s magazines and websites.
- Compiled and reviewed the contents of the monthly free CD of the magazine which contains several types of software, utilities and tools.
- Regularly contributed to ITP’s sister magazines, such as Ahlan, Time Out and Arabian Computer News.
Freelance Editor & Translator (1998-2000):
- Translated and edited computer and internet- related stories and features for a number of regional newspapers and magazines.
- Covered and reported trade shows, events and activities on the ground.
- Produced brochures and press releases in both Arabic and English.
Still ongoing..
Five courses in Journalism
Fifth Best Graduate of the Year