PR Luminary Bashar AlKadhi to be Honoured at EMEA SABRE Awards in London
Bashar AlKadhi, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of EMEAx at Hill & Knowlton, encompassing Continental Europe, the Nordics, the Middle East, Africa, Turkey, and India, will receive recognition with the PRovoke Media Individual Achievement SABRE Award during the EMEA SABRE Awards ceremony in London on April 17.
AlKadhi, who is slated to assume the role of CEO of Turkey, the Middle East, and Africa at Burson when H&K merges with BCW later this summer, boasts a 35-year career in the public relations and media sectors across various regions, including the UK, UAE, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain.
Affable and savvy, AlKadhi joined Hill & Knowlton as CEO of Middle East, North Africa and Turkey in 2016, having previously been CEO of sister agency Asda’a Burson-Marsteller (later Asda’a BCW) for the previous six years. Under his leadership, H&K has become a truly integrated agency and the region’s largest player.H&K was named as PRovoke Media’s Middle East agency of the year three years in a row (2020-2022) and then EMEA agency of the year in 2023.
AlKadhi has always advocated a collaborative, inclusive and diverse culture, including hiring local talent and promoting women, and H&K has long been a top five Great Place To Work in the UAE and top five Best Workplace for Women in the GCC.Before going agency-side, AlKadhi held senior in-house communications posts across the Middle East, serving as senior vice president and group controller at the i2 Group, the largest distributor of mobile phones in the region, and director of public affairs at The Coca-Cola Company in the Middle East and North Africa between 1998 and 2002.At Coca-Cola, he was brought in to raise the company’s corporate and brand profile as well as establishing a program to enhance Coke’s government and community relations.
He worked closely with Coke’s GCC lead John Guarino, who said: “He succeeded at all he did. He built a motivated team by hiring local candidates who were better able to deliver and promote the Coke story in the Gulf – a story that Bashar had crafted. Coke had many challenges at the time and Bashar built a holistic plan encompassing consumers, customers, stakeholders and importantly our associates.
“He also demanded more accountability from the agencies we worked with across the Gulf. They didn’t always love him for that! As a result of his plans and their execution, almost all metrics that we had set out were met or exceeded. And things that we did not set out to do, such as getting a reaction from our primary competitor (the blue guy), he managed to do as well.
As the number two brand we needed to have a bit of fun in the marketplace and Bashar excelled at that.”Guarino said: “I valued his opinions and he was not afraid to give me his. He let me know when I was wrong, or didn’t like my approach. Sometimes a leader needs that “truth teller” and he was mine. He also was the person I could vent to. We worked closely together and his professionalism was always evident and his engaging personality made him easy to work with and helped forged a friendship that we still hold dearly despite the distance that separates us.
He is a great leader, motivator and a leading professional in his field. Above all he is a wonderful person that I am proud to call my friend.
”At Asda’a BCW, long-time colleague Sameh Hamtini added: “Bashar’s mantra, the art of possibilities, ignites inspiration in all those around him. With his leadership at Burson, we embark on an exciting new chapter, blending dedication, enjoyment, and endless possibilities.”
